periclete

tribute to "thurm"

Sunday was our annual "Memorial Sunday" at church.   It is a day that we set aside to remember all of those who have been part of Portola Station who have gone on before.  We have pictures of each of those on the wall of the fellowship hall and most of them have a paragraph written about the person.  We encourage others to write about that person. 

My dad's picture was there on the wall with the rest and there were words describing him (some written by me).  But it is just a paragraph or so.   I could write a book.  "Thurm" (short for Thurman) and I were great friends as adults and had I felt we had a special kinship when I was a child.  Even as I sit here thinking of him, I feel love, admiration, respect.  Many of his generation (known as "the greatest generation") were distant from their children.   I was one of the fortunate baby boomers that grew up with a dad who was willing to spend one on one time with me.  

I am also one of the fortunate who knew that his mom and dad truly loved one another.   Here is their wedding picture in 1950.   My older brother and I were talking the other day about the last conversation I had with him the day before he went to heaven.  I was able to thank him for being my dad, and to tell him that he was a good Christian, a good husband, and a great father.  That night we knew the time was close and I gave him permission to go on to heaven.   He laid his head on his pillow, took a deep breath, and a little smile came across his face. He went to sleep in total peace to wake up on the other side for a reunion with his son, Dana. 

I could write so much about his character, his Christian commitment, and his contribution to this world.   I remember as a child trying on his really huge shoes and trying to walk in them.  I only hope that as the Lord Jesus Christ continues to work in my life by his grace, that I may somehow walk in those shoes.   He set a godly example for me to follow and I thank God for him often.

old pictures

The other day Deb was going through some old pictures to actually get pictures into some of the photo albums that she made at scrapbook classes.   It was fun to look through some of the pictures of the years when the kids were young and remember the many great times that we had together.  We have often talked about how blessed we are with our two boys.  I remember my mom telling me that the years will fly by and before you know it they will have grown up.   At the time it was hard to imagine, but I certainly understand now what she was saying. 

It was easy to take for granted being together as a family when the kids were young.   Now that we live far away from each other, (Portola, Portland, Los Angeles) it is difficult to all get together.  I can still remember walking into their room at night while they were sleeping just to thank God for my two boys, to pray for them, and to not take for granted the blessing of the Lord.   In some ways our love for our boys has grown now that they have grown.   I am so thankful that we have a great relationship with them and they love each other.

 

a weekend with my best friend

Deb and I were blessed with a gift of a weekend together away from the responsibilities of our daily lives.   We picked Wally's Hot Springs as the location for our weekend together.   It isn't too far away but is was far enough to be "away".  The Hot Springs has been a place of retreat for more than a century and it is easy to see why.   There are multiple pools, each at a different temperature where we could just soak and visit.  The best part of the weekend is being able to be with Deb, my wife and best friend of more than 33 years.  There are some who are just married, but I am one of those who is blessed to be able to share life with my best friend. 

We checked out different antique shops in the area, read books, ate out, and just relaxed.  There was no scheculed to keep, no phones to answer, just time together.   I had plenty of time for prayer and the Word.  My deepest appreciation to the deacon board who made certain that I took this time.   It is easy to get busy with the daily and weekly events and not take time to reflect, relax and restore. 

 

Hidden crud

I had a day off yesterday so I was able to get some work done on one of the rentals.  It is vacant right now and I wanted to shampoo the carpets.   I wondered if they needed it because they looked really clean, but I rented the machine anyway.  I am amazed at how much dirt and sludge is pulled out of the carpet.   The carpets looked pretty good, but when I see the amount of crud that is collected, it is so gross.  

As I was thinking of this last night, it dawned on me that our lives can be just like that.   We look pretty good on the outside to others, but our hearts might be filled with jealousy, envy, bitterness, pride, malice, greed and all sorts of crud.   That stuff is pretty gross to God.  The good news is that as we walk with God, He is in the process of cleansing us on the inside.   Sometimes as I read the word, God reveals to me what is in my heart and I wonder, "why is that still there?" 

The carpets look pretty much the same as they did before, but I know that so much disgusting crud is gone.   Only by God's grace can I say that a lot of disgusting crud is gone in my life.  Just like that carpet, I am sure that there is more in my heart, but God keeps working in my heart. 

I am praying for you

"I am praying for you"!   I have heard those wonderful words again today.   I have heard them a lot lately.  Sometimes it might be cliche, but I know that most of the time it is true.  What does knowing that someone is praying for me make me think?   First, I know that they care for me and it is an expression of love.  There are times it means he/she is concerned for me.  Maybe they are not seeing the joy of the Lord in my life, or they have a God-given burden for me.  Sometimes a comment that someone is praying is a wake up call for me to make sure that I am balancing my life, marriage, ministry, and personal time...not something I do real well at times.  It is also humbling to think that people are sacrificing time and mental energy in prayer for me.

There are times that I can really sense that people are praying for me.   I feel encouraged.   I feel renewed desire for holiness.  At times I sense that I have more discernment and at times I sense the presence and power of the spirit in new ways. 

I imagine that the best thing that someone can do for me is to pray for me.  I know that Satan is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  I am fully aware that "the flesh" can rear its ugly head in so many ways if I am not spirit filled.  I am also aware of my God-given temperament as a melancholy, with it's unique strengths and weaknesses.  I can honestly say I covet your prayers. 

For many years I have held, II Cor. 5:9 as my life verse.  "Therefore I have as my ambititon... to be pleasing to Him".  Toward this end, I need all the prayers I can get and I am so grateful to those who are praying for me.

a good day off

Monday is my normal day off, but it seems lately that church things have filled up Mondays.  Today was typical of a good day off for me.   Had to run a few errands early and then came back home for an unhurried quiet time.   My son, Steven, called and we had a nice visit.  I mowed the lawn, went to the dump with a mattress and a truck load of other stuff from a rental.    I painted, fixed sheet rock at an empty rental and tore out part of a shed then filled the truck with a load of boards and rotted junk from that shed for the burn pile (over the summer it has grown and grown way too big).  After working in the shop for a bit in the afternoon I visited with a friend who stopped by to say Hi.   Later I went into town with Deb to get the mail and pick out a movie.   After we cooked dinner together we enjoyed the movie and some fresh baked cookies.  After the movie, Deb read and I did some paper work until it was time to get some sleep.  

My shoulder is getting better, but it still wakes me up so here I am in the middle of the night writing on the blog (attempting not to be such a blogslug).   One of the things that made it a good day was a regular awareness that God was there.   I hummed or whistled "great old hymns of the faith"  on and off during the day keeping my eyes "fixed on Him".   But I am amazed that even after so many years of being a believer, that I will often go hours without even considering the presence of God in my life.  That is something I am continually working on. 

Another thing that made my day good is that I was not measuring the value of the day based on how much was accomplished.   I did accomplish a fair amount, but I wasn't rushing to finish. 

As I thought about the day, I had a sense of thankfulness for the big and the little things in my life.  The fact that I can see, walk, breathe is a blessing.  To be able to work is a blessing.  To have friends and to live with my best friend is an amazing blessing. 

My verse for the day from my quiet time today is "I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus...I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"  Phil 3:12,14

Tomorrow is long church day, but I expect it will also be a good one

holiness

As I have been studying the book of Hosea for the weekly sermons, I have become more and more aware of the need for personal holiness.   The nation of

Israel

kept getting farther and farther away from God.   Lifestyles that once were unheard of in their land became the norm and finally God said that judgment was coming. 

The other day I finished the sermon on Hosea 10:12 regarding plowing, sowing, reaping.  The phrase, “sow with a view to righteousness” in still on my mind. 

We often stress the grace and forgiveness of God and often refer to I John 1:9.   
”If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.   

His unconditional love and his willingness to forgive is a truth that we often lean on.  But I don’t ever want us to take his “amazing grace” for granted.   I hope that we truly seek righteousness in the strength and power of the Spirit.  I hope we are never flippant about holiness because we know that we can simply confess our sin later.  It is the nature of our human nature to trivialize sin.  The pursuit of holiness must be a priority in our lives.   We know that none of us are perfect, but we cannot use this as an excuse for us to compromise our Christian life.    The sad truth is that we do still sin, and we will still need to claim I John 1:9, but when we do also remember I John 2:1. 

“My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”.

Knowing of His gracious nature to forgive should never become a license to sin. 

Paul addressed this to the Romans. 

“What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?   May it never be!   How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”Romans 6:1,2

When we consider the incredible cost that Jesus paid that we may be forgiven, the pursuit of holiness will be a passion.  .  I read recently this statement,

“When we make light of sin, we make light of the love that saved us. The greater our appreciation of our sin, the greater our appreciation of God’s love.”

Again let me reiterate, we cannot live holy lives without the filling of the Holy Spirit.  May we all fully surrender every day to His will and control and make sure that we are “sowing with a view to righteousness”