Some Thoughts About Our Nation’s Past Few Weeks

2 Comments / September 23, 2025

I was out of town for the past week and a half and had little time to write much of anything. Even over on the Facebook page I didn’t post much. In the meantime, there was a quite a lot going on in our nation.

While I didn’t have time to write, I did find some time to think about it all.

*When that horrible incident took place on the university campus almost two weeks ago, we all were in shock. It was unexpected and it was frightening.

What has taken place since then has been…interesting. To say the least.

And I may as well just tell you now: What I am going to write below is going to go against the flow of what is being said.

However…

As believers it is critical that we be more interested in what is true than we are in what is popular.

I’d like to go back in time for a moment. A little over 500 years ago, God moved men to leave the false Catholic Church. Until then, true believers were comprised of a small remnant that could be found in pockets throughout the world. But in the 1500s, Martin Luther, along with other men, recognized that the Catholic Church was teaching a works-based salvation while the Bible teaches a grace-based salvation. The two religions are in complete opposition to one another, although they use much of the same language and terms (see here for more information).

Since that time, the Catholic Church has been trying to bring Protestantism back to the “mother church”. And, in fact, accomplishing this has been one of the main purposes (or perhaps THE purpose) of the Jesuits.

What we have seen taking place over the past few weeks has done more to accomplish this than anything in recent or distant history.

Here’s why: The Charlie Kirk incident brought everyone together and very few Christians even raised an eyebrow. Catholics, Christians, Mormons, even Hindus praising God together. Doctrinal differences just fell away in the midst of the memorial service held to honor this man.

Why are we rejoicing about this? Even people who understand the danger of ecumenism have been rejoicing? I am honestly bewildered.

So what do we know to be true, according to scripture?

We know that God does not want us to link arms with people who do not teach biblical doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-10). We know that the genuine way of Christianity is narrow and difficult, not popular and easy (Matthew 7:13-14). We know that we cannot be friends with the world (James 4:4) and that the world will hate us (John 15:18-19).

We also know that the world will join hands in a one-world worship system (Revelation 13). This will not happen in a vacuum.

So, if we understand these things from the Bible, how can we rejoice at what has been taking place? Why aren’t red flags being raised inside of us?

I have an idea about that…

But, first, let me say this: I do think that the Gospel being preached to such a large audience was wonderful. I wholeheartedly agree with Paul—

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

I am thankful that the Gospel was preached. But being thankful for this is not mutually exclusive with being wary. The verses above make it clear that not everyone who preaches the Gospel has pure motives.

Okay, so why are most Christians rejoicing at religions joining together to praise God?

Could it be that we have gotten distracted about what our role is as believers? Have we been deceived into believing our job is to make the world a better place?

This is an easy deception to fall for. We hear it everywhere we turn. It’s the message of much of the music labeled “Christian”; it’s in podcasts and sermons and books.

The “left” side has given us an enemy to fight against and many Christians have risen to the challenge. We have been told that the left side is wrong and the right side is right. But is it that simple?

It is not.

Morality is not Christianity. Changing policies and laws does not change hearts.

And, while any Christian most certainly would love to live in a moral country, we have to be careful we do not equate that with genuine conversions of souls. They are not even close to the same thing.

We need to remember this important truth: We are sojourners and pilgrims. We do not belong to this world.

We need to search the scripture for our purpose and our calling, instead of listening to “Christian” celebrities.

Amidst the cries of “Revival!” We need to ask ourselves: What is Revival, according to scripture?

I wrote this on Facebook yesterday—

Let’s remember that genuine revival is always based on scripture and transforms lives. Regenerated people become less sinful and less worldly (Romans 6:5-11; James 1:27; 4:4). True believers travel a narrow path that is hard and never popular (Matthew 7:13-14; John 15:18-19). Believers are told to never join with those teaching false doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11).

“Revival” that is based on policy or morals is not revival. “Revival” that comes by linking arms with false religions is not revival. These things may yield cultural change but we cannot call it revival, according to scripture.

If what has taken place is true revival, then we will see transformed lives that are turning from sin and the world. We will see people who desire to avoid false teachers. We will see a rising interest in studying all of the Bible instead of cherry-picking verses.

And, while none of us can say for sure that revival isn’t taking place, it is important in these situations that we watch and wait to see what happens before adding our voices to the voices crying “Revival”.

On a different note…

I have found it extremely interesting (and deeply concerning) that conservatives are praising the fact that Jimmy Kimmel has been removed from TV for saying some very tasteless words in the middle of all of this. And they were tasteless and thoughtless and awful. On that we agree.

But, if we truly value free speech, we should be more than a little concerned about this.

To only have free speech for one side and not the other is an extremely dangerous view. It’s important to recognize this.

I have so much more I could say. But let me just conclude with this reminder: Don’t believe everything you hear.

We can’t just believe something is from God and of God because they use His name or quote a Bible verse. Our enemy seeks to devour us (I Peter 5:8). He comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We need to be wise and wary.

We are called to test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21). We test them against scripture, which is our only anchor in all of this craziness (Acts 17:11).

That includes even the things that “everyone” is praising. It includes the things that will draw criticism and ridicule from even other believers if you can find the courage to question them.

But, at the end of the day, we must care about the truth of God’s Word more than we care about anything else.

I know that what I write here is not going to win me any prizes. I know that it is going in direct opposition to most of the Christian world and even many of my Christian friends.

I am not writing this from a heart of a criticism but, rather, I simply feel puzzled and concerned. Why are we Christians not asking questions about what just took place?

I pray that this post will be an encouragement to you to pause and consider what is really going on. And may we all be driven to get on our knees in humility and pray for discernment. We desperately need God’s help in the midst of these confusing and troublesome times!

*I am purposely being vague because of censorship. If you don’t know what happened, feel free to reply to this email.

The Butterfly Method

2 Comments / September 9, 2025

I enjoy a well-written novel. Always have. Sometimes it’s just wonderful to lose yourself in a good story. Of course, the challenge is finding one that doesn’t dishonor the Lord and His Word. And quite a challenge that is.

A few weeks ago, I decided to read a Historical fiction novel that is labeled “Christian”. I don’t have particularly high expectations with this label anymore and I am always curious to see if it really IS Christian. Most skirt around the Gospel and remain pretty vague but, thankfully, they aren’t filled with offensive content.

This particular novel, however, was interesting in that it basically promoted the belief that everyone is saved (what is called universalism). The author basically took all the happy and comforting promises from scripture and applied them to everyone.

Jesus’s death saved every person in the book and, thus, they were all entitled to God’s wonderful promises. There was no sin. No repentance. No Gospel. No indwelling of the Holy Spirit. No sanctification. God loves everyone and, therefore, everyone is going to heaven. Sure, it’s because of Jesus that everyone can feel so loved but why Jesus even had to die if there is no sin is simply never explained.

A few days later I was listening to an exposition on Ezekiel (I have been trying to understand this book at a basic level as I was reading it) and the teacher, in order to help us understand the context of the book, told us to turn to Jeremiah 29. In the midst of that, he asked how many people love verse 11 and have embraced it as a promise to themselves personally—

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

He went on to say how it is such a bad practice to take these Old Testament verses that are specifically promises for Israel and apply them to ourselves.

He then went on to call this the “Butterfly Method” of reading the Bible. People just flit and float to the happy verses and take them for themselves. They imbibe the pleasant promises and the verses that bring good feelings. And then completely ignore the hard-to-understand and the unpleasant.

In fact, they even flit to promises that weren’t for them because they are such happy promises. The promise in Jeremiah 29:11 is not for us. Admittedly, there is a principle behind the promise that is repeated in the New Testament (Romans 8:28-29) but we mustn’t pull verses out of context in the Old Testament and apply them to ourselves. A lot of false teaching has been a result of this practice. As serious Bible students, we need to understand the difference between a specific promise and a principle.

If we take a step back, we can see why it is so tempting to use the Butterfly Method of scripture study. We live in a culture that thrives on the pleasant and the good. We love a good happy ending. To focus on anything unpleasant or negative has become one of the greatest sins in this culture.

We have been steadily brainwashed with the message that “positive is good” and “negative is bad”. This is a very destructive message.

And here is the thing…

Is the Bible true or is it false? Either the entire Bible is true. Or the entire Bible is false.

We simply cannot just pick and choose what we like from the scriptures, while ignoring or changing the passages we don’t like.

That is simply intellectually dishonest. And it is self-serving.

The Bible is inspired, inerrant, and infallible. It is cohesive throughout and proves itself over and over for the serious student who takes the time to actually study it.

The entire Bible IS true. We may not understand it all and we may even abhor some of its messages, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.

Oh, that we may be courageously willing to accept the difficult messages while, at the same time, embracing the wonderful promises. It isn’t an either/or. It is always AND. We need to study and accept both.

May we be wise and courageous Bible students who trust in God and His Word—every single word of it.

Living in Unprecedented Times

Leave a Comment / September 4, 2025

Before you roll your eyes at the title, let me explain…

Yes, we are living in unprecedented times politically, medically, financially, and in so many other ways. And, yes, these are crazy times. But that’s not what I am referring to here…

As believers in the era we find ourselves living, we have some other unprecedented challenges that no other believers have ever faced before us.

Let’s think about how life has changed over the past 100 years or so.

If we go back to 1925, we have a culture that is only starting to step outside an agricultural lifestyle. The Industrial Revolution was only 50 years or so ago. The civil war is still clearly in the memory of the older generation—some were probably children when it all happened. They were still handwashing their clothing, making their bread, butchering their pigs and cows for meat, and churning their own butter.

Cars were just beginning to be the norm and airplanes had just been invented. Trains had been around for a while and, if anyone was going to travel a long distance, this was generally how they would go.

The telephone was a fairly recent invention as was the radio, which was only beginning to enter the average person’s home at this time. The TV wouldn’t be a commonplace addition to the family living room for some years to come.

Children in rural areas helped their parents to survive by working long hours on the family farm or perhaps a neighbor’s farm. They didn’t get to keep their income to spend on their own desires and pleasure, but gave half or more of it towards the family budget.

If you wanted to buy something, you paged through a mail order catalog, such as Sears, and would place an order and then wait many days for it to come. If you needed to get a message to someone fast, you had to send a telegram.

Let’s keep in mind that this is how the whole world lived for thousands of years. If we go back even a bit further than the 1850s, we find no phones, no radios, no cars, no trains, no tv, no movies, no refrigerator, no supermarkets, no clothing stores, no washing machines, no music at the touch of a button, no microwaves, no Amazon, no…well, you get the idea.

It is safe to say that life was different. Different is really an inadequate word to express just how different it was.

As life began to change, believers began to change…perhaps without realizing it.

Worldliness and sin went unrecognized, as we were immersed—rather like a frog in water over a fire—in a culture that was changing drastically. We changed with it and many ended up straying away from the faith in the midst of it. This continues as the culture continues to shift.

“They went out from us because they weren’t of us” (I John 2:19) Professing Christians leave biblical faith, many even leaving basic morality. It’s happening at an astounding rate now. It is the fruit of generations before paying no attention to what was going on in the culture and how it was affecting their walk with Christ.

So what are some of these sins and challenges that we face that never really had to be faced before by believers of past times?

I think we need to recognize the challenges we face and the sin that can so easily ensnare because of these unprecedented times we live in.

Here are just a few (this list is not exhaustive, by any means)—

1) Worldliness— worldliness not only crouches at our door but it has entered our homes through our phones, our iPads, and our tvs. It is there to tempt and beguile us at every moment of every day (if we allow it) concerning how we look, what we wear, what we value, who we admire, how we think. Satan wants to steal our hearts and affections. He wants to move it from God to the things of this world. Don’t forget he is a lion, seeking to devour. I believe entertainment and social media have been some of his greatest tools. (I Peter 5:8; James 4:4)

2) Wasting time—We have more free time to decide how we will spend it than any other time in history. As our world was filled with modern day conveniences, suddenly time became available that was never available before when surviving was simply the goal. How do we spend it? Playing games (video and iPad), scrolling social media, watching YouTube, online shopping—they can potentially gobble up hours and hours of our precious time. How we spend our time is a question we really need to ponder as a believer (Psalm 90:12; Ephesians 5:15-16).

3) Envy and Ingratitude—Never before have we been more tempted to envy and covet our neighbor. Never before has there been such wealth and yet such discontentment. As we watch reels and videos and posts on social media and the internet by people we know or by people we have never met (nor will ever meet), we are drawn into wishing our lives would be more like theirs. We envy their looks, their big houses, their cars, their money, their health, their families, their lifestyles, their travel… everyone seems to have a better life than what we are living.

Oh, how important it is to remember that reels, videos, and posts are so very one-dimensional. They allow the person to show only what they want shown. But even if that wouldn’t be true, how important it is to choose a thankful heart for our blessings rather than discontentment at what we don’t have (Proverbs 14:30; Colossians 3:15).

4) Wrong Priorities—We will absorb this culture’s priorities if we aren’t careful. Priorities that could never exist before because, let’s face it, there was NO time. Few people in bygone eras had time to worry about their dreams and being fulfilled. They were too busy making sure their families had food and shelter. But as the times changed and necessities became a given for most rather than a challenge to be faced, the culture’s priorities shifted. In the midst of that, believers faced a crossroad. Would they follow after the world’s priorities or follow the path of godly living with God-centered priorities? We were not helped by many who called themselves Christians and promoted a self-centered, self-absorbed lifestyle (many still do this) (Mark 12:30-31; I Corinthians 10:31 & 13).

5) Filling Our Minds with Unrighteousness—It’s hard to comprehend how accessible entertainment is now. When I was a kid I had to walk into my family room to watch a show or movie. I could only watch what was on the handful of channels at that moment. There was no recording, no streaming, no access to anything at any time. For music, I had to actually go to the record player in my living room and put on a record. It was a happy day when I had a cassette player in my room. But even then, you had to listen to the whole tape. No playlists with favorite songs. Although, I did figure out a way to record cassette tapes from the radio that would have my favorite songs all on one playlist!

Now we have access to anything at any time. I can take the iPhone sitting beside me right now and pull up any tv show, any song, any movie, anything (!) that I wanted right here, right now. I can’t help but think how dangerous this is. Let’s face it, most entertainment of all kinds is not godly. It is pulling us away from God instead of towards Him. It is denigrating the Bible and its principles, rather than commending them. And yet, think how many hours most people spend being entertained? We are filling our mind with anti-God propaganda, we are allowing our children’s minds to be filled with anti-God propaganda, and then we expect to just live a good Christian life or expect our children to follow God.

How silly.

We can’t constantly fill our minds with all that God hates without any consequences (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; I John 2:15-16).

6) Fear and Anxiety—In this age of information, stories assail our ears that would have gone unheard of in times past. We hear of every war. Every weather event. None go unannounced. We hear of the little boy bitten by a snake in the back country; of the shooting in a McDonald’s on the other side of the country; of the bizarre accident that happened in a neighboring state, and, of course, we hear of the many and constant threats to our health.

The news outlets and social media channels glory in making sure we know the latest wars, the next pandemic, and the most bizarre stories. The stories regarding our health are often giving opposite information so that our heads end up spinning wildly as we contemplate them. In the midst of all of this, there is a great temptation to give in to fear and anxiety. Instead of trusting the Lord, we worry about what is going to happen to us and to our loved ones. WHAT IFS can plague us if we aren’t careful to keep our eyes on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7).

It’s hard to really grasp the changes in this world over the past 100 years. Those changes have yielded great challenges for us, as believers. BUT GOD…

God’s Word is applicable for every age and every season. One of the most glorious things about scripture is that its principles and guidance carry God’s redeemed children through every era. Even this one. We know that all we need to live is to be found within its pages.

Paul says in 2 Timothy—

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We can be complete and thoroughly equipped if we trust and obey God’s Word.

Peter reminds us in his second letter that we have been given ALL things which pertain to life and godliness—

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

The key to godly living is always at the same place: In the inspired, inerrant Word of God. It’s just as applicable in this crazy time as it has ever been.

May we be cognizant of the special challenges and the sins that tempt us as we live in a time never before seen in history.

Where this will all lead, we can’t really know. It seems like we must be in the last days, when we compare what we are experiencing to how scripture describes them. However, the last days could last a long time. Remember how long it took Noah to build that ark?

May we remain faithful and strive to be holy as we wait and watch for our Lord’s return.

Great and Amazing Things

2 Comments / August 26, 2025

It is not unusual to hear someone say “Dream big!” Or “You are destined to do great things!” (Christians will add “for God” to that sentence.)

Are we actually destined to dream big and do great things (for God)?

I don’t think so. Let me explain why.

It’s just a fact that not everyone will be the world’s definition of “great” or “amazing”. It’s just not how God designed humanity.

When we look at the book of I Kings, we read of Elijah and his awesome miracles. But we also see a nameless widow who took him in when she had little food left (I Kings 17) and we read of the 7000 that were still faithfully following God and refusing to worship Baal (I Kings 19:18) although we know nothing about them at all. Elijah thought he was all alone but there were still 7000 faithful followers. We don’t even know their names.

We can’t all be Elijahs.

When we look at the life of Apostle Paul, we read of his amazing testimony and life. But think of all those who supported him as he did what he was called to do. He lists so many throughout the scriptures. Onesimus. Tychicus. The saints of Caesar’s household. Eubulus. Purden. Linus. Claudia. Priscilla. Aquila. Trophimus. So many others that I won’t take the time to list.

We know very little about these saints. What we do know is that God had a job for them to do and they were faithfully doing it. The job didn’t make them stand out and it probably wasn’t very exciting most days. Most of them were simply living a normal average life in the incredible light of the Gospel.

We can’t all be Pauls.

I’d surmise that most of us are servants of the Lord by quietly doing what He has set before us each day. Which is exactly what we are called to do.

Titus 2 gives the very concise callings of the average person who follows God, breaking it down between older men and younger men, as well as older women and younger women.

Paul reminds us of our calling as husbands, wives, children, employees, citizens, church leaders, and church members throughout the epistles.

Most people are not called to greatness. And, while some will do great and amazing things for God (and that will be God’s plan for them), should that be our life’s goal?

Greatness comes with an astounding amount of responsibility and accountability. It comes with temptations to compromise and to go astray from biblical principles.

Personally, I don’t want it. I am quite content to be an average person serving the Lord right where He has me.

But that wasn’t always the case. There was a time I wanted to “make it big”. Until that one day (ordained by the Lord, I am sure) when I heard a pastor say something like this: “I don’t ever market myself. I let God take care of the growth. My job is just to stay faithful.”

Hearing this changed my whole view on this blog and what it would accomplish. Whoever it has encouraged in the past or is encouraging today is of the Lord. All glory goes to Him.

Let’s think for a moment where God has us right now. Today. Many of us are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, sons, daughters, uncles, and aunts. We have been given a family to serve. Are we serving them?

We are church members and our churches need teachers and prayer warriors and kitchen helpers and those who will serve and support their widows. How are we helping?

And many of us are employees, some of us are business owners…how do we serve the Lord best in this role?

God gives us opportunities for service and ministry in our communities. Are we taking them?

There is so much we can do right where we are today. Faithfulness is often without fanfare or praise. And that’s okay. It just doesn’t matter in the Lord’s eyes.

May we all simply do what God sets before us and do it with joy. May we be found the faithful servants of the Lord we love.

Perhaps, when all things are considered, this really is the definition of “great” and “amazing” in the Lord’s eyes.

Changed Lives: Michele

Leave a Comment / August 19, 2025

There are some things you just can’t understand in this life and death is one of them. Particularly the death of someone who just seems too young. Such was the case when my brother lost his wife, leaving him without support in his role as pastor and leaving their daughter without a mother. It just didn’t seem right but life continues on, despite our feelings about it. But, God in His goodness and sovereignty, led my brother some time later to a woman who had also lost her spouse to cancer. Our family was thrilled when they joined their lives and started their new life together.

Michele has become a dear friend to me over the past few years. Early on she shared her amazing testimony with me. As we sat talking last week, I had the idea of asking her to share it here on the blog for you, my readers. Michele’s testimony is a bit unique in that God plucked her right out of her family and her really “great life” (according to worldly standards). She never hit rock bottom or cried out for God to save her, as she didn’t even feel she needed saved…until God opened her eyes, using His Word. It’s an amazing testimony and I know there is much she couldn’t include because of not wanting to make it too long.

There is a really profound statement that Michele makes in her testimony below and I really don’t want anyone to miss it. It’s really the heart of what the true Christian life is about and stands in complete opposition to what we are hearing in the majority of sermons, songs, books, and entertainment labeled as “Christian”.

Here is what she says: I used to think that “freedom” was doing whatever I wanted in life. But that actually was very ensnaring! True “liberty” is to be joyfully submitted to the only One who truly loves me and died for me so that I could be “set free”to fear/respect Him and enjoy Him forever!

I don’t know about you, but I can still get caught up in the trap of seeking my own desires and what I want to do. And it DOES ensnare, doesn’t it? It always ensnares. Oh, to understand that true liberty comes from doing God’s Will. His glory and our good–is it not truly amazing that these two things are always perfectly compatible?

I hope Michele’s story encourages your heart, particularly as you contemplate those loved ones in your life who are lost. I also hope it’s a reminder of two other truths: 1) The efficacy of prayer and 2) what a new life looks like in the one who professes to love Christ. Here’s Michele’s testimony–

Last weekend, my wonderful sister-in-law Leslie, asked me if I would be willing to share “my testimony” with her blog readers, of how God graciously saved me. I was a little surprised, but immediately I thought: how kind of God to offer me another opportunity to boast about what His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has done in my life, starting from June 28th, 1988 (the day “He called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9) until today.

As Christians we often use the word: “testimony”, so I looked up the meaning of that word once again: “to give a truthful and solemn declaration of a fact that occurred and was personally witnessed.” I pray that the following “testimony” will be pleasing to the LORD JESUS and an encouragement to any who read it.

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes perfectly the state of my heart and life BEFORE Christ: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of   disobedience-among whom we all once lived, in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Even though from birth God had blessed me with loving and caring parents, unfortunately they themselves did not know their Creator and Savior (and still do not), and therefore they could not teach me from a young age that I was born a sinner like all mankind (after the disobedience of Adam and Eve), and that there was nothing that I could do to appease the just wrath of a Holy God against my sin. I was a slave to sin as His Word says. All my education, travel, manners, and nice outward appearance and being a “good person” could not change the fact that I was separated from God my Creator and could do nothing to please Him. By default, I lived my life to only please myself, which also pleased Satan, the prince of darkness.

And honestly, I was not “looking” for God nor did I have any desire to live for Him. At age 23, I was very content (so I thought) with my life. Unlike those that grow up in a Christian home and the church and come to know the Lord, or those that “hit rock bottom” from a life of drugs, alcohol, abuse, or neglect—I, on the other hand, felt “on top of my world!”

I was born in Nassau, Bahamas in 1964 (I’m 60 now), and spent the first 18 years of my life growing up there and enjoying the sun, sea, and sand. I then continued my British education (my father is English and my mother is Spanish), with two years in Oxford and then three years at a Hotel/Tourism Management University in Madrid, Spain. I also spent a few months in France to practice my French. I had a great life, often had romantic relationships (that never lasted too long because of selfishness), and enjoyed a fair amount of the party life, without going too overboard. I was in control of my life and was just starting my hotel career in London, England and had plans to work my way up the corporate ladder and to continue to travel the world as much as possible, and perhaps one day settle down and have a family.

Ephesians 2:4-9 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the GREAT LOVE with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by GRACE you have been saved-and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the IMMEASURABLE riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the GIFT of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (caps mine).

Thankfully, God my Creator, had a much better “plan” for my life than my very self-oriented one. Through the prayers of other believers (mainly my recently saved brother), God began working in my heart and causing me to be dissatisfied with all the worldly things that I used to enjoy and to question the “meaning of life”. In His kindness He chose me and drew me to His Son through the obedience of three of His daughters in London who courageously reached out to me to invite me to lunch, and then subsequently to their church service that evening, June 28th, 1988.

I had an extremely limited knowledge of the Bible and did not own one nor had ever read it. But that night, God used the preaching of His Word, the only Truth, to pierce my darkened heart and to cause me to completely repent of my own personal sins against a Holy and Just God and to, by faith alone, by His grace alone, be reconciled to Him through the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, that satisfied God’s wrath against my sin and by His resurrection three days later to conquer death and grant me Eternal Life in Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!!”

The two Scripture verses that God used that night to open my understanding to know my separation from Him and my only way of reconciliation to Him were:

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

John 14:5-6 “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

As Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to Himself, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

It was so true! I was now for the first time ever, RECONCILED TO GOD and I had complete peace with God. How freeing that was! I no longer had the need to search out the meaning of life. I had found it in Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord!

My heart was radically changed by God’s Holy Spirit within, as He caused me to be “born again” (spiritually). I now was alive to God (and dead to sin) and by His grace could love Him most and love others sincerely and unselfishly (for the first time) with His love in my heart and I had a strong desire to love and know His Word and to obey it by the daily help of His Holy Spirit. I wanted to learn from other more mature Christians around me and to grow in Christ-likeness.

The Joy of the Lord filled my heart to overflowing! I used to think that “freedom” was doing whatever I wanted in life. But that actually was very ensnaring! True “liberty” is to be joyfully submitted to the only One who truly loves me and died for me so that I could be “set free”to fear/respect Him and enjoy Him forever!

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But, I quickly learned that there is a “cost” to following Jesus in this evil world. Unfortunately, most people in my previous life were NOT happy that God had saved me and was changing my whole life to “no longer be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

My parents were very upset that I was no longer pursuing my hotel career, as I quickly gave in my notice at work, to go and live with the only true Christians that I knew in London, as knowing Jesus was now my main focus, not making money and living “my” dream. I gave up my old music, my immoral social life, and some old friends. It was very hard and hurtful at times but I knew now that only Christ is my portion and truest Treasure and He enabled me to let go of everything and everyone that I had set before Him on the throne of my heart. As the apostle Paul said so well:

Philippians 3:7-9 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

My journey in following Christ led me back to Spain for a few years where I continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord in an evangelical church in Pamplona, which is where I truly thought that I would stay for the rest of my life.

But in God’s Providence He guided me to the U.S.A in 1991 as a biblical counselor in a Christian Recovery Farm in New Hampshire and then to Florida, where He brought a wonderful husband into my life at the age of 31.

We were married for twenty years, during which time we were blessed with a boy and girl (Sean and Julia). God used marriage and motherhood as tools to cleanse my heart of selfishness and to continue to learn to live for His Name’s sake and not my own, as well as to be content in Him alone and whatever He allows in my temporal earthly life.

In 2015 my husband Steve was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and in July 2016 His Creator took him Home. I was left alone with an 18 year old and 16 year old, but God has promised to “never leave us nor forsake us.” In retrospect, I can see how many ways that He provided His comfort, and care and practical provisions for our little family. He especially cares for His widows.

Just over three years later He again guided me in meeting my 2nd wonderful husband: Dean Good (Leslie’s brother), through mutual friends. Never in a million years would I have thought that God would have me become a pastor’s wife and move to Ohio! And be so blessed again! Not only did God gift me a godly and very pleasant husband, but also a very lovely new daughter (Katherine) and now her sweet husband, Steven, and very soon He will allow me to be a Nana to their baby girl. And also God has abundantly blessed me through Dean’s extended family in PA who have all been so kind to me and my children.

He continues to sanctify me through His word and has blessed me with a wonderful local church body and a fruitful ministry with my husband and pastor.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

I do not know what the future holds (some joys and some more trials), but I am confident of this: “that He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:6

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

I can truly mean this from the bottom of my heart because of the joy of God’s saving grace in my life! All glory and honor and praise goes to Him alone!

As I sat down to write out this testimony, tears once again filled my eyes as I paused to reflect on God’s kindness in giving me to His Son and granting me Eternal Life in Him!

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life. That they know You the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

As an ambassador for Christ: “I implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Dean and Michele on a recent trip to
Portugal to spend time with her family

Find other testimonies of Changed Lives here. God is at work and I know these stories will encourage your heart!

Noticeably Different

3 Comments / August 13, 2025

This morning I had a 6am meeting in the office of our landscaping business. As I rolled groggily out of bed, I wondered yet again why we meet so early… Of course, I know why.

When I went over to the office a few minutes before our start time, I found the two people from our office staff who join the other family employees at our bi-weekly meeting.

The one was busily putting some reports together, giving me a cheery hi when I walked in the door and the other one was upstairs, I assume to take up the donuts he had kindly picked up on the way in to work and to make sure all was good with our conference room.

As I was sitting there alone for a few moments waiting for everyone to come upstairs to begin the meeting, I was thinking how grateful I am for our office staff. These two, along with our other two part-time staff, really make our jobs easier. They anticipate what we will need, they go out of their way to help us, they rarely complain, they all get along really well, and they respond kindly to requests. They just make owning a business so much easier.

Now, don’t get me wrong—life isn’t perfect in our office. People are people, after all. But all four of our office staff are genuine believers and you can definitely tell. We have so much to be thankful for.

So as I was thinking about how they help make our jobs so much easier, it hit me.

That’s what we are to be doing here on earth. We are to make God’s work easier. I don’t mean to sound flippant, so let me explain.

We are in the era of time where God is building His spiritual kingdom through calling people to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

As those who are already saved, we know we are to share this Good News with others. We all know that we should tell others about this (although many of us struggle to do this).

But, I wonder if we think about this question:

Does the life I live make it easier or harder for people to respond to God’s call?

While I know there is nothing we could do to keep someone from heaven, I do wonder if we make it easier or harder for God? Of course, God will do what He is going to do, but we’ve all heard about those who reject Christ and use Christians and the examples they set as their reason. Are we someone’s excuse as to why they won’t come to Christ?

For example, if we are stingy, complaining, harsh, angry, lacking in self-control, anxious, fearful, what does that tell people about salvation? If we are living in sin; watching and listening to violent, sexually immoral tv shows and movies filled with bad language, what does that tell people about God and His impact upon our lives? If we hold grudges and refuse to forgive; if we gossip and slander; if we manipulate others to get our own way and, in doing all of these things, we call ourselves a “Christian”, what must people think??

There is much we can do to draw people to Jesus Christ and to make them take notice of the change He miraculously works in our lives. We are a brand new creature, after all, and this should show in our lives, through our daily choices and interactions with others (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Of all people, we should be the most loving and generous; we should be the most joyful and kind; we should never be characterized by anger or anxiety; We should be actively working to curb sin and worldliness in our lives; we should forgive as we have been forgiven, careful with our tongues, and think of others above ourselves.

None of us can do these things perfectly, of course. We all will stumble and struggle all too often. But we are ambassadors for Christ, now living for Him instead of ourselves. And this should stand out as noticeably different when compared to others in the world around us.

Whether this draws them to Christ or removes them further from Him, we cannot control (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). We know from scripture that most people will reject Christ. We just never want them to use us and our lives as their excuse!

May we stand as wonderful examples of new creations! May we be the reason someone asks questions about the Gospel. May we be a bright and shining light of love and truth in this very dark world.

How Do I Know if a Teacher is False or Just Confused?

3 Comments / August 5, 2025

So how do I know if a teacher, preacher, author, or songwriter is false? What if they are just confused? Does it matter?

Over the past year or two, I’ve noticed a cacophony of voices growing louder and louder. None of them are saying the same thing but, as a rule, they are mostly pointing away from God’s Word and pointing towards man’s opinions and experiences.

The one thing that makes this so VERY confusing is that most of these voices have lots of good (and even biblical) things to say. So unless you know what your Bible says, you will fall prey to the false teachings that creep into their messages—often unnoticed.

It’s a confusing, scary world where the church is no longer a safe space (actually…I am uncertain that it ever was a safe space in my lifetime, as I look back from this vantage point.)

But let’s go back in history for a moment before we continue on…

In the early 300s, Satan brought his tactic of syncretism to the Roman church through an Emperor named Constantine. Most of us remember hearing of Christians killed by lions in the Roman Amphitheaters or used as lights while they burned at the stake at Nero’s parties. Satan has been behind the cruel, torturous death of believers throughout the ages. That continues today in some areas of the world.

But in 312, he implemented something new in the church, as Constantine joined Rome’s pagan religion with the Christian religion. It became a religion that was a conglomeration of worship of “God” and worship of pagan deities.

If you are reading along with me in the Bible Reading Challenge this year, you will remember how God feels about syncretism. The Old Testament contains several stories of Israel combining their worship of the One True God with the pagan worship of the nations surrounding them. God hated it.

Well, this is, in essence, what the Catholic Church is. It is the amalgamation of Christianity with pagan religion. Do some research if you don’t believe me. Most saints are directly connected to a pagan deity.

So what is my point?

Satan has achieved tremendous success using this model of religion. He doesn’t care if someone is moral or upright. If they never turn from their own works and to Jesus alone for salvation, he still has them for eternity.

And, so, throughout the ages, he has worked hard to compromise any biblical church, organization, and institution with false doctrine and syncretism. It’s fairly easy to see if we take the time to look back over history.

Today, we can see this in living color, as we watch Satan try to marry biblical Christianity with mysticism. Once you see it, you can never unsee it. It’s so clear. But it’s also so very subtle.

Peter tells us that the devil is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8) and Paul reminds us that we wrestle not again flesh and blood but against powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

Really consider those truths for a moment. We don’t like to dwell on them. And we don’t need to, necessarily. But we must be aware of them. We are targets of Satan and he’s working hard to a) gain worship for himself and b) to render Christians ineffective.

Okay, what does that mean for us right now in our daily lives?

It means that we can’t just read any old book labeled Christian and call it good. We cannot just turn on a Christian radio station or watch a “Christian” movie and check our brains at the door. It means we have to use discernment for our new Bible Study book, the “Christian” bestseller recommended by a friend, the “Christian” show that everyone’s raving about, and, yes, the “Christian” band that sings those catchy tunes.

We have to be actively engaged in thinking “is this true according to scripture”? All the time. This takes so much work. But, given the truths from I Peter 5:8 and Ephesians 6:12, it’s vital for our spiritual protection (as well as for the spiritual protection of our precious children and grandchildren).

So back to my original question (which you are probably thinking that I totally forgot by now!)

How do I know if a teacher is false or just confused?

I just don’t think it matters. Whatever they are, we need to keep our distance from them as soon as we realize they are off.

The deception is growing by leaps and bounds. It can be exhausting to spot it. And ignorance is way easier to live in for the short term. But the damage will be great if we stay in deception.

Thankfully, God gives us the help we need for this time in His Word. Yes, evil men will grow worse in the last days. That is clearly true from the Word and from our experience, right?

So how do we discern the truth about all that swirls about us? Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the answer to this question—

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:13-17)

Scripture is the key. At the end of the day, why someone is teaching a false doctrine and leading their followers astray is fairly irrelevant.

The important and quite relevant thing is to be aware that someone is leading us astray. And this will be done only through knowing God’s Word and recognizing its authority in the life of every believer.

It’s a crazy, confusing Christianity we find ourselves living in. And when you realize the level of deception that has infiltrated even the most solid of churches, it can be discouraging and exhausting. Situations come up and you wonder if you should say anything. Books are recommended and you just smile while inside you shudder to think of the deception that the book is teaching. Someone invites you to a concert or to hear a speaker and you have to say no but you know that if you explain why, the person who invited you won’t understand and maybe even get angry at you.

It’s no easy thing to follow hard after the truth. And, in fact, earlier in 2 Timothy 3, Paul reminds us that we will be persecuted if we do so.

The encouragement I offer to you as I close today is to be in the Word and in much prayer, as you seek to discern in this age of deception. God will give us the wisdom to discern and the courage and love to speak up when we are given the opportunity. We must rely solely on the Lord to fill us with His wisdom, His love, and His grace as we live in these spiritually confusing and troubled times.

The Truth Will Mess with Your Peace (and that’s a good thing!)

2 Comments / July 29, 2025

Once upon a time, a man (we will call him John) went to the doctor due to a severe headache that wouldn’t go away. As the doctor examined him, he told him it could be due to a number of different reasons—some even fatal.

“What would you like to be the cause of your headache?” Asked the doctor.

Not expecting that response, John said wryly, “well, it doesn’t really matter what I want it to be, now, does it?”

“Well,” responded the doctor, “we are trying a new method—one where we let the patient decide what is wrong. This way we don’t mess with their peace or make them upset. We just assume that what they say is true and treat from their diagnosis.”

Silly story. And, yes, it’s just a story. (I wrote a longer post about this called Lindy’s Headaches, you can read that here.) But have you noticed that, while this would never happen in the medical world, it happens all the time in the spiritual world? As if we can all just decide what is sin and what isn’t. As if we can all just decide for ourselves what is truth and how we get to heaven.

And if we don’t like what someone says or they don’t agree with us, we can just unfriend them, delete them from our lives, and move on.

A friend told me he saw a meme on Facebook awhile back. It said this:

“If it messes with your peace, it’s not worth it.”

Have you noticed that this is the philosophy of so many today?

But here’s the thing: The truth will mess with your peace. It just does.

I can look back over my life and recall many times where someone told me the truth about something and it made me very uncomfortable and, sometimes, even angry. But, looking back now, I am so very grateful for those people who were willing to speak the truth to me.

After all, how do we grow if we only surround ourselves with people who are just like us and will never say anything that offends us? How will we grow if we are determined to do things our way, without wise counsel of godly, older people? How will we grow if we refuse to listen to anyone we don’t agree with? How will we grow if we ignore everything in God’s Word that we don’t like??

Well, we won’t. Approaching life this way will lead to looking inward towards self for strength and wisdom. Rather than looking towards God, His Word, and godly men and women that have walked the narrow path ahead of us, so many are looking to self (and to those who agree with self).

And, listen, that is the world’s way. Frank Sinatra released the song “I Did it My Way,” in 1969. The world has been on a the runaway train of self-esteem, self-improvement, self-promotion, self-strength, self-wisdom, and self-glory ever since.

It’s taken the Christian world awhile to follow after the world, but here we are. Most everyone today believes this:

If it doesn’t encourage me or make me feel good, it’s not worth it.

This is probably the main reason families and the visible church are in such a shambles. If someone makes me uncomfortable, it’s not worth it. If the relationship takes work, it’s not worth it. Truth and biblical doctrine can make us uncomfortable. Serving others sacrificially does not always make us feel good.

How much easier is it to run away from the hard? How much more fun and entertaining is it to go to a concert-like worship experience and then listen to a few shallow minutes of encouragement?

Of course, we can’t change this. We can’t change where the secular or the Christian culture finds itself these days.

But we can evaluate our own lives and we can, by God’s grace, intentionally determine not to be SELF-obsessed.

I am currently reading a biography of a missionary. As she has been describing her life, I have grown more and more disturbed. Would I have been willing to do what she did? I don’t think so. If I am honest, I have to say I don’t think so.

And it makes me realize that I, too, have fallen for the cult of self. I, too, put self on a higher pedestal than God all too often.

I think we all struggle with this at some level. As my daughter-in-law said recently: Do we ever do anything with a pure motive?

It is disconcerting to think about, isn’t it? But God knows this and I am so thankful for His grace and His mercy. Jesus came to die for us to pay the price for every sin, every insincere act of service, every time we didn’t do what was right and didn’t even realize it.

Praise the name of Jesus!

But it is my prayer that this short post, in the midst of a tsunami of internet information that will tell you the opposite, will encourage us to love God more than self. That it will bring awareness that this love for self is something we must fight and never embrace. That love for self is the antithesis of true, biblical Christianity. That this love for self is really part of our sin nature and it is called our “flesh” in scripture.

Look, we aren’t going to always agree with others. Even if we both love the Lord with all of our hearts, we will not agree on everything. I don’t expect you to always agree with me and I won’t always agree with you. But what a joy it is to have relationships where we can have open, honest conversations without malice and rancor and bitterness. What joy it is to talk about God’s Word and to grow together with those who also hold the Bible as their anchor and final authority.

Recently, I had the privilege of watching two of my best friends play this out right in front of my eyes. I watched one speak the truth in love and I watched the other one hear the truth with love. It was a beautiful thing. It is how it is supposed to be for us believers. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) and it is a wonderful encouragement when we can have this kind of relationship with someone.

Hearing the truth is a good thing! Being called away from self and towards God through our reading of God’s Word and the counsel of godly family and friends is a great thing!

May we, as believers, be willing to turn from self, experience discomfort, have our “peace messed with”, and hear the truth with love—so that we will grow in our faith and become more Christ-like as the years pass by.

Which Is the Real Lighthouse?

1 Comment / July 22, 2025

We spent a lovely week in Maine last week and one of the highlights was a “Puffin and Lighthouse” boat trip. As we motored among the many islands in the Acadia region, we saw seals and puffins (my first time seeing them! So fun!) and several lighthouses.

As the fog surrounded us on the ocean that morning, it was easy to see why lighthouses were desperately needed back in the day. They warned of shoals and rocks and kept sailors from shipwreck.

As we were shown some of the different lighthouses in the area, we noticed that quite a few weren’t all that tall. Many were shorter but still gave that needed warning to the ships coming through to the harbor.

As we looked all around us, the tour guide pointed out one lighthouse that actually wasn’t a lighthouse. Someone had built a lighthouse replica as they constructed their new home but it was fake and served no purpose at all.

If you look above, you will see a photo of that lighthouse beside a photo of an actual lighthouse. Can you tell which one is the real lighthouse? (I’ll let you know at the end of the post)

That false lighthouse was a vivid reminder to me that not everything is what it seems. Some things are fake. They are not what they appear to be.

We live in an unprecedented era of this very thing, don’t we? AI has taken deception to a whole new level.

This is especially dangerous when it comes to our spiritual health. If we follow a false teacher, they will lead us down a wrong path.

Jesus warns us that these false teachers won’t look outright false—

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

He also gives us a clue how we can know the difference—

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:16-20)

By their fruits. That is how we know if someone is genuine. That is why it is so important to watch someone you admire. What is their attitude about the Word of God? Where are they pointing their followers? Who are they quoting? Who do they admire? Who are their friends? What is important to them?

Answering these questions will help us to discern the fruit of their lives.

Anyone can look like a lighthouse. Jesus tells us how to discern if someone is really a lighthouse of Gospel Truth.

In the bright sunlight, it would really be impossible to tell which lighthouse is real. But when the fog rolls in or night comes, it is then that the difference is shown in all its glory. One lighthouse will shine and one won’t.

We haven’t really had dense fog or night yet. Not really. We’ve had some hard times during that weird time a few years back and it was interesting to watch how certain people handled things.

But I am reminded of how true colors come forth under persecution when I think of World War 2 Germany and how many pastors caved to the “state”. Or when I think of the conditions in some countries today, where to stand for Jesus is a death sentence. When it costs to be a Bible-believing Christian, few will pretend.

However, false lighthouses thrive and multiply when it’s such a rewarding endeavor without any cost.

Oh, people love their celebrities and many rise up to meet that desire.

I am sure close inspection of these lighthouses would also reveal the truth. I am reminded of a biography I read earlier this year that tore to shreds my opinion of a “godly Christian” most Christians greatly admire (from a distance), just as I did until, unfortunately, I got a closer look. Getting a glimpse into this person’s life was disheartening and discouraging and has made me wonder if they were a true lighthouse at all.

The celebrity culture is very dangerous. It puts our eyes on people instead of on God and His Word.

It is important that no stars in our eyes keep us from seeking God through His Word and seeing the truth.

Is someone a real lighthouse, shining the light of Jesus or are they fake, pretending to be a lighthouse when they really aren’t?

Jesus warns us that this is important. Paul and John echo this warning (Philippians 3:17-19; I John 2:18-19) Unfortunately, we don’t get to just warmly embrace everyone who comes in the name of Jesus. There are just too many that are using Him for personal gain and for deception.

It would be a nice world where we could trust everyone at face value. But scripture clearly shows us we cannot.

Just as I could not trust that the lighthouse on the left is not real, I cannot trust that a teacher is true without looking at their fruits.

Yes, it’s the lighthouse on the left that is the fake. Maybe you could tell. I could not. I was thankful for the tour guide who told us the truth.

Just as I am thankful for other believers who speak the truth. Even when it’s hard. Even when it costs them. They help me stay on the straight and narrow path and keep me from deception.

And that’s what we should be doing for each other, right? We are family after all and our love for each other should compel us to speak the truth. Humility helps us to receive the truth that is offered in love.

May we both speak and hear the truth, even when it hurts. And may we turn our eyes from celebrities and keep them focused fully on Jesus.

A Sweet Gift That Taught me a Lesson

1 Comment / July 7, 2025

A few days ago, my daughter stopped by with one of her sons to pick up something. I was down at the pool and so he searched me out and, in his hand, he held something.

It was a hydrangea bloom that had fallen off its bush tucked into a drinking glass full of soil. It was such a sweet gift, although I knew that hydrangea would not last because it needed water, not soil. And its life was quite limited, at any rate, now that it was no longer connected to its source for life.

But he didn’t know that. And he had enthusiastically planted that little hydrangea branch for Grandma. How sweet is that?

I put the glass on my kitchen windowsill and watched it slowly deteriorate (as you can see from the photo above). The hydrangea cannot live in the conditions that my grandson gave it, although he truly thought he was doing what was best for that little branch.

I have been really thinking recently about James 1:5-8–

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

I fear that I have been doubting as I bring my big requests before God. I don’t think I trust that He can work.

Yesterday, as I was sharing this with a friend, she said something quite profound.

It’s often not that we doubt God can work. It’s that we doubt that He will do things our way.

Ouch.

That is the bottom line, I fear.

And I had to think of my grandson and that hydrangea branch.

How often are we just like him? We think we know the best path but it’s not the best path. God stops us in our tracks and we get frustrated because we can’t understand why. But God knows what we don’t know.

That conversation yesterday really has had me thinking. We know we aren’t in control. We do know that. But yet we so often act like we are. And we grip things so tightly, as if that will keep things from changing. And we boldly march ahead as if we know the answers and the right way to go, when, so often, we just…don’t.

And then, when we end up with a wilting bloom, we are surprised.

It is a never-ending process to learn to lean into God’s will, especially when it is not my will. And to seek Him above all else.

Often, just like my grandson, we do things with the best of intentions and they aren’t necessarily wrong things. But we are finite and we just don’t know.

But God not only knows all—He loves us, too! (Romans 8:35-39; Galatians 2:20; I John 3:20)

Understanding this about God should change how we pray. It should give us the courage and the desire to pray with faith and without doubt.

Perhaps our struggle lies in the fact that we haven’t fully realized Who God is.

I recently read a book by Richard Sibbes called Discouragement’s Recovery. It was a very helpful book and I recommend it—particularly if you struggle with being discouraged.

I want to end with a quote from this book that helps us understand a bit more what we have in God if we are HIS. It was helpful to me and I hope it will be helpful to you, too—

I beseech you, give me a little leave to press this; for certainly there is more comfort in this word ‘My God,’ than in all the words of the world; for what is God to me if he be not my God, and so make me his? For this same propriety of comfort is more than all the comforts in the world.

We account a little patch of ground, or corner of an house of our own, more than all the city and town where we live. This comforts a man, when he can say, This is mine. As a man that hath a wife, it may be, she is not of the best, or the richest, or the fairest, yet she comforts him more, and he takes more content in her, than in all the women in the world, because she is his wife; so if a man can say, ‘O my God,’ he needs not say any more, for it is more than if he could say, All the world is mine. if we have God we have all, and if we had a thousand worlds, all were nothing to this, if we cannot say ‘God is my God.’

Therefore, though the child of God may seem to be a poor man, yet he is the only rich man. Other men have the riches of this world, as a kind of usurpers, for they have not the highest right unto them. Worldly men are like unto bankrupts, who are taken to be rich men because they have a great deal of goods in their possession, but the true right belongs to others, and so they prove in the end to be worth nothing. I beseech you, consider what God’s servants have said heretofore: ‘God is my portion,’ Lam. 3:24. If God be our God, then he will supply all our wants, as it shall make for the best unto us. This is a great comfort to all Christians in what estate soever. God in dividing things, it may be, he hath given others honours, beauty, and riches, and parts of nature. Well! God falleth to thy lot.

Let the worldlings, the lascivious and ambitions persons, make themselves merry with their portions in this life, yet let the Christian, in what estate soever, glory in his portion, for God is his, and all things else. Though there be many changes in thyself, why shouldst thou be discouraged or disquieted in any state whatsoever? God is thine to do thee good.

~Richard Sibbes, Discouragement’s Recovery

I know the language of this is a bit archaic, but there is such profound truth here. We forget that, if we are God’s dear redeemed child, then the God of ALL is OUR God. He loves and cares for us personally. How awesome is that?

Understanding this truth helps us to pray with faith and to abandon the doubt. This truth helps us keep an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one. This truth reminds us that we are not just a random dot on the timeline of history but that God loves us and He is watching over us. This truth will keep us from relying on ourselves and our own wisdom and leaning into God’s will and His wisdom.

Now, if only we could remember this when we are faced with that next trial or decision or challenge…

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