Discarding Ideas - June 30, 2008

Good Monday morning! Part of the good is that I have had no trouble calls this morning from work; that will make any morning go better. However, thinking about work can just get my thinking going in the wrong direction too many times, better to think on Jesus. Actually work isn't that bad; only in times of trial does it become a burden. Hmmm, sounds from the living room point to a cat up to no good. I'm glad that he is feeling rested and ready to go!

Do you have a problem that there seems to be no solution for? You have tried everything, except for the ridiculous ideas that you discarded without trying, and nothing will work? We all run into problems like that from time to time. We struggle in our own strength, we try our own ideas, and discard those ridiculous things that pop into our heads. I don't know about you, but I have managed to ruin mechanical and electronic objects through not asking for or accepting help. I would call it intellectual stubbornness. Looking at the ruined object, I often think how silly or bull-headed I have been about the whole experience. Today, I wondered if we don't tend to do the same thing with God. Some of those ideas that pop into our head, the ones that we may discard without proper examination, may be suggestions from the Holy Spirit. We need to at least put those ideas to the test through reading of God's Word. Asking someone else for help? Well, perish the thought that we should need to seek help from another person! Yes, a failure to ask for help has been a problem of mine for too long. That is simply pride and it is a very damaging sin. I will have you know that I did ask for help this weekend, but doing so did bring to mind some times when I did not. You or I may run into the curmudgeon who rebuffs our request for help with harsh words. However, we should not fear the words of the world, but rest in the loving Word of God.

Love and honor our God and Savior!

Bucky

Work, work, work... June 29, 2008

Good Sunday afternoon! I think that I have actually gone a few hours without a phone call from work. On-call weeks can be tough, but this one may take the prize. We also enjoyed near record low temps last night, Kimball may have set a new record. Of course, this is the end of June so a new record low temp is not exactly the beginning of the next ice age. The low 40's is still something to write about at this time of the year. I thank all of those e-mailing to check on me, but nothing more serious than too much work for the past four mornings. I am glad to be needed, but the need has been a tad excessive the past few days. Yes, I am feeling the strain too! If work will let me get away with it, I think that a nap is in order for this afternoon.

Pastor Rogers made an interesting point today, "What would Jesus Do?" We see it on bumper stickers and t-shirts, but often we fail to ask ourselves that very question. The world has, of course, made many a knockoff of that question. I even have a button that asks "What would a Kid Do?" The funny thing is that some of the things that a kid would do agree with what Jesus would do. Trusting completely comes to mind, seeing the good in a stranger before condemning might be another thing that a kid or Jesus would do. However, kids can also be very rude if not taught a better way. Back to the point, WWJD? I think that too often I find myself thinking that Jesus would work himself into the ground; spreading the Good News day and night, laboring to exhaustion every day, placing pressure and stress upon his own performance far in excess of what God demanded, and hurting himself in many other ways. Actually that sounds more like what many of us do to ourselves. The Bible did not record Jesus on the way to chronic stress problems from overwork. There is no doubt that our Lord worked hard and sometimes worked late, but he certainly relaxed and ate well during his earthly life. Jesus and the disciples walked everywhere they went, so exercise programs were not necessary in their day. I suspect that if the Romans had a screening physical for every person arrested, they would have found Jesus to be in perfect health at his arrest. We know from the Bible record that Jesus' health was soon taken from him, but that was only because he allowed it to happen. The world had its day, one day we will have ours. In the meantime, get some rest, exercise, and eat well!

God bless and keep you this week!

Bucky

No Losers in Christ Jesus - June 25, 2008

Good summer morning to you! Have you ever prayed over a sporting event? I'm sure that some of you have, perhaps for a child or a relative, but in some way you have prayed that one team or another win. I must admit that I did last night. Game 2 of the finals was played last night and one team was in real trouble. This team was unranked and had made it all the way to the finals to lose Game 1. I simply didn't want that group of young men to go home after two bad performances, and asked God to give them a dose of energy. Oh my what an answer! If you watched last night, you saw a team down 5-0 in the first inning come back with an offensive performance of some note. Eventually Fresno State won 19-10; I went to bed when they were ahead 15-6. I have nothing against the Univ of Georgia and hope the better team wins tonight. However, I know what it is like to be on a losing team, and I imagine that you do as well. Losing badly in a contest can be very depressing. I once played ball on a team that went 0-18 for the season, not a very fun summer for us. That summer may have "built character" in me, but I wouldn't recommend a child be put through that too often.

How does that relate to our Christian life? We seem to be losing in the world. Many countries want a return to a strong dictator or king, someone to set things right. Others don't know what they want in a leader. It has been years since we saw a clear favorite in our presidential elections. Christian leaders come and go, but the world doesn't seem to change much. How are we to keep our hopes alive in these dark times? One way was spoken by Pastor Rogers before his death in the wonderful Triumph of the Lamb series. He said the times were getting "gloriously dark", as in the darkness before the dawn when the Antichrist arises, but just before the triumph of Jesus over evil for all time. Our champion was not defeated by death and the grave, and He will not be defeated by the forces of this world. You or I may not have won very many contests as children. However, in Christ our race is not against each other and there are no losers among those who believe in Jesus. Run this race in faith and joy, placing your hope in Christ Jesus!

What a wonderful savior we have in Jesus!

Bucky

Strength to Endure - June 24, 2008

Good morning! Yes, it has happened, June 24th this year... my first Christmas CD is playing right now. Sandi Patty, in case you need to follow suit. The day dawns once more, just a minute or two shorter than yesterday, but dawn it does. I could say something about the approach of colder weather, but we have all of summer to go, enjoy it while it is here. Six months plus one day until Christmas, that's not bad for me.

How does a person write a devotional of joy and hope when bad news arrives? The same way that I always must do... by trusting in Jesus. Every one of you endures such terrible burdens. Jesus saw this in His day and sees the groaning and pain even now. My tendency is to think that I am unique in suffering, but everywhere I look I see that this is not true. Jesus set the example for us by suffering and dying on the cross. We can only follow Him and endure in His strength. Yes, that is written correctly. You will have realized by now that your own strength is insufficient to endure in this world. We must one and all look only to Jesus for strength to endure in this difficult life. When we have learned to trust completely in Him, we will have learned what it is to live for Christ.

Ask God for strength in this life, the strength to trust in Him completely.

Bucky

Worshipful and Thankful - June 23, 2008

Good Monday morning! A headline this morning reads: "worshippers thankful that river is cresting." By now, most everyone, even a few hermits, knows that some areas have suffered serious flooding in the past couple of weeks or more. What can we learn from this short headline? For one thing this group of people is worshipping, even during a flood that disrupts their lives and may leave some or all of them without a home. Even more than that, they are thankful for something. I suspect, although I did not read the article, that they are thankful for much more than just the river cresting. That should be the story or our lives in Christ. Worshipful and thankful as we spread the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.

Why did I add the Good News part in? There are other groups of people in that same place who are thankful that the river is cresting, but these people do not believe in Jesus. There may even be other groups of worshiping folks in that area, but those folks may not be worshipping God. Our Christian walk should not, cannot, include only the parts we like. We are called to be thankful for the difficult times as well as the good times. In other words we are grateful during the flood as well as the aftermath when all is cleaned up and the flood only a memory. I am not trying to say that we must be thankful for the disasters that come along in our lives. It would be hard to feel gratitude for a flood that kills and destroys, but at the same time we can feel gratitude for life, for the love of Jesus, and that God will always see us through the tough times.

Independence Day is almost here and that means the wheat harvest will soon be upon us in these parts. Please pray for good weather during this critical time for the farmers. By now you will have realized that high prices for wheat and corn affect us all, praying for a good crop is to your and my advantage too!

Sing a song of praise for the new week!

Bucky

Cryin' about Gas Prices - June 22, 2008

Good Sunday morning! Ah, my harping on gas prices has struck a nerve it seems. How much faith do you put in our government, you remember those "representatives of the people", to do something about the gas prices? How much faith do you place in God to take care of us? Reading in the paper yesterday, the people interviewed are calling upon the government. As for me and my household, we will call upon the Lord. As a part of my putting faith into action, I am driving much less and will start taking my lunch to work to avoid one trip home each day. Now to find somewhere quiet to eat lunch away from the cube. The cats' sacrifice will be in not seeing me at noon; I suspect they will sleep right through their "sacrifice".

How are you changing your lifestyle to meet the new cost of fuel? Grocery prices are also up for all of us. This will hurt the restaurant industry as more of us will eat at home to save on food and on gas. I know that many kids depend upon restaurant jobs to get money for school; I know that I did back in the day. What are we to do with signs that the world is imploding around us? Trust in God, just as we do in the better times, so we also must do when things seem darker. Some good news, it seems that China is not using or demanding as much fuel as was once thought. Oil futures are nothing more than bets on which way fuel prices will go. We start using much less fuel and the retail market will not support the bets of $200 a barrel oil. I would be just as happy to see those bets not come true. Let us pray earnestly and put faith into action.

Trust in God. He is in control, no matter how bad things may seem to us.

Bucky

No Control for You! - June 20, 2008

Good Friday morning! I am glad the weekend will soon begin. We had another heavy rainfall last night; I think the church's new parking lot will soon be some blocks down the street. The College World Series is well underway, I missed much of the beginning this year due to traveling. I hope to spend some time watching a few games this weekend.

Have you ever wanted more control? I think that part of the curse on this world is a realization of our own powerlessness. However, like many other parts of the curse, many people refuse to face the fact that God is in control and not each individual person. Throughout society we see attempts to control populations, events, and even individual behavior. Others try to rewrite history, sometimes through scholarly research and other times through increasingly wild guesswork. What is our housing but an attempt to control a small piece of the environment? Dams to control flooding, highways to control travel, rules for this and that, are all attempts to control something. That is not to say that laws are bad, or that we should all go try to sleep in the pasture. However, at some point we come to recognize the sovereign place of God in our lives. This is part of our sanctification process. We come to realize that we can control very little apart from God. You might think that you controlled when you got up today. On the other hand, a little touch of illness and you wouldn't get up, or a call of "fire" at 3:00 am and you would get up quickly and much earlier than you had planned. The best part of realizing God's sovereign power is that we are no longer blown about like flotsam in this sea of life.

People in the world will plan and scheme, work and train, and hope that believing in their own self will cause them a long and happy life. Then some life-changing event occurs and all of their hard work and planning is out the window. Isn't it much better to realize that every dark valley has an end and that God will lead us through? In the world, there is no such Good News, only success as measured in worldly terms or failure, which comes all too often. This dark world needs to know that God is in control and that He has sent Good News of eternal life through His Son, Jesus.

Believe it and receive it today! Have a wonderful weekend!

Bucky

Joy in Prayer - June 19, 2008

Good Thursday morning! The world awaits our presence on this great day in the Lord Jesus! I am writing cheerful words through a sleepy head. :-) I received one of those midnight calls last night, not the big one we are all waiting for, but one of the sleep-depriving ones we get in this world. Wow, I feel that a good nap would do me some good right now. Has your life ever been uprooted due to a change in work schedule? I learned yesterday that many of our retail employees had to change from day work to night work recently. Ouch! That is a change that would cause me no small amount of pain. I am sure that many of them are feeling some kind of discomfort too. Do others need our prayers? Yes, I think that we can see needs both great and small in the world around us. Focusing only on our own needs can be depressing; praying and thinking of the needs of others brings us to realize that we are not alone in this struggle. It all comes back to "love your neighbors as your self." My neighbors might be those in towns under water right now, or those who live next door and must adjust to a radically different work schedule. In all cases, the Lord has provided us many folks to pray for. Do we revel in their misery? Certainly not, but we do take the opportunity to pray earnestly for their salvation and relief in dark times. Praying for someone else is a privilege, and we do reveal our joy in prayer. Let the glory of God shine through us today!

Bucky

No More Guilt - June 18, 2008

Good morning in Christ Jesus! Have you ever heard or read about the gathering of a group to which you once belonged, and then wondered whether you would be welcome? Pastor Rogers writes about the Ghosts of Guilt today. That phrase reminded me of the many times I have wondered whether to attend some reunion or gathering. More often than not the devil presents some event from back in the day to remind me of something I said that was hurtful or simply stupid. We all have those moments in our past, and we need not listen to those ghosts of guilt. If you or I suspect that someone is still hurting from something we said as a child, we can ask forgiveness of that person. More than likely, and I have found this to be true by personal experience, we will find that the other person does not even remember that event, or didn't until reminded by us. That other person may even remind us of an event that we had forgotten that had bothered him or her for years. We should not have lunch with the ghosts of guilt, or perhaps more appropriately, take a midnight snack with them. In the same way we are to deal with stress and anxiety, think on Jesus and His love for you to combat those ghosts.

Should you ever run into a person who refuses to forgive some old slight or injury, then the problem is no longer yours to bear. The root of bitterness can run deep and some enjoy gnawing on its ends. We are to look to the light and rest in the blessed assurance that Jesus forgives completely. Walk away from the bitter person; their healing is in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

God loves you and so do I!

Bucky

God in Control - June 17, 2008

Good morning, and it is good to be writing in the morning once more! I pray that your day will be wonderful in Christ Jesus. I have some catching up to do at home and at work, including packages to mail, e-mails to answer, phone mails, and on it goes. Does it feel out of control? Yes, at times my life does feel like a roller coaster. However, as Pastor Rogers reminds us today, God is in control of both my life and all of creation. We cannot surprise God, and we cannot do something that He does not expect. Events on the Earth do not catch our Lord off guard, though they may seem shocking to us. Does your neighborhood seem dull? That doesn't mean that God has lost touch with it, nor is a bad neighborhood a sign of the Lord's absence. We cannot fall away from the Lord's grasp! How often have you or I felt our grasp on the Lord's hand weakening, only to find that we are held in His mighty hand? There is no need to hold tight when we are held. The news may get you down today, but through and in spite of all that we see God is perfectly in control, just as He always has been.

Love and honor to our Lord Jesus on this fine day!

Bucky

Home Once More - June 16, 2008

Good morning on this rainy Monday in Sidney. We woke up to wet and clouds this morning, but the rain has stopped. As I read the stories about the Mississippi flooding, I realize there are problems much larger than mine going on right now. Towns and cities are filling sandbags in the hundreds of thousands to save homes and property, while other residents are forced to abandon their homes in Iowa. I seem to recall a similar effort not that long ago (1993) and the devastation that happened back then. I would like to live by a river or stream, but like everyone else I would prefer the river not want to move in with me. I would of course prefer that others not have to suffer to put my own problems in the right perspective, but the disasters will come on this earth and those disasters do remind us of how small our day to day problems are in the big picture.

I am glad to be home, but like other trials, this will take a bit of time for recovery. Driving, another stressful and time-consuming activity that doesn't burn the calories it deserves. My mind and body wanted to rebel this morning when I climbed into the truck; I had to reassure myself that I was only going to the grocery store. Too many days of driving and more driving! Praise the Lord that I am home! Wait, I am not quite home just yet. There it is! Too often we think of our house here on earth as "home" when we know very well that our home is in heaven with Jesus. You and I will be truly home one day, but we are not there yet! Hold on for a bit longer.

God bless you all,

Bucky

Prayer Support - June 10, 2008

Good Tuesday morning! I must travel to Mitchell, SD today, and then travel more tomorrow. I hope to have Internet available at the motels and do plan on writing each day. A road trip! It has been sometime since I have traveled for the company. Now to work on my tendency to pack the entire house.

Each day we face a new challenge in Christ. The challenge may be as simple as getting out of bed in the morning; not everyone can do that easily. Each of us may face the end of this life on any given day. Today, reading in Acts, I came upon the story of Saul. One of the first descriptions of Saul states that he was eager to kill followers of Christ. Eager to kill? Wow, and this man became one of the foremost apostles to us, the Gentiles. Yes, we know from some of our earliest lessons in Sunday School about the conversion of Saul to Paul, and from a zealous persecutor of the early church to one of the great Christian writers and speakers of that time. Many are still called to follow a similar path of speaking, writing letters, and traveling to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Your path or my path may be somewhat different, but we can all support those who lead many to Christ through their ministries both large and small. What is the most powerful support? Prayer, pure and simple, and something all of us can do.

God bless and keep each of you on this fine day,

Bucky

Encouragement for a Monday - June 9, 2008

Good Monday morning! How does everyone feel today? Not quite at the top of your game on this Monday morning? I am not surprised. We enjoy the weekends and then have trouble getting motivated for work on a Monday. Most of us would have a perpetual weekend if we could. Those of you enjoying retirement will just have to remember what it was like to be in the working world each week. I don't know about you, but in reading Pastor Rogers' devotional this morning, I find a sense of dismay. What is the abundant life? How can I encourage others when I can only think, "bleah, time to start another work week"? The solution is much the same as with regrets. We overcome our attitudes or feelings of the moment, and enjoy Christ's abundance by striving to see what God sees. You and I may writhe on the altar of regret over past sins and mistakes in our lives, but what will God see when we approach Him? He will see the life of Jesus. Eh? How can the omniscient God see Jesus' life in us? Well, it's like this: We believe in Jesus to save us and He gave His life to do just that. We know that God puts our sins away from Him as far as the east is from the west. We know from the Bible that we will be given spotless robes washed in the blood of the Lamb at the judgment time. We also know that a robe covers us completely. Put all of that together and give the Holy Spirit time to work in our lives and, voila! God sees Jesus in each of us. No parade of past sins and social gaffes, no gloomy attitudes about Mondays and work will show in us, just the overwhelming joy of believing in Christ Jesus! Abundant life eternal is given to us now. As the plants across the northern hemisphere bloom with the approach of summer, enjoy the bounty that God has sent to your life. Remember what He sees in you; not what you see in your past, but the perfect, sinless life of Jesus.

God bless you on this fine Monday!

Bucky

Trust in Jesus - June 8, 2008

Good Sunday morning! Today starts a new week in Christ Jesus. Worship, praise, prayer, and possibility all present opportunities to give God the glory. Thank you Lord for the beauty of this new week. I have heard and now read, several references to the fact that Jesus is with us all of the time. We can view that in a negative light, as in don't do this or that because Jesus is watching, or we can view it in a positive light wherein we know and are comforted by the fact that the Creator of all things is with us personally at any moment. You or I may face work, problems, a trip, or even vacation, but the Lord is with us at all times. In the good times or the trials, we have one thing in common, Jesus is with us through all and will bring us to Him. People everywhere are searching for answers to the problems and trials of this life. We have and know the answer, Jesus. The world finds alcohol, drugs, food, companionship, material things, power, and all manner of religions in an attempt to answer or endure the difficulties. None of these things will work for very long. Some things must be consumed over and over, buying things only satisfies for a short time, and friends must go their own ways at some point. The things of this world are transient in our lives and do not bring us peace and joy like the love of Jesus does. Trust in the Lord Jesus to save you and bring you joy in this dark world.

Praise and Honor the name of Jesus!

Bucky

Live on Saturday - June 7, 2008

Good morning! Kind of a lazy start to this Saturday, I have accomplished next to nothing so far this morning. I am still writing this live each morning. I suspect that many devotional writers do not do this on a daily basis, but rather sit down to write up several in a day, perhaps a week's worth at a time. I still like to sit down each morning and write what I feel called to write about. Anyhoo, that is neither here nor there. Someone used that phrase on one of my coworkers yesterday to excuse some poor planning. It hurts when you must rush to do something because another person or department failed to communicate in a timely manner. While such trite phrases as "neither here nor there" can be painful to hear, especially when no apology is forthcoming, that does make a good point. When the problem is upon you, parceling out the blame is probably not going to solve anything. In this world, we are going to find ourselves hurt by other people in ways that are both frustrating and disheartening. Jesus told us that the world hated him first, and we see the effects of that in our daily lives. Some times that other person is not out to "get" us, but is simply a person with many cares and duties of his or her own. Blame is easy to point that finger, but sometimes we simply need to forgive and move into the solution phase. Forgiveness may help the person doing the forgiving more than it helps the person doing the hurting. Certainly when the person doing the hurting is not repentant or contrite, we need to forgive to avoid taking harm from that hurt.

God bless you on this fine weekend in Christ!

Bucky

A Harvest of Joy - June 6, 2008

Good Friday morning! Clear skies greet us this morning, and the rains of yesterday were very welcome. Praise God for the opportunity to live another day in Him! My head is still kind of sleepy this morning, perhaps due to an exhausting week. Has the energy-sapping monster of worry got a hold of me? I have noticed in my life that worry can be exhausting work. It robs a person of sleep and rest; it causes a mental exhaustion that in turn starts all manner of physical ailments, and finally the physical burn of nervousness. With all of that, is it any wonder that a person can feel worn out? So many times Jesus said, "Don't worry" or Don't be afraid" and yet we still do it. Learning to trust completely in the Lord may be one of the more difficult parts of growing in Christ. However, we need not despair that we will never reach that point of complete trust. The one in charge of that work in us, the Holy Spirit, is both very patient and very tenacious. You and I will see the results of the Spirit's work in our lives and minds. The joy of the Lord will come upon us in all of its fullness. When I write of what the Lord has done for me, the energy and joy of His presence fills me.

Give glory to God, and reap the harvest of His joy!

Bucky

Regrets are Joy Killers - June 5, 2008

Good Thursday morning! The rain clouds have been in the area all night and we are getting some good moisture from them today. Hey, guess what? Today is June 5. That is only amusing because I used June 3 on my blog post yesterday, probably a symptom of not writing for more than a week. Whatever the mistake done in the past, today is a new day and date. We do not need to remember constantly the mistakes or sins of the past. How does it feel to be forgiven? One thing that I can relate is that there is no longer a need to writhe in mental anguish over some past sin. Yes, you or I have our moments of despair over a sin or mistake in our past. In the forgiveness of Christ, we need not constantly bring that up before God or even the theatre of our mind. Paul reminded us to strive for what is ahead, forgetting what is behind. He, I'm sure, struggled with the many memories of his past time spent persecuting the new followers of the Way. The stoning of Stephen is only one event that we can read in Acts, but Paul probably put his zealous energy to work daily for what he believed was right in his former life as Saul. Putting what is in the past behind us is one of the most important things we can do. How will you face the world if all that you can remember before Jesus saved you is the sins and mistakes of your past? Remember that Jesus loved you before you received His forgiveness, mistakes and all! Paul could not have written his letters without putting the past behind him, and we must do the same. Once the sin is confessed and forgiven, don't bring it up again. Regrets are joy killers.

Once more, my writing is as much to remind myself as it is for anyone else. The struggle goes on daily with regrets. A good memory is a blessing, but not when used for regret. Just as a good imagination is not for envisioning some disaster, a good memory should be used to remember the times when you or I have been especially blessed by Jesus. On that note, the dreary clouds in my mind begin break up and move away.

The love of Jesus goes with you this day!

Bucky

Avoiding Oaths - June 3, 2008

Good Wednesday morning! The Son of God shines in our lives on this fine morning. Pastor Rogers writes about broken promises today in the context of a parent-teenager relationship. What about all of our other relationships? Who can remember all of the times we made a promise and failed to fulfill that promise? More often than not, the other party will remember. How much easier it is to remember when another person failed to fulfill a promise to us, than it is to remember our own failures to fulfill a promise made to someone. In our Christian walk, we are called upon to forgive, and the world will delight in holding us to this standard. Jesus commanded us to avoid oaths because of our lack of knowledge about what the future may bring. What may seem clear now, may become obscure or even impossible in the future. An oath to perform some act or give something may become impossible to fulfill at some future date.

I was amused by one of the questions our local paper asked the candidates seeking a spot on the town council. The question was: "Will you fulfill the entire term of office?" The more honest answer is of course that none of us can see to the end of a four-year term. Neither you nor I can tell where our lives will be four years from now, much less four years from the time a term of service will begin. I suppose it would have been refreshing to see one of the politicians answer with something like, "No, I intend to serve two years after I win the election, and then retire to another state with lower property taxes." An answer like that would certainly separate the candidate from the pack!

May God bless you on this great day!

Bucky

Blowing the Dust Off - June 3, 2008

Goood morning! The bright sun dawns on a return to the honor and privilege of writing in Christ Jesus. The last time I wrote, Friday May 23rd, was the day I began a vacation and watched a deluge knock out my Internet connection. Yesterday afternoon, we managed to fix all of the problems, a big thank you goes out to Matt Perry, and I am back online. Does absence make the heart grow fonder, as the old saying goes? Yes, in this case, I did seriously miss the writing of this in the mornings. I saved the Saturday devotional that I had begun to write. It was that morning that I came to the realization that no matter what I tried here at home, the Internet had taken a vacation as well. An interesting week to be sure, as it had been some time since I had spent a week without Internet or e-mail.

It was nice to be back at work yesterday, my security blanket still firmly in place. I am reminded that my plan for moving into a new career is fast approaching. A couple of years or so is not that long even as we measure time. Questions arise: will I have the words to produce novels? Will I be able to overcome the laziness that might set in from not having a regular job and boss? The answer to the many questions, doubts you might call them, lies in Christ Jesus. I am glad to be back with you on this fine morning, blowing the dust off my morning writing and moving on to the glory of God the Father!

Once more the privilege of writing a devotional returns and I would first remind you that God loves you and so do I! Trust in the Lord Jesus in all of your endeavors, whether professional, spiritual, or leisure. Other than the occasional storm, our weather has been mild this spring, but that is not true in all places. We pray for those who have suffered loss or injury in the spring tornadoes around the country.

God bless and keep you,

Bucky