PATTERNS

After all, our God is a God of detail and pattern. Basically, He created a world of great order and detail. Creation is a testimony to that fact. Detail and order is in our DNA. Everything and everyone is created with the most precise specifications. From the smallest cells to the Milky Way galaxy, it all speaks of God's amazing creative power. Go to the ant and consider her ways, says the book of Proverbs. He, our great God, is behind it all! Ironically, man would rather believe that we are all a result of random chance. Just give it enough time, and something can evolve out of nothing. Kinship does not put man and animal in the same family! LOL! Many believe that we are all the result of random chance given enough time, but that does not make it so. Nothing will take away the mighty creative power of God, whether many believe it or no one believes it. Please consider God's Word when it says He made everything "after its kind". Quickly, realize that dogs beget dogs, cats beget cats, monkeys beget monkeys, and people beget people! Recognize that dogs never beget cats, cats never beget dogs, and monkeys never beget people! Sadly, many believe the lie that there is no God, and we are the chance result of who knows what. The truth of the matter is that there is a pattern to this post, and the first three to notice and post the pattern, I will give you a pat on the back. Unless, no one picks up the pattern. Victory, however, it there for those who have eyes to see. Wise men will recognize the patterns in all of nature as created by our God. X is the unknown quantity in algebra, and is sometimes used in place of Jesus' name (as in Xmas), but I am thankful that Jesus is not the unknown quantity in my life! You should really know Him and His creative power if you don't know Him. Zoos, incidentally, are great places to observe the great detail and patterns that God has placed in this world.

the world's shortest blog

Wait on the Lord. That is what the Bible says. But, I am impatient and really do not want to wait. But, I realize I must. There will never be a victory without the waiting pattern.

This Ship is Made to Sail

We returned from our Caribbean cruise a couple of weeks ago. It goes without saying that we thoroughly enjoyed it. When we boarded the ship, and when we left the ship I could not help but marvel at the size of the ship! The ship was 12 stories tall and quite long. It was like a small floating city. I could not help but draw a spiritual conclusion. The ship we were on was named the Carnival Destiny. The ship was made to be on the high seas. It was not made to sit in dry-dock. It was not made to sit still in the harbor and rust away. Is it not the same with a born-again child of God? God did not save us to have us sit in dry-dock, rust away in apathy and idleness, or waste our lives by not fulfilling our purpose. This ship was made to sail!

Cruisin'

Last summer Faith Baptist Church honored us for 25 years of service at the church. They gave us a bonus which we put away to be able to go on a cruise in the Caribbean. We leave soon for the cruise and everyone in our family is excited. Before we set sail Monday out of Miami, we will rent a car and drive to Punta Gorda, FL. to see Deb's aunt and uncle. Aunt Marge has reserved a tandem kayak for Kaitlin and I to paddle on Sunday afternoon. They say we are guaranteed to see manatees and alligators! The manatees are nice, but I am not so sure about the alligators! Our destinations on the cruise are Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands. If you have ever cruised, you know the food is wonderful. We are so looking forward to cruising again. We will be praising God for His handiwork in the Caribbean. We trust God to keep you in His richest blessings.

The Cow and the Coyote

I was taking my daughter to her Prairie Home-shcool Co-op the other morning. I jokingly say that their mascot is the Prairie Dogs. Go Prairie Dogs! Of course, her school is about six or seven miles out in the country. Being a city boy, my daughter and I saw something we had never seen before. A coyote crossed the road and went into the pasture where a bunch of cows were grazing. As it got closer, one cow got up and started to chase the coyote away. The coyote, obviously afraid of the cow, ran away like a dog with its tail between its legs! As I drove back home and looked in that field, it became apparent why the cow chased the coyote away. I saw the cow's calves lying down in the lush grass. She was a mama cow protecting her calves! Are there any spiritual applications here? I think so. The coyote is a predator, not unlike our enemy Satan. Satan is a predator who has no love for you or your family. He would devour them in an instant. We should be like that cow, prepared to fight for our spiritual lives, and for our families. Like the words of the song Courageous, we should be spiritually courageous and "refuse to let them fall"!

Obstacles

Life is filled with obstacles and it always has been. If there were no obstacles there would be no stories. Every story has an obstacle or tension involved. If no obstacles, this earth would be heaven and we would be in our glorified bodies living out perfection. I was reminded of obstacles as I paddled Little Bull Creek the other day. In the past, as I would paddle this beautiful little creek feeding into Hillsdale Lake, I would try to paddle all the way to the 215th st. bridge. But, I would always be stopped by a large logjam just short of the goal. An obstacle. Logjams are called strainers by paddlers. A huge obstacle. Last year I noticed how the creek had created another channel and I followed it past the bridge. An obstacle conquered! The other day I paddled and took the alternate channel but found that spring rains had made two more strainers just before the bridge! Obstacles. Doesn't it seem sometimes that life is often "one step forward, two steps back"? My friend puts it this way: "constant and persistent trauma". So what do we do with the obstacles? I believe we just press forward. Because, sometimes it's "one step backward and two steps forward". Press on! Obstacles build character. You're not a failure when you fail, you're a failure when you quit.

Yet He Abideth Faithful!

I really thought I was down for the count! I hate to say it, but my faith was low. I'm a pastor and pastors' faith is never supposed to be low, but it was. Surely, this was it and I was going to 'crash and burn'. But, then I did the only thing one can do at crunch time: pray. I really didn't even know what to pray, but I prayed some feeble prayers anyway. And God did exactly what He promised He would do in II Timothy 2:13: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself. My faith was in the tank, yet He remained faithful because that is His nature! God put the pieces back together and I came out of the situation stronger for it! My God is amazing that way! God can take whatever situation you are in and turn it around for His honor and glory.