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With my wife’s vision of how nice it would be to open up two rooms together by the removal of a part of a wall, we proceeded to undergo a small remodeling project in our house. Of course, that wall was a load-bearing wall, with electrical receptacles and switches. To facilitate the progress of the project, I cut a hole in the ceiling to save this seventy one year old body from crawling the length of the house in the low attic. I said I would not do jobs anymore crawling in attics, and I intend to stick by those words. I can repair the ceiling. I don’t want to be repairing my body. With me and the electrician working together, we got the electrical done. With some carpenter work on my part in the attic to span the area of the removed wall, I got it sufficiently supported. Once I got the gluing, screwing, bolting, and bracing work done in the attic, I replaced the ceiling I had cut out, and at this writing, I am in the process of finishing the sheetrock. A doorway was removed and a half wall was created on the backside of the kitchen cabinets which needed sheetrock work along with the channel that had to be cut out to re-direct the wiring. Oh yes, we also moved a section of the upper kitchen cabinets to a different location in the room. The house is a dusty mess with more dust yet to come as I continue finishing the sheetrock. Barb likes to have a neat house, something which she must forfeit having for about two weeks. That’s the price to pay for a vision of change for something better and more desirable.

When we get a vision of the next level of what God wants us to walk into, there usually must be some tearing out of some walls, some cutting some holes to expose what is inside, and some supportive reconstruction. Our neat little spiritual house will suffer the dust and debris of remodeling when God works on us to bring us into a greater glory. None of us need to think that we have attained. There is always more. Jesus himself is our example. We are to be conformed to his image. We are not there yet. We need to ask God to bring us further along, then be prepared for changes to start happening in our lives. God does not bring evil. He has come to deliver us from evil so we are positioned to be blessed by him. That is what God’s heart is, to bless every person on earth to the max. That is why Jesus gave his blood and broken body – that we might live in his presence, his power, and unto his glory. There is liberty and healing for us in every way if we will take it. As we pursue God for more, we need to just go for it and let the dust fly!

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We have now launched our vessels into the ocean of 2022! Some have a destination in mind and some do not, but one thing for sure, we are all now sailing into this year ahead with no turning back. How we handle our vessel with the winds we encounter will determine where we go and how fast we get there. A sea-worthy vessel with all the communication and navigation equipment available is more likely to weather the storms than the one which in need of repair and lacking. The sea-worthiness is our responsibility. A good wind is God’s responsibility. Jesus gave us a guide for sailing into this year. If we will hear it and apply it, we can make our journey with good success. That guide is what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-15). In this guide, all our daily life is covered in proper order. There is worship. There is putting God’s will and ways first. There is daily trust and dependence on him for our daily spiritual and physical sustenance, and “good winds”. There is dealing with keeping our “boat” in good repair as we assist others to repair their boats. There is dealing with contrary winds ahead of time, and drawing on supernatural help when the storm winds hit us. In this prayer guide, set in the context of “our” Father, we are in a redemptive mode to help others along the journey – give “us”, forgive “us”, lead “us”, and deliver “us”. It is not give “me”, forgive “me”, lead “me”, and deliver “me”, because those who carry the light of God in their vessels are sailing on the ocean of life to help and guide others to receive the light. As Jesus identified with humanity in order to make their vessels worthy to sail, so do we come alongside each other in prayer. We can’t point the finger. We realize that we must keep our boat in good repair just like everybody else, maybe in a different area, but we must tend to our boat just like everybody else. So before God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior, by the power of the Spirit of God, we pray, and give ourselves to obey the will and ways of God on the journey each day. There is a law in the kingdom of God. We reap what we sow. Jesus made a clear explanation at the end of his example of how to pray. He explicitly pointed out that if we did not forgive those who have done us wrong, if we are going to hold it against others for their hole in the boat, then we will go without help in getting the hole in our boat repaired. If Jesus had not helped us because we hurt him and did him wrong, then we would all be lost and sink in the sea. But he came alongside us and fixed it. That is how we pray, and God will make the way.

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A lady visiting our church gave a powerful testimony of how God was working in the lives of family members and others through prayer. Well, I believe proper praying changes things for the good, so when she offered to pray for people individually, I was the first in line. You know, the angel and Jesus himself told Mary and some other women to go tell the men that he was risen from the dead. They were the first ones who gave testimony of the risen Lord, and the men did not believe them. When the Lord appeared to those men, they were sharply reproved by the Lord for their unbelief and hardness of heart (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20). If you are one who has a problem with women ministries, you would have been in that group who were sharply reproved. Myself, I don’t want to be reproved by the Lord in such a way. I look at a minister first for where their heart is, then if they speak the full truth of the Word. I don’t look at gender, color, appearance, or other criterion (Galations 3:28; Acts 2:17, 18). Anyway, when she prayed for me, she referred me to a scripture from the Word of God for me to trust in and apply to my life. It is Isaiah 30:15: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” I know the Lord will only lead me into good things. He gave his life blood to bring me out of the power of sin, death, flesh, and the devil. When I ask for the fullness of and leadership of his Spirit in my life, I know he will give me that as I follow him in every way believing his Word. He is not going to give me something bad. I can trust him with all my heart and life. And if I am following and being led by his Spirit, I have the best there is to offer this side of heaven. I have God’s will and design operating in my life. What could be better than that? Do you want the flesh’s will and design and the sickness and death that brings? Do you want the devil’s will and design for your life and the hell that brings? No! You want the good life God gives! So I have one “resolution” for this coming year, 2022. My “goals and plans” consist of one thing. “Lord, unite my heart to fear your name. Help me follow the leadership of your Spirit in every aspect of my life, looking to you to help my unbelief, so that I believe the testimony you give me, unto abundant life every day” (Psalms 86:11). That will cover it all – spiritually, physically, financially, in family, and in every other way, because he cares for me.

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One of the major attractions in our house for kids is the large mirror in the dining area at kid level. It covers the wall under a shelf, giving the area a sense of spaciousness. It is about 42 inches tall, which is plenty of room for the little people to stand in front of and admire what they see, and that is what they like to do. When you stop and think of it, most mirrors are up away from children, so when they have one at their level they get a new dimension of entertainment. Children like to see themselves. It appears they are purely admiring what they see and fascinated with the different faces they can make and what they can see themselves to do. It has been stated that the mirror is one of the most interesting items for the children.

A mirror is a tool to help us. Many times we as adults also use the mirror to purely admire what we see, but a real beneficial use is that we see things about ourselves that need change and adjustment for proper presentation to the world. The Amplified Bible says “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty – emancipation from bondage, freedom. And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17, 18). A continued gaze into the Word of God under the direction of the Spirit of God will transform us into the image of God more and more in our experience. Children like to use a mirror to admire themselves. One aspect of looking into the mirror of the Word is to see our identity in Christ. It is good to see what God has done for us, and in our lives, and build on and grow into that which we see in the mirror of the Word. Another aspect of looking into a mirror is to see what changes and adjustments need to be made. “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:23). If we are going to continue in and excel in the life of God, we will be repenting and changing things in our lives daily – by looking into the mirror. If we never look in the mirror, we don’t see what is going on. The mirror of God’s Word is for our and others good. As we approach the view with prayer and openness to change, we will see things that we were not seeing before, and it will always be for the good. The Word of God is precious. It can help us in every way. Looking into the mirror each day is a good thing.

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I remember the “binky”, the pacifier. When the baby was fussy trying to get some immediate attention for some need to be met, usually to be fed, and the parent could not address that need at that time, in went the binky to plug the cry hole. Many times this would calm the baby down for a little time until things could be arranged for whatever was needed. Because binkies have a tendency to get lost, it was always handy to have several around readily available to help things until the real need could be met. That helped make life a little smoother for short periods of time on a daily basis. As the baby grew and had better communication skills and could tend to its own needs more, it was important to wean it off the binky. It is not good to let it grow up being dependent on something that was a temporary, child-level pacification in its adult life. So the binky got laid aside.

The Bible indicates a time to leave behind a focus on the tools of growth and grow up into maturity and have the fruit of being a mature believer in the Lord (Hebrews 6). We are to get all the doctrinal and spiritual tools that are available, but they are not an end in themselves. They are to be incorporated into our lives on a daily basis and used to bless God, our families, others, and to help us maintain a pure, mature walk with the Lord. We can have beliefs and practices that might pacify us for a time, but in the Word there are great and precious promises of power, position, healing, and abundant fruitfulness that is for every believer. The heart of God is to reach the whole world for Jesus. All the work of Jesus, all the power of the Spirit of God, all the supernatural tools of the Spirit, and all the ministry gifts that God has placed in the Body of Christ is ultimately for one express purpose: To reach the whole world for Jesus. The hunger and thirst that is in the new nature of every born again believer is to reach others for Jesus. Many times religious activity, recreations, hobbies, relationships, and other things can pacify and distract us from that hunger and thirst for a while, but it does not truly provide the need for what the yearning in us is all about. We need to get rid of the binkies and grow up into fulfilling God’s plan and purpose in our lives. Being born again, baptized in the Holy Spirit with the supernatural gifts in operation, and maintaining our focus on following Jesus in reaching the whole world with the healing, delivering power of God upon us, is the basic plan and purpose of God for every person. Let’s exchange our binkies for God’s basic plan and reach the world for Jesus one soul at a time with much thanksgiving all year long.

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Our good friends Ed and Renee Carr came for a few days visit while traveling the country in their RV. Ed has background in electrical engineering. The conversation got around to Barb starting to put up Christmas lights (she goes all out so she has to get an early start). That led to talk about extension cords, and that led to talk about running wire and setting boxes in the yard to plug Christmas lights into. I had already checked utility line locations. So, I rented a trencher machine that afternoon and we proceeded to dig trenches. I could not get the machine to stay engaged in the digging mode, so I worked the heavy, cumbersome machine with one hand while holding the lever forward with the other hand to keep the machine digging. I knew there was a better and easier way, but I could not figure it out and I was under a time deadline. I made it work but it was extremely hard to dig the trenches. I was humiliated by my ignorance, but I kept doing it. We had received some instruction on its operation, but either I was not told how to do it or I missed it when it was told. Anyway, I persisted in what I was doing and got the job done with it absolutely wearing me out.

Sometimes we miss God’s provisions and instruction of operation for his way and his power. We get through life, but it is a lot harder and costs us a lot more. The Word says God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, missing out on what they could have had in God’s plan and purpose for their lives (Hosea 4:6). He wants us to be led by his Spirit and power. Jesus’ sacrifice took our sins away for our connection with God. His resurrection from the dead assures us he is alive to impart to us that same Spirit and power of God. It’s all there for us, and it is by hearing of it and believing it and acting on it that we receive his power to incorporate into life and successfully get the job done that God has for us to do. The Bible plainly lays all this out before us. We are to hear his instruction in the Word and learn how to operate God’s powerful machine. Jesus said if we are yoked up with him life is easier (Matthew 11:28-30). With him is forgiveness and freedom from death-dealing sin. There is healing. There are gifts of wisdom and knowledge beyond our own wisdom and knowledge. There are miracles. A supernatural prayer ability is available to all believers for when we don’t know how to pray, and much more (1 Corinthians 12:6-11). But we miss all of this if we are not properly instructed or if we miss the instruction that is given to us. Hear his instruction, receive his power, and operate in full throttle with greater ease in life.

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Larry McDonald sold me chemicals for landscaping when I was landscaper at Ouachita Baptist University in 1999. David Golden involved me in the Team National Business. What I saw excited me about the potential income. One day when Larry came by to get a chemical order, I told him he ought to look in to this business, that it looks good. He graciously replied, “Yeah Jackie, I will look in to it sometime.” Two weeks later he came for a follow up and by then I had learned more and was more excited about the business. I said, “Larry, this business looks really good! You really ought to look in to it! I tell you what I’ll do, I’ll hook you up to somebody who can give you more information.” He agreed to get more information. I did a three-way call with him after he left, with Dennis Martin. Larry was heading back to Texarkana. The connection was terrible due to a thunderstorm. I think he had to pull over on the side of the road to do the call. He and Dennis made a connection, Larry and Debbie got into the business and went straight to the top. If you know Larry and Debbie, you know why. The shared income that came off their success and other team members of the business, enabled me to quit the landscaping job and fulfill a dream Becky and I shared. We went to Rhema Bible Training Center and trained for ministry. The next year after graduating, we went to India and taught in a Rhema Bible Training Center there. There were about 200 students. Fast forward. 2015 Becky goes home to be with the Lord. I remarry. Barbara and I pastor a small outreach church, Lighthouse Church, Benton, AR. It was in our heart to support a missionary. A connection was made to us via email, one of my students in India of 2003, Chris Surya. He had been doing ministry all that time and praying for full time support. We got hooked up with him and the Lighthouse Church sends him monthly support enough that is now enabling him for full time ministry. He maintains a wonderful ministry to orphans, widows, outreach on the street, leadership training, regional outreach, establishing the church, and more. Now, he is assisting persecuted Christians in India, calling for prayer and doing what he can to help.

God works in the midst of life, threading his love, his life, and his provision to bring about hope, help, and healing through faith and obedience to his Word. His grace has put the provisions in place through Jesus Christ. We take his Word and persistently apply it in faith with an attitude, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me” trusting God to back his Word up with signs following. It is God weaving a beautiful tapestry working in the midst of life, bringing about his purpose unto his glory. All praise to the name of Jesus.

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I can remember as a kid growing up, working with my Dad on the egg farm and working with him on construction jobs. Living on an egg farm with 12,000 layers kept me and my brother Joe, along with my Mother plenty busy for years while Dad was doing construction work. He/we built the place, then for years we worked it after the chickens were moved in. One job I remember in particular on building the chicken houses: Dad cut oak logs and got them to the farm, and me and Joe used a straight hoe to strip the bark off. These were the main support posts of the houses. Whew! I remember that was hard work. We were glad when a day was done of stripping logs. There were about 120 logs to strip, so you can know it was a formidable task for two boys. There were blisters. There was aching fatigue. But we got ‘er done. It was always music to our ears to hear toward the end of the day, “Okay boys, let’s call it a day.” Another task I remember was when Dad built some block outhouses in Burns Park up on the other side of Little Rock. He put this little kid to rubbing the concrete blocks with a grout mix to fill in holes and cracks with a rubbing stone. That is what the specs called for. That event is forever “rubbed into” my memory. I was so glad when the boss (my Dad) came around and said, “Okay, son, let’s call it a day.” Ohhh! That was the most wonderful sound of my life. I would pick up the tools and get ready to go. I had stuck with it. I had done what the boss told me to do. The task for the day was done. Now it was time to head home.

In the household of God, there are tasks to be done. Sometimes it takes some tough endurance to do what the “Boss”, the Lord, wants us to do. Jesus summed it up in one illustration. He said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). There were a lot of times I wanted to quit, but I did not quit until the day was done. God has called us to accomplish a certain task or tasks. He provides food, shelter, and a good future of continuous care and provision. All he asks of us is obedience. God gives grace, ability and power as we walk with him and obey him each day. As we continue in this grace of Jesus Christ, who totally identified with us as man, we will accomplish the task he wants us to accomplish under his supervision.  Jesus did it to show that we could do it through him. Then, when the day is done, he will say, “Let’s call it a day”, and we go home with the Lord.

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When I think of my brother Joe, “always ready to help” comes to mind. We lived by each other just outside Arkadelphia. When my wife of years past was going through the physical trial she went through, with me being care-giver to her, he was my sounding board when it seemed like I just could not keep going. There were times when the money got tight. He bailed me out, knowing that I would pay him back. He was a Viet Nam war veteran. He loved his country and we shared many of the values we were raised with. He stepped on a land mine in Nam which was intended to blow up right through his body. Instead, its detonation delayed a split second which only got his back side instead of his life. He carried some of that shrapnel for the rest of his days. Because of what he did, and what my other brother did, and my cousins, and a host of others, I have the utmost respect for these men who served under our flag and what it stands for. I have zero tolerance for those who spurn what these men have done for all of us. In fact, the physical afflictions and disease that helped carry him to his grave was probably directly connected to the service he performed to insure the freedoms we all enjoy. Back when we were boys feeding chickens together on the egg farm at Poyen, he could get the best of me in every way except one. I was like a little biologist always messing with critters. When I wanted to get back at Joe all I had to do was go catch me a snake and I could run him all over the farm with that snake in my hands. We laughed about that his whole life. He never did like snakes – of any kind. I will burn some wood this winter that he cut and split and gave me. He’s been a wonderful brother to his “little brother”. I am satisfied he was ready to cross over to the other side by stepping through The Door into the other room. I expect to see him again. My last contact with him was with a reading of Psalms 23, a prayer, a kiss on the forehead, and I told him that I loved him. From that scripture it was shared that because of what Jesus has done, he was taken care of through life, and this same “Great Shepherd” is taking care of him right on in to eternity. That’s the wonderful thing about our Lord. The beautiful work he has done of taking our sins away and having resurrection life to impart to us all, is ours to receive as a gift. Turning from our sin to embrace the all-loving Savior is our entrance into his everlasting life. Joe left here during Independence Day celebration. The next time I see Joe, we will have the celebration of our life!

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“Oh, there’s sweet Baby Bunny!” we commented as we watch the little bunny navigate the back yard feeding here and there. We’ve been seeing him a lot at the archway beds that are overflowing with various flowers and the morning glory vines growing on the archway. I did notice that he was feeding on some of the Morning Glory leaves. My thoughts: “Well, it’s ok to have a few of the lower leaves. That won’t affect the beautiful vine growing on the archway.” Let me insert here. We are having a big back yard wedding at this archway in August. I very carefully guided the morning glory vines out of the rose bushes and up the trellis. We want that area to be beautiful for the ceremony. This morning as I noticed Baby Bunny feeding, again I noticed that he was at the archway bed. As I walked with the dogs around the yard just checking on things, I happened to notice an upper morning glory leaf wilted, then another, and another. “What’s this?” I thought. With a closer examination I was stunned to see morning glory vines shredded and lying around on the brick pads on which the archway sits . They were all cut except one, maybe two vines. It had happened earlier in the day. Cute little Baby Bunny has done a number on me. With everything grown up around where the morning glory is planted, blocking the sunlight to that spot, it will be hard to get more plants started. I’ve got a plan, but the damage is done. Sometimes we allow things in our life that starts out sweet, cute, fun, and feels good and right. But in the end, it robs us of the greater glory in life. Had I known, I would have put a protective wire mesh screen around those plants. I will do that for the remaining intact stems. A lot of effort and care has been invested to produce the beauty that we desire there. There is loss because of ignorance and failure to deal with the situation as it developed. That is why it is so important to know the Word of God and God’s way of doing things. His way works every time. Through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, he has provided enlightenment to guide us out of ways that are vulnerable to loss and into ways of abundant life and beauty. I will redeem as much of the remaining morning glory that I can and try to replant, but the loss is irreversible. And, that is where God meets us – broken, hopeless, impaired, and in an impossible situation with our vines shredded. Jesus said to a man in that kind of situation that if he could believe, all things are possible. The man cried out in tears, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:20-27). Through the Master Gardener, the man got his miracle. Take your brokenness to Him. He is your Answer!

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