Never Giving Up

Posted on June 18, 2013 by pastorpstephens

My wife Marta and I got back from the coast on Saturday afternoon.  We had a great time.  Our daughter and her husband and their two girls went with us.  We went swimming, played on the beach, fished late into the night and had a great time.  The last night Marta and I went fishing and it was the best night of fishing of the entire trip but it didn’t start out so good.  I had bought a new wire fish basket to use because I find it more convenient than using a stringer and as I was getting ready to tie it to the dock I dropped the basket in the water.  You guessed it, I had not yet tied the rope to the basket.

This particular wire basket floats and I watched as the waves began to carry it away.  I called out to my wife and let her know that I had dropped the new basket and then a phrase came into my mind.  It was one that my 3 year old granddaughter Avery had said several times during the week, “I won’t give up!”  Avery says it while playing catch, practicing somersaults and especially while trying to get Pawpaw to give her an extra cookie.  I said it as I saw that wire fish basket being carried away by the ocean waves.  Maybe I could cast out there and catch it with one of those lures that hadn’t caught a fish in the last 3 days.  It was worth a try and I wasn’t going to just watch that fifteen dollar wire fish basket float away.  Not me!  I won’t give up!  I snagged the basket on about the fourth try!  Marta and I laughed and she pointed out that I had been inspired by little Avery.  Yes, I had been inspired not to give up by a 3 year old.  I am glad to see that she is learning and using biblical principles.  The Bible says in Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.”

Diligence is a great behavior for God’s people to demonstrate.  Not giving up serves us well.  I sometimes get a little bit weary of the way people apply the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.”  Yes, things do happen for a reason.  Baskets fall into the ocean because we forget to tie them to the dock.  Waves carry them out of our reach because we just sit and watch and do nothing.  Things do happen for a reason.  I would rather them not happen because I gave up and did nothing.

Maybe there is something that you have not tended to properly and now you think it is lost and out of reach for good.  Maybe it seems as if the waves of time and neglect have carried it too far away.  Don’t give up so easily.  Nothing is impossible for our Lord.  He who gave Lazarus new life can give new life to relationships, careers and to our walk of faith!  Oh Christian don’t give up.  Pray.  Ask the Lord for insight as to how you might regain that which was lost unto you.  He promises in His word that He will give wisdom to all who ask.  He promises to never leave you nor forsake you.  He promises to strengthen you to do the things that are in His will.  He will help you regroup, He will help you make some plans.  He will give you the strength to diligently pursue that which has been lost.  The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.

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Chasing Sea Gulls on the Beach

Posted on June 11, 2013 by pastorpstephens

chasing sea gulls

This work week is going to be a short one for me as my wife and I are going to the coast on Wednesday and we are coming back Saturday.  We will not be going by ourselves as we are going to take our two granddaughters with us.  Both of them went with us last year and we had a great time.  The oldest one, Avery is 3 and a half years old now and she still remembers the fun we had last summer.  The youngest granddaughter, Haley is just one and a half and I am not sure if she remembers the trip.  Avery has tried to prepare her little sister by talking to her about how they are going to play in the sand, make sand castles, splash in the water and chase sea gulls on the beach.  I am not sure if Haley understands all that Avery is saying, but she knows it is going to be a blast.  She knows to expect to have a good time and to be surrounded by people she loves and who love her.  Her being prepared to enjoy someplace that she cannot fully grasp reminds me of Christians trying to understand and be prepared for the day we enter into Heaven.  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9

“Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  1 Corinthians 2:9

God’s word tries to prepare us for the magnificence; we read of a place with streets of gold and walls of jasper.  We read of a place with no suffering and no pain.  We read of a place which is illuminated with the brilliance of the glory of Christ, filled with the songs of praise and adoration of those who have received Him as Lord and Savior.  We hear these things and yet we cannot fully grasp the splendor and wonder of what shall one day be.  No, it has not entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who love Him.  While we don’t fully understand everything, like Haley going to the beach, we know we shall be with One we love and surrounded by others who love us.  It will be a glorious place and a glorious time forever and ever and ever!  Until we enter that glorious place in the hereafter, the best we can do is praise Him in the here and now.  I hope you take the time to find out how much our Lord and Savior loves you.  I hope you take the time to read God’s word and prepare for the journey…and every now and then, take the time to chase some sea gulls on the beach.

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Pulled Hamstrings and Forgiving Others

Posted on June 5, 2013 by pastorpstephens

I pulled a hamstring last Friday playing basketball.  I had played earlier that week on Monday for about two and a half hours and ran Wednesday and Thursday so maybe my legs were a little bit run down.  Or maybe it had something to do with the guy WHO TRIPPED ME! as I was going full speed down the court.  He clipped the side of my foot and caused me to stumble a bit and when my foot hit the floor at 2/3 of a stride instead of a full stride I felt a pop at the back of my left leg.  I had to hobble off the court.  I didn’t cry…..much.  Today is the first day that I can almost walk without a limp.  I have been trying to play it off by bobbing my head a little bit and wearing ear buds.  I am not sure it is working. I pulled the hamstring on the other leg about 15 years ago and I don’t remember it hurting this bad.  Of course, I was 15 years younger.  As an older friend of mine used to say, “Growing old ain’t for sissies.”

At work somebody asked me if I got mad at the guy who tripped me.  I told them that there really wasn’t any need to get mad, it was just an accident.  They pointed out that maybe this guy fouled me on purpose or maybe he did it in an act of clumsiness and they would be really mad if somebody did something that kept them off the court for 6 weeks.  As I thought about that perspective, I pointed out some flaws with it.  First, it was probably my clumsiness that led to the injury.  Second, even if it was somebody else’s fault, it would not be right to hold a grudge and be angry.  If everybody I have ever knocked down on the basketball court stayed mad at me, I would be public enemy number one.  My picture would be in every post office in the land!  But most importantly, God’s word tells us how we are to react in these situations.  The Bible says in Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

I have been forgiven of so many things by the Lord, it just wouldn’t be right for me to withhold forgiveness from others.  Sometimes, it is not easy to forgive, but when we don’t we are only hurting ourselves.  Not forgiving leads to anger, bitterness, high blood pressure and can make us paranoid about other people’s intentions.  The health problems and mental stress caused by not forgiving is just not worth it.  God has our best intentions in mind when He asks us to let things go.  Forgiving others is a part of our own healing process.  I can’t let my healing be slowed down by holding grudges…I’ve got to get ready to get back in the game!

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Somewhere Someone is crying, Lord

Posted on June 1, 2013 by pastorpstephens

Someone Crying

Somewhere someone is crying Lord;
With tears running down their face.
Somewhere someone is hurting Lord,
And their world is a cold, lonely place.

I pray that you would comfort them,
Embrace them and dry their tears.
Give them strength to carry on
And take away their fears.

Somewhere someone is crying Lord;
And that person needs to know,
That even though they feel lonely,
You’ve never left them all alone.

Help them get through today,
And do the things that must be done,
Help them to be comforted
By the grace and power of Your Son.

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Comfort for those in Granbury, TX and Moore, OK

Posted on May 21, 2013 by pastorpstephens

Psalm 119:50  This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

My heart goes out to those who have suffered such great loss and tragedy as a result of the recent storms in tornado alley.  I cannot imagine how terrible those who suffered loss in Granbury, Texas and Moore, Oklahoma must feel at this time.  Indeed they need all the love, support and demonstrations of charity that the people of our great nation can provide at this time.  At times like this faith will be tested.  Some will ask, “Where was God in all of this?”  Some will ask, “If God allowed this, how these people will ever be able to trust in Him again?”  There are indeed difficult questions that come during difficult times in our lives.  Some of those questions do not have easy answers and some do not have answers at all.  We live in a sin fallen world and from time to time, God in His sovereignty allows tragedy to enter all of our lives.  We don’t always know the reason why.  There are just some things that we cannot comprehend and that we will not understand this side of glory.  During those difficult times we must cling to what we do know.

I know that when we experience tragic circumstances we can find comfort in God’s word.  His presence can be found in His word and His presence can revive us and give us strength.  His presence can give us hope.  His presence can give us comfort.  I also know that oftentimes when tragedy strikes people are too shell shocked to pick up a Bible and turn to God’s word.  They struggle just to deal with day to day affairs and they must fight to simply put one foot in front of the other and cope from one hour to the next.  It is in those times that Christians must allow God’s word to work through them so that they can reach out and help revive those who are dealing with difficult times in life.  We are to “bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).”

At this time while people are reeling from these horrific tragedies, reach out to them.  Lift them up in prayer.  Consider donating to a reputable relief organization.  Ask God how you can let His word work through you so that you can bring comfort to someone who is hurting.

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Bumps and Bruises from Playing the Same Old Way

Posted on May 14, 2013 by pastorpstephens

I have had the opportunity to play basketball every week for the last 2 months.  After not playing regularly at all for the better part of two years due to my back surgery and working on my Master’s degree I finally feel like I have knocked all of the rust off of my game.  People who have played sports know what I am talking about; those who have not played just don’t understand and look at me like I am a little bit crazy when I talk about finally having my feet under me, regaining the “touch” for the passes behind the back or between the legs, and scooping and spinning the ball high off of the glass just outside of the defenders’ outstretched arms.  It is good to be playing again.

For all the years that I have played I have always played “in the paint.”  I have always taken the ball strong to the basket in a reckless fashion, crashing the boards to get rebounds whenever anyone else put up a shot and the ball has often ended up in my hands when the game was on the line.  I never did shoot much from the outside.  Sometimes I would put up a  pull up jumper from the lane or bank shots from the side but I never did consistently shoot from what I would “the outside.”  As a result of my style of play I have hit the floor many times over the years and I have taken some self-inflicted bumps and bruises.  Because I am not as quick as I used to be and because I do not recover from the bumps and bruises as fast, I have been working on changing my style of play.  I have been practicing shooting from beyond the arc; I have been working on my 3 point shot.  Yesterday during warm ups I made 20 three pointers in a row!  Despite the success I was having with “shooting the threes” during warm ups, when we started the full court 4 on 4 games, I went back to my old style of play.  Once the game started, when the pressure was on and people were waiving their hands in my face there I was running the floor, mixing it up in the paint.  I had to force myself to move outside a few times to take some shots.  I hit a couple and I missed a couple but before you know it, I was back in the lane going back to what I have done for the last 40 years.  It is what I know.  I think it is like that for us in our spiritual life as well.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:8

Eph 5:8 You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Sometimes we get in the game of life and some pressure comes and we go back to what we know.  We go back to what we have done in the past.  Everybody struggles with this sometimes.  Even the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15 that he did not do the things he wanted to do but found himself doing the very things he hated.  If we are honest, all of us can relate to that.  Despite our desire to do something new, something better, we fall back to our old ways.  We resort to coping mechanisms that have gotten us through tough times before.  Some of those ways are appropriate, some are not.  We must never forget in the midst of the game, in the flow of life that we are children of the Light.  We are children of the Lord.  The Lord desires to teach us to grow and to learn better ways to play.  He desires to give us the strength and the confidence to put them in to practice in the heat of the game.  He desires to help us to live and to love in a way that will not leave us with self-inflicted bumps and bruises.

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Facing Challenging Times

Posted on May 7, 2013 by pastorpstephens

I have been doing well and feeling pretty good.  It has been a good day.  Although it is a good day, I know that challenging days could be just around the corner.  I am mindful of the fact that everyone struggles from time to time. Even the great writers of the psalms in the Bible had times where they wrestled with issues of fear, doubt and even battles of the flesh. In Psalm 121 the psalmist wrote these words:

Psalm 121:1-3 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

The psalmist knows that his life will not be without stress and struggles. The psalmist knows that he is not promised a life without trials and tribulations. But the psalmist carries on because he knows that in the midst of his stress and struggles, in the times of his trials and tribulations he can lift his eyes and expect help from His Lord the maker of heaven and earth. The psalmist knows that he is not alone; he knows that he has not been forsaken.

In those times when you find yourself down or facing the struggles that come all of our way now and then, take some time to read Psalm 121. I believe you will find encouragement and comfort. I believe you will find that your help also comes from the Lord. He can comfort you, calm you down and help you sort things out.  He can give you the strength to carry on.  May your spirit be blessed with the same knowledge as the writer of Psalm 121.

 

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You Don’t Have to Go Away to Get Away – It’s a Beautiful World

Posted on May 2, 2013 by pastorpstephens

My wife and I just got back from spending 6 days in Puerto Rico.  We had a lot of fun as we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary.  We were able to go snorkeling, sailing, swimming, walking on the beach, hiking in the rain forest, shopping and exploring the various historical sights and scenes in old San Juan.  We really did see some beautiful sights while we were on vacation.  It reminded me of what the psalmist said in Psalm 33:5  “…The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”

The Lord has indeed created a wonderful world. It is a blessing to be able to behold the work of His hand.  As beautiful as other places are it is always good to get back home. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family, great friends, a good home and so much more. He is worthy to be praised.  The beauty of His Hand and the evidence of His work and His blessing can be found even in the most simplest of places.  After we returned home, I sat on the back porch with my wife and we just watched the clouds in the sky.  We talked as the breeze blew the bottle brush bushes gently back and forth.  We watched two green lizards run along the top of the privacy fence.  We just sat there and talked a bit.  No agenda, no activities, no place to be.  It was a good and blessed afternoon.  The earth is indeed full of the goodness of the Lord.  While it was nice to get away, you don’t have to go away just to enjoy the goodness of God’s creation.

When I was young I did not always stop and take the time to watch the clouds and sit on the porch and spend time quietly with friends and loved ones as the afternoon passed.  I know now that I missed out.  I am grateful that the Lord has blessed me now not only with a wonderful wife and family but also with an appreciation for His marvelous handiwork.

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Even So, Come Quickly Lord Jesus

Posted on April 19, 2013 by pastorpstephens

I have been working very hard this week getting ready for vacation.  In some ways it has been a little bit more stressful than usual as I have tried to work ahead so that I will not be so far behind when I get back from a week of relaxation.  Somehow that just doesn’t seem right.  Oh well, that is just the way it is.  I am blessed to have some good coworkers who will help look after things while I am out of the office and I am not going to take my work laptop with me so that I will not be tempted to work any emails or files during my time off.  I plan to spend quality time with my wife and go swimming and sight seeing in Puerto Rico for 6 days.  It should be very fun.

I am definitely ready for a vacation after all of the crazy events that have gone on this week.  We have had the bombing in Boston, the fertilizer plant blow up in West, Texas and we had some other tragedies along the way this week.  It was a week in which tragedy struck many lives.  As I watched many of the events unfold this week I was reminded of some of the last words in the Holy Scriptures.  In Revelation 22:20 the Apostle John has written of the end times and demonstrated how the Lord will prevail, good will triumph over evil and the saints will live with the King of kings forever and John closes by saying, “Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.”

There are indeed some crazy things going on in this world.  Despite those things, I know that the Lord will prevail.  I know that He is in charge.  I know that ultimately He will establish His justice, His righteousness and His kingdom.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.  In the meantime, I pray for those who minister in His name.  I lift up those who rush in to situations where others are running out.  I encourage those who need His power and His comfort.  I reach out in Christian love and prayer to those who need His embrace.  I ask for grace and mercy and strength to walk in faith in this crazy world until He returns.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

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Fixing the Tires

Posted on April 9, 2013 by pastorpstephens

I was off Friday last week and it was a productive day.  I got an oil change for the car and had a tire repaired.  The tire had a slow leak due to a nail that I picked up somewhere in the last couple of months.  The fact that the tire kept deflating slowly over time was noticeable in a couple of ways.  First, there was a warning light that lit up on the dashboard.  I was not sure at first exactly what that light meant but there it was staring me in the face every day.  I finally checked the manual and learned that based on the color of the light that one or more of my tires was under-inflated.  I pulled over within a couple of days and checked the air and sure enough the back tire was a little low.  The light came on again in about a week.  About the same time I noticed that my miles per gallon reading had gone down a little bit.  I guess the under inflated tire was making the engine work a little harder to get me down the road.

After a few more (okay, several) days of procrastination I finally filled the tire up with air again.  I looked at the tire and saw a nail in it.  At that point I finally scheduled some time off to take care of it.  I knew that if I put it off too long I might have a blow out while I was going down the road and hurt myself, my passengers or somebody else.  My situation with that tire reminds me of the way that sin, bad habits, and selfishness can creep into our life.

Many times there are little warning signs that pop up on our “dashboard” letting us know that something needs to be checked and taken care of.  Maybe we recognize that others are reacting to us a little differently.  Maybe we have feelings of anxiety or distress that are making us act and react in a way that we would rather not act.  Warning signs may come in many forms and fashions.  The question is not necessarily what will they look like but how will we deal with them when we notice them?  Will we drive on tires that are continuing to go flat?  Will we risk a blow out on the highway with loved ones in the car?  Or will we finally be moved to take care of whatever is causing the problem?  David said in Psalm 119:29

Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law.

My experience has been that God will always help us to understand what is causing us grief in our lives.  If we seek God in prayer and spend time in His word (the instruction manual for living that He has provided for us) He will help us understand the warning lights in our life.  He will help us to begin to repair those things that hinder us from traveling well in our journey of faith.

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