Winning

It was the beginning of eighth grade. It was a time full of promise and anticipation of a new school year in a new school. A classmate in gym class invited me to try out for the community league basketball team. I agreed and went to practice. Through the season I worked hard at having fun, and learning the fine points of the game.


Our team performed well enough through the season to earn a place in the final playoff game for the city championship. We faced a team that was known to be bigger, stronger, and faster than all the others. We played our hearts out and scored toe to toe with our opponents. In the final seconds of the game, I stood center court as my teammate Al threw the ball overhand all the way down court, over my head, to swish the basket. The buzzer sounded as the ball went through the net. The place went wild as we won the city championship with an exciting Hollywood movie ending.

Next I joined the high school football team in the midst of a long losing streak. I found that whether you win or lose the big game, playing the game, doing your best, and finishing the season is what real winning is all about.

We read in the Bible where the Apostle Paul wrote, “anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules” (II Timothy 2:5 NIV).

Playing the game well, as a well-lived life, brings a winning reward in itself. There is a saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” In today’s culture, that sentiment has seemingly become “old school” as winning at any cost including the cost of one’s integrity has become everything.

Again, let’s look at the Apostle Paul, whom we respect as one of the greatest Apostles and writer in the New Testament. We know that his was a life of “purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions and sufferings” (II Timothy 3:10).

Yet when he was facing execution he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (II Timothy 4:7-8 KJV).

Most of us would consider a man facing execution a loser. But because of the life he led, fulfilling his calling from God, he was actually a winner! As we live our lives we may also experience hardships, trials, persecution, and loss. But if we will keep our hand in the hand of God and do our best to live according to His will, then we too are winners.

If we will take a moment each day, and just look around, we will see the glorious winning in everyday life. The winning is in the journey. The glory of everyday life holds for you the mystery of happiness and the victory of winning. As a believer of Jesus Christ, a crown of righteousness is laid up for you in heaven. Now that’s winning!

The Surprise Visit

My Wife and I had an experience that was a “first” for us as Parents. On a beautiful Saturday, with nothing to do, we sat around relaxing from a busy week, when suddenly our doorbell rang. Not wanting to be disturbed by a solicitor, my wife peeked out the front window to see who had interrupted our peaceful solitude. Seeing no one, she came back to the den when the doorbell rang again. She went back and looked out of the window again, but the person was standing too close to the door to be seen. Just then her cell phone rang. She answered and heard a familiar voice say, “Mom! Come to the front door!”


With a shriek of joy, Martha ran to the door shouting, Laura’s home! Sure enough, there at the door was our precious Daughter. She had surprised us with her first visit home from college. We enjoyed a group hug and kisses.

We were thrilled, and yes, surprised. After a great day of family time, she returned to the University that night. But the excitement of her first surprise visit is something that we’ll always remember.

Thinking about the experience, I remembered the story that Jesus told about the prodigal son. Though the circumstances were different, we read in the story about a father whose son had left home. This father had no idea if he would ever see his son again. He didn’t know of the calamity his son had gotten into. He only knew that his son was gone, probably forever.

Then one day, one ordinary day when he least expected it, he saw the figure of a man in the distance walking his way. Like us, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His beloved son had come home! In the Bible account of the story it says, “And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:24 KJV).

Why such rejoicing? We rejoice because of love, the love of a parent for a child. As I pondered those things in my heart, my thoughts turned to God, our Father. As great as our love is for our children, it cannot compare to the love our heavenly Father has for us, His children. He proved that by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for us. He did it so that all of His children could one day come home.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).

He loves us so much…why… we ought to pay Him a surprise visit! How do we do that you say? On an ordinary day, not a Sunday morning or a regularly scheduled prayer time, pay Him a surprise visit in the Spirit.

Pray, and talk to him. Spend time in his Word. Praise and worship Him in a song. Do it at a different place and at an unusual time. He’ll love it, and you’ll be blessed as well. Like that old song says, “And the joy we share… when we gather there, none other… has ever… known.”

Pay your heavenly Father a surprise visit. He’ll love it!

Goals and Dreams

As I think back on the past year, and reflect on the years gone by, the goals I had set for myself come to mind. I looked in my notebook where I had written down my goals over the years and made a startling discovery. I had achieved every goal I had set out to accomplish in my life up to this point.

Immediately I thought, “I should have made bigger goals!” It is truly amazing what one can accomplish by just writing it down. Sounds easy, right? No. It’s not. There’s an old saying, “If it was easy, everybody would do it.”

Over the years I’ve probably read most every motivational Author, listened to tapes, etc. and they make success sound so easy. Well I figured out that if enough people buy your motivational books and tapes, success is assured! Good for them.

Now this brings us to this year. What shall we do? What shall we do? I submit that we should turn to the pages of the greatest motivational book ever assembled. You probably already own more than one. Yes, it’s the Bible.

This year as I set out to crystallize my goals my prayer is, “I shall write according to your will Lord.” His words come to mind, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you ... plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

God, the Author and creator of all that exists, has plans for us! Wow, what a thought! Of all the Authors I’ve read, not one can compare with the plan that God has. We know this on a spiritual level, so why do we fail to flesh it out and bring it into the natural? I guess I’m as guilty as the next fellow, but not this year.

No. I will seek His plan for my year and walk it out to the best of my ability. Remember that God doesn’t see things like we do. Unlike us, He sees things perfectly, and has given His wisdom through the ages, recorded in the Bible. So our first goal should be to immerse our selves in the Bible, God’s wisdom of the ages. That’s easy, right?

Sure it is. We can all do that. And if that is all we do this year, I believe that this year will be amazing. One man wrote that he read the entire book of Proverbs every month and became a millionaire! Wow, that’ll make you want to blow the dust off the old book won’t it? Ha. Yes it will.

This brings us to dreams. Have we forgotten how to dream? Have your dreams been crushed and squeezed out of you? It happens. But, that is the beauty of dreams. They are limitless! You can always have more. Do you know that God is the greatest dreamer of all? Yes He is. Before He created everything He dreamed It!

One time while I was praying in the Spirit with the Lord Jesus, He sat me down and told me to dream. So we sat down on a hillside of green grass and lay back, side by side, and looked up at the sky. He said to me, ”Remember when you were a boy and you would look at the sky and dream?”

“Yes Lord,” I replied.

He asked, “Do you remember what you dreamed about?”

“I believed I dreamed of having great adventures, of sailing the ocean, or flying airplanes in battle. Those things,” I said.

“Well, do it again.” He said.

So I spent time in fun light-hearted dreams. The Lord opened my mind to the joy of dreaming. Sometimes dreams come true, but while you are dreaming, they are true. This is just one of many gifts our Holy Father has given us. It’s beautiful. It’s His nature to dream, and He has so many wonderful dreams for all of His children. He really does.

The Bible says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (III John 1:2 KJV).

So seek Him in His word, the Bible. Seek Him in prayer. Seek Him as you walk in the Spirit and He will reveal to you His plans, His desires, and His dreams for you. He will! Then as you write out your goals and dreams for the new year, you will know deep down in your heart, that this year, this time…All things are possible!

Happy New Year!

The Christmas Stocking

Every year my family, like many families around the world, hangs stockings on our fireplace mantle, one for every member of the family. It’s a wonderful tradition that brings childhood memories flooding back. Though nobody knows precisely when the tradition began, it is said that originally, children would put out a regular sock or a shoe in hopes of receiving a gift from Saint Nicholas, or in some countries known as Father Christmas.


I remember my Grandfather saying that if we weren’t good we would get a lump of coal or an old piece of cornbread in our stocking. I had no use for a piece of coal but the consolation prize of cornbread never bothered me. I thought that as long as I could put it in a glass of milk, it would be just fine. Ha.

When I was a kid, the Christmas stocking was the only present we were allowed to open before our parents got up. So before dawn, my Brother Chris and I would get our stockings and crawl back in the bed. With only the glow from the streetlight beaming through our shared bedroom window, we would hurriedly empty the stocking of all its contents. Sifting through our new found treasure, we whispered to each other:

“I got a car.”

“I got hard candy.”

"I got a tangerine.”

"I got a set of Jaxs.” And so it went.

Eventually we tired and dosed back off to sleep, stockings in hand. Later we awoke to open the “real” presents. Stockings were all but forgotten as we ripped open our presents with Parental supervision and joy. Forgotten, that is, until next year when the Christmas stocking was the most important gift of early pre-dawn Christmas.

Even today as I hang the stocking for my family, precious memories flood back. Sadly, one stocking won’t be hanging on our mantle this year. It still remains with the others, carefully packed in our decorations box. Our family pet Buzzy, the most beautiful Collie I’ve ever seen, passed away after battling a long illness. Three times she was at death’s door and the Vet sent her home to die. Twice, our prayers were answered and God miraculously spared her life.

Even the Vet was amazed at her incredible recovery two times, several months apart. But on the third time, we had to finally release our good friend to the Lord.

With the passage of time, sorrow weakens and the joy of fond memories grows strong. As we hang our family stockings on the mantle with care, the one with Buzzy written in glitter brings a smile to our faces and warms our hearts, as we remember her and how we used to fill her stocking with chew toys, balls, and treats. Then we carefully place it back in the decorations box.

If you have lost a loved one, friend, or even a beloved pet, and are facing the Christmas season in grief, remember the good times, just for Christmas. Treasure the precious memories with an inner peace. Depend on the Lord Jesus, whose birth we celebrate, to fulfill His mission to you. The mission that this season proclaims, peace on earth, good will towards men.

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT)

Jesus gave us encouragement in the Bible where these words were recorded:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)

God loves you, and offers to you a spiritual Christmas stocking overflowing with love and peace. Merry Christmas Dear Reader!

Grace and Mercy

A young co-worker asked me, “What is the difference between grace and mercy?” An immediate answer didn’t come to mind so I resorted to humor and replied, “Grace works on the first shift and Mercy works on the second.” Laughter and chuckles came from those within earshot because we have two ladies with those names working with us.

Later, her question came back to mind, which gave pause for me to consider the real answer. I thought about God’s grace, the free and unmerited favor that He has shown towards us as a gift. And I thought about God’s mercy, His compassionate forbearance toward us showing Him kind and forgiving, even though we deserve punishment. Surely our heavenly Father is the finest example of grace and mercy.

As I considered how grace and mercy work together, I remembered a famous event from the battlefields of World War I. It was Christmas Eve 1914, on the western front, where British and German forces faced each other in fierce fighting. The following is an excerpt from a letter written by a British soldier who was present on that night.

“I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight. Clusters of tiny lights were shining all along the German line, left and right as far as the eye could see.

“What is it?” I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, “Christmas trees!”

And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons of good will. And then we heard their voices raised in song.

Stille nacht, heilige nacht . . . .

This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain, but John knew it and translated: “Silent night, holy night.” I’ve never heard one lovelier—or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear night, its dark softened by a first-quarter moon.

When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Yes, British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our own men started singing, and we all joined in.

The first Nowell, the angel did say . . . .
In truth, we sounded not nearly as good as the Germans, with their fine harmonies. But they responded with enthusiastic applause of their own and then began another.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum . . . .

Then we replied. O come all ye faithful . . . .

But this time they joined in, singing the same words in Latin.

Adeste fideles . . . .

British and German harmonizing across No Man’s Land! I would have thought nothing could be more amazing—but what came next was more so.

“We’ve agreed there will be no shooting before midnight tomorrow,” he announced. In minutes more, there we were in No Man’s Land, over a hundred soldiers and officers of each side, shaking hands with men we’d been trying to kill just hours earlier!

Even those who could not converse could still exchange gifts—our tea for their coffee, our corned beef for their sausage. I myself traded a jackknife for a leather equipment belt—a fine souvenir to show when I get home.

As it grew late, a few more songs were traded around the fire, and then all joined in for—I am not lying to you—“Auld Lang Syne.” Then we parted with promises to meet again tomorrow, and even some talk of a football match.”

Reflecting upon this Christmas miracle I ask myself, what could cause two opposing armies, fighting to the death, to lay down their arms and embrace each other as friends? Only grace and mercy. The same grace and mercy that first entered men’s hearts on another night more than two thousand years ago.

On that night, an Angel announced to the world through a tiny band of shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV).

Those same shepherds found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. As their weary eyes beheld Him, they witnessed the embodiment of God’s grace and mercy made flesh, and living among them, Christ Jesus!

May we follow the example of our heavenly Father, and like those British and German soldiers in the icy war-torn Belgium countryside, extend grace and mercy to all whose path we may cross. Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Day is Ours

There is a friendly debate among historians as to when the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in America. Some say it was in Virginia in 1610, and others hold fast to our traditional first Thanksgiving celebrated in Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts, in 1621.

Whichever side of the debate one chooses to embrace, the fact remains that Thanksgiving Day is ours.

Before America existed as a nation, the hardy souls who persevered to found this great country made the effort to thank God Almighty for His provision and grace.

Giving thanks in Virginia, Massachusetts, and many other settlements across the new world was a spontaneous act by grateful people. They experienced a life so rugged, that without the providence of God they would have surely not survived. They were grateful for God’s favor and blessing.

Our first President, George Washington, a man acclaimed to be the Father of our Country, acknowledged God as the source of our Nation’s strength and very existence. He felt so strongly about this that he made a proclamation for a national day of thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26th 1789.

He believed in the importance of setting aside a day to honor God and give thanks individually and corporately as a people. President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday on Thursday November 26th, 1863.

Thanksgiving day has become a tradition, which like other traditions, has developed, grown, and transitioned from being a simple spiritual act of acknowledging God’s blessings, to a national event of unbridled proportions.

Ball games, shopping, days off from work, and travel are just a few of the Thanksgiving activities that can encumber us and help us to forget the true meaning of the holiday.

This day is meant to be a time to stop, take notice of our blessings, and acknowledge God with a grateful heart. Lest we forget, there have been Thanksgivings in the past that were very trying and somber, days of prayer and fasting.

Today one could say that we are too busy enjoying our blessings to pause and be thankful. We all share in the responsibility for the national event that Thanksgiving Day has become because it is our day.

I am so thankful to God that He has given us the freedom to worship Him with our thanks. And the blessings that we enjoy over this holiday are truly from Him.

I believe that He continues to bless us in part because we do take a day, our day, each year, and as a people tell the whole world that we thank Almighty God for His provident grace.

The Bible says: “Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done” (I Chronicles 16:8 NLT).

This Thanksgiving as we share our feast with our loved ones, plan our shopping for Friday, and our Christmas decorating for Saturday, give a nod to our forbearers whose grateful hearts made this all possible.

Enjoy taking part in a celebration uniquely our own, individually and corporately. Pass on to the next generation the knowledge of how blessed we are as individuals, families, and as a people.

Speak of the mighty and wondrous things that the Lord has done, and share our thankful hearts one with another.

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power” (Psalms 145:4 NLT).

The famous author O. Henry wrote, “There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.”



Happy Thanksgiving!

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