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Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man  26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,

For the first few years of my marriage I was in the Navy stationed far from home. We would try to get back home a couple of times a year, often during the holidays. We always looked forward to seeing our families. We are close both to my family and my wife’s. But those “vacations” had a certain tension. It seemed we were always balancing the time to be spent with each family. Christmas with one; Christmas eve with the other. Maybe the opposite split for New Years. Many Christmases we had two big meals. Now, many years later, my family gathers on the 23rd of December to avoid as much as possible, scheduling conflicts with the increasing complex family relationships. It is often the only time during the year I see some of my family. Rose’s family has become much smaller and that has made things less complicated. I am getting that same kind of feeling for next Saturday. I have a Kairos meeting in Baton Rouge and a Fall Family Fun Day in Maurice. Two of my families have a scheduling conflict. I have to admit that I haven’t normally gone to the Family Fun Days in […]

Yesterday I encouraged you to be a Fearless Lover. I pointed out we need to be Fearless, particularly in these end times; but we need to do so in a loving way that allows our message to be heard.  Soon after writing that post I faced a real-life example of how hard that can be. I attended a team building meeting for Kairos Prison Ministry. Our slogan is Listen Listen Love Love. We try to bring the love of Jesus into prisons. Listening is hard work and many of us are natural talkers. Further, silence makes us uncomfortable so we tend to talk to fill it. Yet that very silence may be encouraging a timid person to finally speak out. In the past we have struggled with volunteers who, through nervousness or habit, just can’t seem to shut up and let our guests do the talking. It has been very frustrating. Yesterday at our meeting we were discussing what to do with the person who doesn’t seem to want to talk. I insisted “Just Shut Up.” Someone else, a new volunteer,  wanted to keep talking about it and I just kept saying, “Just Shut up.” Finally the speaker got […]

Everyone seems to be saying that the end times are near, maybe here. We rejoice because we know that means the soon return of Our Lord. We tend to slip to the back of our mind that it also means tough times. It may be disputed among Christians just how much, if any, of the “tribulation” the church will experience. We excitedly await the rapture.  No matter where you stand on that issue, we have to accept that things will get worse for Christians before they get better. We will be required to be braver, more courageous, than we are now. In short we are going to need to be fearless. The church has too long lived in fear. Fear cripples and cramps joy out of living. Doesn’t that describe the church today? Crippled and joyless. The world looks at us as irrelevant, unable or unwilling to change a decaying society and bringing not joy, but condemnation to a needy world.  That’s not the state Our Lord called us to. We should be living such joyful and fearless lives that the world is compelled to ask, “What do they have? Whatever it is. I want it.” How can we […]

We have new telephone service and a new security system. These changes left me with a stack of manuals to review. The installers taught us the basics, but upon reading the manuals I discovered there were some substantial features that had not been mentioned. In fact, one of the installers was not aware of some of the goodies I found in the manuals. I am not usually a manual reader. I believe that a real man doesn’t read manuals. At least not until he has made a mess trying to figure it all out on his own.  Manuals can be a great money saver. More than once I purchased some new gadget only to discover that a tool I already had was fully capable of doing the job, if I had only read the manual.  I’m sure you already know where this is going. We have a manual for life. God has given us His word; but we are reluctant to read it. We only turn to it when we have already so messed things up that miraculous intervention is required. How often have you discussed an issue with a friend and been told, “I just read a great […]

The exhaust fan on our electric range hasn’t worked for months. Parts for the appliance tend to be very expensive. We seemed to get along fine without the fan, so I put it way down on my to do list. A couple of days ago, out of the blue, the fan came to mind. I put in a call to the repairman, all the while thinking I had better things to spend money on right now. I wasn’t home when the repair man came. Rosemary described how, when he turned the fan on, the unit began sparking and smoking. The man ran for the circuit breaker. He says that he’s never seen that happen. What if a little one had hit that switch with no one around. Or if Rose would have been home alone. The possibilities are frightening. I believe in guardian angels. In the larger sense, I believe my Father has plans for me and my family. Nothing will happen to us until it’s okay with Him. Bad things may happen but only when they are what’s necessary in his perfect plan. Whom then shall I fear? Be blessed. Nick

If you’ve spent anytime in supermarket checkout lines this week, you’ve probably notice a consistency of purchases rolling through the scanners. Most shoppers have chicken, sausage, maybe jars of prepared roux, some of those containers of pre chopped onions or “the trinity.” These signal that gumbo weather has arrived. Time to get out the pots and compare recipes. It’s a south Louisiana tradition. Make no mistake that we love our gumbo. But there is more to this tradition. The first breath of cool air means an end to the dog days of summer, high temperatures and low energy levels. There is a promise in the air of holidays, burning fireplaces and renewed energy. Gumbo weather is as much about revival and hope as it is a culinary event. In these cooler days I found myself cleaning out my office, arranging for projects around the house that have demanded attention for weeks, months and, in some cases, years. There is a stirring in the soul. There is a spiritual side to this: a back to work, school and church feeling that the warm days of summer sapped from us. It’s a desire to start fresh and to do things better […]

Monday I spent with the cable guy. Tuesday is reserved for the security guy. We are installing a security system. We live in a pretty spooky neighborhood, especially at night. The system is pretty standard. Obvious entry ways are covered. There is a motion sensor. If the system is tripped, a call is sent to the security company and unless someone who answers our phone can give the proper code, help is dispatched. There are also smoke detectors on both floors. It’s important that no one, or thing, gets into our home who doesn’t belong and who may have evil intentions. We need a spiritual alarm system as well. There are forces which seek to invade us. These potential intruders rely on the disguises of numbers and familiarity. In short they are so numerous and such a constant presence that they don’t need to circumvent security systems. We let them right in. Spend some time watching old movies. Consider the absence of nudity, course language and violence. Prime time television today contains more of these negative elements than the “condemned” movies of my childhood. But it’s more than that. Even the “children’s” channels are filled with characters who have […]