COFFEE ON THE DOCK

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY NEW DAY, HAPPY NEW FUTURE!  2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV). G od has already stocked this new beginning with valuable lessons, previously unseen opportunities, unique challenges, unexpected blessings, Life-changing experiences, and spiritual insights. Today is the day to leave failures behind, unforgiveness in the dust and to firmly embrace redeeming grace and new vision from God. And what of the dangers of the past creeping forward into this new year? No worries, He’s got this: “The Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard,” Isaiah 52:8 (ESV). Today You have provided a unique and powerful pathway to a higher life, divinely orchestrated from beginning to end. Hallelujah!! I will lift up my eyes to You.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,” John 15:13 ESV. “For twenty years, This sailor has stood the watch, While some of us were in our bunks at night, This sailor stood the watch,” (1 st   four verses of a 23-verse poem called “THE WATCH”). Quite a few times I have heard, and or read with tears this most moving poem called “The Watch”. I have never served in the U.S. military nor as a first responder, but I have a deep, lifelong love and respect for those who have. I’ve never patrolled a dark street in a rough neighborhood as a police officer, nor have I run into a burning building to save a stranger as our brave first responders do every day. Instead, I have stood the watch over the souls of family, friends and tens of thousands of strangers throughout the world. Now I fight each day for the rights of the Jewish people to have a biblically promised homeland. God places us in this life with a mission of His design. It somet...

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him,” 2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV. In the James Cameron movie “Avatar” the phrase “I see you” is used to describe seeing someone’s true essence. It was to acknowledge their value and expressed a deep love for that person. This type of love is beautifully revealed in the biblical story of Hagar. In her darkest moment, the LORD came to her and showed her His love. Hagar coined another name for Yahweh that day when she called Him: “EL ROI”, which means: “You are  the   God   who sees   me ”. She boldly proclaimed: “I have now seen the One who sees me”. We can easily feel alone, misunderstood, maligned and abandoned by others. Unrequited love is deeply painful, but one thing we can know for certain, God IS love and He will always declare: “I see You!” O LORD, EL ROI, I am swept into unspeakable joy by Your perfect love. 

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” 2 Peter 1:3 ESV. Jerusalem is one of the world’s most ancient cities. Thousands of years of building and rebuilding have left its oldest sections buried deep underground. Constant excavations guarantee that new treasures are found daily by those who seek them. Each unearthed artifact leads to a greater understanding of the city’s true character. The work of God’s Word and Spirit has the same effect within us. He exposes and removes the rubble and refuse of the past and surfaces hidden treasures that He previously implanted. These divine attributes are designed for God’s purpose for each of His children. Lord God expose every part of my heart to Your Light and use me for Your Glory.

“And  He took them in His arms   and blessed them, laying his hands on them,” Mark 10:16 (ESV). Jesus didn’t show anger much, but he was openly “indignant” when the disciples deprived parents of bringing children and having Jesus ”touch them”. I get it. One of the constant blessings of my life is giving and receiving so many hugs. Family hugs, friendship hugs, makeup hugs, sad hugs, happy hugs, last hugs. They each contain a unique blessing. The love of others gives me great joy and encouragement and activates the love of God within me. Little arms, huge arms, soft touches, warm embraces, shoulder squeezes, they nourish my soul. The bible speaks of God’s “everlasting arms”. That I may be used by Him to comfort and bless one of His children of any size or age is an enormous blessing to me. Lord, my arms are Yours, may I again be Your hands extended this very day. 

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I  put away childish things ,” 1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV. As a child, I did not mind playing alone. I would simply dream-up elaborate scenarios filled with interesting things to do and I, of course, was the central figure in all these imagined adventures. Pretending is an essential pathway to learning and development for children, but it is a passageway to self-deception for adults. Imagination and creativity have lifelong value but to masquerade as something we are not is nothing more than falsehood and can lead to many serious problems. As I have matured in life, seamlessness between who I want to be and who I actually am has become more crucial. Heavenly Father may Your maturing work in me produce increasing authenticity. Help me not gloss over weaknesses and deliver me from cover-ups. 

My brother-In-Law, Jack McCall, Sharon’s only sibling, passed away today after a long battle with cancer. Now he is now whole again and in the presence of his Redeemer. I’ve known Jack for 48 years. He loved to sing in churches and did so as often as he could. Jack has now joined the biggest and best choir ever! I’m sad, yet joyful. Please pray for Sharon’s mom Bettie, Jack’s wife Cheryl, his children and grandchildren, and My Sharon. We’ll see you again my brother. 

“For unto us a child is born, unto us, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6 ESV. Shadowy figures slowly come into focus as a weary young couple stares into the darkness of early nightfall, searching for a place to stay. Their long, dusty journey has brought them to the hills of Judea, to the small town where King David had been born so many years before. Empty, uninviting streets contradict the importance of this glorious moment. All the company of heaven peers down in joyful celebration while the hordes of hell shrink back in disoriented confusion. What child is this? Soon, blazing truth will rip away the shroud of darkness and the Savior of the world will be revealed. O holy night, O night divine! LORD God Almighty, may this holy eventide on which we celebrate with angels the coming of Your Son, be a time of joy, reconciliation, giving, love, l...

" So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin," James 5:14 ESV.  The temptation to compromise is constant. While most sincere believers hold the line on the big issues it is easy to make concessions on smaller things. We can be spirit-filled but leaking. Those who manage dams do not take cracks lightly. Leaks do not self-repair so they must be addressed, or they will only worsen. The same can be said of the soul. When life’s pressures build even the most spirit-filled heart can be drained. I must consistently seek fresh infilling and simultaneously take care of issues that siphon away God’s Presence. No one else can guard my heart; I must take personal responsibility to remain filled. Glorious Father open the windows of heaven afresh. Grant me wisdom to recognize and attend to things that deplete my heart of Your Glory and Presence. 

“He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm,” Matthew 8:26 ESV. A powerful storm on the lake prompted the disciples to awaken Jesus from his well-deserved nap. The disciples were in mortal fear, their panic made them feel he didn’t care, and their words were infused with foolishness: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus’ response to the disciples? “Why are you so afraid? Do you STILL have no faith?” Mark 4:40 NIV. The size of our crisis causes no panic in Heaven. Instead, God attacks the source of our panic. Faith in the perfect Love of God delivers us from all terror. Heavenly Father, Your timing, Your way, Your will, that’s it! My storms are in Your hands so I rest assured in Your Presence. You are my solid rock! 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,” Luke 2:14 KJV. The second chapter of Luke is fully loaded! There are praising angels, an angelic choir, wandering shepherds…you know the story. What a happy and heart moving scene! In this verse above a wonderful and eternal principle is revealed: Giving glory to God brings peace and goodwill toward others in the earth. Openly worshipping the God of Heaven and Earth creates an environment of goodwill and peace any place within His creation. Genuine praise of The LORD of All invites heavenly blessing to wherever you are, even as you are circling the lot for the third time, searching for a parking place, as you wait for a table, stand in line at the cashier or sit in Christmas traffic. LORD, I pray that You open our hearts and let us see past the mayhem and noise. May my life reveal the peace that only You can bring. 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,   “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty,”   Revelation 1:8 ESV. Like grains of sand slipping through the hourglass, each moment of life moves quickly into the past. I sometimes feel the sting of past mistakes, missed opportunities, and bad choices. But once I regain my bearings and remember that I’m God’s child, I remember that nothing is beyond the grasp of my Redeemer. An eternal perspective rotates the impulse of our lives; instead of dwelling on the past, we are pulled forward into an unlimited future filled with hope. An eternal perspective opens our heart and unlocks faith, making the psalmist’s proclamation becomes our own: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” Psalm 118:24 ESV. Those things left behind in the process become a footnote as eternal purpose unfolds to us. Eternal Father, I joyfully move forward. 

“As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” I Peter 1:14-16 NIV. Learning to turn away from appealing but short-lived gratification is a process. We tend to think of holiness as a rules-based form of living, but it’s not so much what we do or not do, holiness is sensitivity and obedience to God’s voice. It is primarily inward, not outward. I began to grumble how unfair it seemed that many others around me appeared to be less restricted than I. As I questioned the Lord I heard Him speak clearly in my heart: “Others may, you may not.” I said out loud with sarcastic indignation: “That’s it? Others may, I may not?!!” Silence. His answer required no further explanation. Father, you discipline the ones You love. Forgive my contemptuous hubris; Your high call requires my very best. Period.

“Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV. As surely as eating with unwashed hands can lead to sickness, over-exposure to  irreverent  unbelief leaves us susceptible to infection within our soul. Unfiltered pursuits and constant self-indulgence belong to the perishing, but wisdom and discernment are provided to the God-seeker. No need to run for the hills, the powerful force of a sold-out commitment and a surrendered will furnishes us with protection from both external and internal corruption. Like guardrails along a cliff-side highway, the disciplines of stewardship and faithfulness create a safety barrier against meandering into spiritual danger and falling away. O Lord My Protector grant Your Wisdom this day. Guard my heart and actions with Your Word and Spirit. Make me a constant source of life for others.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit,’” Matthew 1:20 NIV. While the clear focus of this passage is the miracle of all miracles, there is even more. The words “what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” have an amazing Truth embedded within them; The Holy Spirit can “conceive” things within us. A “seed of truth” can clarify our individual calling. A moment of Spirit-conceived revelation can saturate and guide our soul in ways nothing else on this earth can. While “The Word” is the foundation upon which we must build our lives, “The Holy Spirit” is the on-site Project Manager that helps assure that we build according to the specifications God has set. Blessed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit guide my heart and actions this day as You will. 

“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45 ESV. This simple statement from Elizabeth to Mary is loaded with truth! Blessing comes to anyone who believes the promises God speaks. In this case, Mary heard what He had spoken, she believed His promise in her heart and later, she saw it fulfilled. We can do the same. I can read the same promises in God’s words over and over and have them impact me differently each time. Sometimes a verse is a principle to be practiced, later that same passage can become a specific instruction, and again later it can transform into a unique prophetic word for myself or others. We must hear the Word, speak the Word, live the Word, obey the Word, confess the Word and share the Word with others to fully extract its many riches. LORD, open Your Word to me afresh this day.

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God,” I Corinthians 2:10 ESV. I can hardly remember what it was like to search for information without pushing the “find” button on a device. However, the wisdom of God remains unsearchable by earthly means. No amount of human effort can forcibly open the treasures of heaven; even the Tower of Babel in modern form still would not reach high enough. Yet, God pours out limitless insight into the ones who approach Him with humility and sincerity. He not only provides the Word for our study and enlightenment He sent His Spirit to our hearts. Father, Creator, and Caretaker, You withhold no good thing from Your people. Your promises are “yes and amen”. Heaven’s blessings await the fervent seeker, its doors wide open to the humble of heart.

“   In the sixth month, the angel   Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named   Nazareth,     to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph,   of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Greetings,   O favored one,   the Lord is with you!”   Luke 1:26-28 ESV. An angelic messenger of God announced to Mary that The Lord’s Seed was within Her. She was WITH CHILD. My “messenger angel” was a Sunday School teacher when I was but 5-years-old. Since then, the LORD has been WITH ME. The challenge since has been to realize, He’s not following me around, in fact, I must follow Him; I’m WITH HIM! He wants to use me to help others make the same discovery. I become their "messenger from heaven". What a privilege! LORD, use me as Your divine messenger this Holy Season to help others discover, You are “Emmanuel”, God WITH US, IN US, THROUGH US. 

“Yours is the day, yours also the night; You have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter,” Psalm 74:16-17 ESV. I watched a National Geographic Special on “whales” recently. They were showing humpback whales and their seasonal mating trek over thousands of miles to the same place each year. The voice behind the fantastic video noted: “No one knows how they perfectly navigate such distances.” I suggest, the Boundless One who created earth’s boundaries also helps the creatures within it maneuver through its obstacles. For those indeed sent and led by God’s Spirit, no obstacle is too difficult, no height too high to climb nor distance too far to reach. Glorious LORD blessed are those who know Your voice and obey Your commands and whose only limits are those You desire. 

STRANGER BOX RECYCLED (Originally posted 10/23/18) Moses declared: “For the Lord your God is mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality…He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger…” Our human tendency is to classify people into “us” and “them”; the more different they are, the greater our impulse to dehumanize them, casting them aside with egocentric, self-justification. We just drop them in the “Stranger Box.” This leads to ungodly hatred. The ironic thing is, every single one of us is in someone else’s stranger box. The child of God must behave as our Father in Heaven, loving without discrimination. He can judge righteously, for He loves righteously. LORD God, Your ways are wonderful. You love perfectly. You judge justly yet with mercy. Open my eyes and heart to Your ways and use me as an instrument of Your love.  How heartbreaking to return to America from I...

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son   from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14 ESV. I have experienced a new grace lately. The question "why now?" comes to mind, but why should I ask? Does the Almighty, All-knowing One need to explain the things He does in His own Sovereign Power and Eternal Wisdom to me? Would I understand if He did? Grace is an undeserved, divinely granted and inexplicable gift; would not demand for His explanation contradict the very nature of grace? One last question, will I never learn? The answer is yes, I am learning, even now. Questions breed doubt, grace breeds revelation, and truth. So, I will leave the questions behind and just breathe in God’s Grace as deeply as I can. There, better already. Glorious God of All Grace and Mercy, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.   

“Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul”; poignant words penned by Horatio Spafford as his ship passed the very spot in the Atlantic where his four daughters had died in a tragic shipwreck just days before. “It is well” are the words spoken to the prophet by the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings, erstwhile her child laid dead at her home. Her son would later be raised from the dead because of the underlying faith driving those words. No one can declare such things while mired in earthly obsessions. These are divinely breathed words, spiritually informed words; faith infused words spoken from consecrated hearts. To proclaim, “It is well” is not a refusal to accept earthly facts, it is simply to call upon higher realities. I may not see the full manifestation of the miracle I seek while in this flesh, even so, it is well, it is well with my soul! Circumstances come and go but God’s goodness and promises never change. My Lord Almighty, Healer of the Bro...

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 ESV. To openly live a life of faith is not a proclamation of personal perfection. In fact, the opposite is true. To reveal myself as a person of faith is to open the curtain and turn on the lights; my imperfections become the stage upon which the amazing grace and relentless love of God are displayed for all to see. In my weakness, His awesome strength is discovered and brought to the forefront. Glossing over our foibles presents a false image of the believer’s life and in the end, does more harm than good. Lord, You are my Fortress and Deliverer, reveal Yourself in me. May my failings spotlight Your exquisiteness. May my need for constant redemption encourage others to seek the same. 

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones,” Proverbs 14:30 ESV. There is a razor-thin line between admiration and envy, making it dangerously easy to slip from one into the other. Respect and esteem can inspire us and provoke us to reach for greater heights in life, but when we cross over into personal comparisons, jealousy or judgmentalism, we become trapped in envy. Soon resentment moves in and if not dealt with, complete disdain eventually follows. Envy is nothing but unbelief, rooted in a lack of trust in God’s shepherding care, and fed by our own pouting pride. For me to be jealous of another person’s blessing is, in effect, to repudiate the Goodness of my Heavenly Father toward me. LORD, You are the Way, the Truth and the Giver of Life. Deliver me from mortal traps and help me trust Your work and ways without complaint. Blessed be Your Name. 

“ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all   covetousness , for one's life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions’,”  Luke 12:15 ESV. Coveting is a pernicious and deceptive sin. It may begin as innocent attraction, interest or admiration but it leads to destruction. In fact, covetousness is akin to worshiping a false God according to Colossians 3:5, “covetousness which is idolatry”. Covetousness is a renunciation of trust in God’s divine care and leads us to believe no desire should ever be denied us, no matter how wrong. A covetous heart cannot love purely. Thankfulness, on the other hand, leads us to the light. A grateful heart opens the way to unlimited peace and inexhaustible love since it focuses on the Provider, not the perceived provision. O Lord My Shepherd, cleanse my heart from earthly entanglements. Grant me a true love for You and others.

“The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing,” JAMES 1:25 ESV. Road signs can only help those who read them and make the necessary adjustments to the messages they carry. God provides The Law of Liberty, warnings, reminders, instructions and the navigational help of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk. He not restricting us from success, but providing the necessary tools to defeat our earthly tendencies toward lawlessness. Carelessness kills, but obedience offers life and safety. A wise person passionately seeks to be wiser still and is always searching to improve their awareness, discernment and response time to God’s directives. Holy Father may Your unrestricted Wisdom defeat my moments of irresponsible insensitivity to Your Guidance. Lord, make me a wiser man and grant me insight that I may live it and share it with others. 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together   for good, for   those who are called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28 ESV.     Even after miraculous deliverance, Israel’s final escape from 400 years of slavery in Egypt was fraught with complications. Just as things had greatly improved, they saw an army in angry pursuit to the rear, an opening sea ahead and empty desert beyond, but when your back is against the wall the only choice is to move forward. I get it. Most of my significant progress has been forced by circumstances. The goodness of God doesn’t always look so good at first glance, but in the end, He works His will in us and through us, often using circumstances we would never choose along the way. Glorious Lord, I praise and exalt you. You formed me for Your will and lovingly press me into it. LORD, Your wonders never cease.