March 31, 2007

Good morning! I didn’t wake up until 0600 this morning and still did some shrub cleanup, a trip to the dump, had breakfast, and am sitting down to write. Ain’t Saturday mornings great! Oops, sorry, we don’t have dumps anymore; it’s the composting site at the landfill. I am old enough to remember when every town had a dump, and brother, they were some nasty places. Of course to a kid, they were the height of adventure and we wanted to drag a bunch of stuff home with us. If the parents were not firm, it was quite possible to haul as much back from the dump as we had just taken there. As children we didn’t fully realize how bad those places were and to some degree still are. We didn’t stay after dark to see the rats come out and the snakes they attracted. Where are we going with this? Oh yeah, the world is just like that, glittery and bright on the surface, but underneath the rats are gnawing away at the foundation.
One day that foundation will crumble into the fires of hell. However, is that all there is to our faith, a fear of punishment and a desire to avoid it? No, I think not. We want to belong to Jesus, to love him as he loves us. Here we may not be comfortable, even afraid, in a crowd of millions or billions; there we want to see the uncounted numbers of saints and hear the choir of heaven praise our Lord.
By the way, don’t look now but at the end of today ¼ of this year will have passed into history. Yes, spring is here, although yesterday didn’t really feel like it. The bush outside the window is ready to bloom and the pond is in need of cleaning. I am thinking of planting a garden this year, but the sequence of work is threatening to halt my efforts. I shall pray for strength and endurance in this.

God bless!
Bucky

March 30, 2007

Good morning and joyous greetings to you my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!
Do you ever make mistakes? Some of us seek to not make any mistakes, period. Is that a noble aim or a hopeless quest? In the world we are compelled by circumstance and the opinions of others to strive for perfection. If we don’t win a gold medal, we want our children to win one (or more). If we have no acting or singing talent, or lack the courage to use that talent, then we want our children to perform and become famous. We might enjoy a concert by a famous composer, conductor, and orchestra, but later wince at the misplayed notes of a 5th grade band concert. Perfection, we strive for it, seek it, and demand it of others, often while secretly hoping they will fail. What a terrible mistress is perfection! How far from it we all are, though we may not realize it or we may dwell on it too much. Jesus accepts us as we are. Trusting in Him includes allowing him to teach us to love our own self, and to bring us to him in his own perfect time.
This week I probably don’t have to reach very far or have any prophetic gift to guess that you made at least one mistake, somewhere or somehow, major or minor, you probably blew it at some point. Congratulations, there is nothing uniquely wrong with you and nothing that will make Jesus turn away from you. We all made some mistake; we may even need to ask forgiveness from a person and from God. Part of the peace that Jesus gives to us is in knowing that he loves us without reservation. As humans we often look at a person and start making imaginary changes to fit our equally imaginary standard of perfection. In Jesus there is none of that, only a perfect and abiding love for us. Let our Lord worry about what we will become in this life and in eternity.

May God bless and keep you this day!

Bucky

March 29, 2007

Good morning, it would appear to be cloudy and wet out there today. We had a wonderful Bible study last night as we read and learned about the Psalms or songs of praise to God. Jesus and Paul often quoted the Psalms in their words of the New Testament; we should look back to the Psalms often. The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection draws closer; lift your hands and hearts in praise to our Lord! Have you ever wondered how the writers came up with the Psalms, or where the composers of today come up with such wonderful hymns and songs of praise? I have, and I am sure that it is from God himself that these words and combinations of notes come. When a composer has a close relationship with our Lord, the words of love and praise flow out as from a fountain.
I am starting a bit slowly today as I have a dental checkup to start the morning. This is all to the benefit of the cat, he is absorbing that spare time in getting some attention from me. The Lord may have provided these simple creatures to remind us of how we should come to him. As children are, so we come to Him, our Lord and our Savior. Don’t be afraid to lean close to the Lord, asking the questions dear to your heart and getting wonderful answers. Have you ever felt afraid to ask God something? Perhaps, as I have been, you are more afraid of the answer that you might receive. We need not fear; the answers we receive are always what are best for us. God cares about us and for us; we should not come to him expecting the lash of the whip, but the love of our Father in Heaven.

God’s grace and peace be with you,
Bucky

March 28, 2007

Good morning to you! In this world we are not comforted by kings and we don’t make friends of the mighty. When we pray to our Lord to lead us along the right path, both as a friend and as a comforter, it seems right, but then we make the leap to leading us as King and Lord. That too is right and it shows just how different from this sin stained world our Lord is. As we walk closer with him, we too become very different from the world. We need not be distant from the world, though we should flee from temptations which are too much for each of us. However, there are so many crying out in various ways for the love of Jesus, that we cannot stay away from that need.

Lord, guide us to the ones in need,
Let us all from sin be freed.

Bucky

March 27, 2007

Good morning. Two directions we look toward in this life are: back to the Garden of Eden, and ahead to Heaven. Last night I, through some unknown cause, found myself pondering the hippopotamus. Aside the challenge of spelling the name, what else do we know about the beast? They are grayish in color, very round and heavy, and quite a large animal. They also tend toward a comic appearance and even their name sounds a bit humorous to our ears. However, they are very territorial and dangerous to humans. Many people are killed each year by the animals. I began to wonder if perhaps the hippo in the Garden of Eden was not some comical, ungainly, and dangerous creature, but a beautiful and sleek creature. I wondered if in the language of God that Adam used to name each creature, that maybe the name of this one was very flowing and symphonic to the ear. The hippo then may have been among the more faithful of animals and tended its portion of the Garden with great devotion. At the Fall, where humans and all other creatures were turned out of a paradise, perhaps the most faithful animals fell the hardest so to speak and what was once a beautiful creature became the ungainly and comic hippopotamus.
This might make an interesting children’s story; I may have heard something like this in my youth and taken the idea from there, I don’t know. This is quite unreasonable and even sentimental by the standards of reason and intellect. I find it amusing that God is hidden from human reason; we come to know him through faith and love.

God is with us always,

Bucky

March 26, 2007

Good morning. Praise God for the new day! My mind seems prone to wandering today; perhaps it is unwilling to face the reality of a new workweek. However, as I mentioned before, interesting events are afoot and, painful or not, I must seem them through. I pray that we will all listen to the guidance of our Lord this week.
What plans do you have for Easter? A visit to relatives or friends, starting the garden at home or working on the lawn, the obligatory visit to church among your leisure activities. The world sees the holiday much like that, with the church visit as the only difference separating that from most other holidays. We are called by Jesus to show a light, his light, to the world. Our church visits are not a duty to be observed, but an opportunity to meet with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It doesn’t matter whether your church can boast of hundreds or thousands of members, or just a few, the meeting together is where our light is strengthened. I look forward each week to the Wednesday Bible study meetings, and I’m sure that you have your favorite meeting or service to attend.
Let us put on the full armor of God, and face another week. The enemy will attack, we can expect that, but we rest in the blessed assurance of God’s love. Let the Good News of the rising of Jesus to a new life in glory lift your spirit this week!

Bucky

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Good, bright Sunday morning to you! Two weeks until the celebration of Resurrection Day, also known as Easter Sunday, arrives for those who will believe in Jesus. I looked for some cards today and had a difficult time finding any without spring or bunnies. We complain about the commercialization of Christmas, but seem to forget what has happened to Easter. However, as railing against it probably won’t work, show the world instead what the resurrection of Christ means to us. Celebrate the rising of our Lord and King, his imminent return, and his infinite mercy and grace given to those who only deserve justice. We do not deserve mercy and grace, but Jesus gives it to those who will believe. Praise the Lord! The Savior reigns in my heart; I pray that he reigns in yours!

Bucky

March 24, 2007

Good morning. We enjoyed a bit of rain last night, which should help spring get started. Yesterday proved to be one of those very interesting days at work. I cannot repeat all that happened as the situation will not be resolved for some time. I must remember that all things work together for the good of those who believe in Christ Jesus. There are no quotation marks around that because I don’t think it is quite an exact quote, but it is something that I need to keep in mind in my walk of faith. Storms may come in our life and in some cases may involve brothers and sisters in Christ. They need our support and prayer at all times, but more than ever during those times of tempest. I pray for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
The cat has partaken of his bit of attention for this morning and moved on. Ha! You probably thought I sat down each day and typed this without interruption. However, on Saturday and Sunday, the big cat likes to visit my lap for a while during the devotional writing. I think God sends him so that I will slow down and meditate on what I am reading and writing, and then listen for what he would have me to write to you. I especially like the devotional writing on the weekends; there is no rush, no deadline to leave for work, a cup of decaf coffee, and a cat zonked out on the window ledge. The peace of our Lord can come upon me and the words flow out to you. Today I am filled with the joy of the Lord and I pray that you are blessed beyond my imagining in all areas of your life.

Bucky

March 23, 2007

Good morning to you and let God’s name be praised this day! I am glad to be here on this fine Friday morning. Some mornings I just want to wait patiently for a closer walk with Jesus, other mornings I am caught trying to get out and push. Perhaps like today, I am running late and not getting ready for work as quickly as I should. I try to hurry along the devotional, read a Bible passage or two quickly without taking the time to meditate on it, eat quickly and hustle to the shower while skipping the morning stretching, all of this contributes to a “hurry up, Lord” atmosphere where I am trying to draw words out for my benefit. When a pause in the rush comes, I see that the Lord will not be rushed and that I am the one who needs the calm and his peace in my heart. What if you or I are a few minutes late to work one day? I’m not saying that we should make a habit of it, but starting the day in a rush often means that we will be behind all the day long. Writing a devotional in a rush, “just a few quick words, and then I must run…” does not give me time to meditate on what I am writing.
Often, I am surprised by what comes from my typing fingers as I try to listen for what the Lord is saying; “My peace I give to you…” Let us not try to overcome the Lord’s peace with our rushing about. Waiting on the Lord has more than one meaning or connotation; one, we wait on the Lord as a servant serves the Master, and another; we wait for the Lord to tell us to go. Just as a runner cannot rush the starter’s pistol as he or she would only be disqualified, we cannot rush the Lord and must learn to wait on His perfect timing. Jesus came the first time in the fullness of time, and will return in the same way. We will be called home to Jesus, again in the fullness of time. The only place anyone will get by rushing is their own destruction. Trust in the Lord’s timing and wait patiently on Him. Enjoy the peace in your heart given to us by Jesus.

Have a wonderful weekend in the Lord!
Bucky

March 22, 2007

Good morning and welcome to another day in the love of Christ Jesus! I am glad to be with you in spirit for a few moments today. What is that creeping thing in our mind today? Sin is what that is, and it hasn’t been put away by our Lord just yet. Look in any newspaper these days and you will find some evidence of one of those so called “white collar” crimes. Embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, cheating on taxes, falsification of documents, and many other examples of dishonesty, appear in the media much too often. How does this start in what the world considers normal, upright citizens? Slowly, one rationalization leading to the next as an embezzler just “borrows” a few dollars to get by and then repays it. However, the next time it is a few dollars that doesn’t get repaid, and then a few more, until finally the person is caught by the trap of sin and cannot make restitution. That is one of sin’s more underhanded tactics, the chink in the armor that allows us to be speared on the shaft of sin. Often the blatant temptation of sin, the X-rated shows or the casino for example, are easy to avoid. They are out in the open and the honey pot certainly catches a lot of flies, but the sneaking, creeping aspect of temptation is much harder, even impossible, to avoid in our own strength. If you have ever been in charge of money, perhaps as an accountant or a cashier, you have probably heard that little whisper in your mind: “They won’t miss…” or “You can put it back on payday…” At first there is always the opportunity and that little whisper. We will not avoid that sneaking temptation in this world, but in Christ we can certainly spot it early and put a stop to it. Money that is not ours is never ours until given to us by one authorized to do so. An employee is paid from the money that a business takes in, but is not entitled to take that money whenever he or she pleases. Taking an unauthorized “loan” from somewhere, it doesn’t even have to be money, is the first step on the wrong path, and it shows a distrust of God to provide for us.
Trusting in God is one of the great privileges of Christian life. It is also one the world will hold up to scorn with sinful glee and attack with all of its intellect. At some point you have heard some of those attacks; “Christians trust in something they cannot hear, touch, or see, how stupid is that?” says a worldly commentator in one form or another. “Go your own way”, “Believe in yourself”, and many other slogans try to turn us away from belief in the one who can save us, Jesus Christ. Trust in God, believe in Jesus, and walk with the Lord in your life.

May God grant us all strength in this,

Bucky

March 21, 2007

Good morning to you! Welcome spring! We had our first spring thunderstorm last night and I don’t believe that produced any rain. Sort of like this world we live in, a lot of flash and bang, but no real joy and grace. Jesus offered the woman at the well a drink that would quench her thirst forever. She thought that he meant water from the well, even to the point of asking him how he would get it without a container. The scripture goes on to tell us the truth; that Jesus offers the water of life flowing from himself, the grace of salvation through his death and resurrection.
I see a lot of good words flowing around the Internet through websites, chats, and e-mail. God has blessed us with a wonderful medium for communication and the spreading of His Good News! Of course anything like this can be misused, but why concentrate on the bad? When spring has arrived do we still think of winter? Take a moment or two to send an encouraging e-mail to someone today. Perhaps someone who is not expecting it.

God bless,
Bucky

March 20, 2007

Good morning, friends in Christ! In John 6:17 we find the disciples off the shores of the Sea of Galilee after dark and headed toward Capernaum. You can almost imagine the doubts that came upon the group as they waited, seemingly in vain, for Jesus to come to them. As the group waited, first one would suggest that the Master had gone ahead by land; then another might suggest that he had found another boat along the shore and was even now waiting for them on the other shore. Soon they would have been arguing back and forth until finally they decided to go across the lake without the Master. We do much the same thing when a group does not communicate carefully and does not trust in the one who is missing. You can probably think of many times that this very thing has happened. That fear of abandonment takes ahold of you and the doubts start speaking to you. “You are on the wrong side of the mall, that other person is losing patience with you.” The whispers say in your mind. This fear is spoken to often in the Bible. We know what happened to the disciples next, they were terrified by a sudden storm out of the darkness and by the sight of the Master walking across the water to them. In one way we cannot blame them, if you were in fear for your life and then saw Jesus walking across the water toward you it is only natural that you might assume that you had already crossed that dark barrier and that things still didn’t look so good! However, Jesus immediately spoke to that fear of abandonment we all have by saying to them, “I am here, do not be afraid.” This is a message to all of us caught in the storms of life. When Jesus uses the words “I am”, we know that he speaks with his own great authority. It could be translated, “I am - is here, there is no more reason to be afraid.” A message that we all need to remember with joy during those times of stress and hardship, that message will comfort us and give us peace during those times. Remember the words of the Master and fear not, for he is always with us.

God’s grace and peace be with you this day.

Bucky

March 19, 2007

Good morning to all! The love of the Lord Jesus shines upon us this day. Have you ever prayed to the Lord for mercy on your state or nation? From the news of sin and death in this world it would seem to me one of the things that are holding back the Lord’s judgment on our nation. There are many who throw their freedom in the Lord’s face, doing whatever they please and becoming proud in their sinful actions. The worldly people of this country often look up to or admire the wrong sort of person. Criminals are romanticized, drug use is made glamorous or funny, sexual sin of all sorts is shown in a sympathetic or appealing way, and the lusts of the flesh are pandered to on an ever grander scale in our books, magazines, television, and movies. All Christians should pray for mercy on this nation. In many ways we have strayed far from the Lord. I know that it may seem at times that we are praying for a sinking ship, that this world or country is far beyond our help through prayer. However, we must always remember that the Lord is mighty to save; revival can start at any moment in some little corner of the country and spread like it did during the Great Awakening. Pray for each other that we might all have the strength to continue spreading the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus.

God bless you all this week,

Bucky

March 18, 2007

Good morning! The glory of God shines upon us today. In Ephesians we are told to forgive one another. As Christians, after all this was written to a church, why should we have a need to forgive each other? Do we not all obey the commands of Christ and live in perfect harmony? We know that isn’t the case in this life and that forgiveness and apology must be common in the body of Christ. We will wrong each other, at times even intentionally, for that perfect harmony may not arrive until Jesus returns and it will be to his glory.
A great celebration approaches; do you feel it? Yes, once again Resurrection Day will soon arrive, the Easter holy day celebration of Christ’s resurrection from death. A gift like no other has been given to us. Believe in Jesus and celebrate his resurrection!

March 17, 2007

Good morning. The weekend mornings are a nice time to get started slowly and to enjoy the bounty of our Lord. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, especially for you Irish folk, did you know that old Patrick was not even Irish? I think everyone has probably heard that one by now. Given the mission to evangelize the howling pagan lands of Ireland, and if you’ve ever heard a poorly played bagpipe you will know from whence the howling comes, Patrick faced a daunting task. Protestants sometimes poke fun at the Catholic Church for sticking a “St.” in front of every old name, but that is simply a way of pointing out examples of lives to imitate. Jesus of course is the ultimate example and needs no designation in front of his holy name. Many of the saints would no doubt disagree with any honorifics those living in a later time would put with their names. We come to realize through the Holy Spirit lighting up the dark corners of our heart just how wicked our heart really is, and the saints would be no different. Only two people in the Bible were born with hearts ready to receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus, who was Lord even at birth, and his herald, John. All of the rest of humanity, saints and all, has been born with a heart ready to sin. Some times it is so bad that tremendous intellectual resources are expended to prove an innate goodness in humans that just is not there without the Holy Spirit of God. Paul pointed out that even after the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, a fight goes on throughout our lives between the new desire to walk with Jesus and the old desire to walk in the darkness. I am sure that you have felt it too, that desire to sin faced off against the desire to do right.
We often see the little devil and angel characters portrayed in comic art trying to influence the main character one way or the other. For those in the world though, that is a false representation. There is no little angel fighting a little devil, but rather a fear of legal action, jail, fine, or other, fighting the desire to give in completely to sin. In Christ, we want to do right out of love for him, not from a fear of what society will do to us should we break a law.
My thoughts are meandering away; it must be time to move on to something else today. Let the peace of God lie close to your heart this day.

Bucky

March 16, 2007

Good morning and what a great day to spread the Good News! The events we see each day in the media do point out great sins and tragedies in the land. However, Jesus is Lord! There will never come a time so difficult that he cannot strengthen and encourage us to endure, challenge us to stand firm, and save us from whatever may come. Jesus is our hope and our salvation, victorious over death and the grave, and savior of all who believe in Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us, not during good times and not during bad times. Jesus gives us peace and not as the world gives. When we look at the condition of our lives, we will tend toward despair, but when he looks upon us, he sees us as we will be with him in glory. Let the rejoicing begin, for our Lord comes soon!

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

March 15, 2007

Good morning! I am glad to be writing this for us today. If you don’t subscribe to Whistleblower, I would encourage you to do so. This month there is an incredible article about abortion by David Kupelian. You can go to http://www.wnd.com and check out their website, but the article won’t post for a while. Whatever your gift of the Holy Spirit is, this is one fight that we should take up with the whole armor of God. Some of us have the gift of convincing and eloquent speech, some the gift of handling money without falling in love with it, others can serve diligently, and some can pray up a rainstorm on a dry day. Whatever our individual gift, we need to help save babies. I do not believe that God will let the sin of abortion go unpunished in America; he certainly didn’t when the Israelites sacrificed their children to Molech worship. However, even with our gifts, we still need to strap on that armor of God first. I have noticed a tremendous skill in deceit behind the lies of the abortion rights movement, and the article I mentioned points them out very well. Nearly all of us, I suspect, have been swayed or taken in at some time by one or more of those same lies. How else can we explain the lack of action in America while 40 -50 million babies have been murdered? Read the article, it may make you quite angry and will certainly cause revulsion in you; it did in me. Love does not treat babies in the ways brought to light in this article.

Please pray that God will spare our nation while healing takes place in our own hearts.

Bucky

March 14, 2007

Good morning. Are we recovered from the time change yet? No! Thank you, Congress, we love you too. It must be interesting to have the power to yank millions of people out of bed an hour early for 3 extra weeks in March.
I read the story of one of the first Christian groups last night. No not a novel of the disciples or the churches Paul began, but the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. You see I had never before realized just what happened there at that well. The woman believed and she then spread the word to the townspeople, who did not believe her, but rushed out to see this Messiah for their own selves. However, after seeing and hearing the Word, they too believed. That I believe constitutes a church, one of the first Christian groups first believed in a small town of Samaria. Jesus used the story to illustrate planting and harvesting. In that case the woman did the planting, but they didn’t believe her and Jesus did the harvesting. It is interesting that a group of Gentiles, perhaps even worse than Gentiles by the Jewish views of the time, listened and believed when much of Israel still rejected the Son of God. I like her view of the Messiah, “he will explain everything to us.” The Jews looked for a Messiah in their image, a conquering hero who would drive the Romans out of Palestine. The woman looked to learn from the coming Messiah and she found the great teacher. We know from the scripture that Jesus is much more than the Great Explainer, but I am sure that all of us have some questions about time, creation, and many other subjects that we would like to ask Jesus when we get to see him. Praise God for the Messiah!

Bucky

March 13, 2007

Good morning, it’s another day of work and play. Last night I sought shelter in Jesus and it worked. Another evening call just at bed time, the fire trucks were lined up at our corporate building, a friend calls to have me check the Data Center display and… everything is normal. The problem must be elsewhere. No, another call a bit later, this time from work, to say that they are digging around in the floor of the data center to find the source of the problem. Calls and other fun ensue, but I am not called into work. That is by design of our boss; I am not supposed to be called in every time something goes wrong. However, that doesn’t stop the worry or the wheels of imagination. That is where prayer and concentrating on Jesus comes in. I won’t say that it went perfectly; my focus still needs a bit of tweaking. I did not receive further calls and was able to get a night’s sleep, though a bit delayed. Trying to count sheep or do mathematics is okay for a worldly person, but I would put trusting and focusing on Jesus ahead of the other methods any time. For easing my worries and cares, Jesus is truly the answer.
I know this seems a bit rushed today, and it is! It is a new day and the big boss will want some answers about what happened, especially given our history of problems this year, and it’s only March. So I must cut my morning preparations short today and get in there. I will take my little voice recorder in with me to capture some of the thoughts today. This should help slow down the maelstrom.

God bless,

Bucky

March 12, 2007

Good morning! Does it seem kink of early to you this morning? Ah, the spring time change when going to bed seems too soon and getting up definitely arrives too quickly. Some of our brothers and sisters in Christ may do something similar. Perhaps they are just too this or not enough that for one of us to feel comfortable with them. We may not “hit it off” with all of our Christian family members right away. Another Christian may rise early and hit the day running, while you may rise later and not feel comfortable socially until the evening hours. That is why Paul refers to us as the body of Christ; we are not all the same part. God has called a wonderful variety of people to serve in the body of Christ. You or I may not “team up” well with another because of a difference in our personal constitution or style. Love will recognize that we are not matched well with another believer without jealousy or anger. That brother in Christ might be rock n’ roll and you might be a waltz. A sister in Christ might move to calypso and you to classical. That does not mean that either case is wrong, only that we are different. I realize this might be a bit heavy on this first “time change” Monday of the spring, but the looming threat of everyone being a bit cranky this morning has brought it to mind. Rejoice in our differences today, and yes, you can wait until you wake up fully.

God love you!

Bucky

March 11, 2007

Oh, yeah! It’s early on a Sunday morning, though the new clock setting doesn’t reflect just how early it really is. No big crashes or glitches from the time change thus far at Cabela’s. We had a small Oreo party at work to commemorate the early risers.
Do you find yourself praying more and more for every brother and sister in Christ? The times are difficult for many Christians around the world. We cannot ignore their peril in this life and their victory in the eternal. There truly is victory in Jesus! Praying for each other is a powerful privilege in the body of Christ. Many suffer daily from health conditions, fatigue, and persecution. It is our privilege to pray for them in the power of the Holy Spirit. That power and authority, granted to us by Christ Jesus, gives our prayers far reaching effects. We do not have to worry about going too far in those effects, for our prayers are protected by the wisdom of God Almighty. In this life it is easy to apply too much power to something, causing destruction or injury. God knows how to apply just the right touch in any situation, therefore do not worry about praying too much for someone. It may be quite the opposite; we cannot pray enough for those we love!

My prayers go with you this day,

Bucky

March 10, 2007

Good morning! Well, tomorrow is the first March 11 time change. We get to enjoy the change from standard to daylight savings time 3 weeks early! I don’t know about you, but I feel a bit like saying a good, sarcastic, Daffy Duck “woo hoo”. Be that as it may, I get the “honor” of coming in at 0200 to check our various devices for the time change tomorrow morning. I wonder if my neighbors will take down their Christmas lights today. Hmm, Microsoft’s grammar checker says no question mark after that last sentence. I suppose I get to wonder without my question mark today.
I like the verse at the top of Dr. Kennedy’s devotional today, it makes me laugh. But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14) What pride it takes to cause someone to reject the King of kings! As though anyone has a choice when the King arrives, they reject him because Jesus does not fit their image of a king. We do have one important choice to make in this life, to accept Jesus or reject him. However, what we choose will not affect the outcome; Jesus will reign in Heaven and on Earth. Those who reject him will not be here to protest. Those who choose him will be too overjoyed to protest anything.
Did you ever see a bird of indeterminate species against the background of the cloudy sky and wonder what type of bird it was? The blank background makes it difficult to determine the size of the bird; without a scale to measure against we cannot tell how large or small the bird is. I am not familiar enough with birds to tell from the shape alone and color washes out against a grey sky. The coming of Christ is much like that; we know he comes soon because he told us so. However, we have no scale to measure against. Is his return moments away or days, months or years? We have no way of knowing and Jesus told us that we would have no way of knowing the date. However, through the prophecies in the Word, we see a shape in the clouds, figuratively speaking. Signs abound in the world that the time is near, but how near we do not know. Today I pray for a God-sized dose of hope and faith for us all.

As the Newsboys sing,

No power of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘til he returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.


Bucky

March 9, 2007

Good morning! We celebrated my 18th anniversary at Cabela’s yesterday. That is a long time to work at one place in this generation. It’s a Friday once again, and that means the weekend lies before us in all of its promise and possibility. I did mention keeping you updated on my quiet time effort and this week did not go too badly. It is still difficult for me to sit quietly for any length of time, but this only the first week of practice. The practice could use more dedication to the cause! In starting anything, sometimes that first week is an example of zealous dedication and other times it is like the big train starting out very slowly. I started out very slowly, some days forgetting entirely to work on my quiet time. How did my life become so chaotic? It probably began with the best of intentions; I wanted to give back to the Lord and do something to build his kingdom on earth. However, trying to build in my own strength while; working, going to college, and performing all of the other activities of modern life, left me mired in chaos and anxiety. It almost seems opposite, but the key to cleaning up our lives is not taking immediate action. We must first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, just as we are told in the Bible. The promise God gives to us is that, “all of these things will be added unto you” if we first seek Him. The way to this is through the Word and quiet meditation. Give up those burdens to the Lord, stop trying to win the fight in your own strength! Advice for me and advice I repeat to you.

May God grant us wisdom in all things this weekend!

Bucky

March 8, 2007

Good morning! During our Bible study last night, we read most of the book of Esther; one of the Old Testament books that many overlook since it is small and does not mention God. However, as we studied the Word, it became obvious that although God is not mentioned by name, he is very much in control throughout the story. Here again is another example of choice; if one chooses not to believe, then Esther and Mordecai become very lucky or fortunate people and Haman the unfortunate person. If you believe, as you and I do, then the story becomes a wonderful example of God’s sovereign will in the lives of these few people at the time of the Persian king, Xerxes. The book of Esther could have narrated a tale of how God did this or God enabled that to allow the group of Jews who chose not to return to Jerusalem to survive. The scoffers and non-believers would still scoff and refuse to believe respectively. They might still cite this as an example of our credulity and go their merry way. Once again we are reminded that God does not force belief in himself or his Son on any of us. Praise God that we have been granted the ability to believe! That is not something that we should take lightly. Hallelujah!

May Christ be the focus of your life today!

Bucky

March 7, 2007

Good morning! We have enjoyed a few nice days lately; it is nice to see spring just around the corner. The time has arrived to come out of the winter blahs and get some sunshine in our lives. The Newsboys have a new album arriving soon; if you are into Christian rock music that will be welcome news.
What is the antidote for pride in our own achievements? Firmly placing the Lord first and remembering how much he has done for us before we believed in him. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we are told about the grace given to us.

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph. 2:8-10)

We enjoy a gift and a special favor. We cannot take pride in something we did nothing to deserve and put forth no effort in accomplishing. It is good for us to rest in the accomplishments of our Lord Jesus Christ with grateful acceptance. From there we do our good works through the grace and strength of our Lord, again not taking that old boastful pride in anything we accomplish by the strength of God.

Rejoice in the Lord!

Bucky

March 6, 2007

Good morning! Many times in our dire circumstances we tend to believe that God is angry with us. However, many of the worst things in this life are not caused by God to hurt us, but are allowed by God to perfect us. This is a fallen and sin-stained world; the freedom to choose to do evil allows many to inflict grievous harm on other humans. There are also the calamities, catastrophes, and accidents that may come to us or others in this world. None of this will change until Jesus returns to make all things new. God works mighty miracles from the events of this world. We may not see them all, but somewhere a person will look up and repent.
Have you heard the claims that aging may be cured by 2050? I see one potential side effect to that. Think of how prideful and self-sufficient you or I might have been at 25. Maybe you were not, but I recall that I was very secure in my own strength and knowledge at that age. Now throw in a new anti-aging cure, one that really works, and you can see the terrible possibilities of becoming more prideful and arrogant as the years pass. Aging can be looked upon as both the curse of a fallen world and as a journey toward Jesus, each day bringing us one step closer to Him. Halting that process physically, we’ll assume that is possible for this discussion, may cause that spiritual journey to halt at the same time. Now that would be a curse!

Take that journey one day at a time, trusting in God every step of the way!

Bucky

March 5, 2007

Good morning, another chance to serve our Lord has arrived! Answers continue to arrive for me; your prayers are much appreciated. This week, I will try to have a quiet time during each lunch hour to work on getting better at the process. I enjoyed a good visit with some friends whom I had not seen for some time until yesterday. That reminds me that college should not be such a burden that I cannot visit a loved one on the weekends from time to time. The answers lies in not letting college become more important than my friends and neighbors. This week is a good week; this day is a good day, and the Lord is with me always. Just a little something to start the week off right, a reminder to me or you that the right attitude is something the Lord can work with to create a great week.
God bless!

Bucky

March 4, 2007

Good morning, may the Lord hold you close in his grace today! Last weekend I encouraged all of us to spend an hour in quiet time with the Lord. I found, as you probably did, that spending one full hour with none of the distractions of TV, stereo music, computer stuff, or reading… to be very difficult. I am surprised by this. 20 minutes proved to be almost too much for me; I have learned through the course of modern life to be restless and unquiet. In reading the zombie stories or watching the movies, we are horrified by their actions and numbers, but what really lies under all of that is their inability to rest. Think about it; the real horror of the zombie lies in what we recognize as what we would be like after a few days without sleep. Grey skin, shambling walk, no energy to run or wait for the food to be cooked, and a general apathy toward the living, all combine to show us in a condition of no rest. I realize that some of you wake up that way each morning, but a cup of strong coffee usually restores some resemblance of full life to your countenance. The ability to remain quiet and meditate on Jesus will require some practice on my part; what seemed so easy, spending a quiet hour with the Lord, proved beyond my reach on the first attempt.
It is possible that through the pace or our workplace, and my returning to school over the past 2+ years that I have lost the ability to sit quietly for any length of time. Does this mean that I accomplish more? It means probably quite the opposite in fact. I need, we all need, to regain that ability to sit quietly and commune with the Lord. We may not have any startling revelations about the Lord’s will in our lives in the first few attempts. The thing I noticed first was that the chaos of my thoughts became magnified in the quiet house, like my mind tried to fill in the space created by the quiet. Were the thoughts centered on the Lord? No, they gradually took off in every direction. It is obvious that my quiet time will require some effort and the strength of the Holy Spirit! The weekdays, perhaps as little as 15 minutes to begin with, will be my starting point. I will keep you updated on my progress. Let me know how you fared in this.

Bucky

March 3, 2007

Good morning, I do think there is a bit less wind today. Have you ever noticed the many personalities, quirks, and habits around you at work? Is it our job to fix them? Now if we speak of a problem and that person both needs and asks for help, then yes, help out as best you can and pray earnestly for that person. However, in the case of the many individual traits we see, some that irritate us and some that do not, we should love that person and accept them just as Jesus does. Loving a person will cure the irritation that comes to us naturally when faced with some habit or trait that bothers us. No doubt there are things about me or you that would bother someone else, even a brother or sister in Christ. We all know that special someone that just makes our hair stand on end when they do this or that which bothers us. In my case, the remaining hairs stand on end. Perhaps you are not too attached to your money, but they count every penny twice to the point of pulling out a pocket calculator to figure the 15% tip at a restaurant and shaving off the fraction to their benefit. I know some of you are asking, “Yeah, what’s the problem with that?” Many things such as this are neither right nor wrong, but could be an irritation to another person. Love conquers these feelings of irritation, leaving us free to live together in Christ. There may be someone whom you simply cannot stand to be around, at least not until the Holy Spirit has a chance to work a change in your heart. Stay away from them for the time being if possible and pray for healing in your own heart.
In the world, we would wish for that other person to change, but in Jesus we pray for our own healing. Jesus avoided no one, no matter how sick, insane, demon-possessed, haughty, or proud that person was at the time of their meeting our Lord. The same holds true in this day, Jesus accepts all who come to Him and as we know, he finds us first whether we realize it or not. I am quite sure that if all of my bad qualities or habits were listed and it was left up to a jury of my fellow humans to decide whether Christ should accept me or not, there would be some who would vote against my inclusion in the body of Christ. Praise the Lord it is not up to us to decide who Jesus will accept and we should not try to judge in that respect. Let the Holy Spirit teach you to love everyone. This does not come to us easily; we need the strength of God to learn how to love everyone.

Bucky

March 2, 2007

Good morning. Wind, welcome to March and the wonders of wind. Wow, I’m writing a bit late today (vacation day) and the sun is a bit too much for writing. The odd time change will be arriving early this year, next Sunday (March 11) we will have to give it a go 3 weeks sooner than we are accustomed to. That is if we can ever really get accustomed to our dear old government yanking us around by one hour in the spring and fall each year.
Have you ever felt like a sailor on the sea of life? I mean that we all have our little boat on the great ocean of life; we can see to the horizons, up to the vault of the sky, and down only a few feet into the water. We realize at times just how little of this ocean and sky we can perceive from our limited point of view. Like modern day ships and boats, the vastness of the ocean beneath us it too great for us to fathom. Who knows what surprises and wonders we sail over each day? Trust in God allows us to raise the sail or dip the oars back in and move forward. Fears of what lies beneath, or what we imagine might lie beneath, will come to our minds, but God will give us peace as we turn the rudder over to Jesus. The metaphor of a ship on the ocean occurs often in Christian thought, and it is very appropriate. When one realizes that miles of water lie beneath the keel of your ship and that few really have any idea what that water and the ocean bottom contain, it can be a fearful thought. Trust in Jesus and sail on!

Bucky

March 1, 2007

Good morning; the first day of March has arrived. May the name of our Lord Jesus be praised by all. We have studied the account of Nehemiah in the Lord’s Word recently and once again it is mentioned there, “Don’t be afraid…” Many times in the Bible we will read this very phrase; the angels greet many familiar Bible figures with it, Jesus repeated it often as did John and Paul. So much of this life, and our worries about it, consists of fear. Some of it is warranted and we call it caution. You would not live long by fearlessly running every red light in your path. However, that terrible enemy, the debilitating and humiliating fear of the unknown and the unlikely, must be fought with the whole armor of God. Read in Ephesians 6 about this armor and the weapon we are given to strike back at the fear and deceit in the attacks of the Accuser. Take comfort in the Spirit of the Living God and memorize passages from scripture to distract your mind from that fear. God did not make us to be alone during the times of trial; call upon Him and call upon the brothers and sisters in Christ for help in times of need. Also remember what God told Paul about how the Lord is strong in our weakness.

Praise the blessed Redeemer!

Bucky