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A SUNDAY PRAYER FOR THE FREEDOM AND SALVATION OF AMERICA

10/17/2021

Imagine the power of an entire nation praying in unison? Let's do this!

In mid-April of 1945, the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was put to death on the gallows in a Germany prison for treason against the Third Reich. Bonhoeffer could have missed all of the dangers of Germany by staying in the United States, for prior to the beginning of the war he had a sabbatical in New York City and was asked to stay. His strong preaching and teaching was in great demand and while Bonhoeffer was tempted, his heart and conscience told him he must return to his flock in the Lutheran Church. While many pastors had accepted Hitler's offer to preach in a revised religious manner, equating God to and equal status with Hitler, the conservative Reverend Bonhoeffer refused, rightfully calling it blasphemy. But his church work after that time was done in secrecy and of an underground variety to avoid suspicion, while Bonhoeffer looked on the surface like a man supporting Hitler, but nothing could be further from the truth. He also continued his civilian work with Ministry of Intelligence and, unbeknownst to his superiors, was sending classified messages to the Allies to help them in their invasion plans. Finally caught, near the end, he was arrested, charged and convicted of treason, and ultimately put to death within less than three weeks of the end of the war. It is with this viewpoint in mind, that today's prayer is offered for we are in the middle of a storm here at home which borders on the similar situation faced by Bonhoeffer since our faith is under siege. Never, ever give up the faith if you want to really live, for salvation can never be attained without that faith. And here's my prayer for this day.

A PRAYER FOR OUR NATIONAL FREEDOM AND SALVATION

On this beautiful Sunday, Dear Lord, we thank you for the beauty and the majesty of this bright sunny day and and all the many other blessings you give to us, both seen and unseen. We know that we are so undeserving of your love and that we so often disappoint you, yet we know in our hearts that you love us deeply and completely in spite of ourselves. We also praise you for the great positive powers you possess, including your giving each of us the gift of Life which surpasses all understanding of our mortally constricted and limited abilities we possess and we thank you for the patience, love and grace that you show for us.

Lord, many Americans of faith are deeply concerned these days when we watch the direction our nation is taking. Things are today considered right when they clearly are known that they aren't and, conversely, things are considered wrong when we know them to be right. Some tell us they are following scientific thought when it is clear they are not, and many of those same people tell us we are not following scientific thought when we know we are applying the principles of science. Furthermore, so many scorn the thought of you, God, being an all powerful being possessing all knowledge and supplementing it with things to come in the future which only you can know. Help us to fight the temptation of many to cave to the persuasion of so many who don't wish to accept our views and to hold fast to those things we absolutely know are true. Also give us the discernment through our reading of the Scriptures and walking and talking with you individually to know in our hearts when someone is of Truth and not Falsehood. That is a big challenge for us in this time of so many differing issues being foisted upon us at once and we ask that you help us to stay up to the challenges of this life which is so dramatically changing at warp speed.

Finally, Lord, give us the grace and understanding to never bow down to anyone denying you and to stand firm and fast. Never let us deny the special relationship that our great Founders accepted as American principles and let them always be strong even after we individually depart. Let America retain that relationship until Jesus returns to save the World and banish Satan. Let the Holy Spirit within us provide us with the counsel and guidance we need when under pressure to hold the line for you, to never doubt you and to never deny you no matter what might befall us. With you at our side we can't fail, no matter what they might do, even if we are put to death, for if we believe in Jesus as our Savior and your Son, death on this earth will ultimately be a blessing for we will advance to the Heavenly Home that you have provided for us. Furthermore, by standing for God and the American Way, we will leave this world knowing that we have positively impacted those left behind to stand strong until their time of decision comes and that is a great legacy for us to leave behind for future Americans. Let's hope that Americans will continue to pray to you for guidance and Salvation for as many years as we have left on this earth and may you ever be here shining light and God.

We ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who died to give us the opportunity to receive forgiveness of our sins, Amen.

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With the LOVE of a Good and Faithful Woman

10/14/2021

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Quote by Fawn Weaver

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. - Proverbs 31:10-12 (ESV)

In 1966, the year after I graduated from high school, a song named "When a Man Loves a Woman," sung by Percy Sledge, rocked the sales charts for the old 45 rpm records. It was, and still is a hit, since modern day singer Michael Bolton has recorded a great new version, but old Percy, now departed, made it a hit in his first recorded song. It tells a great story of the lengths a man in love with a woman will go for her, yet it also sends a warning that sometimes that woman turns out to be one just using him and, in the end it can turn out very hurtful and painful to the poor loving man. So, in writing this morning, I wanted to address the truth about loving and living with the one you love from the male perspective and the message is this. When a man loves a woman who is filled with goodness and faith, that bond leading to marriage will last through any storm or test, if only he remembers just how important she is to him. Sadly, as we know in these days of so much trial, tribulation and trouble, that is not always easy since we are tested and tempted in so many ways. That being said, when we men hang on to the promise God gives to us and look at our soulmate as a major gift of that promise, we can get our lives back on track and make living them joyous and loving again. It just takes a little work and effort, but the reward is so special and the consequences of losing that precious loved one so costly and tragic, that it is something we must do and the rewards will be great.

I have been blessed with a wonderful wife, a woman who has stuck with me through thick and thin. Do we sometimes argue? Have we sometimes lost patience with each other? Have we even for a moment ever thought of doing without each other? These are good and valid questions to ask and I must candidly admit that there have been moments in my life when I have wondered how things would have been if I didn't have her. Sure, my mind has wandered to believe that it would be possible for the grass to be greener on the other side, but in the end I have come to realize that there is no woman in the world who would be as loving and kind whether the chips were down or up. I also know that had a ever taken such a step I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, because she loves me truly, accepts me as I am with my faults and human failures, and to find a woman devoted and caring is something special in this world. I understand her and she understands me and we know after some years in the school of hard knocks that we can trust one another. No other woman could be like that for me and it makes me love her even more.

Why do I write this today? Well, I do so because we men of the world don't get many chances to find someone with whom we are compatible and who we can trust with our hearts never to use us for some other reason than love. So, if you have what I have, guys, hold on to it with all that you have, or you might just find out for yourselves that that greener grass on the other side of the street is actually fake, like Astro turf. Furthermore, if you think that trophy girl you might treasure is worthy of you, just think about what she would do when the money runs out. She would get what's left of the money and you would get the shaft. Is that what you want? No sir, and we both know that would never work out. So, choose wisely based upon love and commitment and spend your life doing the little things that can turn familiarity into some special moments that we all need from time to time. Like the author said above, keep the fire of romance and the love light burning and that marriage of yours will carry you to the moon and back if you want to. Just keep your life interesting and fresh to open new horizons of the level of your marriage and you'll be happy for the rest of your life. A good marriage is special, so keep working at it and keep it active and alive and the two of you will go far and show the kind of commitment that God wants for us in the first place. Be blessed, be loved and stay together until death do you part.

Finally, in closing, let me put it this way, a modification to the Percy way. When a man truly loves a woman, and she truly loves him in return, they have something worth keeping regardless of the storms of life might befall. Stay loving and kind, work at it to keep that lamp of love lit, and you will find when you grow old and gray that the beautiful woman you remember as young and beautiful, maintains a countenance of life that makes you feel like a teenager again when you see her. God bless you all and maintain what you have. It was meant to be forever for you and that special someone.

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IN A WORLD YEARNING FOR SUNSHINE, WHY MUST THERE BE STORMS?

10/13/2021

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Looking at that beautiful but also ominous picture above, I am reminded of my youthful days on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, roaming the beaches and dunes with reckless abandon until looking back and seeing the approaching storm. Storms on the beach come up suddenly, and I had my share of near misses on trying to get home for shelter, yet each time we ventured out we conveniently forgot the mistakes of just days before. Back in those days when Jockeys Ridge was the sand dune to end all sand dunes, being caught at the top with a fast coming storm meant we had to find nearby shelter for there wasn't time to get home. I can remember a very kind older man who would let us shelter on his covered porch until the storm passed, then going home to a mother who was worried sick about us, yet she was elated to see us back home, safe and sound.

It was a good preparatory lesson for life itself, for even though we want to spend all of our time in the sunshine, we also have to experience many storms along the way to a complete and fulfilled life. Sometimes they are traditional storms of weather, like hurricanes, nor'easters and bitter winter storms, but other times they are the inner storms of our lives, emotional and often painful, based upon our experiences, mistakes and challenges which teach us and help to transition us for a Divine Future when this life is done. The physical storms of life also have positive impacts, like bringing cooler weather, giving us much needed rain and clearing the air of grime and grit. The emotional and spiritual storms of our lives likewise give positive reinforcement to understanding the powerful force that is God and understanding that despite His kindness and goodness He can sometimes use pain and suffering to wake us up to the reality of the Good and Evil which are still ever-present on this earth and will be until He finally decides it's the time for the Second Coming. We will not know in advance, so if we are wise, we will respond to His call now and not later so we make sure to receive the Gift of Forgiveness for our sinful mistakes which we have all committed.

One thing I have learned over my many years is that it is easy to love God in the good times and it is also easy to blame Him for allowing the troubles that befall us when they come. But, more often than not, we are our own worst enemy when we fail to realize that God wants only good for us, not hardship. God, however, also knows just how weak we are as mortals and that is why He encourages us to live His way. After all, shouldn't we be willing to do this since we were made in His image? Shouldn't we want to honor God for the life He has given us? The answer, of course, is YES, yet sadly sometimes we continually fall short, sometimes deliberately so when we succumb to the wrong desire. Despite these things, He loves us and is there for us when we need Him.

So, in closing, everything we do in this life is based upon our free will. I see this as a way for God to test us to see what we are made of, to see if we are made of the "right stuff." Nothing we face is insurmountable to God, and when we stand with Him and love Him he will limit our pain to things we can handle, and then lead us in the right direction. Then what we do is all up to us and we can choose an Eternity of love, goodness, and beauty or one of darkness and evil. It is all up to each of us but I will offer this one final comment. I wouldn't bet on there being no Hell and I would bet on there being Heaven for sure. What are you willing to bet on? Think about it carefully, then act any way you wish for in the end it is all up to you. And God bless you, each and every one and I hope and pray for every one a blessed good choice and a Life Everlasting. Amen.

The Cross provides the option of Life Everlasting. Choose wisely.

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THE BLESSINGS OF MONDAY: So, Don't Whine, Show Gratitude Instead

10/11/2021

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So, Monday is here again and many of us started the day by complaining that the weekend went to fast. They are grumpy and unhappy, and when we start a new week this way it normally leads to lower productivity and less satisfaction, so why do we sometimes do it anyway? Maybe we need to look at things in a much different way since starting from a negative view feeds on itself and it could make what could be an outstanding week start off on the road to disaster.

Whining and complaining are negative and negativity if unchecked will always bring us down. Not only do others not want to be around those who are continually negative, but the same issue inflicts us ourselves and we find ourselves unloving of even ourselves. Having said that we all have such moments since they come with the uncertainty of life itself which can be quite difficult. All I am asking is that we recognize where we are and try our best to work out of it. Sometimes just looking in the mirror and forcing a smile can do it. Other times it can be from reading a biblical passage or talking with someone who will lend an ear. But more often than not, it requires our own self discipline and this is where God can come home better than anyone. If we open our hearts to Him and tell Him what we are feeling, He will comfort us, give us hope and inspire us to want to be positive and work toward it. After all, we are made in His image, and He is the premier example of positivity since He loves all of us. both the faithful and those who defile Him and won't acknowledge Him.

God made us in His image. He gave us life, He gave us the beauty of the world and the bounty in the fields and among the animal kingdom. So, we owe our very being and the ability to survive and existence to the gifts that He has given us. If we just realize this, isn't it easy to see why it is important for us to live positively with gratitude in our hearts and with the knowledge that even when things go terribly wrong for us that God is always there for us. If instead, we choose to disbelieve, to continue to think that we can do anything we want with no consequences, life will be a disaster and the whining and moaning that we do will be of our own doing. Is that what you want out of this life and then, when earthly life ends, something so very much worse. If not, open your hearts and let the Spirit enter and direct you. After all He is part of the Holy Triumvirate that makes up our God and His job is to counsel and advise us regarding things that we can and should not do. He in turn puts us in direct touch with Jesus, the one who recommends us for the heavenly transition if we believe in Him and live for Him and that is what God wants for us.

Think about this the next time you feel angry or blue and realize the key to happiness and success in God's eye, is the level of relationship you loyally keep with Him. No other action compares, not wealth, power or fame. Realize the truth of that and the gratitude and appreciation for God's gifts will be foremost and you will be well on the way to ultimate success with a good faithful life. What do you have to lose? A forever future. What do you have to gain? A life for Eternity. That makes the course you should take exceedingly clear. Any questions? I think not. So, put your faithful game plan to work and watch your life soar.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Faithful Battle Against Sin

10/10/2021

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Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12 (ESV)

Sin. Just the word itself sound sinister, doesn't it? It isn't something we like to talk about. It isn't something we want to think about as playing a part in our life, but yet we are all sinners. Try as we might, we can't totally eliminate it from our lives but, even so, there is help nearby always ready to help us. That help comes from Almighty God and the gift that He gave us when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to us those many years ago and after His thirty years of simple living as a carpenter, He blossomed for the final three years of earthly life. For three years He taught mankind about the frail human condition, explaining to his followers what was needed to conquer the weakness of sin with the strength of the Redeemer. The crowds grew, His popularity with it, until the notice of the Elders of the Temple saw that His actions were detrimental to their status and power structure and they designed a plan to eliminate Him as a threat. We all know the Easter Story and the sadness of His crucifixion and excruciatingly painful death, yet even today so many have no idea about the full meaning of what took place.

Make no mistake about this, my friends, here is the meaning. When Jesus Christ took His final breath as a man, with He death came His forgiveness for what mankind had done to Him. Think about this. Jesus was beaten, bullied, bloodied and even then He was required to carry His own Cross up to the summit of Golgotha where He was finally put to death. The Roman legions taunted Him, and scorned Him, yet to the very end Jesus told His Father to forgive them and that offer has remained on the table for all generations to follow. It is really just as simple as this. Believe in Jesus as our Savior through faith and faith alone and we will be forgiven for all of our transgressions by committing to follow Him for the rest of our lives and, with that, will ultimately come Salvation and entry into God's Kingdom and a place to reside their as prepared for us by Him, who awaits us.

A moment ago, I mentioned that believing in Jesus was simple, but what I was referring to is the simplicity of the explanation to what it takes. But really believing in the heart for Jesus is much more difficult in actual practice, for it requires courage, strength of conviction and the ability to turn away from things that sometimes we would rather do. Remember, no matter how hard we try, we human mortals are weak and with the ever-present efforts of Satan around us, he always looks for the weak spot in our armor. When we allow our weakness for something present in this world to overpower our desire for the grandeur and riches of God's world in the hereafter, that is when we fall victim to Satan's wiles. He can present himself in so many ways as something or someone wonderful and hide his true colors. Maybe our weakness is in our eye for a beautiful woman or a very handsome man, perhaps it is our desire for a big new house or an expensive new car, or maybe it is in our jealousy toward others and our desire to have more than they have. But whatever it might be, Satan can present himself as just that item or being, so we must keep our guard up with the help of the Holy Spirit who connects us with Jesus our Redeemer, and God, our Heavenly Father, and this is what we need to rely on the keep us strong and righteous. That is what I mean by taking the hard steps of following Jesus.

Can we do it? Yes, we can, if we give ourselves over to Him and rely on Him when we are tempted. Many people with vile backgrounds have done so before. And others, who we thought were saved, may have deep down inside turned away and hidden it from us, although they foolishly must think they could hide it from God and, of course, they can't. Just look at the Bible or even in modern day life and you can see some good examples of those who positively change for the Good. Here are three great examples of what I'll call major league sinners who, despite their sinful ways, did much to spread God's Kingdom Good News and, in the end, were fully committed to His grace and love.

First, of the modern day variety (twentieth-century) is country music performer extraordinaire, Johnny Cash. For those of you who don't know, a great song that wasn't originally written for Johnny to perform, was sung with such vigor and perfection, that SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN is the inspiration for the title of my Sunday morning blog. Now, Johnny as a young man had not a care in the world and he was one of the prime sinners of his early years. He was a womanizer, a drunk and he had a drug problem, but a bout with the law made him realize he had problems and it started him on the way to recovery. He faltered several times until he met and fell in love with June Carter and she worked hard to help him recover. In the end, Johnny was inspired to sing many great Christian songs, all with a message of redemption and grace. Even though his great song written by Kris Kristofferson did not address his life directly, the parallels were great to his earlier strife and conflict with faith and I believe it impacted him and his future directly. Next, comes the hero of Israel, King David. He was a great with a slingshot and later great as a King, yet he had a weakness for beautiful women and he even had one of his great warriors sent to war so he could enjoy his evil with the man's wife and God was troubled and upset. He used tough love on David and even his own son came after him with deadly intentions but, again, in the end he recovered and the lineage of Jesse would continue with the House of David maintaining its path until the reality of Jesus of the House of David was ensured. Lastly, I'll mention mention the evil Saul, literally a bounter hunter returning the Jews who were following Christ in the outer lands back to Israel to stand trial. Often they received a death sentence for straying from the guidance of the Temple rabbis. God picked Paul of Tarsus to be the preacher of choice to blaze the trail through what is now Turkey and on to the lands bordering Italy both north and east. When Paul saw the light, he was endowed with special knowledge to impart, and he worked hard to win over converts to what would be the new Christian faith until finally being put to death in Rome.

Why did things happen this way? They did so because God ordained them for the duties He felt important to be done in a way that pleased Him. So, if we think others can't change, or that we can't change or don't even want to change, anything is possible with God. Open your heart and let Him engage you with the Spirit and bring you to the glory He wants for you. Don't lose the chance of Eternity for short term pleasure. It won't end well for sure.

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GOD IS LOVE, BUT SOMETIMES HE NEEDS TO USE TOUGH LOVE, TOO

10/9/2021

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Earthly life: A battle of Good Vs. Evil. Which Master will we choose?

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7-8 (ESV)

For those of you who are in my generation, you likely well remember when a parenting trend was popular called Tough Love. Tough Love was an approach to dealing with a child, usually a teenager, who was out of control and thought they could do anything they wanted and that the parent was helpless in dealing with it. Now, it came in many degrees, but it was designed to teach the error of bad ways and habits and instill respect for the parents who, after all, paid the bills for the child and gave them shelter, food and clothing. I can tell you that I went to a training session on the concept and had to use it on one of my own. Frankly, I think it was harder on me in the end than it was on them and sometimes I questioned its use. Today, however, seeing that child of mine as a grownup who is faithful and true to our Savior, I know it was the right thing to do for it did help get them back on the right track.

But what about the way things are today, when so many in our society try to tell us there is no right or wrong and that everything is relative. No, it is not, and just look at the rest of nature and it becomes very clear that is not the case. There are consequences for everything all living things do, but in the case of mankind we have a conscience which when engaged with the Holy Spirit, tells us what is right and wrong. Yet, so many decide they don't care, they don't want God's help, they just want Him to go away. Nothing good comes from that and, in the end, the consequences of Good or Bad, leaves us accountable for whichever we do and unless we come to grips with the bad before this life is through, the road to destruction takes hold and there is no turning back, and we face the fate as discussed in the biblical passage shown above.

Now I was led to the passage from Revelation above when listening to the short morning devotional of Max Lucado which used Revelation 21:7 as a major basis for his presentation. Max, a soft spoken man with an approach more like a big brother of a good father, talked about why we have so much trouble dealing with sin. Well, it is, of course, because we are sinners and all Christians are sinners for we are imperfect. So, why do we work to change and be better? We do so because we want to be with Christ when this world is over because we believe in Him as our Savior, and therein lies the answer to how to get there. But then he changes tack and discusses the fact that many don't want to be bothered by Christ and have no intention of following His way. These are the people who, in my opinion, drew my attention to tough love, for God loves them just like those of us who profess belief, yet He wants them to know that there are consequences for what we believe or don't believe and the actions that we take. In such case, when tough love has not been applied, the cold heart will follow and God will never force us to believe anything. No, it must be our own choice.

So, read the passage above from Revelation and take it to heart. Then look closely at the picture shown for a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, when you read the words and look at the picture, which option for life will you choose? Will it be the one of Goodness and Light or Evil or Darkness? Make it carefully, for remember, if that is your choice and it is the wrong one before this life is through, the next life will be the end of life and your Eternity. A lifetime on earth is a miniscule moment in that life, but Eternity is forever. Fire, pain and suffering or riches and joy beyond any understanding, which will it be? It is all up to you and me.

Will it be the joys of Heaven?

Or the abject suffering of Hades?

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The Answer to the Pain and Anguish of Betrayal

10/7/2021

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Betrayal. The words above are an excellent means of explaining what betrayal is, for they strike home directly and leave no definition to the imagination. Betrayal, however, is a subject we humans don't like to think about. We always hope that those who claim to be our friends and associates are true and honor their commitments and their words of friendship and trust. Yet, sometimes we find this is not the case and when we do it is usually a significant downer. Betrayal is something I learned about and had to deal with even as a young boy and now as recently as just over a month ago.

What are some of the things shared with both examples of betrayal? You think you really know someone. You think they are honest and that they believe in you like you believe in them. You think they are your good friends but what you don't know is that their feelings are much more contrived, often based upon what you can do for them and not as a good friend who will be honored through thick or thin. They stop valuing you, maybe in a social or organizational way or maybe in what had been a close personal relationship, and they just drop you like you are a bag of potatoes getting ready to be put into the cooking pot. Whatever the format, however, it hurts, for it tells you that you have used bad judgment in trusting and believing someone unworthy of that honor and you wonder why would someone do such a thing to you.

In my case, betrayal first came as a young boy upon the death of my father. Dad had been a successful doctor in our hometown, everyone knew and liked him in the small city, and life was good for the family. But upon his sudden death, things rapidly changed regarding some of those who had previously been my friends. When a mom becomes both mom and dad for a boy, the relationship with other families sometimes changes dramatically. You no longer have contact with those you called friends. You might be excluded from functions that your family was previously included in and all contact becomes lost after the short period of your grievance. You sadly find that those who for whatever reason no longer feel you to be useful to them and they just slip away. As bad as that seemed to me, it was nothing compared to my more recent betrayal for this one was not due to social standing, but one due to fraud. It was a criminal activity and to be treated this way by someone you trusted is hard to deal with and it takes time to weather the storm. I am most fortunate to have a loving wife and some very good friends and I will be fine and we will move forward, but just a lot more cautiously and much less trusting until that trust is proven beyond doubt. I must, however, lose sight of the good in humanity and force myself to be open and true but just in a more discerning way.

Now the first level of betrayal above was of a much lesser degree, for there was no fraud involved. It's just that in our social circles today we often pick friends not just because we like them but because of what they can do for us. But it doesn't involve illegal action, just practices that are not always the best from a good moral standard, but just common practice in a social world operating under the auspices of man and not the godly firmament. But the latter, the fraud of a type committed against me and my family, is much more serious because it involves violations of the laws of God and of man as well. So, how do I properly deal with the anger and hate that could easily infect my soul and the answer is that I must defer to the guidance given to us by my Lord and Savior. Remember, Jesus was the only perfect man to walk the face of this earth. He was sent to us to teach us and to save us from sin, and through the awful betrayals made against Him, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. And with His death comes the answer to what we must do in dealing with our own forms of betrayal.

We must look to Christ for the answer and replicate his actions. We must forgive those who trespass against us in what they do. That, I know is a very difficult challenge, but do it we must if we trust in God. The next step is up to the perpetrator and they must accept the offer by what they do. They must offer their true apology and offer to make things right in whatever way they can. We must forgive them if they are sincere, even if they can't make things totally repaired. At that point we have to leave things up to God for He is their judge, not us. In any regard, by giving forgiveness we free ourselves from the burden of having hatred and replacing it with peace and tranquility. We can't worry about the rest of the consequences, but leave that to God, for by our magnanimous response, He will respond to us in ways we don't fully understand but they will make us whole in ways of his planning. It's all about trust, my friends, and so I will forgive and move on with my life.

Remember, friends, replace hate with love, for love will lift you out of the mire. It is working for me and it will work for you, too. Be safe out there and God bless.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Importance of a Loving Wife

10/3/2021

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Despite my mistakes and misjudgments, she has always been the anchor of my life.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

The picture above is of my lovely wife, Charyl, and me. She is a beautiful woman thirteen years my junior and I have loved her since we met just over twenty years ago. She is quite different from me in her interests, for she loves animals, especially horses and dogs, but we also have cats, chickens, fish and even exotic birds on our homestead in rural North Florida. She is considerably younger than me, and early on that seemed somewhat strange but then again I know that women age much more maturely than men and now at the ripe old age of 74 it is a big advantage for me having a helpmate younger and more energetic than I find myself today. And I must admit, that once she broke me in to the rural style of life, I love it despite the sometimes inconvenience of country living, such as hurricanes, long trips to town and frequent power outages and such. But having said that I must admit for at least the last seventeen years of the over twenty we have been together, it has been one of the best things to happen to me. And I say that by adding the Charyl herself has been the best. She is my confidant, my best friend, my companion and my lover and she always is ready to help me when I need a hand since getting old is frankly for the birds, but sadly we humans must face the same ultimate fate as all other living things and that is why our faith in God above and His Son is so important. For it gives us a future we otherwise would never have.

Despite my love and respect for my wife, however, sometimes I have made foolish mistakes that have caused her consternation and concern like a recent business deal that I thought was foolproof but in the end it faltered and cost us some significant bucks. Perhaps I was greedy or perhaps I just listened with too much belief in the proposal being considered, and if it had worked as I projected, it would have brought to our life living style with which both of us were enamored. And yet when it came time to finalize the deal, it fell apart as the partnering group disappeared into the dark with my good faith money on the very day that it was to have been finalized.

Charyl and I went through some troubled times in those last few weeks, not knowing the full ramifications of what was taking place and losing patience with me. For my part, I was sulking and trying to think of a way to still make it happen, being unwilling initially to believe this had happened to us. But, finally the two of us came together, I professed my sorrow for what I had done and she acknowledged that she had perhaps over-reacted and we created a united front that we will use going forward. I filed a felony crime report, did my own homework to help put together a good evidentiary case, and it is now being worked by a financial crimes detective and now I am working on how we must stabilize our life and weather on. And the good news is I know that if we stick together with a united front, we will survive this tribulation of life and come out the other side stronger and better than I have ever been and a hallmark of the success will be because of our unity and love, something I guess that I, and even perhaps Charyl as well, may have just taken for granted as a long marriage gets rusty with time. And I will commit to never letting that happen again and we will win the struggle that we have embarked on.

The opening words of Genesis above explain it quite well. When a man and a woman pledge to become man and wife, that relationship must become first and foremost in their life, for the bonds of matrimony include the joining together in the flesh as one. and I know that today so many just laugh at the thought of such commitment. And frankly, as a society turns from God and looks to hold no one accountable for anything, the "if it feels good do it" is attractive to those without discipline and marriages come and go like a trial relationship. But God doesn't intend it that way, and we shouldn't either. Letting problems that can be solve be used for an easy exit, should never be the way. And I thank God for using the errors of my ways to explain it to me and give me the strength to hold on to the person who is truly a part of me and who I am, my beautiful and loving wife, Charyl.

Lord, help these words to keep Charyl and me tied at the hip in all aspects of our earthly life under your guidance. And help others who have faltered and are looking for less restrictive relationships to understand life isn't meant to be that way. Forgive them, but also strengthen their resolve. And we ask this prayer in the name of Lord Jesus, our Redeemer and Our Savior, Amen.

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