...What Now?

Ever wonder what to do in a difficult, confusing situation? 

"How is God going to get me out of this one?"

"I don't know how I'm going to get from here all the way to where I should be."

"I don't know how I will ever overcome who I am and become who I need to be--these bad habits are just so hard to break!"

"I know God's working, but just how long is this going to take?"

Do The Next Thing

(Saxon Legend)

From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;

Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the doors the quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration: “Do the Next Thing.”

You Did it Again. . .

You did it again; even after trying your best not to give in, you did. You sinned just like every other time. You’ve been struggling with THAT SIN for as long as you can remember, and you just feel like you’ll never beat it. You’ll never win.


How many of us have ever been in this situation? Well let me just tell you this: If you haven’t, you will. I’m sorry to be the bad guy, but every single Christian on this Earth has been discouraged at some point, and you will be no different. Now the reason that I’m writing this isn’t to scare you, but to help you when you get discouraged.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 (NIV)

Well, let’s look at King David. Let’s see…he was a human being, who committed murder and adultery while holding the position of King and was expected by God to be a Spiritual leader for God’s people. That’s pretty hard to do when you’re caught up in sin! (This is an example of fulfilling the lust of the flesh!)  (2 Sam. 11, 12)


What about Abraham? He had Sarah tell the Pharaoh that she was his sister. In Abraham’s eyes, he was trying to save his own life because he thought that the Pharaoh might kill him to have Sarah as his wife.  Instead of trusting God with the situation, Abraham chose to sin. (This is an example of the pride of life!)  (Gen. 12:10-17)


What about the Apostle Peter? He denied that he was a follower of Christ. He had told Jesus that he would never deny him, and that he would die before he did (Matt. 26:35), but he broke under pressure. He just wanted to go with the crowd, so that he wouldn’t look bad. Ultimately, he cared more about what other people thought of him then what Christ expected of him. (That seems to be a pretty good example of loving the world, huh?)  (Mark 14:66-72)


So what’s my point in telling you that these guys messed up? Well, stop and think. How do you know the names of these guys? Oh…they’re heroes of the Bible, aren’t they? That’s right! King David sinned, and his sin was an abomination to God, but the Bible calls him a “man after God’s own heart!” (Acts 13:22) I tell ya, you have to be a pretty strong Christian to be compared to the heart of God! David was a man who put God first in everything, and when he sinned and messed up, he acknowledged his sin and asked for God's forgiveness! (Psalm 32)


Abraham sinned against God, but God fulfilled his promise of making Abraham the “Father of a Great Nation” (Gen. 12:2) because Abraham lived by faith. At the words of God ALONE, he moved everything to where God told him. He had unrestrained faith. He believed that God was true to his word and lived in light of that. Abraham lived by FAITH. (Heb. 11:8)

I Choose...

Each Day

by Max Lucado 

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. 

In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.  And so I choose…. 

I CHOOSE LOVE… 

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.

I choose love.

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker.

I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.

I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. 

I CHOOSE PEACE…

I will live forgiven.

I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.

Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.

Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.

Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

There’s a World Around You - New Blogger

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:18

"There's a world around you!" - This is a phrase that Dad started saying to me when I was in junior high after I would run into someone or do something clumsy. I didn't know what the phrase truly meant, so it irritated me every time he said it. Now that I’ve gotten older I have realize what my dad meant. The meaning behind the phrase was much more than just, "watch where you're going," although that was part of it. Dad was  also trying to tell me, "Enlarge your vision." 

So many times we go throughout our day just thinking of ourselves and whatever is going on in our little bubble. We need to realize that there are many more important things in the world - like people who need our help.  By simply moving out of the way so someone can get through, or opening the door for someone we show that we are aware of the existence of others.  But more importantly, we need to notice the lost souls that are around us; they are crying out for help, and turning to everything the world has to offer but only finding emptiness. We, who know the truth, have a duty to tell them about the real satisfier, Jesus Christ.

Helping the lost is just part of what Proverbs 29:18 means.  It also means be aware of your fellow Christians. If one of them is having a bad day, notice it, and see if you can help. It also means being aware of how what you say and do affects your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Realizing how we affect others will result in a better relationship with other Christians.

Time to Pull Over

Today I got together with some friends of mine for coffee, and we just shared a couple hours together talking about what God has been doing in our lives, counting our blessings, encouraging each other over our failures, and challenging each other with our convictions. Afterwards, as I got in the car and turned on the radio, I heard this message by James MacDonald. 

Here's what God taught me today.

When we think things need to happen all at once, we get sleepy, worn out, exhausted, irritable, and over-done. Sometimes, we just need to pull over in order to regroup, refocus, and simply be refreshed by God's holiness. If we don't learn to do that, how will we have the strength to keep doing the things God has planned for us to do?

"Tired? Worn down? Do you know that even though God is limitless, He completely understands our limits? And He knows exactly what we need when we reach them. He clearly demonstrates this in Revelation chapter 10, giving John a break from his prophetic visions, providing what he needed, and encouraging and equipping him to carry on."

We must see the Majesty of God.

In Scripture, the people (Noah, Moses, Elijah, Mary, John, Paul, etc) used by God in the greatest ways had their focus on God's glory consistently. They established their purpose before their plan, and they made sure they didn't get distracted by the little stuff. How were they able to maintain focus? They maintained an open relationship with the God who made them, catching glimpses of His greatness. Everything else was then able to fall into place.

In light of eternity, nothing that weighs us down can seem significant. 

As Life Draws to a Close

Christopher Columbus Award

Citation reads: This award goes to those who, like good old Chris, when they set out to do something, don’t know where they are going; neither do they know how to get there.  When they arrive, they don’t know where they are, and when they return, they don’t know where they have been. (Source Unknown)

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 

which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: 

and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.
II Timothy 4:6-8

The Apostle Paul was sitting in the Mamertine Prison in Rome when he wrote these words to Timothy. His time was short, he was out of appeals, but he was ready to pour out his life for Christ. Unlike Christopher Columbus, he knew where he had been and where he was going.

Martyrdom might be thought by some to be the ultimate sacrifice and the greatest demonstration of complete commitment to a person or cause. Perhaps that is true. Most Christians that I know would be willing to give their lives to Christ in death. But would they be willing to give their lives in life (living for Christ)?

The Old Violin - It's All in the Touch

mind cannot begin to comprehend salvation. When Christ redeemed me, He ransomed me; He bought me back. Oh, I understand the basic facts and have experienced the change that redemption brings. But when we buy things, we usually think in terms of value for our money or return on investment: buy one, get one free at the grocery store; the cheapest gas we can find; a house for retirement; gold as a hedge against a weak dollar and inflation. We want to get the best deal we can and buy things that will hold their value.

But when Jesus bought me, there was no value. Did you get that? No value: nothing, nada, vain, empty, void, worthless, a zero with the ring rubbed out. I was without the strength to help myself, and I was ungodly. I’ve bought worthless things before.  Usually, the purchase is accidental, but occasionally the purchase is because of grace and/or love: lemonade at a kid’s lemonade stand, something my child made for a school fundraiser, a child’s tooth (fairy or not), a chore completed by my child that I would have to redo anyway.

But not only did Christ purchase me, something with no value, He did it with his life. Would the average person sacrifice his life for another? Well, that depends. There are those for whom most people would “take a bullet,” and others they would never even think about dying for. For a loved one? Of course. For a good friend? Yes. For a great person? Probably. For a stranger? Maybe. For the unlovely/unlikable? Not so fast. For the wicked? Probably not. For the scum of the earth? No.

God did the unthinkable. God loved the unlovable (sinner) by sending Jesus to die a substitutionary death. He ransomed the worst of the worst. He ransomed me; He ransomed you. He saves us from our sin and the punishment we deserve, and instead gives us an eternal relationship with Him through cleansing and rebirth. Amazing, simply amazing.

 
Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar, then, two! Only two?

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

How Do I Know if it's Sin?

Gary Richmond, a former zoo keeper, had this to say:

Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I'll never forget her answer. "It will be different for me. . ." And she smiled as she added, "Bandit wouldn't hurt me. He just wouldn't." Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild. Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, "It will be different for me." The results are predictable. 

Gary Richmond, View From The Zoo

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines sin as "the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God. . . Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law." But what if I'm not sure if it's sin?

A Clean Heart

Cleansing
Imbesis Law: In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty. Freeman's extension: But you can get everything dirty without getting anything clean.

Forgiveness

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. But she acted as if she had never even heard of the incident. 
"Don't you remember it?" her friend asked. 
"No," came Barton's reply, "I distinctly remember forgetting it."

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

Being right with God is wonderful, and living with a cleansed heart is amazing. When I'm right with God, my desire is for eternal (heavenly) things because my focus is on Him and His continuing work in my life. Then my life is one of thankfulness, willingness, strength, courage, contentment, and peace. Conversely, when I'm not right with God, my desire is for temporal (earthly) things because my focus is on me and my continuing effort to control my life. Then my life is one of selfishness, weakness, fearfulness, discontentment, and irritation. 

When I'm having a difficult time of things and feeling a bit down, discouraged, discontent, disgruntled, or disappointed (And don't pretend that you don't  feel like that sometimes, too.), it is easy for me to focus on (blame) my environment (people, situations, and stuff).

But that's not the real problem. Hitting the wrong nail with the hammer doesn't create cursing. It just shows what is already at the tip of the tongue. Bad traffic doesn't create road rage; it releases the rage that is already inside. My environment doesn't make me what I am; it really doesn't. It simply reveals what is already on the inside. Therefore, I must turn the focus inside and on the real problem. The real problem, of course, is me.

Can I see your ID?

"Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me."

(Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son, pg. 42)

So often, I can identify with Henri's description of emotions and reactions.  It seems, at times, like we are at the mercy of the waves of our circumstances.  However, we fail to realize that, like Henri pointed out, the temporary world that we live in does not define who we are.  Life should not be an anxious struggle, but it certainly is when we are deceived by Satan's foundational lies.  

The Last American WWI Vet

In honor of Frank Woodruff Buckles

 (1901-2011) 

Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, died this year

My sincerest and deepest thanks to those who serve and have served to keep us free. 

Great sacrifices have been made so that we might have physical freedom.

flickr.com

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 

The Noble and the Brave When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand.

The Barn Door

www.flickr.com

 For I acknowledge my transgressions: 

and my sin is ever before me.

 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: 

Psalm 51:3-4a

The story is told of a disobedient, young man whose father wearied himself with efforts to teach his son the importance of obedience. The father loved, taught, encouraged, admonished, and disciplined his son to no avail. The son’s explanation: I’d like to change, I want to change, but I’m not willing to change. 

When each confrontation was over, the son was sent to his room where he would stare out the window. Often he would see his father walk the path down to the old barn and return a great while later. The son thought, “Dad must need time to cool off, too.” He did not understand his father’s enormous pain or his father's great love.

After one particularly rough week, the boy noticed that the father’s pattern changed a bit. Each time his father left the barn he would nail a nail into the barn door. Several weeks passed, and the nails became more and more noticeable. In fact, the young man could see the shiny nail heads from his window as the sun set each evening.

Finally, the boy’s curiosity got the best of him, so he asked, “Why do you go down to that old barn, and what’s up with the nails?  Cooling down? Letting off steam?” The father explained that his many hours at the old barn were spent in prayer for his son - each nail representing each of his son’s disobedient acts.

Lessons in the Waiting

Wait

by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .

And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

-
"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

-
"My future and all to which I relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

-
"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

-
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,

As my Master replied again, "Wait."

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

-
He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .

and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

Dr. Stan Bushey's (99) Questions for Self-Examination

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, 

nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; 

and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; 

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

Psalm 1:1-3

February 28th was the 5th anniversary of the homegoing of Dr. Stanley L. Bushey. After  having  taught for 13 years at San Francisco Baptist Theological Seminary and Baptist College and Graduate School of the West, he was a professor for15 years at International Baptist College in Arizona.
 

Although Dr. Bushey was known as great teacher who had a wonderful sense of humor, he was also known for his wisdom and godly character. I never had the opportunity to sit under his teaching, but many of his former students have told me that he was their favorite professor.

Some months after his death, his wife, Jane, found a handwritten document in her husband's files called "Questions for Self-Examination." The true measure of a man is not what he takes with him but what he leaves behind. Five years after his death, Dr. Bushey is still having an impact, not only in the lives of those he taught, but also with his writings which have survived him. May these practical questions bring blessing and conviction to your heart and soul. You will be challenged and humbled as you read through them. I certainly was.

    Questions for Self-Examination

    1. Is there anything in which I have failed to put God first?

    2. Have my decisions been made after my own wisdom and desires rather than by seeking

        and following God’s will?
    3. Do any of the following in any way interfere with my surrender to God?  

        Ambition, pleasure, loved ones, friendships, desire for recognition, money.

    4. Have I neglected to seek to be pleasing to God in all things?

    5. Do I carry any bitterness toward God?

    6. Have I complained against Him in any way?

    7. Have I been dissatisfied with His provision for me?

    8. Is there in my heart any unwillingness to obey God fully?
 

    9. Do I have any reservation about what I would or would not do concerning anything that 
        might be His will?

    10. Have I disobeyed some direct leading from Him?

    11. Have I neglected to thank Him for all things – the seemingly bad as well as the good?

    12. Have I virtually called God a liar by doubting His word?

    13. Do I worry?

    14. Is my spiritual temperature based on my feelings instead of the facts of God’s word?

    15. Have I failed to seek the lost for Christ?

    16. Have I failed to witness consistently with my mouth for the Lord Jesus Christ?

    17. Do I ever use the name of God or Christ improperly? How about in slang?

    18. Am I irreverent?

    19. Do I whisper and daydream while the Bible is being read or preached?

    20. Am I irregular in attendance to services?

    21. Do I neglect to attend or participate in meeting for prayer?

    22. Have I neglected or slighted daily private prayer?

    23. Have I neglected God’s word?

    24. Do I find the Bible or prayer uninteresting?

    25. Have I neglected thanksgiving at meals?

    26. Have I neglected a daily time of devotions?

    27. Have I robbed God by withholding time, talent, or money?

    28. Have I given less than 1/10 of my income to God’s work?

    29. Do I take the slightest credit for anything good about me rather than giving all the glory 

           to God?

    30. Have I dishonored Him and hindered His work by criticizing His servants?

    31. Have I failed to pray regularly for my pastor?

    32. Have I been lax in supporting foreign missions in prayer or in offering?

    33. Am I proud?

    34. Are my statements filled with “I”?

    35. Do I have any feeling of being better than others?

    36. Do I find it hard to be corrected?

    37. Are my feelings easily hurt?

    38. Do I feel that I am doing quite well as a Christian?  That I am not so bad?  That I am 

          good enough?

    39. Am I more concerned about what people will think than what will be pleasing to God?

    40. Have I made a pretense of being somebody that I am not?

    41. Am I stubborn?  Do I insist on having my own way?

    42. Do I insist on my rights?

    43. Do I seek for commendation of my deeds and feel hurt if I do not get it?

    44. Do I feel sorry for myself?  Do I have the blues?

    45. Am I self-conscious rather than Christ-conscious?

    46. Do I allow feelings of inferiority in attending to or attempting the things I should in serving 

          God?

    47. Am I undependable so that I cannot be trusted with responsibilities in the Lord’s work?

    48. Am I sentimental, allowing my emotions to be served?

    49. Am I reluctant to submit to authority in church work or elsewhere?

    50. Am I lazy?

    51. Am I guilty of any improper relations with the opposite sex?

    52. Do I have personal habits that are not pure?

    53. Do I allow impure thoughts concerning the opposite sex?

    54. Do I read that which is impure or suggestive?

    55. Do I indulge in any impure or suggestive entertainment?

    56. Am I guilty of the lustful look?

    57. Am I in careless with my body, failing to care for it as the temple of the Holy Spirit?

    58. Am I guilty of intemperance in eating or drinking?

    59. Do I have any habits that defile the body?

    60. Is there anyone against whom I hold a grudge?  Anyone I have not forgiven?  Anyone I 

          hate?  Anyone I do not love?  Are there any misunderstandings I am unwilling to forget?

    61. Is there any person against whom I am harboring resentment, bitterness, or jealousy?  

          Anyone I dislike to give praise?

    62. Do I secretly desire evil or misfortune for another?

    63. Am I secretly annoyed over the advancements or accomplishments of another?

    64. Am I guilty of any contention or strife?

    65. Do I quarrel?  Argue?  Or engage in heated discussions?

    66. Am I a partaker in any clicks, divisions, or party-strife?

    67. Am I partisan?  Are there people whom I deliberately spite?

    68. Do I ever (by word or deed) seek to hurt someone?

    69. Do I gossip?

    70. Do I speak unkindly concerning people who are not present?

    71. Do I carry prejudice against true Christians because they are of some different group

          than mine, or because I do not see exactly eye to eye with them?

    72. Do I complain?  Do I find fault?

    73. Do I have a critical attitude toward any person or thing?

    74. Am I irritable or cranky?  How about around home?

    75. Do I get angry?  Do I ever carry hidden anger?

    76. Do I become impatient with others?

    77. Am I ever unkind?

    78. Do I ever address anyone with a term of reproach, calling him an evil name such as 

          “you fool”, or something worse?

    79. Do I do things to get even?

    80. Am I guilty of evil speaking?

    81. Do I tell dirty, suggestive stories?  Do I listen to them?

    82. Do I engage in empty, unprofitable conversation?

    83. Do I ever lie, exaggerate, cheat, or steal?

    84. Do I overcharge, underpay, or skimp in my work?

    85. Have I been careless in payment of my debts?

    86. Have I sought to evade payment of debts?

    87. Do I waste time?

    88. Do I waste time for others?

    89. Have I allowed myself to become spotted by the world?

    90. Is my manner of dress pleasing to God?

    91. Is my standard beyond what is pleasing to God in food, clothing, house furnishings, 

          or anything else?

    92. Do I excessively desire jewels and ornaments?

    93. Do I follow the world in the over-use of makeup?

    94. Are I entangled in any close relationships with the lost?

    95. Do I listen to and watch only edifying media?

    96. Do I read worldly magazines, partake in worldly amusements?

    97. Am I taken up in the cares of this life?

    98. Does my conversation and heart joy over “things” rather than the Lord and His work?

    99. Am I careless in my observance of the laws of the land?

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7

"God is good all the time; all the time God is good."

Dr. Stanley L. Bushey

(1951-2006)

The background and print colors have been changed due to request for easier printing.

Please post any comments concerning Dr. Bushey in the comments section below.