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I remember when Rosemary and I  first fell in love. On our very first date we talked like I had never talked with any other person. As our relationship developed we would talk with each other almost constantly. During our early years together, I was in the Navy and our separations were frequent. The letters and tapes we exchanged during those separations are priceless momentos. Even now I brighten at the sound of her voice. Communication is the fuel for the fire of romance. The intensity of the relationship can be measured by the quality and frequency of the communication. OC today advises, “Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance.” Before I knew the Lord, His word was often grating. It made me uncomfortable. His written word sounded archaic and cold. Not like now. A word from Him, written or heard, can brighten the darkest day or cure the deepest concern. How’s your love life? Is your communication constant, warm and lively or is it rare, chilly and dead? A vibrant relationship places the words of the loved above all others. “Never ask the advice of another about anything God makes you […]

I had a tough meeting this week. Other participants at the meeting had engaged in misrepresentations and unethical tactics. I had the “goods” on them; enough to blow them out of the water. I was prepared to come in guns blazing. The Lord checked me. I came in with the truth but with a loving spirit. All worked out well. I shouldn’t be surprised. Having the truth on our side, having the “right words” isn’t enough. Our message is never effectively delivered if it is brought in the wrong spirit. The Great Commission is about spreading the Word in His Spirit. Anything less is destructive. “We have shown our ignorance of Him in the very way we determined to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, we hurt Him by our advocacy for Him, we push His claims in the spirit of the devil. Our words sound all right, but our spirit is that of an enemy. “He rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” The spirit of our Lord in an advocate of His is described in 1 Corinthians 13. (The Love Chapter) Have I been […]

We have gone “rights” crazy. We believe we have the “right” to practically everything. Even animals and plants now are proclaimed to have “rights.” There is much complaining and protesting over a perceived loss of our “rights” to the government.  In this atmosphere, OC’s words seem strange, “Every time we stand on our rights, we are persecuting Jesus.”It is easy to see rights abuse in others; but we need to look in the mirror. Are we entitled to all that we have or all that we want? Being “rights” focused is being self-focused.In the purest sense, we have no rights. We deserve nothing. Everything we have is a gift. This is not to say we should not fight to live in a “free” country or to preserve our heritage. These are good and proper battles. Let’s not forget the founder’s words when referring to  basic “rights” of all men, they were “endowed by their Creator.” What God has given, we should not allow man to take away.But as OC says, “The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of one thing only – a perfect oneness with the Father, and He says, “Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly […]

Bobby McFerrin was one of those one hit wonders. He released Don’t Worry Be Happy in 1988. It was the first acapella song to hit number one. It’s lyrics were simple. It’s tune and Bobby’s voice was Caribbean. It made you think of a tropical island free of care and worry. It struck a chord with the public because we all really don’t want to worry. We want to be happy. We’re just not very good at it. In America, the luxury that surrounds us breeds distraction and worry. Intellectually, the Christian knows that the answer is to be careful about only one thing, our relationship with the Lord. But we care about so much more. I have been monitoring Amana Prayer Partners since May of 2008. I have copies of hundreds of prayer requests. Maybe one day I’ll write a book. I don’t recall a single prayer request focused on a care about one’s relationship with Christ. We pray about illness, about job security, about the salvation of others. We pray against bad weather or “evil” politicians. It is a good and right thing to bring such petitions to our Father and we have seen miracles in His […]

I tend to make things way too complicated. Periodically I have to do housekeeping on some part of my life. In essence, I have to remove the “extra” stuff that I throw in and get back to basics. As usual, OC says it well:“How are we going to be simple with the simplicity of Jesus? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the word of God, and life will become amazingly simple.”So it is with the church website, Amanacf.org. I recognized some weeks ago that it had become too complicated and I have been working for weeks on redoing it. In fact, making it more complicated each time.Finally, I asked myself, “What am I trying to accomplish?” I had to answer I want folks to connect with us and to connect with Jesus. It’s a theme we focused on last year; but I think it is a perpetual theme. Doesn’t that say it all? So I have greatly simplified the website with that theme in mind If you are familiar with the site you will see some things are missing. If you miss something, it’s up to you to get it back. […]

Saints in the Superbowl. Many thought it would never happen. On WWL, the New Orleans news station, once the winning field goal was made, the announcer proclaimed, “Hell has frozen over.” One newspaper called the dramatic win, “Divine Intervention.” With a name like “Saints” it’s inevitable that there will be “spiritual” references when the team is referenced. Some are light hearted; some completely irreverent.I spent Sunday afternoon and evening watching the game with family, frantically texting those who were not physically present. Even Rosemary, my wife and self-proclaimed non-football fan, jumped off the coach and screamed when the last interception occurred. She was in the ladies room for the winning kick. Maybe she really still isn’t a fan.But shouldn’t I have been in church? I wasn’t and I am sure I’m not the only one. I think OC’s words for today deserve consideration:“As workers for God we have to learn to make room for God – to give God “elbow room.” We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as Hechooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our […]

I met a great person yesterday. I have known this person since he was born; but I feel like I really met him yesterday. I spent the entire day with him. I watched my grandson Nicky break boards in his Karate class in the morning, we saw Avatar together in the afternoon and watch the Ragin Cajuns play their best game of the season last night. It was a long day but a great day. I have always know he’s a “great kid.” But he is a great person. We love many of the same things like karate, scifi, and basketball. He’s smart, personable and lovable.  He’s a wise person. I thought it was cute to name the little video of his Karate class, “Nicky – The Human Saw.” He got a kick (this is Karate after all) out of it; but pointed out that I should change the name. He advised: “That’s not what the video is about. It’s about a whole class breaking boards; not just about me.” Yesterday I admitted I wasn’t as smart as OC; now I have to say I’m not smarter than a second grader. That’s what Paul found out after persecuting Jesus […]

It’s difficult to keep up with OC. I would like to say that each morning I can review his thoughts for the day and summarize them. It doesn’t sound that complicated; but it is. At best, I can grab one fragment of his musings and comment on it. If you’re not receiving a copy of his entire daily devotional, let me know. If you are not trying to absorb it yourself, you are missing something.I grab these words today: “By being filled with the Spirit we are transformed, and by beholding we become mirrors.” I know that ideally when someone looks at me, they should see Jesus. It’s hard for me to imagine that anyone ever does. I guess the problem is sometimes I try to be like Jesus and for all the admirable effort, failure is guaranteed. Rarely I realize that trying isn’t going to do it. The only way to be a mirror of our Lord is by beholding Him.I know I need to stop trying and focus on beholding. It’s just so much easier to try by doing things. I can be kind. I can assist. Sometimes I can even forgive. When I do these things, […]