Author: Dr. J.D. Wilkins

I've always had something to say, an opinion as it were, so here are some of those thoughts for today ...

Healing Through Pampering

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

pamper

Ahhhhhh.  One of the ultimate luxuries of vacationing at some resort might just be the famous “couples massage.”  To be pampered in such a way was something totally foreign to me for most of my life.  Most of the back-rubbing I received was when I just worked to hard, and had a cramp or something.  A quick 2-3 minute rub-out was as close as it got to something that might be called “a massage.”  I’ve done the “real” massage thing a few times in the last ten years, but even now, I can’t imagine this activity as fitting into my normal schedule or routine.  I know how good it feels.  I just don’t do it that often.

Now, imagine if there were an activity in which you could participate, that would have the same net effect on your mind and soul, just as a good massage does for your tired or aching body…

Such an activity would be sought out, would be pursued relentlessly, right?

hmmmm…..

Proverbs 3:5-8

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
            And do not lean on your own understanding.

      In all your ways acknowledge Him,
            And He will make your paths straight.

      Do not be wise in your own eyes;
            Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

      It will be healing to your body
            And refreshment to your bones.

Do you need pampering today?

Where will you go? To whom will you turn?

Pamper

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

That’s Beside The Point

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

irrelevant

According to Vocabulary.com, “if a rock star becomes irrelevant, it means people are not relating – or even listening – to his music anymore.”  Such can be said for the current irrelevant conversations regarding Planet X, Nibiru, and the Annannaki on one hand; and David Meade, along with many other biblical prognosticators, who proclaim in their loudest voice to date: “The END is NEAR!”  People who are caught up in all this chaotic nonsense are not listening to the voice of truth, or they are completely ignoring what the Bible says in such a way as to completely misinterpret the concepts they hold in such high esteem.  It’s like they are shouting, “don’t confuse me with the facts, those things are irrelevant!”  It even seems to me that many people want these things to be true, so they can usher in the Kingdom of God.  They act as if wishing it true, would make it true.  Then, being true, they would have the last laugh on all those unfortunate souls on earth who don’t have their eternal destination as heaven.

Is that what Jesus meant by telling us to go make disciples?

Did He give His life on the cross, demonstrating in the most relevant way possible how much He loves us, only to have us be judgers and haters of the world?

In fact, for arguments sake let’s assume September 23rd, (today), is the day that marks the beginning of the end.  Imagine the catastrophic events actually do begin in 9 hours and 39 minutes (as I write this).  According to Slooh.com, it all begins at 8:00 pm EDT.  You can go to this website and watch it happen live, like those would-be revelers who stood at the top of the building when the aliens came to town in the 1996 movie Independence Day.  The truly relevant question here might be:

“Who would you want to convince to trust in Jesus as Savior before the end comes?”

My question to you is: “If this is the end, shouldn’t you be working on that?”

Christians around this globe who are living as God want them to live, see the “end of the world” as irrelevant.  Whether near or far, that is not the focus of my daily life goal.  The daily goal is to live in such a way, every day, that those seeking to know God may find Him or know Him through me, or my life.  We seek to experience God’s grace every single day, and extend God’s glory to the end’s of the earth, until it is the end of the earth.

We really do need to listen to the voice of reason, the biblical voice, interpreted clearly through the apostle Paul, because everything else is irrelevant.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.  For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

 

Irrelevant

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

As in turning over a new…

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

leaf

A new start, a reformation, behaving in more responsible ways… is this ever entirely possible?  As humans, on our own, do we really have the wherewithal to accomplish such a thing?  Some would argue with me until they are blue in the face, that “yes” of course humans can change.  But really, how many have you known who have done so, as I said, on their own, without any external help?  I am human and have tried most of my life to overcome some nagging negative traits or characteristics that seem hard-wired into my own DNA.  Just about when I think I’ve got things under control, I either slip up, slide back, or just quit trying for awhile.  Then I realize, I can’t do this on my own.  I need help.

A tried and true, non-invasive way to control one’s vulgar speech habits, is to wear a rubber band on the wrist.  Every time you speak without thinking, falling into the old habit of using selected words not suitable for little ears (or old ears for that matter), you pull back the band on your wrist and feel pain associated with that language.  While over time your language may change for horrible to not-so-bad most of the time, the outside action of snapping a rubber band against your wrist was the external source causing an internal change.  It’s basic re-programming, not necessarily change at the core of who you are.  That’s the real problem isn’t it?  How to really “turn over a new leaf.”

The prophet Jeremiah asks Jeremiah 13:23

Can the Ethiopian change his skin
            Or the leopard his spots?
            Then you also can do good
            Who are accustomed to doing evil.

See?  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  And He knows we are not capable of doing the very thing we want to do… turn over a new leaf.

So, how to accomplish such an enormous task?  What’s really required if we want to commit to the process of starting over, and changing our behavior, to less volatile and damaging activities?  How do we curb these vitriolic attitudes spoken freely every day in a world divided by condescension and hatred?

David of the Old Testament was only too aware of his sinfulness, and rebellion against God’s ways.  Basically, he said (over and over and over), “I need help!”

Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
            And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.

David also wrote…

Psalm 121:1-2
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.

Even David in the Old Testament, declared that if we are ever to turn over a new leaf, it will come from the outside supernatural forces we invite into our lives, that remake us from the inside out.  We cannot do it alone.  We need help.

Jesus was talking to Nicodemus late one night because ole Nick knew he needed help, and sought out the only One who could help him.  Nick says to Jesus,  “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”  To which Jesus replies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nick’s response:  “Huh?”

For the whole narrative read John 3:1-21.  But for the point I’m making here, Nick new only too well that he couldn’t change on his own.  He went to Jesus to find the answers, and Jesus gave him the instruction needed to make a real change, to turn over that new leaf.  You must be born again.

Those who believe in Jesus to transform them into a human who glorifies God, will be completely satisfied with their metamorphosis.  This faith/trust doesn’t just change your speech, or your behavior, but your desires and attitudes as well.  Every person who every locked eyeballs with Jesus (in the New Testament) went away changed.  Either for better… or worse.

If they understood and believed who Jesus claimed to be, trusting in His salvation by stepping over the line of faith, their whole lives took on new meaning and purpose.  Those who listened to his teachings, saw him act in miraculous ways, and still weren’t convinced they needed “His brand” of teaching or salvation… they walked away unchanged… or saved.

We all make the choice to believe or not, to be changed or not.  But we cannot change ourselves into what God wants us to be.  That requires the outside spiritual grace offered only in Jesus.

Want to turn over a new leaf?  Run to the One who made the leaves!  He will transform you’re life.

Leaf

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Who is this King of Glory?

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

mighty

Earthly kings, if you believe the writers of Game of Thrones, is the male ruler of a realm, or monarchy.  Each of these men usually have this position because they inherited it by their position in the family at birth.  Each rules as king until they die, or they abdicate their right to be king.  Aegon the Conqueror and Robert Baratheon became kings through conquest.  The consort of the king is a queen, but a queen can also mean one who rules in her own right.  Daenerys Targaryen claims to be Queen Regnant of the Iron Throne as her own right as the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen.

If none of these names mean anything to you at all, that’s ok.  It’s just a book series now turned into a TV show.  The books were written by George R.R. Martin with book one (Game of Thrones) published in 1996, with the Winds of Winter (#6), and A Dream of Spring (#7), yet to be released. The headline from TheVerge stated that 16 million people watched the premier of the seventh season, 10.1 million viewed the live broadcast, and another 6 millions on streaming services.  So, maybe you do know who all these kings are.

But, do you know the King of Glory?

No, He doesn’t star in an upcoming episode of GOT.

Let me give you a clue.

Psalm 24:1-10,  A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains
the world, and those who dwell in it. 
For He has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
 
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
and has not sworn deceitfully. 
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face– even Jacob.        Selah. 

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory.

Selah.

Mighty has to do with holding great power or strength, and possessing colossal or mammoth proportions of influence.  Mighty men in the history of mankind have been powerful, violent, and relentless at times to seize their power and hold on to it.  Some were glorified for their efforts, others were known in infamy.

The Bible speaks of a coming ruler, one who arises from nowhere to great power and influence.  He will be loved by all at first.  He will conquer nations not by military power but with cunning language and negotiating peace.  He will have kings, presidents, and despots all scrambling to seek his favor, as the world falls prey to his deceptive powers.  Hitler, Stalin or Conan the Barbarian are all meek and mild children compared to the mighty influence of this coming Son of Destruction.  Here is how Paul describes him.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

The man described here as “the son of destruction” will only do these things after he has come to power all over the world.

But is this the end?  … The end of all things good and right and holy?  Not so much.  For this man is only a prince of darkness, a son of destruction, he is not a king.

The King of glory, the King who is coming, is holy, righteous, and full of grace and mercy for those who take His name.  He is not a mythical king of old like King Aerys II Targaryen, or no!  This is none other than the Christ of Heaven, the Living God, the Creator of all things.

John 1:3
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

This mighty King is coming, soon, but don’t get tied down by that.  It’s not the timing He would have us focus on.  It is the fact of it.  The truth of it, that is important here.  So listen to the King of Heaven’s own words we should hear and heed:

Revelation 22:12-13
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

These words were not written for entertainment.  These words were written so that those who read them should understand them, and act in ways that line up with the truth held in them.

Are you ready for the coming King?

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and MIGHTY,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory.

Selah.

Mighty

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Life Giving Breadcrumbs

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

crumb

Bread is my weakness.  Rhodes Dinner Rolls are my favorite, for several reasons.

First, the dough making part of making rolls is time consuming, and I really don’t want to do it.  If I get in the mood to make bread I have a bread maker which will make the dough and bake it if I want.  All I have to do is make precise measurements and dump the ingredients into the mixer/baker.  Or it will just make the dough, and I can cut and shape it how I desire.  But if I want rolls, why would I go to all that trouble, when Rhodes has labored so hard to provide me these delicious morsels ready to bake?

Second, these rolls remind me of my mom’s cooking.  She made dinner rolls that tasted as good as these or better, and I loved ’em.  Each time I take the time to bake some of these goodies, I think of her, and it’s like life-giving breadcrumbs to me.  I miss her still.  I’m hungry for her bread, and thirsty for her sweet iced tea, but she’s no longer here to make these for me.

When the hunger and thirst for such things as these rages into cravings, nothing else will do.  This truth is why Jesus taught:

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

John 6:27
Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.

John 6:35
I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

I freely testify to you today, it is not my mother’s sweet iced tea that quenches my soul’s thirst, nor her succulent bread rolls which feeds my soulful longing for satisfaction in this life.  Only the LORD of heaven – the bread of life, the living water – can do this for me… and for you.

People struggle along in this life on the crumbs of the world’s offerings, and they are starving and thirsting to death spiritually.  However, today, you can know true satisfaction deep in your soul.  You can experience the answer for hungering and thirsting after the fulness of life, and be satisfied.  But only if you look in the right place.  Don’t settle for the crumbs when you can have the whole roll.

Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Crumb

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Hollywood: You’re Not So Glorious

Dr. J.D. Wilkins9 Comments

glorious

I suppose the illustrious and celebrated, those famous for being in front of a camera spouting other people’s words, believe they have every right to foster hate, and further divide our nation, while they hand out little statues that mean nothing.  I wonder sometimes if in their spectacularly blind way of engaging their 1st Amendment right, to say whatever they want on public television, if they would defend my right to write these words?

We didn’t watch the Emmys.  My wife and I spent the evening reading together and talking.  You know… that interpersonal engagement skill that few seem to pursue today.  We didn’t text, or snapchat, or look at our mobile devices.  We didn’t have any music playing, and the background noise was the a/c unit modulating on and off.  It was just the two of us, and our little lap-dog, Sugar, spending close to three hours enjoying life and each other. And I’m pretty sure my life is not diminished in any aspect, having not tuned in to the “bash President Donald Trump” show.

Here’s one brief quote from Alec Baldwin, noted Donald Trump impersonator/basher:

“When you die, you don’t remember a bill that Congress passed or a decision the Supreme Court made or an address made by the president. You remember a song, you remember a line from a movie, you remember a play, you remember a book, a painting, a poem. What we do is important and for all of you out there in motion pictures and television, don’t stop doing what you’re doing, the audience is counting on you.”

It’s sad though, isn’t it?  That what was once a celebration of “craft” has turned into a political machine.  Every Hollywood, or Broadway, or media award ceremony is now really only so much cannon fodder for the elitist Alt-left to stir the pot of condescension, all the while behaving like two-year-old children, rather than full-grown adults.  Using sly and carefully crafted words, the “attitude” behind their tiny-minded speeches comes through in their faces, and posture.  How would I know this if I didn’t watch, you ask?  This morning, two of the three web-sites I read were inundated with material in video clips about this so-not-newsworthy event.  I viewed a couple and had enough.

At times like these, I think on the words of God as He looked down at the human race and the mess that was made by them of His creation.

Genesis 6:3,5
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years… Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Perhaps one of the saddest verses in the whole Bible is what follows in verse 6.

Genesis 6:6
The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Perhaps it’s audacious of me to say, but I think God may have wept last night as well, as those blind, dark minds, used the only platform available, to continue to spread seeds of hate.

What to do?  What to do?

Today, approach God’s Word with an open heart and mind, and search for truth regarding what is ahead.  What is ahead?  The promise of the Spirit, and the Day of the LORD.

And now, a final word to Hollywood, or for those who want to see the GLORIOUS Truth, from the ONE who is in control, has the authority, and is ever present with us.

Spend some time reading the second chapter of Joel, which ends with this verse…

Joel 2:32
And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Glorious

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Recreate or Re-create?

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

recreate

Like so many other human beings in the world, I find many different ways to amuse myself when I have down-time. This is the very definition of “recreate”: to amuse oneself in some activity.  Anyone who’s been reading this blog for awhile knows that my primary recreational activity is golf.  So when I read the “Daily Post” word of the day, from which I get my springboard for writing, naturally I was confused about which word I was supposed to write about. Recreate or re-create?

To re-create means “to create again,” which may indeed be a recreational activity for artists and such, but the two words do not mean the same thing.  You can see my dilemma, right?

I really like the picture above, and the implications of new life coming out of old dead things, in this case a tree stump.  The vivid green plant life juxtaposed against the cracked, old dead wood, was a great creative idea by the photographer.  I wonder if as he shot this graphic whether he was amused with the activity.  I did it again didn’t I? I re-created the dilemma.

David captured the idea of being re-created from the inside out, in response to his own sinfulness, which was killing his spirit on the inside.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

David’s desire was for God to re-create, not recreate.  David saw it as his only option to sustain a purpose for his own existence.

Paul captures the same idea for the church in Corinth, and for us today.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

When a person steps over the line of faith into Jesus, then God does what only HE can.  He re-creates us once again in His image, placing inside of us His own Holy Spirit, which results in a complete metamorphosis in our existence.  We are still human, but now we are saved, redeemed, and delivered from darkness – people.  We are His children.

We are re-created.

Recreate

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Ambrosial Acts

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

flavorful

My Weber grill and I have had a good time this summer.  Between the ambrosial aroma of steaks being seared, and the bouquet of smells proffered by grilling corn on the cob, asparagus, carrots, and other assorted vegetables, we’ve had quite a flavorful time.  The combination of smells and tastes complement the sheer joy in cooking for friends and family, and sharing life together.  In Greek mythology, “ambrosial” pertained to something worthy of the gods.  No, I’m not saying my skills on the grills are god-like, far from it.  Sometimes I over-use the spices (too heavy on the lemon-pepper last time).  Sometimes I over-cook the whatever… I’m not perfect in any sense of the word.  Still, I love to keep trying and experiment with new techniques and new recipes.  I also believe this is the key to life.

See, I learned a long time ago, you just have to not be afraid to fail.  Because you will.  Whether it’s golf, or grilling, or going all-in with a full house in Texas Hold-em’, there are going to be those times you’re going to be beat by a “flush.”  You’re going to fail to make the putt.  The grilled chicken is going to be dry and overcooked.

Do you really want to know what an “Ambrosial Act” is?  We’ve seen the stories over and over for a couple of weeks now.  People who act in self-less ways to help those who are ravaged by life, perform ambrosial acts… they act in ways that are pleasing to God.

And folks, let me assure you, there are many more opportunities for God to use you in this recovery process.

Did you know there is a whole group of people both in Texas and in Florida which will receive no help at all from FEMA?  Churches will not be eligible for recovery money from FEMA (either for their own damage, or for the costs of being a shelter for those fleeing for their lives from the storm).  FEMA categorically “excludes houses of worship from equal access to disaster relief grants because of their religious status,” citing buildings that provide “critical service” or “essential government services”; if over half their space is used for religious programming cannot participate in the federal aid program.

Were it not for all the religious institutions and churches that have offered aid, and which will continue to do so, FEMA would fail miserably to provide all that’s needed in the recovery process. We need a new recipe, a new technique to solve this problem.

The clear reality is, churches were lost in this storm too.  People who attended these churches lost their homes and possessions.  Pastors and staff members who served these congregations, lost their homes and possessions.  Harvey is gone and the weather is clear in Texas along the coast again.  However, it is anything but business-as-usual.  It will take months and years to get it all back in place.

How will it happen? It takes all of us folks.  It takes being willing to fail.  My Uncle Wylie used to say, “Don’t just stand there, do something!  If it doesn’t work, try again!”  I feel like God is looking down on us, saying, “See the marvelous opportunity you have?  Do something!”

Last week in worship our Pastor presented the idea that our church “partner” with another decimated church in South Texas and stand with them in the rebuilding process.  This really resonates with me as an ambrosial act.  It’s full of flavor and sweet smelling aroma in the palate of God, as He views His people doing what He called them to do.

After the flood, Noah built an altar and made an offering to God, for God’s provision and salvation.  It was an ambrosial act.

Genesis 8:21
The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”

God recognizes we are going to fail.  Isn’t it about time we recognize it too?  And in this understanding, should we not simply do what we can do to help in the rebuilding and recovery of life, for those less fortunate than ourselves?

Don’t forget, this isn’t done yet.

Flavorful

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Like Wrestling With A Porcupine

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

thorny

The long, sharp quills that cover a porcupine’s body can sometimes reach up to a foot long.  The animal uses the quills as a defense by shaking their bodies to make the quills rattle.  They can charge backward against their predators.  Some mistakenly think the quills can be projected into their attacker, but according to Animal Diversity Web, that isn’t true.  The quills release from their bodies, and have scales or barbs which make them difficult to remove.  Once a quill is lost it regenerates over time.  Some porcupines have 30,000 or more quills, and grow up to 3-feet long.  Porcupines are herbivores, and live in pretty much all different terrains, including deserts, mountains, forests, and grasslands, some living in trees, and others on the ground. To look at them, they aren’t really cozy and cuddly animals.

Being on social media today is a lot like wrestling with a porcupine.  There is so much nonsense and fake news that gets perpetrated from maladjusted individuals who tend to come at their problems by charging backward with their pointed quills.  In so doing they are a perfect image of our current political systems where barbs are bristled and rattled, and posturing is everything.  I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of tired of all the thorny rhetoric and attitudes.

I’m looking forward to a new world.  I’m ready for some relief.  I need the healing that only comes from a restoration of the soul, and the balm that soothes the pain inflicted by those who only hate.

Today I need direction, guidance, and wisdom in how to charge ahead.  Do You?

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Thorny

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Kind Compassion and Commiserations

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

sympathy

It’s wired into all of us, the capability to demonstrate sympathy for those who have suffered misfortune and loss.  It’s in our DNA.  Some have just suppressed the emotional stimulus of sympathy for others for so long, their “sympathy” seems re-routed to include only themselves.  Case in point, what would possess dozens of looters in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other cities to break into stores in these evacuated towns and just take whatever they want?  A complete abandonment of moral thought and sympathy for their fellow man.  There is no other explanation.  The darkness invading the minds of men have increased lawlessness, and their hearts have grown cold… just as Jesus said they would. (Matthew 24:12)

But it’s hard isn’t it?  To be so bombarded with tragedy in the news week after week and not become a little de-sensitized to the present crisis.  It’s clear that those who’ve lost their homes and possessions in the fires in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana are just as devastated as those affected by Harvey and Irma.  But we’ve lost sight of them, because we focus on what is right in front of us at the time.  Right now it’s Irma and the southern United States.  Most of us haven’t given more than a second thought to the folks to our south affected by an earthquake in Mexico.

Sometimes it’s not even about focus, sometimes it’s about remembering.  Today is a good example.  Today is September 11, 2017.  16 years ago our lives we’re changed forever.  We watched in horror as thousands of lives were lost when the twin towers came crashing into the earth in rubble.  Terrorism became real for everyone around the world in an instant, and it hasn’t let up since.  Here’s a question for you though.  I wonder how many people in the world today would even have thoughts of this tragedy, or those who were lost, except that a commemorative event was planned, specifically so that we don’t forget?

Too often it is all too true:  out of sight, out of mind… and out of our memory.

I’m convinced some folks have the spiritual gift of sympathy.  It seems they have an unlimited supply, and regardless of how many tragedies occur, they are instantly capable of recognizing needs and organizing aid.  I recognize this as a special gift from God, because while I’m not unfeeling or uncaring, I find myself stretched these days to have enough sympathy to go around.  I would like to think I’m a kind man, who cares, who demonstrates compassion, and will commiserate with those in need.

Yet, when in the ensuing chaos of one tragedy, after another, after another, in a seemingly endless list of tragedies, both my heart and my mind become numb.  I end up asking myself, “How can our world survive much more?”  Then I think about those in the crisis itself, while I watch the incessant video streams of death, damage, looting; it’s hard to balance all that with the fewer stories of strong willed people who drive from another state to demonstrate their sympathy in tangible ways.

Perhaps the answer is simple: pick a battle, don’t try to win the war on your own.

By becoming pro-active and choosing a place where you personally want to go, help and make a difference in the recovery process, you set aside those paralyzing thoughts and in action begin to make a real difference to those who do need our sympathy.  Sympathy won’t cut it though, if that’s all we have.  We must act.

And you can’t get bogged down by whatever else might be coming our way in the next few weeks or months.  Just focus on the choice you made, the people or group you’ve decided to support and keep on.  Pray for all the others certainly, this is something we all can do.  But engage somewhere.  Demonstrate your own kind compassion and sympathetic commiserations by actually doing something to help someone in the middle of these tragic days of misery and loss.

It’s not just about sympathy.  It’s also about action.

Jesus also said, [John 13:34]
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

 

≠

Daily Post: Sympathy

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Strange and Unexpected

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Peculiar

peculiar

Could I ask you to pray for me?  Would it seem peculiar to you if I did?  Allow me to briefly share my need.  I don’t need money, food, water, shelter, clothes, or donations of any kind… so please, please keep reading.

It was a strange, peculiar feeling for me as the reality of how the message was getting out around the world finally settled in my mind.  According to a simple Google search, there are 193 countries in the world today, or 195 if you count the Holy See and the State of Palestine [United Nations classification].  Depending on the criteria used, “Stratfor” in their June 2017 article  suggests there are 204-207 de facto sovereign states.  The total of IOC-recognized Olympic nations is 206, and FIFA countries eligible for the World Cup Soccer trophy numbers 211.

What was the strange and peculiar feeling I had, and what was the reality I discovered?  Using the United Nations criteria of 195 nations, this blog has almost reached the half-way point around the world.  As of yesterday, September 9th, 2017, there were readers from 80 different countries, the most recent being Guatemala. The map above shows the origination point of readers around the world, the clear countries have no readers.  I was ecstatic to learn that the message of the gospel was being delivered to these highlighted countries through this blog.

Technology is a wonderful thing.  It has allowed me to continue to have a voice even now, while not being associated as a staff member/pastor of any particular church or denomination.  This means I can write and the message of God’s Word can be used around the world in ways that I will never see or know.  It is the true meaning of several different Scriptures.  Here are just a few that keep me going every day.

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

Isaiah 55:11
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Acts 1:8
…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

So here is my prayer request:

Would you please pray for me as I write?  Pray that I would write with wisdom to reach people with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray that I would be a true witness of the faith in Flower Mound, in Texas and the United States, and to the remotest part of the earth.

I’m not sharing this map with you, or my stats with you for you to praise me, or for any regard in any way.  Please don’t do this.  Instead, I’m sharing this to hopefully inspire you to just be you.  Be the you God designed you to be, and you too can reach your world with the truth.  Be the witness for faith that makes a difference in someone’s life who really needs to see it, hear it, and experience it for themselves.

One last thing.

If you will pray for me in my endeavor to reach the world with the message of truth please consider this final request.

On any given day you may not relate to my topic, the thoughts I convey, or the image that I use as a platform for my message.  That’s ok, it’s a broad-spectrum blog.  But please keep reading.  Then, when you find that one article that touches you, that you relate to in ways I’ll never know about, would you do me the great honor of sharing it with your friends, or reposting it with a link to my blog, or on your Facebook page with all those hundreds of other readers…?

Above all, if you don’t feel like sharing, then don’t.  But please, please pray for me as I write, that God would send out His message in these words, and they would not return to His throne void, but will accomplish all that He sends them to accomplish.

Thanks for reading!

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

An Overwhelmed Conqueror

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post:  Overcome

Roman Soldier

Hours away now, folks in Florida, and folks from Florida who have found a way to safe haven somewhere out of the path of Irma, might best be described as an overwhelmed conqueror.  Some are staying behind to face the brunt of whatever this hurricane has to offer.  In some ways, I feel overwhelmed for them, and for those broadcast journalists who will give their hourly, or “minute-by-minute” updates when Irma’s fury is unleashed. Those who stayed are still grappling with their emotions, fighting to overcome the urge to flee.  The rest, traveling North to shelter, have overcome the danger to themselves, but have placed all their earthly possessions in the hands of the Creator in charge of the storm.  In this way, they too have overcome.

We watch from a distance, mesmerized or paralyzed by the streaming video feeds on our computers and mobile devices, or from the large screen displays hanging on the wall, detached from the pain, still not knowing what the final outcome will be.  We’ve had a glimpse, as Harvey spread devastation, pain, and loss across the gulf coast area.  So we know what to expect, it’s all too fresh in our short-term memories. Nevertheless, even that story isn’t finished yet.  Like a mystery novel where the solution is not revealed until the final chapter, we don’t know just how bad Irma will be for folks along the Florida coast line.  Regardless of East or West, all will be affected in some greater or lesser degree.

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

When Paul wrote to the Christ-followers in Rome, he knew they would face persecution and some of them death, yet his words were still filled with encouragement to remain strong and focused.  The word “overcome“ here, when literally translated from the Greek, is “I conquer” or “I overcome.”  It is the greek verb nikao (nik-ah-o) from which we get our English word “Nike.”  So, here’s the thing…

Irma is not inherently evil.  It’s a hurricane.  It’s fueled by water and wind, both of which are natural elements designed by God for specific purposes.  Scientists believe they understand what causes hurricanes, but they don’t portray them as “evil,” because they aren’t.  Powerful, yes.  Evil, no.  So let’s not confuse the issue.  To conquer, sometimes you do have to turn and flee the coming storm.

1 John 5:4-5
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

As men are poised to blow each other’s brains out, as fire spreads across the fruited plains and majestic mountain ranges, as the earth moves literally under our feet, as the wind and waves crash unmercifully into our land… how will we ever overcome?

We will suit up, just like the warrior in the image above and stand strong against the forces which would destroy us.

Folks it’s time.  Time to get busy.

It’s not time to whine or moan or be sidetracked by “I can’t do this,” thoughts.

It’s time to be a NIKE.  It’s time to battle back.

It’s time to overcome.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Crescendo Happens

Dr. J.D. Wilkins3 Comments

Daily Post:  Crescendo

cresccendo

First, hurricanes Harvey and Irma (and maybe Jose), and now this morning an 8.1-magnitude earthquake in southern Mexico, has rocked our world.  When tectonic plates collide, one riding up and over another, orogeny, volcanoes and earthquakes happen.  When earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes happen in rapid succession, this may be the very definition of crescendo.

Does it have to mean the end of the world?  Not for the whole world perhaps, but it does for some.  Some human beings in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of their own lose their lives and it is the end of the world.  Other’s whose homes or businesses are destroyed, literally wiping out their previous life from existence, have to start over, and the world is changed forever.  For those looking in from the outside, whose lives may have been affected negatively by these disasters, each makes a choice to join the fray of helpers, or in the ultimate act of self-indulgence, turn a blind eye.

Texas has survived, and lives will go on.  But Irma is almost upon us, and it is not time for us to stand down saying “we did our best.”  It is time to kneel down, and declare, “God we need you still!”  Then, after we’ve once again declared our dependence on Him, we need to beat the drums and blow the horns, and rally once again for the coming need which will be felt in our neighboring states when Irma finally hits.

The president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto says there hasn’t been an earthquake this size in Mexico in over a century.  You know what this means.  The death count today may be 5, but it’s just the early hours of discovering what lies beneath the rubble.  So we beat the drums and blow the horns again, we send out the rally call to all the world, “help!”

Remember, this is not the end.  It is only the birth pangs.

Matthew 24:6
You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Oh no, my friends, this is not the end.  It is the crescendo that builds to a roar in our ears that helps us understand in unique and startling clarity, we are human, and subject to the God of Heaven.  As the crescendo builds in your heart, trust Him not just with your soul, but with your very life.

We pray today for those in recovery, for those in depression, for those who’ve lost it all.

We pray for those who are hunkering down.

We pray for those who dig through the rubble.

Pray!

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

A Limited Understanding

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Finite

finite

No, this is not the latest image of Hurricane Irma.  While it may have a similar look, two notable differences are obvious.  First, the rotation of this body (if it is indeed moving) is clockwise.  Hurricane Irma’s rotation is counter-clockwise.  Second, the image above is a photo of the Milky Way Galaxy taken from space.  Our tiny home, the Planet Earth, would be virtually impossible to locate in this image since our Sun is represented by only a tiny dot just north of the second band away from the center of the image.  These are known facts, representing limited or finite human knowledge.

Regarding Irma, every meteorologist in the western hemisphere is trying to predict Irma’s course, strength, and what will happen along the way.  But none of them have infinite knowledge or understanding which would enable them to be perfect in their predictions.   This storm is governed by the hand of God, and will yield only to, and in accord with, the commands of God.  In just the same way, the Milky Way Galaxy has been in place, and will stay in place because of God’s command.

Psalm 147:4
He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.

Psalm 8:3-4
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? 

Think of it this way, “creation” is God’s act of bringing everything into existence, described for us in the Genesis 1 narrative. Scripture says God made the world “out of nothing,” ex nihilo.  So, before “the beginning” of Genesis 1, there was nothing but God himself.  There was no Milky Way Galaxy, there was no light to separate from the darkness, there was nothing but God.  He is infinite.  We are finite.

Our knowledge is finite.  Our understanding is finite.  We challenge the limitations of our knowledge and understanding daily, but we will never attain infinite wisdom and knowledge.  Those are attributes of the Creator, not the creature.

Why is it so important to yield to this awareness of exactly how finite our existence really is?  Because in the depraved darkness of an unyielding mind, there are those who see themselves as gods.  As though they had the ability to speak and sun, moon, stars, and planets would come into existence.  Or worse, that they can understand how these heavenly bodies came into existence without the help of a Creator, and tend to wax eloquent regarding the ignorance of those who believe the Genesis narrative.

It’s important to understand our finite understanding, knowledge, and abilities in order to recognize our need for a Savior.  If we think we are not lost, we have no need to be saved.  If we think we can save ourselves, we have no need for a Savior.  If we think we have all knowledge and understanding, we are infinitely out of touch with reality.

Today, we should pray to the Creator of the Universe to spare those in the path of Irma, even as we pray for His providential care for those who have suffered through Harvey.

Today, we should pray for enlightenment to come to those who think they need no saving grace, that they would come to know they do.

Today, in our finite understanding, we should give glory to the Infinite Creator who loves us, and gave Himself to save us.

 

 

 

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Predicting the Future

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Anticipate

Businessman holding a glass ball

Crystal balls, 9-23-2017 conspiracy theories, sooth-sayers, shamans, the Anunnaki, and the Bible all compete for prominence in terms of which of these can accurately predict the future.  Even now, as the next Category 5 hurricane (Irma) bears down on the state of Florida, it is impossible to know which way she will turn, which route will bear the brunt of her angry winds and tirades of rain.  One thing we can be sure of, Irma will be just as deadly and devastating as Harvey, if not more so.  What are we to do?  And how many more tropical storms are out there somewhere, just waiting for that perfect wind which stirs the ocean waters in a special way spinning up into another hurricane.  Can Jose be far behind?

Then we also have the doomsday scenarios from which science fiction has made a fortune.  Armageddon was the 1998 movie starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, and Ben Affleck who are sent to space to destroy an asteroid the size of Texas, before it can impact the earth.  Today there are those who are suggesting that in just a few weeks, we might be experiencing the destruction of the world by asteroids at least this size or larger.

Beyond that we have well-educated folks like Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google, who say things like, “Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity – change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.”

Humans have always been enamored with predicting the future, and anticipate what will come next for them.  It wasn’t any different in the first century when Jesus said he was the Messiah, not just to the Jews, but to all the world.  His closest followers thought that meant He would set up an earthly kingdom, ousting the Roman Empire, and establishing God’s kingdom on earth.  They believed this so completely that right before Jesus ascended back to heaven, they asked Him, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” [Acts 1:6].  The answer He provides should also be heeded today.

Acts 1:7
It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.

Like it or not, it has never been easy to predict the future.  We can make intelligent guesses, and anticipate certain results of events if their status doesn’t change, but that really is the gist of it.  Scientists use MODELS to anticipate the path of the storm.  Christ-followers use the Bible as their MODEL for anticipating when God might act from Heaven in a final and conclusively redemptive way.  But can we know the when and the how?  Can we anticipate a certain day, month, or year?  Not hardly.

Since there are multiple options for self-destruction in our world today that wreak havoc on our senses, our emotions, and our spiritual existence, one has to wonder “… is it at this time?”  But hear me clearly.  Wondering is one thing.  Becoming completely paralyzed from any and all normal activity of life is another thing altogether.  I know only too well how easy it is to be consumed by dreading and anticipating what awful thing might happen, and the chaos ensuing after that event.  Since we cannot see or know the future, we must balance our thoughts with something other than paralyzing fear.

So, here’s an idea.  Don’t be scared, be prepared.

John 14:1-3
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 

Translation:  Don’t be scared, be prepared.

The chaos in your life can be turned into patient watching and waiting, if only you are prepared to believe these simple words, this simple promise of Jesus.  In these words “time” or any concept of time is irrelevant.  Either you believe the promise is true, or you don’t.  Either you accept that this life experience on earth is a temporary stop-over to an eternal dwelling place, or you don’t.

If you do, don’t be scared by those wielding crystal balls, anyone shouting 9-23-2017 conspiracy theories, sooth-sayers, shamans, or the Anunnaki.

Instead, be prepared by submitting yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and doing His work that He commanded us to do, with however much time you have left.

A good form of anticipation would be:

Revelation 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Enlightenment or Indoctrination?

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Educate

englightenment

During the 17th and 18th centuries humanity began to celebrate the powers of human reasoning, took a more direct interest in science, accepted and embraced religious tolerance, and desired to develop governments free from tyranny.  These are historical facts based in actual events.  It is referred to as “the Age of Reason,” or “the Enlightenment.”

On the other hand, indoctrination is primarily about control.  Indoctrination is the “process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.” (according to https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indoctrinate)  The clearest example historically, might be  how Hitler believed the German youth could be raised in such a way, indoctrinated through education practices, that they wholeheartedly supported Hitler’s ideals and agendas.  So Hitler set out to achieve these beliefs by transforming the school curriculum, and create organizations like Hitler Youth.  In 1932 the membership was 107,956.  By 1933, when the Nazis came to power the membership had gown to 2,300,000 in one year. By choice or by force?  History dictates, mostly by force.

Today across America, and around the world, we continue to see movements or shifts in how people think.  Some might say, we’re not thinking at all.  When a reporter shows up at a demonstration and asks the demonstrators to give reasons for their participation, and they can’t respond in a reasoned or rational way, I suggest it’s indoctrination not enlightenment that sent them there.  It’s a sad state of affairs, in light of the really important issues that our world faces today, that people simply quit thinking and start blindly following their favorite actor’s, or favorite politician’s opinions.

Freedom of belief, and free expression of those beliefs, has been twisted and perverted. Perverted to such an extent, that even as a conservative if I say, “I believe you have the right to have a different belief,” the alt left more likely responds, “fine, but you don’t! because your’s is just wrong!”  When I disagree, I’m painted as fascist, supremacist, insane, or religious fanatic.

What our world needs is another enlightenment.  The one the world, along with true Christ-followers, has been waiting for.  And by the “world” I mean the Earth itself, because clearly humanity as a whole has not pursued or desired the enlightenment only God can give.

Matthew 24:9-14
Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The voice of reason is being drowned out by the tyrannical insanity of mindless followers indoctrinated in the paradigm of hate.  Revising history to suit a political agenda, our land suffers at the threat of annihilation from within.  The words of Jesus give us pause, because we must continue to ask, “at what point will God’s own word become a fulfilled prophetic word?”  To be more clear,  when is “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world,” going to be completed?  Because, according to Jesus, it seems this is a trigger point which starts the beginning of the end.

I’m not now, nor have I ever been one to set timetables for the return of our King.  I’m just saying the streets and paths of our nation have become filled with lawlessness, and people have grown cold and contemptuous toward each other.  I’m not trying to indoctrinate you, I’m actually just inviting you to open your eyes, and reason with your own mind, regarding the things you see in our world today.

If you don’t know the facts, then educate yourself.  Find out the truth.  Read some history for yourself, not someone else’s interpretation of those events.  Discover, reason, and look for the enlightenment that comes from truth, not fake news.

You’re still breathing, you’re still here, that means there is still time.

Start now.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Cost vs. Price

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Priceless

priceless

When these orange and gold circles appear on a credit card, a word is often associated with that card: “priceless.”  Mastercard took us to a whole new level in pulling the heartstrings in their commercials.  First it was Hallmark, and those infamous “send your mother a card” type commercials.  But “priceless” really gets us where it hurts.

While I didn’t enjoy it so much, I did spend time in college taking a couple of economics courses.  I remember spending a lot of time on different economic principles and trying to understand them.  One in particular was “Cost vs. Price.”  It can be complicated at times but here is the simple version.  The cost is what a company pays to produce and sell an item.  The price is the purchase amount of the item sold.  The difference between the price paid and the cost to manufacture and sell the item is the company’s profit.  Pretty simple stuff huh?

This morning the Daily Post suggestion of the word “priceless” just jumped off the page to me.  Because worldly economic principles are one thing, while spiritual economic principles are totally different, and sometimes foreign to us.  Let me show you what I mean.

First, let’s talk about “cost.”  What does salvation cost?  Most people will immediately think I’m asking what their cost is to be saved (“what’s it going to cost me?”).  Wrong.  We think this way because we’re “me” oriented from the time we’re born, it’s in our DNA.  However, the cost of salvation is described for us perfectly in Philippians 2.

Philippians 2:5-7
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Do you see it?  What salvation cost, was Jesus stepping away from His heavenly throne, removing Himself from His divine position, and taking on the form of a bond-servant, in the likeness of humanity.  This is indeed a great cost, and one too many of us can’t even get our heads around.

Next, let’s talk about “price.”  What is the price of salvation?  Once again, in our limited spiritual mindset, the answer often given is, “all those things I have to give up that are fun, but I can’t do anymore if I want to be saved.”  You’d be surprised how often I have heard this said out loud.  We’ve made salvation all about our contributions and costs, and completely missed why it should be called “salvation” in the first place.

Philippians 2:8
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The “price” of salvation was Jesus death on the cross.  Jesus had to empty Himself (cost), come to earth as a human, live a perfect life, then die on the cross (price), before the purpose of God (profit) could be achieved.  So what is the “profit” to God?

Philippians 2:10-
… so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In God’s spiritual economic model, WE (all of humanity who will call out to Him) are the profit gained, because Jesus bore the cost and paid the price for our salvation.  We contribute nothing but our faith and trust in Him as Savior.  I can’t be good enough.  I can’t be rich enough to buy my way in.  But take a breath, and think about this for a moment.

Do you know how much you’re really worth?  I do.

You and I both… we’re “priceless.”

 

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Hardest Thing

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post:  Continue

continue

When you’ve just hit your golf ball from the tee, while you and your buddies watch it sail 250 yards, but on a giant arc to the left out of bounds, it is hard to continue.  According to the rules of golf, you don’t go up to where you think your ball went out of bounds and play from there.  You don’t say “mulligan” and re-tee another ball as though the first one didn’t count.  You don’t ask your playing buddies for mercy.  What you do is re-tee another golf ball, and courageously say, “hitting three,” and swing away, hoping for a better result this time.  The hardest thing to do at that moment is to continue. At times golf can be relentless and brutal, but you must continue. I know, because I’ve been there.

Life can be just as brutal, don’t you think?  Being persistent, maintaining the course, carrying on, is just hard to continue at times.  But life is not at all a game like golf.  If you really want to, you can quit playing golf, and take up knitting.  In the long run, that might be best for some of the golfers I’ve known through the years.  In life however, we continue, even when it is hard, and the future is uncertain. Hurricane Harvey has changed many people’s lives, thousands and thousands, and changed them forever.  Their former homes are gone, along with possessions, or animals, or loved ones.  Harvey was brutal and un-abating for hours and hours, even now dumping rain along the southern U.S. gulf coast, continuing it’s impact on human life.

It is in moments like these that well-meaning people offer well-worn phrases in the attempt to bring comfort to those who have experienced loss.  I know only too well, after 30 years of pastoring and teaching that there are no words.  What speaks loudest, what comforts most, what brings healing, is time.  You must continue.  Someone who desires to aid the victims of life’s tragedies must also be willing to put in time.  We can say, “just let go, and let God handle it,” or “God has a plan for all of this,” or “God still sees you in this pain.”  We can say it, but it doesn’t mean these words bring comfort or resolution to those who are in the middle of a tragedy like Harvey.

Sometimes, I think we need to re-think what we say.  Sort of like, re-teeing an out of bounds tee shot…

Maybe we should be asking questions instead of saying things that don’t help.  Asking, “what is your greatest need right this minute?”  Asking, “do you need food, water, shelter?”  Asking, “why don’t you come stay with me, until this gets worked out?”  It’s been heartwarming in ways to see how many people have stepped up to help find and rescue the hundreds left stranded in their homes by floodwaters.  But isn’t the rescuing from death just the beginning of starting over?  It would be easy to just throw up our hands in frustration and confusion because we don’t really know what to do next.  It would be easy to say, “I’ve done my part, but I can’t keep this up, I’ve got my own life and concerns.”  It isn’t time to quit, it is important to continue, after all, they do.

About now you may be thinking, “That’s what all those emergency services are for! They don’t need my help, and I would just be in the way.”  The reality here is that every single one of these emergencies services will be tasked for months if not years, just getting to all the people who have been affected by Harvey.  It is time for someone, perhaps you and me, to stand in the gap for those in such dire straights.  For some of you, that will mean physically or financially getting involved in the rescue, or rebuilding processes.  For others it will mean doing what we can – which is praying for God to intervene in miraculous ways to comfort, encourage, strengthen, and bring aid to those in need in the wake of this horrific storm.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

If you have had to continue on through dark days of trial and angst, and have been comforted through those times by God’s hand of grace and mercy, then you are well-equipped now to offer this comfort to those who need it most this minute.

Sometimes the hardest thing… is just to continue. Continue anyway.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

I can’t remember…

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Memorize

memorize

There were times in the past when I almost lost myself; awakening a fearsome reality; not knowing where I was, or how I got there.  I may be 63 years old, but I’m not having a “senior” moment here. These were real events, with real long-term issues to face, and memorized answers just wouldn’t cut it any more.

Do you ever feel there are days when 2 + 2 +2 does not equal 6? Sometimes it seems to be 222, and other days maybe only 5.5, and I think I know the answer… but, I just can’t remember.

A few years ago I wanted to be a better communicator so I took a memorization course, or was it 25 years ago? I can’t remember. It was one of those “visualization” methods, where everything you wanted to remember was tucked away in your mind with visual cues, supposedly resulting in instant recall of valuable information.  The technique became so cumbersome for me that I couldn’t remember why I wanted to memorize stuff better in the first place.

I almost forgot who I was.  I was a person.  I had real feelings just like other regular people.  I had hidden places inside me that were almost dead, and then they weren’t anymore. Even though I had helped people with these same kinds of issues, it seemed because of my position, I wasn’t supposed to be plagued with the concept of just being human.  I struggled to remember just what it was like to be accepted for being me.

We, the human creatures inhabiting this planet, have the great privilege of having minds which can think and choose and remember.  All too often we don’t.

Thinking before speaking requires a great deal of effort.  The proliferation of tweets or posts which destroy people and perpetuate hate, is evidence that too few people know how to think through things anymore.

Choosing to slow down and filter thoughts through some sort internal vetting system was simple when I was growing up. My mother said “count to ten before you say something.” I think most people today don’t count at all, much less to ten.

Remembering to think, or choosing to slow down, seems a lost art in our world.  Even among Christ-followers, I’ve watched over the last month just how human we all are.  Forgiveness and grace are concepts we love to talk about, but aren’t too keen on doling out.

When my son was just three years old or so… (I can’t remember)…. he walked into the room one day and said to his mother, “Do you want to hear my Bible verse.”  Of course, she’s thinking, “God is Love” or some other such three-year-old verse, right?  She said, “sure, tell me your verse.”  So he did, in his three-year-old verse voice he said:

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. [Ephesians 4:32]

Needless to say, she was shocked.  When I returned home from a hard day’s work, at supper she said to my son, “Why don’t you tell daddy your verse.” And he did it again. He didn’t miss a beat, he didn’t blink an eye, just like before he quoted it perfectly.

The point of this story is simple.  If a three-year-old can memorize a verse this way, clearly our minds are capable of much more than we think, or do.  Did my son understand all these words?  Forget about it.

Perhaps the world would be a kinder, gentler place today if we could just all live by this one verse, don’t you think?  But then, that would require that every human out there, understand the basic tenets of Scripture.  And when you pick up the paper to read the headlines, or turn on the TV to listen to the “news,” or open the FaceBook app on your mobile device, it’s clear the world is very far removed from this verse.

If we really wanted to serve God, please God, and bring God glory and honor with our lives, wouldn’t we read and apply, (much less memorize), the Words He gave us to guide our paths?

Psalm 119:11
Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. [NASB]

The King James version says it this way:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. [KJV]

Whether “hid” or “treasured” is the Word of God the foundation for your life?

Yes, it should be.

Offering forgiveness to others, or showing grace and tender-heartedness to others?  It’s not possible without first experiencing these yourself, from God, through Jesus.

But when we do step over this line of faith into Christ, His word is a treasure to guide us along our way.

Memorizing for memorizing’s sake is one thing, remembering who you are in Christ, is quite another.

Don’t forget.

 

Wild About Golf

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Enamored

enamored

The Senior Men’s Golf Association (SMGA) at Lake Park Golf Course played a Texas Shamble yesterday.  This format is a modification of the “scramble” format, in that each team must use each of the 4 team-member’s drives at least 3 times in the 18 holes, but includes par 3’s for the count.  This is a serious challenge for the high-handicapper, but also evens the field a little more than the average scramble tournament.  Our team shot -7 for the tournament, but more than that, we had a great deal of fun.  I think that one of our guys got upset a time or two, when our “A” (9 handicap) player ran roughshod over which ball our team would play.  But hey, it’s a game right, so he chilled and we went on.

Some people say “I love golf.”  These people are crazy.  What they really mean is, “I’m enamored with the idea that I can play the game of golf well.”  “Well” is the operative term here.  Obviously “well” is determined subjectively by the player, not objectively by the player’s partners.  Most of the guys in the SMGA are out there every Tuesday to share some camaraderie with their buddies, and have been doing so for years now.  They play some golf, share some laughs, give each other a hard time, but few play the game “well,” if the objective observer would be say a tour player on television.  They are just out there for the “love of the game.”  But golf can be a brutal game.

There’s a phrase that golfers use to describe a shot they make, with which they are extremely satisfied.  “That’s the one that keeps me coming back.”  If the drive goes down the middle and far enough, you might hear your partner say, “You busted the cover off that one.”  If you put your 9-iron, 125 yard approach shot 3-feet from the pin, you might hear your partner say, “Well stuck! That’s tight!” When you make a 30-foot, left-to-right breaking putt for “birdie,” you might hear “You’re on fire!”  To which you would respond, “That’s the one that keeps me coming back.”

It is at this point that we are smitten with the idea that we can repeat this performance every time we strike the ball.  At times, the streak of well-struck shots continues for several holes.  Other times, a birdie putt may be followed by a drive from the next tee box, directly into the woods, the water, or the sand.  In which case, we are a little less enamored with golf, but refuse to quit trying!

A good friend of mine likes to see all of life though the lens of golf.  He does this because what brought him to Christ in the first place, was the concept of “mulligans.”  He and I played a lot of golf before he took the step of faith into Christ.  But he did, because Romans 5:20-21 spoke to him from the fairways and greens.

Romans 5:20-21
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

My friend calls this the “mulligan verse.”  It just finally made sense to him, that his efforts at living this life perfectly was never going to happen.  He was going to “skull” one off into the rough, or he was going to “slice” one into the water, or he was going to miss the inevitable 3-foot put for par, while trying to be perfect every time.  The Law of God is perfection, and only one person ever kept it perfectly… Jesus.

Through my friend’s eyes, it seems crystal clear that none of our lives are perfect.  We can’t ever be.  Yet God offers unlimited mulligans to those who are in Christ Jesus.  The very phrase “grace abounded all the more” was written for duffers in life, like you and me.  I’m enamored with the game of golf because it is such a vivid image of my walk with God.  I try really hard to do it right every time.  I get close to doing it as well as I can at times, and usually say, “That’s the one that keeps me coming back.”

When I don’t do it so well…
When I shank it into the hazard…
The most freeing thought comes back to me again, “grace abounded all the more.“

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Magnets – not – Marbles

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

Daily Post: Magnetic

magnetic

Did you have a “WoolyWilly” when you were young?  The principle behind this simple toy is the magic of magnetic power, released on the iron shavings contained in the plastic.  You take the pen, touch the plastic and some of the shavings are attracted to and held by the magnet, to be released on the face in another place.  Even when the magnet is removed, the shavings stay clumped together, and if the power of the magnet returns, they move again, wherever the magnet takes them.

Marbles are perhaps the polar opposite of magnets.  When I was a kid, I had a bag of marbles too.  Big ones, little ones, all rather unique in color and size, none exactly the same.  But the only thing that kept the marbles together was the bag I kept them in.  If the bag became torn, or accidentally opened, those marbles went everywhere.  There was nothing connecting them or holding them together except the bag I carried them in.

There is a great life lesson here.  Christ-followers are to be magnets not marbles.

Philippians 1:27
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

One spirit, one mind … unity.  Does this describe your church?  Is this the image of your bible study group?  Is this the relationship you have with your Christ-follower friends?

In chapter two of Philippians, Paul gives the motives (2:1-2), the measurement (2:3-4) and the model (5-11) for becoming magnets and leaving behind the life of a marble.  He says to do it “intent on one purpose.” (verse2)  What purpose?  You have to jump all the way to the end of verse 11 to find this purpose, but it is crystal clear when you get there.  “…to the glory of God the Father.”

Every moment of every day, every little step we take, or breath we take, or word we speak should reflect the “attitude” of Jesus, and bring glory to God.  In this way we become “like” magnets when the Spirit of God inside us guides us into ministry, into caring/loving relationships within and outside our Christ-follower groups.  In our groups we have encouragement, love, fellowship, affection and compassion toward each other.  This empowers us then to go out into the world that hurts and searches for truth, bringing with us these experiences to share and pass on to them.  Like iron shavings drawn to the power of the magnet, we can and do make a difference to some, when they are drawn to Christ through us.

If we are going to call ourselves Christ-followers, then we should be “like” Christ.

Philippians 2:1-2
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Marbles are hard, cold, and disconnected in every way, bouncing here or there and following the path of least resistance.  The polar opposite of what Paul says we are to be; intent on the purpose of bringing glory to God.

Today, be magnets not marbles.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

No Applause Please

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Homage

Homage

Respect: the deep admiration for someone or something because of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Honor: esteem, defer to, look up to, respect.

Reverence: regard, acclaim, admiration, honor.

Homage, respect, honor, reverence… all three.

Recently, I attended a small theater, where a man and his wife, both musicians, gave a sterling tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter.  The man said up front that it was not their intention to do an “imitation,” but rather to pay homage to an entertainer who made a huge impact during his days as a performer.  While the couple dressed in compliance with the famous duo, and did in fact look quite a bit like Johnny Cash and June Carter, it was his voice in particular that I thought captured the night’s performance.  Whether I was watching him play that guitar and sing, or if I closed my eyes and only used the memories from my youth, I heard the voice so easily recognizable as he sang, “I keep my eyes wide open all the time…” (I Walk The Line, 1957).

Thunderous applause rang like waves through the building, filled with folks who grew up on country music, and loved the Johnny Cash songs.  The tribute was a huge success, and I thoroughly enjoyed being there.

This morning I’m going to worship at our church, then teach a bible study class.  I expect no applause, I’m not a performer on a stage.  Too many people already saw me that way when I served as pastor for all those years.  It’s what we do I guess, we put leaders up on a pedestal and we see them differently than just people “like us.”

Today’s lesson is from Philippians chapter 2, where Paul gives the motivation for being in unity as a church, the means to measure how well we’re doing the job, and the perfect model for what that should look like.  In this process, Paul also does a great job of paying homage to the One who is truly deserving of our respect, honor, reverence and worship.

Philippians 2:8-11
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Should we minister, serve, and give with the motivation to be exalted, praised, and honored by our peers?  If that is all we have, in the words of Jesus, “they have their reward.”  We do it, because in our guts we know, it’s all we can do.  We do it consistently and persistently, because the Spirit of God enables and equips us to minster, serve, or give.  And we do it humbly, knowing it is a great privilege, not earned or deserved.  Our purpose for existence is to glorify the name of Jesus.  When we take that respect, honor, or reverence for ourselves, we have literally robbed God of the homage He alone is due.

Just bend the knee.  No applause please.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I Won’t Dignify That…

Dr. J.D. Wilkins2 Comments

Daily Post: Dignify

dignify

Dignity is the state/quality of being worthy of honor and/or respect.

Why do we continue to dignify the lunacy in this country?  It’s 9:50am CST, August 26, 2017, and 3 of the major news channels in this area (Dallas, Texas) aren’t even covering the Category 4 hurricane event that hit the Texas coast last night.

Are we really that far gone?  Are our hearts so cold and unfeeling that human lives disrupted, and property destroyed by 150 mph winds, doesn’t really matter?  Yet we tear down statues, disrespect the flag, dishonor the office of the president by verbally assassinating the man who sits in the Oval.  Or worse, just ignore it, and get on with the normal Saturday programming.  I don’t get it!  I really don’t…

I’ve written a bible study help on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last book of the Bible.  I do not set timelines or timetable events regarding the end of days, rather I take a literal view of the events in that book of the Bible taking place at a future unknown and unknowable date and time.

That said, there is a verse of scripture that jumps off the pages of the Bible for me today.  Jesus was explaining as clearly as He could at the time, to the disciples, His closest followers, the things which would be happening at the “end of the age.”  Listen to these words carefully…

Matthew 24:10-12
At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

I’m neither a seer nor a sayer of future events and how close they may or may not be to us today.  I’m an observer.  I’m a seeker of truth.  As I observe, and seek truth today, my humble evaluation is that our world is not only growing darker (see yesterday’s post), but in a very real way, love is growing cold.

What does love growing cold look like?  Listen to talk radio and the hate mongering of the conservative right.  I was listening at noon yesterday when I heard a man do a call in interview with a popular nationwide talk-show host.  The caller was irate about the decision of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling.  Joseph Kennedy a Seattle coach at Bremerton High School routinely held prayers or motivational talks before and after the teams football games.  He was suspended by the school for these actions in 2015. The court system and justice(?) have finally had the final say.  Apparently, Coach Kennedy had no right to do such things.

The court ruled:
“When Kennedy kneeled and prayed on the fifty-yard line immediately after games while in view of students and parents, he spoke as a public employee, not as a private citizen, and his speech therefore was constitutionally unprotected.”

So the caller said to the radio host  (my paraphrase, I don’t have the transcript of the call):
“I know how we can resolve this.  When a judge makes a ruling like this, just publicize the judge’s name, the ruling absurdity, his phone number, his house address, his car license number, and I’ll guarantee there’s someone out there who will take care of this problem permanently.”

Do you see what I’m saying here?  It’s not just the lunacy of those who want to re-write history and take down statues which don’t mean what the revisionists are trying to make them mean, within their self-deluded ideologies.  And it’s not just the liberal media that is going nuts here.  Ultra conservatism is the birthplace of violence and the death of love itself, just as much as the Alt-Left.

Where will the madness end?  When will true Christ-followers rise up and say, “enough is enough.”  We can rant and rave all we want, but something’s gotta give.

Yesterday, I wrote: “What’s next?  Removing the statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?  What has gotten into these people?  And after these political icons are destroyed, then what?  Can the religious freedom of having a cross on the top of a church be next?  There are churches in America today which have already conceded to make their places of worship more public “friendly” or “comfortable” by removing the cross both inside and out.”

Some might think I’m making this stuff up.  If so, check out this headline, and click the link to follow the story:

Calif. Catholic school removes Jesus and Mary statues: ‘Alienating’

Jesus told the disciples…

And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.  You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.  But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
[Matthew 24:4-9]

Remember, I’m just an observer.  I don’t pretend to know God’s designs or plans beyond what He has told us from the lips of Jesus, or from the writings of John the Apostle.

Can God still intervene in our world, or in the United States of America, and resolve this mess we’ve made?  Sure.

Will He?  I just don’t know.  But while there is still time, surely we can learn to be more loving and look for solutions to our differences without resolving to tearing each other apart at the seams.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What Has Gotten Into You?

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

Daily Post: Inhabit

inhabit

Fake news, contemptuous politics, leftist liberal media, activists mentality of the third estate, historically illiterate revisionists, sabers rattling across the ocean, and the ocean itself rising up, about to attack our coast… these are perilous times.

One of the course studies that made up my bachelor’s degree in college was on the Civil War in America (1861-1865).  I was reminded of this today, from a Facebook post regarding Robert E. Lee. This photo captures Lee’s statue being removed in New Orleans May 20, 2017.

Here are a few salient facts conveniently overlooked in the tirade of activism today in America:

 

  • Robert E. Lee was married to George Washington’s granddaughter, and Washington was a huge influence on the man.
  • He was a decorated war hero from the Mexican-American war.
  • He believed slavery was evil and his wife taught slaves to read and write
  • After the civil war Lee became popular in the norther states and the Barracks at West Point were named in his honor in 1962.
  • Lee was disturbed about the prospect of the South leaving the Union, yet ultimately he believed States rights trumped Federal government and chose to lead the Southern army
  • This same federal government demanded Lee pay taxes on his estate in Arlington, near Washington D.C., demanding that Lee himself show up in person to pay the taxes.
  • When he could not do this, the government began burying dead Union soldiers on his land, and is still doing so today.  It is called Arlington National Cemetery.

Does it make me a racists because I question the motives of those who are acting in this reprehensible way?  One opponent of my suggesting they are attempting to erase history has said, “We’re always going to know who Robert E Lee is.  The question is where these monuments are.  The public sphere should be comfortable for everybody.”

What’s next?  Removing the statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?  What has gotten into these people?  And after these political icons are destroyed, then what?  Can the religious freedom of having a cross on the top of a church be next?  There are churches in America today which have already conceded to make their places of worship more public “friendly” or “comfortable” by removing the cross both inside and out.

When darkness inhabits the mind of those who lead, can anything other than darkness be the ultimate result of their influence?

When hatred, anger, and contempt fueled by self-deluded minds, are the only words that resonate in the political arena, or the coffee shop down the street, what else could possibly be on our horizon but darkness and death?

What has gotten into us?  Where do we turn?  What is the answer?

2 Chronicles 7:14
… and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

There is no other answer for a true Christ-follower.

 

≠

Photo By Infrogmation of New Orleans – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59237773

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Out of Sync

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Synchronize

sync

Being out-of-sync is the bane of good golf, and has spiritual applications for life as well.  Let me show you what I mean.

Out-of-sync in the golf swing usually means your arms and body are swinging independent of one another, or “disconnected.”  This swing fault is the culprit of many foul words, thrown clubs, and lost strokes on the course.  The disconnected out-of-sync swing can be resolved if you’ll do three simple things.

First, learn to hinge your right hand (for right handed golfers) early.  To fix a late, or no-hinge in your right hand, address the ball with the club, then take you right hand of the grip, and put your right hand up under your left armpit and hold it there.  Without your right hand on the grip, it should be easy to hinge the club up.

Second, with your right hand under your left armpit pull back with your right arm and feel your body move to the right and behind the ball.  You’ll have the sensation that your weight moves more onto your right leg, stabilizing your swing.

Third, as you begin the downswing, hold the tension in your left side as you drop the club downwards toward the ball to unwind your hips.  This move allows you to remain tight and connected, the arms and body working together to strike the ball.  This sensation is a synchronized swing which results in crisply hit, powerful golf shots.

Ok, that’s the golf application.  Now what does the Bible have to say about an out-of-sync life, and how to fix it?

Sometimes we are so busy doing “spiritual” things, that we don’t have a clue about how out of sync with God we really are.  Discovering the cause of this disconnectedness with God can often be revealed by examining our spiritual search activities.  Prayer is like the right (dominant) hand in golf.  How we pray can be a real eye opener for us.

Sometimes we mistake defiance for devotion.  We argue with God about something instead of surrendering to God’s will.  Sometimes we just refuse to look and see the results that demonstrate how clearly we are wrong.

In my spiritual search for connection with God today, I discovered these questions posed by Oswald Chambers:

“Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends?”

How do we fix things, when we are spiritually out-of-sync?

First, don’t just take your right hand off; take both hands off your life and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.

Second, move back and away from your own earthly agendas and spiritual measuring. With your hands removed from manipulating your life, and your willingness to move back or forward at God’s will, you are poised to be closer to God than ever before.

Third, embrace the tension, trial, or circumstance of the place where you are this minute, and trust the Spirit of God to lead you.  This place is THE place where you may discover just how in-sync you are with the Spirit of God, who always has your BEST in mind.

Acts 17:28
For in Him we live and move and exist.

1 Corinthians 2:9
Just as it is written:
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

No Guts, No Glory

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Visceral

visceral

Tin Cup is a comedy about a down-on-his-luck golf pro who finds himself managing a run down driving range in South Texas. Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) becomes enamored with his newest golf student, Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo), and tries to win her affection by qualifying for the U.S. Open.  This film is a must see for every golfer, as it defines the ultimate go for broke, risk/reward type attitude that makes the game of golf so exciting.  The memorable scene of the final hole of the U.S. Open is unforgettable, where Costner’s character makes a 12, after Molly (yes, his girlfriend by that time in the movie) yells out, “Oh, just go for it Roy!”

Kingwood Country Club, located just north and east of Houston, Texas, was used for many of the golf scenes in the movie.  The club is actually 5 courses, (Island, Lake, Marsh, Forest, and Deerwood).  That famous scene from the movie was filmed on the par-4 fourth hole of Deerwood.  According to Darrell Fuston, Director of Golf for Kingwood Country Club, “It’s just an incredibly demanding par 4.”  This iconic hole is 453 yards, playing into the prevailing wind on most days, and an automatic lay up if you miss the fairway with your tee shot.  The second shot plays between trees and over water, with a bunker right, hazard left, and hazard behind the green if you’re long.  Most professionals find it a difficult hole, and deserving of its No. 1 handicap rating.

Tin Cup may be summed up by the title of this article, “No Guts, No Glory.”  That shot for Roy McAvoy was as much a mental/emotional challenge as it was a physical/golf test.  He had something to prove, to himself, to Molly, to his old playing partner who ridiculed him at every turn, and to the world at large.  He had to prove he could hit this shot.  And we see this mentality from golfers almost every week on whatever current tournament is being played around the world.  It seems to me the best Roy McAvoy type player on the tour today, is one who was actually in the movie, betting against Roy hitting the shot: Phil Mickelson.  You can also find this “attitude” in the Bible.

This was Paul’s prayer for the Church at Philippi [Philippians 1:9-11]:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul was encouraging the church to abandon their ties to the old world, and live with a “no guts, no glory” mindset for the LORD whom they serve.  He prayed they would have more and more love, more spiritual knowledge and discernment. He wanted them to pursue excellence in the lives, and doing so be filled with the Spirit’s blessings which would reflect God’s glory.  This was an all-in commitment.

Roy McAvoy was doing it for the human glory of having made the shot nobody else would even try.

We choose daily to live for the LORD in such a way that God will receive ultimate glory in our realms of influence.  So much so, that we will risk it all, just to bring Him this glory.

Its a visceral thing.  You feel it in your guts every time you take another step toward being all-in for Jesus.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Addams Family Golf

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Lurch

lurch

Who can forget the Frankenstein-like character originally created by American cartoonist Charles Addams?  First published in The New Yorker in 1938, John Astin and Carolyn Jones were the stars of the Addams Family, a live-action television series from 1964. The role of Gomez Addams’s man-servant, Lurch, was played by Ted Cassidy who coined the greeting, “You rang?”  Perhaps more like a zombie than Frankenstein, at 6 feet 9 inches the towering butler wanders about the house, often with a feather-duster, mumbling and moaning unintelligible utterances.  What has any of this to do with golf?

I once heard a golf instructor say to a student, “if you’re going to keep lurching at the ball, I can’t help you.”  I remember thinking that’s a funny word to use, since “Lurch” conjured in my mind an image of the Addam’s Family butler character.  What’s interesting to me looking back, is how perfect a word it was at the time.  The instructor was trying to communicate to his student how important it is to stay centered and stable throughout the golf swing.  Some synonyms for “lurch” are: stagger, stumble, wobble, sway, reel, roll, weave, pitch, totter, rock, toss, jerk, shake, or teeter.  Should you do any of these things when making a golf swing?  Obviously not.

After creating a firm foundation, the balanced and smooth golf swing will produce amazing results.  Lurch at the ball usually means something in the foundation is off either beginning, during, or at the end of the swing.  More often than not, it simply means you swing down and through too hard, messing up the timing and tempo of the shot.  Any one, or a combination of several of the synonyms above, enacted during the golf swing usually produces disastrous results.

Spiritually, I often feel like one or both of these examples of “lurch.”  Either I’m just like Lurch, stomping around moaning and mumbling unintelligible utterances, or I’m wobbling, jerking, and about to teeter off my foundation.  Usually these feelings come upon me when I’m doing all this “Christian Living” thing in my own power, with my own expectations of what my life has or ever will accomplish.

Paul the Apostle wrote about what the foundation of our lives should be in 1 Corinthians 3.  He wrote to the church in Corinth about how jealousy and strife among those in the church make them appear to have never heard the truth of the gospel at all.  The bickering and infighting among supposedly Christian men and women weighed heavy on Paul’s heart, so he wrote words of correction and instruction, which still apply to us today.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.  For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

On Tuesdays when I participate in the Senior Men’s Golf Association weekly tournament, I see all kinds of golf swings.  I’ve seen some swings that make me wonder how the guy ever makes contact with the ball.  Most of the swings are built from a hodgepodge of suggestions the men have heard over the years, and they have grooved those instructions into something that works for them.  It doesn’t work well most of the time, but for them that’s ok.

Living for Christ in today’s world, I wonder if we don’t often look like these struggling golfers because we’ve taken a hodgepodge approach to all the instruction of our past, relying heavily on the teachings of men, rather than the clear instruction of scripture.  We tend to find the things out of the Bible that make us feel good, or stroke our particular spiritual beliefs, while ignoring other instructions that might actually help us live in better relationship with God and with others.  I have heard so many different interpretations of the 1 Corinthians passage above.  But look at it in total, and see the essence of what it’s saying.

  • Jesus is the foundation for our lives.
  • At the end of our days, whatever doesn’t look like Jesus will be consumed by fire.
  • If at the end of our lives, nothing looks like Jesus but we did trust Him as Savior, then we will be saved literally through the fire, but we take nothing else with us to heaven, except Jesus.

How sad, after lurching about through this life, that we should be saved by the fire, only to discover we pretty much missed the boat on how to be a true Christ-follower here!

What’s a struggling Christ-follower to do?

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.  

So which image fits you today?

A Frankenstein-look-alike, lurching about with unintelligible utterances?
A hodgepodge golfer who sways, teeters or lurches at the ball, never making solid contact?

Or…

A true Christ-follower who is building their thoughts, motives, and expressions of life on the foundation of Jesus Christ?

You get to choose, which you want to be.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Binge Watching Dangers

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Trance

trance

“Huh?  Did you say something?”  This may be the most uttered phrase among those who sit in a self-induced, hypnotic, stupor-like trance while they binge watch their favorite recorded shows.  I’ve done it, so I’m an expert.  For me it’s golf, but there you go.  Of course, the show that is being watched is only half the equation.  Whether it’s Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, or PGA Tour Golf you’re watching, because you missed them the first time around, the state of your mind is the real issue here.  An article I read dated January 13, 2016 stated that Netflix now plays to practically every country on Earth except China. Quote: “It’s the first truly global content network, which has serious implications for the shows and movies it makes, and for how you watch them – especially if, as an American, you’re used to thinking of yourself as the center of the tech world.”

According to Netflix product chief Neil Hunt, who gets hourly updates of new customer data, these updates include: who’s signing up, where they live, what they’re watching, and how much time they spend deciding what to watch.  This is the data stream that fuel’s Netflix’s operations.  As a 63 year old, some of you may be shocked that I even know about these shows.  Others of you are shocked because I’m a retired pastor, and I know about these shows.  My golfing buddies wouldn’t be shocked because they have no clue what I’m talking about, having never heard of these shows.  But there’s the thing…

Whether it’s Netflix originals, or classic movies on AMC; whether it’s golf, baseball, or football; or whether it’s SpongeBob, The Wiggles, Power Rangers or PAW Patrol; spending un-checked time in front of what my uncle Wiley affectionately called “the boob tube” will rot your brain, not increase its function.  I grew up on Andy Griffith and other mild-mannered TV shows which are a far cry from what is seen on the tube today.  In fact we shouldn’t call it a “tube” any more, since there aren’t any tubes involved.  We are watching images fed into LED screens of various sizes, shapes, and models, all designed for one purpose.  The screen is there to capture our minds, to induce the trance-like state that seems impossible to shake when we are immersed in our favorite shows.

Usually about now, this is where I insert the spiritual application of my previous observations about our world.  And yes, the Bible actually does have a lot to say about this issue, because it is an issue of the mind.  However, I will be brief, rather than bore you into a thousand yard stare by overstating what should be obvious by now.

Christian programming (conservative, evangelical, biblical truth) is a very small portion of what comes across the television screen today.  On typical Golf Tournament broadcasts (my favorite), the commercials (designed to capture your mind), range typically from drugs designed to increase your sex-life, to cars, watches, or golf products designed to make you a happier, more successful-feeling human.  So Paul might have been prophetic in ways we can’t even imagine when he wrote Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8:6-8
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Don’t yield to the trance-like state that turns your mind away from the Spirit which is life and peace.

Don’t suppose for a minute that I’m suggesting I don’t watch the screen… oh, I do.

But I can choose not to let it dominate or hypnotize me into yielding my MINDSET over to the world.

I can choose to turn it off.

I can choose to walk away.

And you can too.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Of Soliloquies and Speechifying

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Recite

recite

What do actors, lawyers and preachers all have in common?  Each of these vocations are pursued by men and women who seem to have a knack for memorizing large amounts of information.  When they speak, the words seem to come to them on cue as they recite their thoughts back to their audience.  Clearly not all actors, lawyers, or preachers are the same; each one is unique in their skills and presentations.  The men and women who truly excel in these chosen fields are those who make it seem their words are original work of their own minds, the thoughts and ideas presented coming in the moments they are spoken.  The truly charismatic actor, lawyer, preacher will have great followings and more often than not, great egos to go with it.  Just being able to recite something however, is not what makes one charismatic.

The unteachable quality of the great orators over time is the ability to own your material.  The speaker who stands in front of a courtroom, stage, or congregation who drones on endlessly citing chapter and verse of their material, may never connect with a single person in their audience.  If the material seems dry and unrehearsed, if the presentation is cold and without feeling, if the speaker stands like a stone statue attempting to elicit some emotion from their own emotionless voice patterns, well…

The theaters of the ancient Roman world served as meeting places between community leaders and the population at large, and as a site for cultural presentations.  Those who performed there expected and so valued the prized reactions of the crowd that a “silent audience” was a curse wished upon their enemies. [Performers and Partisans at Aphrodisias in the Roman and Late Roman Periods, London, 1993]

Each of you, reading this article now, may not be actors, lawyers, or preachers, but you must know that others may see you this light.  Each of you has a “hot button.”  We all have this “thing” which motivates us to speak out, or act out, our beliefs.  Hopping up on our soap box, we gesture, we elevate our voice so as to be heard over the din of the crowd.  All around the world people have opinions about things that are important to them, where they react in moments of inspiration with what can only be described as soliloquies or speeches.

Long ago Paul stood before the great king Agrippa and spoke passionately about the reality of Jesus as Savior, Paul’s own conversion to Christianity, and to Paul’s right to preach freely in the Roman world, since Paul was a Roman citizen.  This is a great story and worth your time to read it. (Acts 26)  This grand soliloquy from Paul was concluded when Agrippa replied to Paul:

Acts 26:28
“In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”

Actually, Agrippa was saying he had heard enough.  He was cutting Paul off.  King Agrippa, the governor Festus along with his wife Bernice, walked away from Paul, talking about what they had just heard.  They were convinced Paul had done nothing wrong, or deserving of prison or death, but neither were they swayed to believe as Paul did about Jesus of Nazareth.  Agrippa concludes with, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” (vs.32)

A few years later Paul was executed by Rome, after planting churches all over what is now Europe and the Middle East.  Paul’s testimony before the world, Agrippa, and ultimately Caesar, was more than just a recitation of facts, more than just a mesmerizing soliloquy, more than just a sermon.  Paul spoke of a life transformed by the living power of Jesus Christ.

If we want to make a difference in our world today, then our testimony has to be more than just words we say.  Our lives must be the words.

We must own it, not just recite.

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Not Just a Card Game

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Daily Post: Solitary

solitaire-win

Solitary is understood to mean: by oneself, on one’s own.  Hence the genre name of any of a number of card games which are played by yourself.  The game is: you verses a deck of cards.  You sort the cards as they come, by color and/or suit, until you can’t play any more, in which case the deck of cards wins.  Some variants include: Klondike, FreeCell, and Spider.  At least these are the ones I’m familiar with.  While playing your favorite card game on your computer or mobile device certainly passes the time, did you know in 2004 Microsoft’s Chris Sells described “Solitaire” as the most-used Windows application in the world?  If you think about the millions of people around the world who were using Outlook, Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer every single day at work, or at home, that’s an alarming comment.  If you think it is questionable, think about what this truth has accomplished in influencing our culture today.  Can you go anywhere today without seeing someone’s nose stuck in a downward position, as their eyes are glued to their mobile device playing some game, texting, or reading in a solitary existence among the masses of humanity?

For years I served as Pastor to churches where I was the only staff person.  I worked in an office where no one else was around, either at the church, or in my home.  It was by every standard and definition a solitary existence.  My interpersonal communications only took place as I made the intentional effort to get out of my office chair, go out to my car, and drive to where the people were.  Most of the time I might go hours at a time without the phone ringing to break the silence.  I think I have a pretty good idea of what some prisoners experience in solitary confinement.  The feelings of isolation, loneliness, and being cut off from the rest of the world are overwhelming at times.

I would often wonder if this is how the human Jesus of Nazareth felt too.  From Scripture we have the image of Jesus being a loner, often going off for hours at a time to pray.  But that is only one side of the picture.  In fact, Jesus grew up in a Jewish community where the whole village would see Him as “their” kid.  The sense of connectedness that He must have had, not just to this little village, but to the whole construct of “the people of God” eludes us.  Not only that, but our view of Jesus being a loner is incorrect.  He surrounded Himself with 12 men who were constantly at His side.  He was a socially adept individual inevitably inviting Himself over to people’s homes for lunch and dinner.  He was a sensitive human being to those around Him who were hurting, physically, mentally or emotionally, and His ministry was very personal.  Yet, Jesus was isolated, lonely, and cut off in another sense.  He wasn’t at home, in heaven, with the Father and the Spirit.

Paul says it this way…

Philippians 2:5-7
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

He was equal with God.  But He didn’t hold on to that equality selfishly.  He emptied Himself, and became “one of us.” The amazing grandeur of this act alone eludes me still.  I cannot fathom it.  My petty memories of being alone in my office are so inconsequential when compared to what Jesus left behind to come and offer me grace.

Consider how alone Jesus must have felt on the cross.

Consider how alone Jesus must have been in the tomb.

Considering all the loneliness, all the sacrifice, all the devotion of His actions, and considering it all, remember… it was all for you.

Now consider these promises he made to those who believe these truths.

John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

Hebrews 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”

You don’t have to be alone!  You weren’t designed to be alone.

He is ready to walk with you today, are you ready to walk with Him?

≠

If you liked this blog post feel free to share it with your friends. I’d love to hear your thoughts.