Author: Nick

Today is my sixty-third birthday. I’m afraid that my family is not too thrilled with my birthday mood. I am considered a gloomy Gus on birthdays. I guess I owe them an explanation. First, I take no credit for making it for 63 years. I am responsible in no way for this. Life is the gift of God. It is a gift in conception, in regeneration, in eternity. He determines the number of our years. It seems silly to me to accept congratulations for something for which we have no part. Don’t get me wrong. I am extremely grateful for the years I have been given. Occasionally, I review the obituaries and notice how often the dead have had fewer years, often many fewer years, than I have been granted. I am grateful for every year, every hour, every second. If I am glum at the time of the celebration of my birth it is because I feel I have not taken full advantage of the gift of time I have been given. We can only live today and it is not fruitful to spend much time considering the wasted years. However, I think it is wise occasionally to […]

It is becoming increasing obvious that there is a war against followers of Christ. It is in many ways an undercover war. It will be filled with much intrigue and stealth. The most difficult task in this struggle may be identifying friend and foe. Old definitions of “christian” and “non-christian” or even “anti-christian” will not apply. It will take spiritual help to keep the players straight. We will need discernment like never before. At times we might find ourselves aligned with others on certain issues, with whom with might disagree on other issues. For example, we need to stand with all those whose religious liberty is threatened, even if our specific beliefs are not the same. The enemy will also attempt to confuse things by majoring on the minors. We need to perpetually keep our eyes on Jesus. Other “political” or “social” issues will have to take a back seat. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Ungird ever word and action with prayer. Be alert and diligent. Times are about to get much tougher. Nick

I went to the Post Office this morning and is true most mornings I had just “junk mail.” The trash can at the post office was overflowing with “junk mail.” Many customers went to their boxes, flipped through the mail and tossed it all in the trash. We sure get lots of “junk mail.” It’s kind of like cable tv, hundreds of channels, and nothing to watch. Why is so much spent on sending out mail and programming that no one seems to watch? I guess if you send a ton of junk mail out and one pound of it is read and one ounce of it is responded to, then you will have achieved your goal. We need to be constantly aware that so much of what circulates around us is junk: mail, tv, lots of conversation. Talk is cheap and folks are willing to churn out tons of it if only a tiny bit comes back to them as profit. It makes worth while words all the more valuable. We need to be so careful about what we throw out there. If we send out words of value they will be scooped up from the junk pile […]

I must be poking Satan in the eye with a stick. I’m not sure what I have done but I have apparently gotten his interest. I have been under what we Christians call “attack.” I have overslept three mornings in a row. I have added a twisted ankle and bladder problem to my knee woes. I am having awful dreams at night, very real and vivid. There is more evidence of spiritual skirmish, but I won’t bore you with detail. I don’t know exactly what I have done. It is probably good that I don’t because I would be sorely tempted to quit doing it. I am feeling very much in need of a break. I have been listening to David Jeremiah’s teaching on the end times so Satan comes up every day. Today he discussed the mark of the beast. The beast just seems a bit closer than usual the last few days. I believe that satan is real and that spiritual warfare is in constant progress. There are times when we take notice of it. It becomes more real in our lives for any number of reasons. It may be just a time of increased spiritual sensitivity […]

What a Blue Monday. I usually have Blue Monday feelings on Sunday night. I guess it’s in anticipation of Monday. But today is special. It’s the first day light savings time Monday. I had bad dreams last night and had trouble sleeping. I’m still burned out from my bladder infection. I missed church yesterday (more oversleeping) I over slept this morning. I twisted my ankle on my way out the door to greet a day gray with rain. Nicky went into the post office to help me by getting my mail. He dropped his iphone and cracked his screen. It’s not shaping up as a great day. I wonder if Jesus suffered Blue Monday syndrome while a man on earth. Were some days harder for Him to do what the Father called Him to do than others? Did He wake each morning with knowledge of the challenges He would face, the doubt He raise, the rejections of His message? I have to think He was in every way human, with the divine within that sometimes made His mission tougher rather than easier. For me I have to accept that I am subject to mood altering situations. Some days it’s […]

There are some steps required in coming to Jesus. There must be recognition and sorrow for our sinful state and an understanding that our state deserves nothing but punishment. There must be an acknowledgement that alone we are unable to justify this sinful state. That’s pretty much basic orthodox Christianity. What has been pretty simple and straightforward for most of human history has become complicated in this age of New Spirituality. In a society that doesn’t recognize absolute truth and puts the individual at the center, it is nearly impossible to come to a position of repentance. Without repentance, there is no salvation. Consider this definition of sin: “Sin is Being Out of Alignment With My Values.” Sorry wrong answer. God sets the standard,  not each of us individually. What societal chaos would result, in fact, has already resulted, from a general acceptance of that definition of sin. What of heaven/hell and award/punishment? Try this:  “If I’m true to myself and my faith then that is its own reward; when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment.” So, in short, I set the standard. If I don’t live up to it, I feel real bad. If I do, […]

The Rajun Cajun Basketball team is still playing basketball. They are in a postseason tournament. It’s not the NCAA tournament the winner of which is crowned National Champion. This is known as the Big Dance. It’s not the NIT Tournament. A Tournament which has been around for years. Let’s call it the Little Dance. This is a relatively new and unknown tournament, if you will, the Tiny Dance. But they are still playing and that’s great. It reminds me of life. I had planned to go to Angola today to participate in Prayer and Share with inmates. Let’s call it the big dance. After all, it involves big time sinners and great stories of conversion. I have a health issue this weekend and can’t make it. Well to be perfectly honest, I have a bladder condition and I didn’t have the courage to wear Depends to a Maximum Security Prison. I guess I’m not the bastion of courage I like to portray. God is good. He is continually providing us “dance” opportunities. They are not always big and dramatic. They are usually subtle every day waltzes. The waitress who serves you breakfast could use an encouraging word, “Play B11.” […]

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 Have you ever considered that the disciples were not the “best and the brightest.” They were not the sharpest knives in the drawer or the cream of the crop. Now Paul was a really bright guy, but it was not his intellectual prowess which was his greatest witnessing tool, but his story of his meeting with the Savior that day on the road. His real testimony was his conversion from principal prosecutor of the church to its greatest apostle. His writings are wonderful, but we know they came from the mind of God. His real work involved dangerous and courageous travel through much of the known world, introducing men to Jesus.  We don’t have a collection of brilliant writings from John the Baptist; yet he accumulated a considerable following living a bare bones life in the desert. His words in John 1:29 contain his entire message: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We need to get over the intimidation of not being seminary graduates. We have to get past the excuse […]