Nick’s Walk

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 […]

My morning is pretty well planned. I will be hanging around the house, waiting for the cable guy. We are major contributors to the Cox Communications empire. We get almost every channel. We have high speed internet, and now we are venturing into Cox telephone with not one but two lines. It amazes me all that’s available through that little cable line. I have been involved in electronics and computers for over 40 years and I understand the theories, but the enormity of the possibilities still amazes me. What is even more interesting is that not everyone gets everything. From basic cable types to technofreaks, all are served based on their perceived need. How much or how little we get depends on the signals aimed at us by Cox and by the equipment we connect on our end. I was considering all of this because of the fantastic service we had on Sunday. It was Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Sunday. We put on an awesome program with special music, dancing, and teaching. Further God threw in some powerful testimonies and a time of special worship. But I am also aware that not everyone was equally blessed. It is hard […]

Yesterday I met two figures from forty years in my past. One was a seminarian with me at Immaculata seminary. We were there together in 1963. The other man is the son of one of my mother’s best friends when I was a child. “Sis” Chaillot was a name well known to me as a kid. I was able to share some special memories with both of these men. Our destinies are complex and miraculous. For the three of us, our existences touched briefly forty plus years ago and now our lives are weaved together again as we train to participate in Kairos Angola #53. When I consider the marvels of science like DNA and the intricate structures of God’s creation, I am drawn to Him and the certainty of His existence is confirmed in my spirit. Similarly, when I an confronted with the marvelous “coincidences” of life paths as I was yesterday, I can not deny that His plans for us are as complex and wonderful as our intricate designs. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made and our lives should justify such careful and loving divine planning. How are you going to work out His marvelous plan […]

 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.  In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, […]

Elijah the Tishbite. Read all about him.  October is Clergy Appreciation Month. At my church we don’t think in terms of clergy. We refer to Pastors. No matter the name, these people are under attack. The more they are trying to do God’s will as a leader, the more Satan is concerned and focused. Having served as a pastor myself I can report that it can be wonderfully rewarding. But even as a “part-timer”, it’s a thankless job full of headaches, disappointments, conflicts, loneliness, frustration, petty complaints and tight budgets. Since I was part-time and had a full time job that paid me well, compensation wasn’t an issue but the average pastor makes less than $34,000 a year—and  may work an extra job to feed his or her family. 90 percent of pastors work more than 50 hours a week; 70 percent say they don’t have any close friends; and 45 percent say they’ve had to take a leave of absence from ministry because of  depression or burnout. The biggest problem is that Pastors are asked to do the impossible. Most modern Christian churches are lead by a single man. The leadership can be viewed as a pyramid with the Pastor […]

Recently I received a request to send everything to a certain person via email instead of by text because the person was having problems with receiving texts. My thought was that I didn’t remember ever sending this (very nice by the way) person any text messages. After a few minutes God got my head straight and I think I know what’s going on. What a refreshing change! At our church, Amana Christian Fellowship, we have something called “Amana Prayer Partners.” We send reminders of church events, prayer requests and announcements, the Daily Bread daily devotional, and “Nick’s Walk.” It seems to work pretty well and all anyone has to do to get plugged into that is to provide the church with their email address. In fact, you can do that here. If they then have a prayer request or need, they simply send an email to amanaprayerpartners@googlegroups.com. Of course, they can fill out a form on the church’s web site, or send me an email, or call me or send me a letter, I guess. But sending the email directly is the easiest thing. Not that long ago, only very computer savy people communicated by email. Now, it has […]