CAMPING

I’ve been a camper most of my life. 

When I was growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, that was pretty much our only vacation.  My dad had a lot of seniority in the nail mill where he worked, so he could get summer weeks off.  We camped in a tent and cooked on a Coleman stove.  We almost always went to the Allegheny Mountains on the border of Pennsylvania and New York, near Salamanca, NY.  We’d typically stay for two weeks.  Dad did a lot of the cooking and we ate good meals.  Their best friends, Speed and Estella Fisher, always accompanied us.  The Fisher’s kids were my sister’s age, so I was pretty much a loner.

When we arrived, he and Speed and I would go to a nearby lumber mill and load up on wood.  Dad had a roof carrier to carry our tent and all the camping gear.  With it emptied, he’d lift me up to the roof and they’d hand me the wood so I could stack it neatly; then they’d fill the trunk and we’d be good for the duration of the trip.  It made me feel important to be able to help.   

We’d swim in the Red House Lake in the afternoons and occasionally go to the park’s dump in the evening in hopes of seeing bear.  It was pretty exciting!  Some guys would feed them hot dogs and marshmallows – getting remarkably close to them. 

The campfire, however, was the main time of the day for us.  We’d sit around the campfire and I’d listen as everybody told stories and laughed heartily.  We’d eat marshmallows and occasionally make popcorn over the fire.  Quite often, we’d be visited by raccoons and they enjoyed the marshmallows as much as we did! 

We all slept in an umbrella tent with mom and dad on cots while Beverly and I slept in sleeping bags on air mattresses.  Campers were available in those days, but I was a teenager before my parents bought their first camping trailer. 

Games were popular back then; we’d play Rook, Stadium Checkers, Monopoly and a few others.  I was often allowed to play and it was a fun, family time.

My parents got into camping when I was about two years old [1954-5].  My dad took several weeks of vacation and took our whole family on a trip out west.  No hotels – we camped along the way.  My only memory of this trip is based on movies that my dad took as we travelled.  I do know that we hit Seattle [where dad’s best, boyhood friend lived with his wife and family.  He was my namesake:  Harold McNeese.]  We saw the California Redwoods and also the Grand Canyon.  I was potty-trained on this trip because all gas stations had a two-hole outhouse.  My dad would sit me up beside him and I learned to ‘go potty’.  J  Sorry!  TMI?

Camping was – from that time on – our annual vacation. 

Debbie and I followed suit when we were married [August 11, 1973].  We inherited their umbrella tent which we used for a number of years.  Eventually we went through several pop-up campers as we raised our family.  It was an inexpensive vacation in those days.  We’d haul our kids' hot-cycles and bikes along and they had the run of the campground.  We went to Pymatuning Lake [on the border of Pennsylvania and Ohio] for a week or two almost every summer!  Usually these trips included Deb’s sister, Laurie, and her husband, Charlie Mahosky.  They also had three kids – Marshal, Barbie and Jesse – who were about the same age as our kids: Travis, Troy and Tracie.  Swimming, water slides, bike riding, canoeing and riding in Uncle Charlie’s boat were the activities we enjoyed – along with, of course, playing lots of games. 

My love for the outdoors and hiking eventually led me to develop an interest in backpacking.  I’ve hiked major portions of the North Country Trail from the Ohio line through Pennsylvania and into New York State.  As the kids grew older, I began backpacking with a close friend, Tom Roush.  He taught me what I needed to know, having been a boy scout.  We hiked the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail together several times [a 70-mile trail in southwestern Pennsylvania]. 

Most of my backpacking, however, has been done alone.  It was adventurous and gave me lots of time for solitude and developing my own skills.  Consequently, I’ve spent hundreds of nights alone on various trails – including three hundred miles on the famous Appalachian Trail in 2018.  Over the years of my ministry, I’ve taken several groups from the churches I served on backpacking trips over the years – even coed groups!  Too many stories to tell for this blog!  J

Debbie and I are camping as I write this article.  We’re celebrating our fifty-first anniversary at Geneva-On-The-Lake [Ohio] for several days.  We have a nice camper now.  About ten years ago we graduated from pop-ups to hard-tops.  We camp alone sometimes, but often with a large group of family and friends!  On a pastor’s salary, it’s been a great way for us to travel, explore and get away from the normal pressures of life.

For quite a number of years, we camped in my sister, Beverly’s back yard in Rochester, New York.  They were kind enough to feed us and let us swim to our heart’s content in their backyard pool.  Great memories of cook-outs, playing video games and trips to the Rochester Zoo – which was a great adventure!  We’d also occasionally add a trip to Lake Erie and Niagara Falls!

Camping today is not as cheap as it used to be, but it’s still a great way to see new places and have tons of fun.  As the kids were growing up, we went almost every summer to Punderson State Park – near Aurora, Ohio - so that we could visit Geauga Lake Amusement Park one day and then Sea World the next day!  Great vacations and precious memories were made! 

This week we’ve enjoyed just being together alone.  We each brought a novel along.  We’ve split our time eating in the camper some and eating out a few times too.  A lot of times, we’ve played games – but not this trip.  We’ve just enjoyed being lazy and being together. 

I’ve always wanted to take our grandkids – Rylie and Coltin – on a one-night backpacking trip along with their uncle Troy.  But they’ve always lived too far away to make that happen.  Sad!  😒

As we’re hitting our mid-70’s, we’re finding it a bit challenging to do the work needed to prepare for camping trips.  We always dreamed of doing a cross-country vacation to see parts of this land that we’ve never been to, but that dream is seeming less likely to happen now.  But, maybe…

Pardon my late-night ramblings; I just came in from watching the campfire die out.  Deb and Gabe are sleeping.  I will be too – shortly. 

It’s been a good way for us to entertain ourselves and our family through the years.  I have no regrets about these experiences.  We made lots of good memories!  As long as I can hook it up and haul it, we’ll keep at it.  We talked today about how laid-back we are when camping; it gets us away from the responsibilities of home and work.  Now, more than ever, it’s a time for reflection and enjoying one another!  I highly recommend it!  😊

THE BEST BOSS!

Back in early February (2024), I received a call from my Conference Superintendent, Matt Poole.  He asked for a meeting with me, so we scheduled  a get-together at a Chinese restaurant in Steubenville, OH.

I had retired in June of 2017.  I took a year to get our new home established and landscaped.  Our son, Troy, and I also built a two-car garage that same year [with guidance and help from his father-in-law (and my friend), Mark Noel.  It was a great year! 

Then, I fell into a slump of watching too much news and television.  I recognized that this was not good, so started looking for work.  I was hired by the Lyft company and worked for five years driving people around.  I enjoyed the work, made lots of new friends, occasionally shared my faith and gained an income to help us in our retirement.

At the end of July, 2023, I lost this job very suddenly.  We were forced to make some major adjustments.  I then created a list of projects I wanted to work on while I still had strength and time.  That kept me pretty busy for a good while (there are still things on that list)!  J

But, with my new situation I fell out of frequent contact with others.  My life was spent largely working in my home-study.  Debbie and a few neighbors became my circle of contacts along with attendance at church on Sundays.  I saw this as ‘not good’.  So, I began praying for God to open a door for me to have a greater influence and more contact with people. 

When I met with Supt. Matt, he offered me an opportunity to be an Interim Pastor at The Foundery Free Methodist Church in Wellsburg, WV.  After telling me about the church, he asked “Do you need some time to pray about this?”

I immediately responded, “No.  Count me in!”  I could see the surprise on his face, so I explained my situation and told him that I’d already been praying that God would open new vistas for me.  His offer was clearly an answer to my prayers!  He smiled.

I began my new leadership role shortly after our meeting and continue there at present.  Although my six-month contract is almost up, it looks like I’ll be extending my role for a few more months.  It’s been a great appointment with some major challenges, but God has always equipped me to offer sincere, bold and God-directed leadership!  I’ve enjoyed being ‘back in the saddle again’.  I believe that God has honored this arrangement with fruit and health in the church!  I thank Him daily for the opportunity. 

I don’t know what will follow when The Foundery is appointed a new lead pastor, but I know that I’ll continue to make myself available to Him for whatever He might bring my way.  I know two things:

1.     I still have a to-do list that I want to go back to work on…and,

2.     I know that I still dream about church-planting.

Can you do that at 72? 

The answer is clearly – YES, if God is in it!  I have read books over the years about people my age and older who planted churches. 

Will it happen?  I don’t know.  But I do know that I’ll be making myself available to the Lord of the Church.  I’ve still got some energy.  My creative juices haven’t dried up yet!  He’s cultivated in me pastoral experience, biblical knowledge, a love for people, some writing and speaking skills and a passion for seeing the Kingdom grow and believers get established.   

How about you?

Are you stretching and growing – regardless of your age or stage of life? 

Do you still have dreams to fulfill?

Are you making yourself available to God to help Him with His harvest?

You haven’t stopped contributing to His urgent work of winning the lost and discouraged – have you?

I prayed for God to open a door – AND HE DID! 

He doesn’t love me any more than he loves you!  Turn your ear upward, my friend!  It’s always an adventure when you’re employed by the Maker and Creator of all that exists!!!!!

WILL YOU MARRY ME AND MY FIANCE?

Consider this your coffee-break for this morning.  Get comfortable while I unravel a story that will remind us how creative our God is in making connections.

It was 1985.  I was in my third year of leading the Oakland Free Methodist Church in East Liverpool. 

Early in March, I was in my office working and the phone rang.  On the other end of the line was a woman who described herself as being from Youngstown.  She told me that she’d been calling pastors for several days to see if she could find one that would marry her and her fiancé.  But she had received refusal after refusal.  I could hear the pleading and frustration in her voice as she practically begged me to consider her request.

I told her that I had requirements for couples that I married.  Then I explained that I required ten hours of premarital counseling that would help them think through issues relevant to being married.  It would also be required that they attend morning worship throughout the weeks between now and the wedding.  I also told her that I asked couples to refrain from having a sexual relationship during the period between now and the wedding and assured her that I would explain this more in the first counseling session.

She immediately responded that she’d talk with her fiancé and get back to me.  She called back in less than half-an-hour with an enthusiastic response and an expression of gratitude and excitement!  We scheduled their first appointment.

Upon their arrival, I realized that they were probably in their thirties.  They were an attractive couple who were obviously very much in love and very excited to get this process started.  They were each remarkably open and friendly.  It seemed that they were actually excited to see what this process was going to involve.

We spent that first session just gathering history and getting acquainted.  I reviewed the requirements that I had mentioned on the phone and then explained how much joy God took in marriage.  I talked about the sanctity of marriage and how God had designed this relationship for the deepest expression of intimacy.  This, of course, is why I asked couples to refrain from sexual contact during the pre-marriage period so that they could genuinely – and with anticipation – celebrate their marriage after the ceremony.

They agreed and seemed excited to do so. 

They began attending worship that week and never missed a Sunday. 

Let’s call them Karen and Jeff.  Jeff had been raised in the Catholic Church.

Our congregation had just begun to grow in the area of young couples at this time, so they were warmly welcomed by others from their age group.  Karen immediately began quizzing me on aspects of our worship and the weekly bulletin. 

·        What do all the letters in the “flyer” mean?  Upon examining it I realized that our lingo was confusing to newcomers:  FMY [Free Methodist Youth], CLC [Christian Life Club], WMFI [Women’s Missionary Fellowship International], etc., etc..

·        She was curious about the songs we sang and wanted to know where she could buy copies.  At the time, the 1980’s explosion of ‘Praise & Worship’ music was impacting the Church.  I gave her some radio stations to listen to.

·        She wanted to understand why people went to the altar at the end of the service.  I explained that it was a time and place for people to respond to God.  She was surprised to learn that family and friends often joined them at the altar to pray about issues in their lives.

They came every week.  The counseling time was delightful as they sucked up all the information that I shared with them:

ü We discussed the five ‘Love Languages’.

ü We talked about the importance of clarity about money management in a marriage.

ü We discussed children and how they impacted a marriage.

ü We had a session on “How to Fight Fair” in a marriage.

ü We looked at the sexual relationship as God’s special gift for married couples to fully know and enjoy one another.

ü We talked a lot about the differences between men and women and how challenging it is to fully understand one another.

It was fun to work with this couple!  We became friends.

As the church moved through the Lenten season, I had worked with several area Free Methodist Churches to hold an ‘Interchurch Resurrection Campaign’ at Oakland over Easter weekend.  I arranged for retired bishop, Paul N. Ellis, to be our speaker from Monday through Wednesday.  Several of the area churches contributed music specials and I involved the other pastors in leading the services.  Unfortunately, Bishop Ellis had to miss the first two nights.  He felt terrible!  I managed to have a friend fill in on Monday and Tuesday.

Jeff and Karen came all three nights!  On Wednesday night, Bishop Ellis brought a dynamic message and invited those who wanted to accept Christ as their Lord to come and kneel at the altar.  Jeff immediately responded.  Bishop Ellis personally came to Jeff and he and I prayed with him. 

[As a caveat, I later realized that with Jeff’s Catholic background, it meant a great deal to him that a bishop personally prayed over him!]

A few weeks later, the wedding went beautifully!  The reception was at the Mountaineer Casino and Resort. 

Let’s end this wonderful story with a humorous revelation.  As Jeff and Karen danced, I suddenly realized that they were probably going to invite us to dance with them.  I panicked!  I don’t know how to dance.  To add to it, Karen wore a very low-cut wedding dress and I felt stressed out about dancing with her! 

Sure enough, they motioned for us to join them – with the photographer ready to document the moment.  As we walked onto the dancefloor, Jeff approached me and said, “Pastor, why don’t you just enjoy dancing with your wife while I enjoy dancing with mine!”  Did he sense my discomfort?  I’ll never know, but I certainly did feel instant relief. 

I’ve thought of them many times over the years, but we did not stay in contact.  I hope they’re out there somewhere getting ready to celebrate thirty-nine years of marriage! 

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

The strategy of 'divide-and-conquer' has been known and used by commanders of armies and war strategists forever.  King David and his armies repeatedly used it in his Old Testament exploits.  

Our spiritual enemy also understands this strategy and employs it against the church of Jesus Christ persistently and effectively.  Our history reveals the effects of this destructive opposition!

Sadly, the story of Christianity is one of division.  We see conflicts emerge even in the New Testament record when Paul's ministry began including non-Jews in the church.  Acts 15 is titled "The Jerusalem Council" and describes the resolution of a conflict regarding these new gentile believers.

Even before that, Paul and Barnabas had a falling out over the inclusion of a young convert named John Mark.  

After the death and resurrection of Christ, over several hundred years the Church had repeated councils that met - sometimes for long periods of time - to try to resolve the theology that would characterize the Church!  Frequently these councils produced creeds that are still used today to define the parameters of our faith!  [Examples: The Nicaean Creed (325 A.D). and The Chalcedonian Creed (451 A.D).

After this defining season of our faith, history entered the period of the 'Dark Ages'.  The Roman Catholic Church stood in distinction from the Orthodox churches of the east throughout this 1000 year span.  

In the fourteenth century the church imploded with the actions of a monk named Martin Luther.  Other reformers like John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and Henry VIII became involved in the creation and formation of Protestantism in its varied forms.  This process was needed, but was unfortunately marked by instances of desire for selfish gain and subject to manipulation.  

The further dividing of the Church from then to now has been a tragedy that has created a  denominational progeny of a proportion that is nearly unimaginable.  The "body of Christ" has been decimated!

Of late, I've been noticing a manifestation of this brokenness that saddens me.  The political scene in America has become rife with hatred, accusation and division.  It's hard to avoid or ignore the tension it has created in our culture.  Much of this tension and animosity plays out in the social media of our day.

The recent phenomena that I've observed is the condescension of those who are of a mature faith and a higher mind, who seem to be turning on simpler-minded people who see things in a more black-and-white manner.  

Since the Olympics began my observation of this has magnified.  Whether or not you have weighed in on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is a personal matter.  Perhaps you didn't even see it and wonder what the hoopla is about?  Some have chosen to defend the supposed portrayal of the Lord's Last Supper by roles that most Christians would find offensive and inflammatory.  

Others have declared themselves by refusing to view the Olympics as a statement of opposition.  Many of these have felt strongly enough in their offense to post about their thoughts in social media forums. Still others - who may represent a greater maturity of faith and a broader willingness to understand the complexities of subtle meanings and artistic forms - have moderately mocked those of simpler faith for their reactive responses even offering more mature, spiritual manners of response.  

Keep in mind that both groups consider themselves to be of common faith - "the body of Christ".  

A certain modicum of grace would be expected to characterize those who would demean, ridicule or disown those of lesser faith and experience.  Proverbs 16:18 comes to mind:  

"Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."  

If the suggestion that this breach of the walls of unity is perpetrated by our spiritual enemy, then we can openly lament this friction and the pain that subsequently follows.  

It is clear that - as people of faith - we must resist and denounce Satan's attempts to divide and conquer the Church!  Those of more mature faith, higher education and deeper understanding and foresight must exercise patience with those whose walk is less established and whose reactive factor may be more volatile.  Biblically it's called GRACE!

It's nice to be right, but it's really important to be genuinely righteous!

PINE TREES AND THEIR CONES

I'm just flat out in awe this morning!  

A recent conversation reported that the pine trees have large clusters of pine cones at their tops, which is a sign of a harsh winter coming.  I'd never heard that before.

It popped into my head while I was doing my reading this morning, so I typed it into my browser and waited to select some articles that might give me the truth.

After referencing several articles, I found common agreement that the abundance of pine cones does not forecast a harsh winter.  I was actually disappointed.  I sort of hoped that it was true.

I did discover, however, that it takes a pine tree three years to mature a pine cone.  That surprised me!  

Then, I read the following:  [https://libanswers.nybg.org/faq/223484]

"Pine trees don’t produce the same amount of cones each year,... to throw off the insects that eat the cones. Trees do this as a way of avoiding these predators, because if they produce the cones on erratic, unpredictable cycles the insects can’t adjust to them.” 

I was flabbergasted!  I doubted the veracity of what I had read - until I found it verified in three subsequent articles.  

Now I realize that the horticulturists out there [and others who are well-trained in science] will likely have precise answers for this conundrum, but I found myself wondering: "Who gave these pine trees the ability to reason this out?"

For me [sorry horticulturalists], God is the One who gave them this ability!  Somehow the pine tree becomes aware that certain bugs are feeding on its fruit.  Rather than allow that to happen, which could ultimately threaten the life of the tree and future of the forest, the tree alters its production of pine cones from year to year which forces the bugs to find other trees to feed on.  Wow!  

I have loved the stories of  C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.  We shouldn't be surprised that they were each part of a literary discussion group that met on the campus of Oxford University from the 1930's through the 1940's.  Several articles report that they enjoyed a rich friendship and subtle rivalry!  Both portrayed trees as capable of talking and entering into collaborations with humans.  

In the years that I was able to backpack and hike, I thoroughly enjoyed attaining vistas that allowed me to see endless ranges of trees!  I stood for long times and marveled at the overwhelming number of trees!  Their beauty - whether green or in color or bare in winter - left me awestruck! 

...the most recent study, published in the Nature journal in 2015, used updated estimation techniques to conclude that there are approximately 3.04 trillion trees on Earth. This means that there are almost 422 trees for every living person on the planet.

 Let's review what we know from our high school study of science:

The unique chemical process that trees and plants use to turn light energy from the sun into oxygen is known as photosynthesis. "Photosynthesis" is a Greek word meaning "light" and "putting together." During this process, trees harness the sun's energy, using it to put carbon dioxide gas together with water to produce oxygen.  [https://sciencing.com/trees-turn-carbon-dioxide-oxygen-10034022.html]

Hmmmm...very simply put: we need oxygen to survive and trees need carbon dioxide to survive.  We breath oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide while trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen!  How cool is THAT? 

All part of a Master plan!   

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?

1.       Like so many growing things, I must begin with my roots!  

All do not share the privileges I enjoyed as a result of being born into a godly home!  A mother who stuffed her Bible with prayer lists and brought so many faithfully before God throughout her life!  A father who made certain I was in church several times every week - until I left home for college!  A safe nest with no profanity, no vulgarity, lots of Christian friends, a loving, caring atmosphere, and an abundance of support to help me mature wisely and respectfully!  I AM GRATEFUL!

2.       I learned to love You when I was young!

There was Sunday School, Christian Life Crusaders, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group and worship in a vibrant church.  Loving You was modeled by just about everyone in my life!  We were always singing Your praises!  I remember going down to my classroom after church one Sunday to copy the words of a new song so I could sing it at home:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills

The wealth in every mine.

He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills

The sun and stars that shine!

Wonderful riches – more than tongue can tell

They are my Father’s – so they’re mine as well

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,

I know that He will care for me!

My mother taught me to talk with You before going to bed every night!

3.        I was taught to have a relationship with You and to obey You!

By participating weekly in the Christian Youth Crusaders [CYC] club, I was encouraged to memorize scriptures in order to earn badges.  I memorized the ten commandments, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, and the entire resurrection passage – along with MANY others!  I can still quote many of these passages today!  The Bible was taught in relevant ways by a whole team of people!  My first Sunday School teacher was my favorite.  Betty Paugh made the Bible come alive to 3 and 4 year olds by using flannel graph figures and her own dramatic flare of story-telling!  Every other Sunday School teacher I had – until I left for college – was a male!  These men modeled the Christian life for me!  I went to the altar many times throughout my growing-up years to commit my young life to God!  At seventeen, I received my ‘call’ to the pastoral ministry.

4.       I went to a Christian college!

It was not a terribly strict environment, but it did set up boundaries that helped me to avoid distractions that would have had a destructive impact on my spiritual focus.  I dated a Christian girl – who I later married!  We worked hard to maintain integrity in our relationship!  I experimented with leadership roles during my college years.  As a freshman, I taught a Sunday School class for junior high boys! Later, I worked in tandem with the church’s youth pastor to plan events for the youth group.  I became the chaplain of the college Chorale.  I also was elected to the Student Council as the Religious Life Director.  I joined a Student Service Outreach (SOS) folk music group and traveled through the year and one summer representing the college and the Lord!  I was hired by the church to be a summer intern upon my graduation.  I was put in charge of the Wednesday prayer meeting where many who attended were my former professors and their spouses!  It was somewhat intimidating! 

5.       I married well and we established our independence!

Debbie and I were married August 11, 1973.  After one week of honeymoon, we packed a truck and drove to Wilmore, Kentucky, where I would attend Asbury Theological Seminary for three years.  Being eight hours from our parents - during a time when long-distance telephone calls were very expensive – forced us to become independent immediately.  We both worked to make the necessary finances to keep us afloat!  The seminary environment fostered many deep and meaningful connections.  I counseled with two men who I had great respect for – Dr. Don Demeray and Pastor Clyde Van Valin - and they were a huge help to me!  I had a very close relationship with a couple of professors who also invested in my life: Dr. Don Joy and Dr. Gordon Jackson.  These joined an already well-established group of role models and mentors.  Debbie and I worshipped and served together!  We taught the Joybells on Wednesdays at the Wilmore Free Methodist Church.  I later became a student/pastor at the Tunnel Hill Free Methodist Church in English, Indiana for nearly two years.  She worked at a large bank in Lexington and then later in the development office of the seminary.  I worked at UPS, as an office-cleaner, at a gas station and as a prison guard. 

6.       With the help and encouragement of family, friends and enveloping church members, we learned to push through challenging times!

There were complications with Travis’ birth in 1976.  Debbie had to remain in bed for several weeks to insure his safe, premature arrival.  Finances have almost always been a challenge with low salaries, a growing family and my expensive educational goals!  This is the area where we saw God’s provision the most!  Again and again, God came to our aid in amazing ways that seemed miraculous to us! 

Leading growing churches is hard work!  Conflict and discontent are frequent visitors to a pastor’s work!  A young pastor doesn’t garner much respect; nor does s/he have a large pool of experience to draw from.  But passion and perseverance work effectively to overcome these kind of energy-drainers.  Churches did grow and people did come to faith in Christ!  Lifelong friends were made and a legacy of testimonies began to form! 

Particularly, Debbie’s family became a faithful support system to us by giving us freedom to be us and the enveloping of love and fun regardless of where we lived or what kind of experiences we were having!  They have always been our inner circle of support! 

7.       We gradually learned to cherish and remember the good while allowing the bad memories and experiences to eventually fall out of the bag.

As hinted above, we met and served people who didn’t seem to like us and even became oppositional to us.  This is true for everyone, right?  It’s what you do and how you handle these situations that contributes to your integrity and legacy!  We were determined not to exchange evil for evil.  We wanted to respond with godly grace as much as possible.  In some cases, we were able to push through tense times and see relationships restored.  In other cases, we simply pressed forward and tried our best to be fair and loving.  God helped us immensely.  Honestly, I don’t think about these antagonistic relationships and times.  It’s remarkable how God helps us to forget the bad and recall the good!  All of it forms us and if we honor God, He causes it to form us for good! 

___________________________________________

I have many reasons to love and thank God!  This concise musing fails to fully acknowledge my gratefulness to Him for His faithfulness to me!  I began my walk with him when I was four or five.  I made a major decision to serve Him at the age of seventeen.  I have NOT done it all right.  I am still not a finished product.  From God’s perspective, there is much imperfection in this man!  But, he has a redeeming factor in that he keeps coming back to God! 

I realize as I write, how blessed I have been – I’ve tried to emphasize that here.  I have worked with SO MANY over the years who have had a far more difficult path than me.  Their stories have brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart!  The only reassurance I have is that the same God who guided and helped me is also available to do so for every person who turns to Him in sincerity!  You can take THAT to the bank! 

If you think talking with someone about your life would help, I am available.  Feel free to send me a note at halinasia@psmail.net.  J

LAYING A FOUNDATION

He sits alone in the open pastures.  There's a pouch of nuts and berries at his side.  On his other side is a sling that he occasionally picks up and practices with in the event that he may need it to protect his flocks.  They depend on him!  Also nearby is a simple, home-made stringed instrument that he uses to pass the time.  

Time he has!  Hours grow into days.  A small nighttime fire warms him and he sees the glow of it in the sheep's eyes as they look to make certain that he is there always to protect them from the menaces of the night.  

It's a lonely job, but he has overcome the fear of loneliness and has come to appreciate the benefits of solitude and silence.  

Actually, the silence carries it's own messages of comfort and alarm.

Comfort is found in the morning songs of the birds and the rippling of the stream.  The rustling of leaves in the wind is music to his ears.  Even the distant sounds of thunder and the flashes of lightning afar reveal the awesomeness of nature and the manifold creativity of his God!  

Predators - regardless of their stealth - alert him and cause him to reach for the sling and the handful of stones in his leather sack!  He knows the sheep are vulnerable and he is fearless in protecting them:

I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. I have killed both a lion and a bear;  [I Samuel 17:34-36]

[All references from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.] 

His is the meditative life and he has learned to maximize its benefits!  In his leather pouch is a booklet where he inscribes his thoughts and songs.  However, he doesn't need it - they are embedded in his mind by repetition!

He enjoys the infrequent arrival of a brother carrying meager supplies and news of home.  But his world is one that primarily involves a companionship with only One!  

He will add other booklets as the years pass.  His inscriptions will include prayers, songs, poems and laments.  He will express anger, desperation, confessions, and reminders that will keep him strong and focused later in life when massive responsibilities come his way.  

Like Moses' forty years on Mount Horeb watching his father-in-law's sheep, David is being prepared by God.  Even when he makes horrendous mistakes and slips into sinful behaviors, he will pull out one of these booklets - or draw it up from his memory - and be restored to the graces of God!   

He is laying a foundation even though he is unaware that his mental meanderings will carry him through great perils that will challenge him physically, spiritually and emotionally!  His divine Shepherd is working in him dauntlessly to form him into the leader He needs David to be:  

I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after My own heart.  He's the kind of king who will rule in ways that please Me.  [Acts 13:22]

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Has God found this in you?  

Do you devote yourself to discovering His heart and His ways?

Have you cultivated an intimacy with God that allows Him to form you?

Can this kind of intimacy with God be experienced without solitude and silence?

Are His fingerprints all over your life?

Create a quiet place sometime today where you can focus on Him, listen to Him and allow Him to form YOU into the man or woman that He wants/needs you to be!