November 24, 2006

Good Morning! Well, there it is; turkey flakes for breakfast, turkey sandwiches for lunch, and warmed up turkey for dinner… it must be the day after Thanksgiving. Sometime next week we will wonder why turkey is eaten at Thanksgiving and ask if perhaps chicken wouldn’t be a better choice. Isn’t that the way it goes on this earth? Too much of almost anything becomes burdensome. Some might say that a person cannot have too much money, but how much is that? Have any of us tried having too much money? Is it possible to have too much love? I think not. I don’t believe that we can have too much of Jesus either. Another beautiful sunrise paints the sky this morning. We get one dose of sunrise on most days, not enough to have too much of that! Some wonderful things are only good for us in measured doses. Studying the Bible should be done daily, but not constantly. We need to let our minds rest and absorb the Word. We also need to share it with others. You may gain some wonderful insights from studying the Word constantly, but what good is that to anyone if you do not take the time to share that insight? So how can we not have too much of Jesus? Easy, He is the Lord. He knows exactly the right touch to form the most beautiful jewel from the basest clay. The process will take the entirety of our lifetime, but our Lord is the master craftsman. No, we cannot get too much of the love of our Lord!

Rejoice in the love of our Lord!

Bucky

November 23, 2006

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving! Our gratitude towards God the Father overflows on this day; may Thanksgiving be a blessing to you and yours to the glory of God! Today let’s be thankful for our family. We are thankful for the family of Jesus, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are thankful for our earthy family, our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters here on this earth. We are thankful for our friends and neighbors, and our co-workers where we work on most days. I pray on this day that all would be saved, that the name of Jesus would be glorified forever! Amen.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Bucky

November 22, 2006

Good Morning! Okay, since Pastor Rogers started it; we will be thankful for the big things in life today. For those of you reading on the blog, the link to Pastor Rogers devotional is at the end. Yes, if you are among that group of traumatic accident survivors, you and I did indeed thank God for sparing our lives. That gratitude may have been drowned in tears at times as we endured the healing and rehabilitation processes. Some would say that it is somehow easier for those of us who came near to death to believe in God. As a survivor of that type of accident, I would dispute that with you. Now this must come from the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, because at one time, prior to the accident and healing, I would certainly have agreed with you. I am thankful for my life changing accident which caused me to look to Jesus. It is then much better for those who do not require such a traumatic event in their lives and believe already. Jesus said it first when he said that very thing to Thomas who had doubted his resurrection until the Lord appeared to him personally. I still like the part where our Lord says, “Touch me!” He was no ghost or spirit, he is the resurrected Lord! Today we are thankful for the seemingly big things in our lives. The sunrise that is so beautiful; stars and planets, the sun and moon, homes and cars, buildings and trains, airplanes and orangutans, all those things which are just too big for us. An accident, whether it is an earthquake or hurricane, an automobile or plane crash, all are too fast and too big for us alone. Today we are grateful that God is sovereign. There is so much in this life that is just too much for any of us to control in our own strength or intelligence. We cannot comprehend the extent of God’s creation, nor can we understand most of what man has created. Today, all of us will operate devices which we could not recreate on our own. We will walk, sit, or stand near forces which could end our physical life in a moment if God were not in charge. Today, we also thank God for guarding us each and every moment of our lives.

What a glorious day we have in Jesus!

Bucky

http://www.lwf.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr011=8c7ev4ft71.app1a&abbr=for_&page=NewsArticle&id=5697&news_iv_ctrl=1183

November 21, 2006

Good Morning! The third day of Thanksgiving week, and that does bring something to mind to be thankful for… Today we will be thankful for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in His resurrection that we have our great hope. I’ve heard the arguments too, “he wasn’t really dead, the body was stolen, etc.” That only goes to show that if a person does not want to believe; there will be no lack of arguments to support that unbelief. However, those of us who choose to believe know one great truth. That Jesus rose again on the third day. Thank you Lord that you live!

Bucky

November 20, 2006

Good morning! It is Monday once again, so what should we be grateful for but work! Yes, that job that you and I have, going to work and making a living. Some days we just don’t want to go and we would rather stay home. Other days we cannot wait to get in and start. What is this work thing that we do? Remember, back in the days before Jesus became Lord, how unemployment would just wreck your entire emotional outlook on life? Perhaps you have never been without a job, but without Christ it can be a worrisome experience. Yes, we should indeed be thankful for our job and serve our employer well. Gratitude adjusts our attitude; when we are thankful for what we have, the worries and complaints will fall away. That job will take on new meaning and joy in the light of gratitude. Yes, Lord. We are thankful for our jobs this day; let us work with joy in our hearts!

Hallelujah!

Bucky

November 19, 2006

Good Sunday morning! The week of Thanksgiving begins today, what should we be thankful for this morning? Let us be grateful for the dawning of a beautiful new day! Perhaps the weather is not as you or I would like it wherever we are this morning. Maybe the Sunday paper didn’t arrive on time or your favorite college team lost yesterday. Your health may not be where you would like it to be this day or you may be suffering from overindulgence in something last night. However, all these things will pass, we begin anew each day. Often we hear the wish that if only we were young again but knew everything we do now. Well, that wish is granted each day, we simply fail to be grateful for it. We may not be turned back to 19 years old, but each day we begin a new life and we know everything we knew in our old life of yesterday. Each new day we learn more about this life and we draw closer to God in some way. Today we’ll be thankful for our new life each time we wake up. Today let’s be thankful for the new life we have in Jesus. Hallelujah!

Bucky

November 18, 2006

Good Morning! What a fine weekend we have in store! That isn’t saying more than the usual, every day is a gift from God. Today I have decided to be thankful for things that may not seem to be bundles of joy shipped straight from Heaven. Bills, aches and pains, schoolwork (on the weekend no less!), house cleaning chores, flu shots, and weakness in general; these are a few things that may seem miserable. Why be grateful for these things? Why not put them down as part of the curse of a sinful world and go whine in a corner? As we do with a large project, let’s break them down one by one. Bills can be difficult to pay at times as there never seems to be enough money. However, bills come from things we buy such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, electricity, and entertainment. Aches and pains remind us of our dependence upon almighty God, bringing us closer to Him each day. Spending time doing schoolwork at my age and on the weekend may seem to be tough. However, we are never too old to learn. What if college education was allowed from 17 to 30 years of age and after that it was banned since old folks might cause problems with younger ones trying to learn? It sounds a bit far-fetched, but worse arguments have won lawsuits and caused laws to be considered. House cleaning chores is an easy one, homeless folks don’t have any house cleaning chores. It is easy to be grateful for a house, less so to thank God for the cleaning chores. Flu shots may cause you to feel ill for a day or two, though usually far less than the actual flu. Virus-borne illness is definitely a sign of the stain of sin upon everything, but God has given us ways to ease or cure the suffering until Jesus returns to make all things new. Do we need to go on? In Acts, the disciples and apostles would praise God to be counted worthy to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus. The persecution we suffer here in America is seldom of the physical variety; we might be shunned or abandoned by friends and family, or we might be held up to ridicule or scorn in the media, but physically we have it easy. As we look forward to a holiday of giving thanks to God, we are a country who should thank God constantly for the blessings He has given to us. Don’t wait for Thursday, begin gratitude with those things that do not seem so wonderful, and then see how much more grateful the wonderful things in this life become to you! Oh, and weakness, why it just shows us how mighty our Lord is!

Praise God and to Him be the glory!

Bucky

November 17, 2006

Good morning! Let’s manufacture some happiness today! How can we do that? By the opposite of moaning and complaining of course, we manufacture happiness with gratitude. Be thankful to your spouse for just being there and for who they are. Be grateful to your employer for providing you a way to make a living for your family. Be grateful to God in all things, the trials and the pain of life, the roof over your head, that you are still alive, even for the earth to stand or sit upon. Complaining brings down your face and your spirits, even the secularists know this. A smile may help lift your spirits, but Jesus calls us to get to the root of that smile, joy. Forcing yourself to smile because someone says to do so can help a little, but a smile is but a symptom. Forcing a sad person to assume a symptom doesn’t cure the disease. Want to see a genuine smile? Spread the joy that comes with the Good News of Jesus Christ! Today let us be grateful for that Good News; the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord brings a depth of joy to our hearts which even this world cannot extinguish!

Praise God for life in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

November 16, 2006

Good morning. The light of the Lord shines upon us today! Anger catches all of us off our guard at times; many things in this world can cause us to be angry. Many rightly so, others are just silly, but they still cause that fuse to start burning. Some of us control it better than others, and some of us only think that we do. That wrath that comes from a slow burn on the inside can be more damaging to both the person and the object of the wrath when it explodes into action. These days, movies and television shows might try to glorify that angry man or woman who has finally had enough and sets out upon the trail to revenge. Jesus tells us that this is not the way, not his way. More often than not, I have found that my internal anger is unjustified, the imagined slight or injustice is just that, imagined. We cannot easily know what is going on in another person’s mind and what may have caused someone to act in the way they did. How many times, when we imagine that we know why a person is doing or not doing something, do we seem to imagine the very worst motives? To help with that wrathful thinking, try to give them the benefit of the doubt and imagine a compassionate motive for them. Often for me it seems that understanding dawns when I imagine a better motive for the other guy, and the healing that is really needed in most cases comes upon… my own thinking!

No foothold for the devil, love one another.

Bucky

November 15, 2006

Good morning and a great day to be serving the Lord! How is your behavior at work? Do you act differently at work than you do with your family at home? Sometimes we put on a front to go to work; we might be nicer, more polite, less direct, more cunning or clever, and other behaviors that we don’t use at home. Playing a part puts a great stress upon an actor, it is sometimes stated that 3 movies per year is the average that an actor can stand without emotional or psychological troubles. That makes me wonder just how much stress we put upon ourselves by assuming a “role” at work. If someone tells you that you act very differently at home or that “you’re a different person” at work, that might be a warning sign of stress that you are putting upon yourself. Now there will always be some stress at work, many of the tasks that you and I perform at work would not be necessary at home. Try to imagine your family gathering in a conference room to discuss the latest strategic direction for the company or how to cut costs in the next budget year. (Not that this would be a bad thing in some families!) Some level of stress separates work from home; if your home is stressful then you need to invite Jesus inside. We cannot continue to function with too much stress at home and at work; that would be a terrible burden! Strive to find peace in the home, and be genuine and loving at work.

May God bless you this day!

Bucky

November 14, 2006

Good morning! In a world so stained with sin, the light of Jesus shines gloriously into the darkness! Hallelujah! Reading the news on most days can really give one an appreciation for the light of the world. Sadly, I don’t even need to give examples; a news web site, a newspaper, the nightly news, any of them will do. You can probably think of many examples without even trying. There is a feeding frenzy at work in the world, people say that gore, sex, and violence is all that is shown; the media folks say that those same subjects are all that the people want to see… one feeding the other in an endless circle. Like Ouroboros, the ancient symbol of the snake or dragon devouring itself, the world feeds on its own tail in an endless cycle. I can see that once again this observation is not new. I can picture a minstrel of ages past coming to a small town and performing his singing news reports. A person might ask him, “Why do you always bring us tales of gore, sex, and violence?” to which he replies, “That is all the people want to hear…” There is a circle of life alright; it is the world spinning in place until Jesus returns.
Did you get a chance to read the dissenting article from Sam Harris in the November 13 issue of Newsweek? It is interesting that in order to make a case, no matter how poorly argued, against Christianity, that atheists must lump all religions together. Of course, misrepresentations, even comical ones, are used liberally throughout the article. “raptured into the stratosphere”? Good grief, you can’t even breathe there, why would anyone want to be caught up to the stratosphere? It’s an old tactic, if you cannot defeat an idea as it stands, then belittle it with comedy first. Jesus is more than an idea, more than a religion, and a walk with Christ is a relationship.

God be with you this day,

Bucky

November 13, 2006

Good morning on Garfield’s favorite day – Monday the 13th! Yes, it’s back to work for those of us on the regular Mon-Fri work schedule. Have you ever been accused of being self-assured? Does this bother you? It certainly should. Many in the world can be described as self-assured, I have been described that way before and I must confess that I was just that. Back in the day when I could only be described as a complete failure for Christ and an unacknowledged one at that, I thought myself smart and quite self-confident. However, confidence in ourselves gets us nowhere in the end. All of our accomplishments on this earth end when we do. Faith in Christ, now that will get us to a home in Heaven! When we sing that great hymn “Blessed Assurance” we do not speak of self-assurance, we speak of God assurance. Can we really be self-confident after the Law shows us how many times we fail? No, and the Law cannot save us, only condemn. Jesus came to save us and not to condemn, and that is our blessed assurance, salvation in Christ! So this week we can start like any other or we can start the week…

God-assured and Jesus-powered, unconditional love from here to eternity!

Bucky

November 12, 2006

Good Morning! Hope everyone obeyed the safety rules yesterday. Of course if you do not participate in deer season then I hope you obeyed the safety rules of driving, walking, or snoozing on the couch. What about those who do not keep a commandment? The minister from Colorado, the actor/director who made The Passion of the Christ, the televangelist caught with his secretary… I don’t even need to name them and you probably know who they are. The world delights in catching someone with their britches down; religious figure, politician, or media star, they will get splashed across the web pages whenever they do something wrong.
I disagree with Dr. Dobson when he says this latest scandal has hurt the cause of Christ. I do not believe that we can hurt the cause of Christ, although we can certainly hurt our own cause or reputation. When Jesus reported to his Father in Heaven that he had not lost even one of those he was given, I believe that refers to all of those who will join him in Heaven. If a minister falls from grace in the eyes of the world and then repents, I truly believe that Jesus is the first one to reach down and pick him up. Sins in our thoughts are no better or worse than those sins made public in the media. The world may not know that you or I have sinned, but God knows the breadth and depth of that sin, just as He knows the truth behind what we see in the media. We will all stumble in our walk with Christ, remember to forgive as He has forgiven us.

God loves you!
Bucky

November 11, 2006

Good Morning! It’s the opening day of deer season out here on the high plains. Armed folks in orange taking to the dirt roads to put venison on the table and feed their families. I will once again bring a big college paper to completion, actually two of them, this weekend. Such is the life of a college student! Today is also, perhaps more importantly, Veterans Day. If you have not thanked a veteran for his or her service to our country, please do so today. I arrived home in time yesterday to catch a repeat of the dedication of the new Marine Corps Museum on CSPAN; the ceremony featured President Bush, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and others emceed by PBS host and Marine veteran Jim Lehrer. A visit to that museum will be on my itinerary of places to visit out east in the future.
Each year on Veterans Day, I like to remind us of the service given by those among us who have volunteered or been drafted to serve in our Armed Forces. I always think that God likes to see us serving someone other than ourselves. The ultimate example of this is Jesus Christ who continually served others during his life on earth and gave us all a great gift upon his resurrection, the gift of eternal life for all who will believe. Even those who refuse to believe in God can begin down a less selfish path in life by serving their country. We note many non-U.S. citizens joining the Armed Forces to defend their adopted country and to attain citizenship more quickly, and this is a wonderful thing. Certainly there are many who are already citizens who should be shamed a bit by this.
Do you feel that your chance has gone by? You are now 40, 50, or even older and the military wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole? Perhaps you are still young and some other circumstance or condition prevents your service. Not to worry, there is a higher service. Nations will come and go; even this great nation of ours will one day be no more. Jesus calls us to follow him; that service will never end and can begin at any age. We have the opportunity of a lifetime, even unto the point of our physical death, to repent and be welcomed into the family of God. There is no boot camp to face, only a cross to carry and a friend to gain in Jesus. Don’t wait or cling to this earthly life when so much awaits you in Christ, our Lord and Savior!

God bless you this fine weekend!

Bucky

November 10, 2006

Good Morning! Some time ago I promised to relate a dream I had. This occurred about the time this devotional could no longer be sent from inside my company to other believers both within and outside of the organization. I went through a bit of a dark time then, almost ceasing to write each day as I had become accustomed to doing. If you have ever watched Coral Ridge Ministries or D. James Kennedy on the television, you may have seen their Christmas greetings where Pastor and Mrs. Kennedy speak from a comfortable room and wish us a Merry Christmas. The reason I mention this is that the dream came to me just like that, Pastor and Mrs. Kennedy speaking directly to me; only it wasn’t Dr. Kennedy speaking to me, but Mrs. Kennedy. She simply said that I had to get back to the work I was doing. Nothing more than that, no long scenes of strangeness that might occur in most of my dreams (we’ll not go into that here!), just a simple and straightforward message of get back in the saddle, so to speak. Praise the Lord, I did just that and we have rolled along for a couple of months now, even adding a new believer now and again. Writing is what I have been called to do and I am most happy when doing it for the Lord.

Have a blessed and wonderful weekend in Christ Jesus!
Bucky

... and today we wish a Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!

November 9, 2006

Good Morning! The Democrats have taken over and the world seems to be much the same as yesterday, life goes on. How often does that “idle word” get into our conversation? At times a phrase or word will get into my head that I think is somehow cute or funny and it can be very hard to keep it from coming out. How many times has some little joke or comment, spoken when someone was not present, made its way back to them and then the subject of that word come to you? That can be quite embarrassing and rightly so! What is even more frightening is having the accuser bring all of those idle words out at my trial before the Judgment Seat. What then is to prevent all of us from being condemned by our idle words? One not so idle Word, Jesus! He has paid the price for every one of our idle words. We should fear and respect what God knows, but only to make us strive to live and speak better, to be careful about what we say (or write!). To paraphrase Paul, Love doesn’t take verbal potshots at other people.

God bless you this day!

Bucky

November 8, 2006

Good Morning! The love of God shines upon us today, just like it does on every moment of every other day! We have elected a slightly different governing body today. Yes, the party makeup of the House of Representatives has shifted substantially to the Democratic Party. Many are speaking out about what they think it will mean for us, but in truth that remains to be seen. The new speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, spoke of a return to civility, and then a bit later spoke of a “return to integrity and honesty”.. Ouch! I hope that isn’t a sign of things to come. We can be comforted in one thing; God is sovereign, both on earth and in Heaven. Right now we are allowed to choose those who would govern us and though the “will of the people” seems to be whatever the candidate speaking says that it is; we know that whatever the will of God is, will indeed come to completion in his perfect time. Do you believe candidates or elected representatives when they say “I will do this or I will do that”? They may or not be able to carry out their plans or wishes. However, when God says in His Word that He will do this, I have no doubt that it will come true. I choose to believe, you choose to believe, and we know and are content in His assurance. Do the results of the election affect us? I must admit to some trepidation regarding the change of government; that is only normal for any of us. Like you, I am glad that God has not changed and will not change. I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

God loves you!

Bucky

November 7, 2006

Good morning and remember to vote today! Just a bit over two weeks from today is Thanksgiving. I start mentioning Christmas well before Thanksgiving arrives and I do not want us to forget that gratitude comes first. While many have forgotten that Thanksgiving is based upon gratitude, not eating, we should not only remember, but remember all the year long. During the difficult times in life it may be tough to remember to thank God for everything. We might be thanking God through tears and we may not feel grateful for a time, but God is with us through joy and pain. His promise to us does not grow dim or farther away; as Isaiah told us, “the people who walk in darkness will see a great light – a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow.” (9:2). We might look to the side or try to shield our eyes, but that light never dims.

Praise God for the light of Jesus Christ!
Bucky

November 6, 2006

Good Morning! Tomorrow is time to vote if you didn’t get one of the new mail-in ballots. Somehow I always feel a bit irresponsible or fraudulent in my voting. It seems that on every ballot there is some amendment or election that leaves me thinking “huh?” or “who are these people?” This year there seemed to be many of those on the ballot; perhaps classes have allowed the election to sneak up on me or it may have been the attention paid to the congressional seats. I may need to be more responsible and subscribe to a newspaper again; the national news on the Internet doesn’t seem to cover these state amendments. However, when I mail in my ballot today I will vote against allowing more gambling in Nebraska. I realize that we cannot legislate behavior, but at the same time we should not vote more opportunity to sin! I wonder how many races tomorrow will be decided for better or worse by voters like me who know little or nothing about the people in the race? Should I vote on the board of directors for ESU 13 when I don’t know any of the people listed? In that case it might be best to abstain. That is difficult to do since I have been trained since childhood to answer every question on those fill-in-the-ovals tests. This election pointed out to me the need for us as Christians to speak and email our views on candidates and amendments. We should have research and discussion well before the election arrives, especially the presidential election coming up in 2008.
One thing that impressed me about one point of view’s efforts on one ballot amendment, 423, was the fellow out on Sunday evening delivering flyers to every doorstep on our street. I like to see that kind of effort by a candidate or supporter/detractor of an amendment. If I am not mistaken, our current state senator, Philip Erdman, defeated the incumbent by just such an effort. I am thinking that I can make some effort to help you out by finding information on candidates and issues, and then posting that to another blog. It’s too late for this election, but I’ll see what I can do before the next one.
Let us not forget the one thing that we can do in every election though, and it is not voting that I speak of, but rather it is prayer. Before you fill out that ballot, and I certainly encourage you to do so, we can pray for God’s guidance in casting our vote. We may not know everything about every possible selection, but God does and He is not our last resort, but our first!

God be with you as you vote this week.

Bucky

November 4, 2006

Good Morning! In Jesus I am found, no longer lost in a sinful world. Praise God for the Good Shepherd. I do believe there are 50 days until Christmas; it is past time to start playing those Christmas tunes! The celebration of the birth of our Lord on this earth should not be left to the secular world. Every time I go on about the celebration of Christmas, I am struck by the shortcomings in our celebration of Easter, the resurrection of our Lord. The birth is important, but the victory was won upon Jesus death and resurrection. Jesus’ instructions to spread the Good News to all nations came after the resurrection. And spread it did! Christianity outlasted and overcame Rome, made contact with many lost peoples, and began the wonders of modern science. Many languages would remain dark to us were it not for Christian missionaries working to spread the Good News to every corner of the earth. Some would say that the old Greek philosophers began modern science, but did you know that the Greeks had to be rediscovered? Yes, part of the greatness of the Renaissance lay in rediscovery, which should not leave out Martin Luther and his teachings by the way, of much lost knowledge. The great benefit of the printing press was to bring Bibles and reading to everyone. The war has lasted ever since Adam and Eve listened to the serpent in the Garden; we know that it is over and the victory won, we just don’t know when the fighting will end.
May the love of God remind you of Christmas this weekend!
Bucky

November 5, 2006

Good Sunday morning! It looks to be a fine morning today. On this devotional I want to give a word of gratitude for all of those behind the scenes players for Christ. In chapter 8 of his gospel, Luke mentions a few players who support the ministry of Christ through finances or other support. Joanna, Susanna, Mary Magdalene, and others not mentioned by name, gave the ministry support of time and resources. In this way, Jesus did not have to spend precious time asking for tithes or doing domestic chores, instead spending that time teaching, healing, and in prayer. The supporting players in the Church hold just as much importance as the visible players. I have always considered the ministers and missionaries as sort of the stars of the work of our Lord, not that their work is more important, but that it is more visible to the public. Today or actually last night, I was thinking that we often don’t encourage and applaud each other enough for the work we do in supporting the Church. Many of us have been called to a secular career, one not directly related to the Church. You see, all of us are on the front lines in this effort, not just missionaries. Everyone expects a minister to behave in a manner above the common herd; the real witness comes when we as employees in our own workplace behave in a manner like Christ. In fact you only hear about the ministers who misbehave, the world cannot resist pointing out that sin and dancing with the headlines.
Today I would like to applaud and congratulate all of you. Called to a secular career, you still tithe, give to charities, clean the church buildings, minister to those around you, encourage and pray for each other, and spend time in prayer for your country, the world, and our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the globe. We may hear about the televangelists in the media, but they are nothing without Jesus and all of us. We need each other until Jesus comes to bring us home. Every leader in the Church needs followers, and every believer needs the prayers of other believers. We are the Church, the bride of Christ. Praise God for the part we have in building His Kingdom!

Bucky

November 3, 2006

Good Morning! It is good to be near the Lord today. I enjoy Pastor Rogers’ words on patriotism. Another take on patriotism can be found in the book:
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country by Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer. The title might be a bit cumbersome, but I want to acquire a copy and read it. I have read that only 1% of the country has served in the military; this seems to me a low figure when I look around here, but perhaps other parts of the nation make up for our higher figure. Then again… when I start counting veterans and how difficult it can be to find them, maybe not so low. Certainly it is understandable when a mother or father does not want their son or daughter to enlist. The military is directly related to war; no matter who starts it, they will have to fight it. People, both civilian and military, die in wars and none of us wish death upon someone else.
As someone who has already served, I think that everyone should volunteer to serve their country in their youth. We have it easy if we can get away with such a low figure and still have a strong and dedicated military service in our country. Many countries with smaller populations must have near 100% service in order to defend their lands; of course, others have huge populations and can draft million man armies without blinking an eye. However, it is one of the great disparities that so many enjoy the freedom of the best country on earth without giving back a few years of their life to maintain it. Although our military has seldom needed that many people, wouldn’t it be great if the military had to pick and choose through stacks of applications to serve our country? Now I read that the Army had to lower its standards to get enough enlistees, few it seems want to serve right now. Picking up a rifle and doing your duty as a free American has always been difficult, especially in war time, but always we have overcome the fear. What is so different now? Have we as a people become so cynical or fearful that even the terrorist attacks on our nation cannot inspire us for more than a few months? Veterans Day is one week from tomorrow, perhaps we should spend at least this week praying earnestly for our country.

Bucky

November 2, 2006

Good morning and it really is morning this time. Wow, praise the Lord for warm houses! It’s cold out there today. Why don’t we see lengthy letters of praise for our efforts, large or small, in the service of our Lord? Do you want rewards in this life for doing good works? Whenever I start thinking along those lines, I find myself thinking of Jesus words at the Sermon on the Mount.

"Take care! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give a gift to someone in need, don't shout about it as the hypocrites do-blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone, don't tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

Teaching about Prayer and Fasting
5 "And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
7 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don't be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

The phrase “that is all the reward they will ever get” sticks in my mind. It would seem wiser to me to wait for our reward in heaven, the very one that Jesus has gone to prepare. Many people who have been blessed with wealth on this earth give very publicly, seeking the acclaim that goes with that public giving. Money is like any other talent, some are good at handling it, some are not; some have much, some less; we can learn to do it better, but there will always be those with a seemingly magical ability to excel at earning more. Of course, the talent can also be abused. Yesterday I read an interesting article on some ministers who are getting a lot of attention lately. You can view it here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448,00.html , as always when reading articles in the media, read with a critical mind. Whether God wants you or me to be rich in this life I don’t know, but I do think that we should listen to our Lord when he tells us that time is running out. If you think that a minister doesn’t have the entire message of Jesus, then feel free to watch or attend more than one service each week. Our loyalty is to Jesus, not to any one minister or denomination.
The Lord may not grant you riches on this earth, but he most certainly has granted you a mind and heart of love. Love one another and reach out to the lost sheep of this world. Let Jesus prepare your riches in heaven, and don’t become mired down in pursuing money on this earth.

God loves you!
Bucky

October 31, 2006

Good Morning! Halloween morning dawns quite cold, about 13ºF if I see correctly at this time of the morning.
Our nature always wants to reassert control over our lives, even after we have given them to Christ. I know that throughout my life I have often rebelled when someone has tried to correct me, and sadly that hasn’t changed as quickly as I would like. What Jesus gives us is that ability to realize we are rebelling or have rebelled and behaved badly. We have a journey ahead of us, both in spreading the Good News and in growing in Christ. God is very economical with us, he doesn’t make us take two or three journeys to accomplish what he would have us to do, only one life to live and one journey to make. We will not have to worry about recycling or reincarnation until we “get it right”, no words of rebuke from St. Peter at the pearly gates, “Nope, you still don’t get it, go back and try again.” One life is given to us and one life was given for us at the cross. The one journey will be sufficient, but like a good cure, it may be painful along the way. The journey ends when God is satisfied with our refinement and His standards are different from what the world uses to keep score. In this journey we will help each other through prayer and encouragement. The world wants to see competition, cheer for one particular individual or team, and then declare one winner. The Christian journey would not make a very good reality show; that is the world would not judge it as good by its own crooked measuring stick. All of the contestants would be helping each other; there would be no single winner, only those who chose to not take the journey would lose. The final judge would himself be helping, encouraging, testing, and cheering on, every contestant. Above all, no one would make it to the finish line without the sacrifice of the judge’s son in that race. Yes, at the cross this race, this journey was won for all

Get up and move forward in your journey in Christ!

Bucky

October 30, 2006

Good Morning! What is it to surrender? The Marines use a kind euphemism to describe it as advancing in another direction. Of course, if your group is surrounded then there is no retreat. In life we always have that choice; we can choose the world and ourselves; enjoy the pleasures of this life, make all the money we can, spend it all on whatever appears to please us, and live only for the “me”. In that kind of life a person might even live for a family, the wife and kids, be a good provider and put the kids through college. There is nothing wrong with raising a family unless you send them out without the opportunity to choose to live for Christ. With no surrender, there is no faith in Christ. In the world we place faith in ourselves, is that not what the world tells us to do? “Believe in yourself. Have confidence. A confident man is a sexy man!” and many other sayings tell us to reject Christ and have faith in ourselves. Jesus tells us that it comes down to one choice, we can believe in Him and have eternal life or we can believe in this world and die the second death. The world will try to tell you that there are many paths to success. I don’t know what you think, but if I have to die twice I cannot consider that success. There is an oft quoted saying that I like to remind myself of now and again. “Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once.” I am not sure who said it first, but it reminds me of my surrender to Christ. Every time I reach for the tiller of my life, it is good to be reminded of who is now the Captain. You might even liken Jesus to the Admiral, for he commands many ships traversing this ocean of life. Every one of them will come safely to harbor and there is no prize for getting there first. Surrender daily and have faith in your Captain; He is Lord!

God bless!

Bucky

October 29, 2006

Good Morning! The sun is about to come up and I am ready to go. Yes, my brain is still on daylight savings time, so I was awake at about 0415 this morning. We can change our clocks, but the body and brain do not adjust so quickly. What about the cost of that stress we put upon ourselves twice each year? I wonder if anyone has counted that. The time change caught someone off guard; Samantha the cat wasn’t at the door when I opened it to let her in this morning.
In a good example of that war within, the time change shows how that inner war works. The clock says that it’s one time; our brain says that it’s another. The comic drawings of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other were not invented by someone still lost in the world. No, it came from someone in Christ who illustrated Paul’s words in a humorous manner. Do I know that for sure? Is it well researched and documented with worldly proof? No, it is only a feeling of kinship with that long ago writer named Paul, and that comic illustrator somewhere who put that same feeling in a visual format. It seems that every moment is filled with those two opposing suggestions. When we recall that the devil side is the consummate liar, we also realize that some of the choices will seem very close together or as having no appreciable difference in the end result. Don’t expect those choices to ever become simple and straightforward in all cases, but do expect to find answers in the Word of God.

Have a blessed Sunday in Christ!

Bucky

October 28, 2006

Good Morning! Enjoy your view of the sun this evening, tomorrow you will get to see an hour less of it in the evening. Yes, it’s time for the annual fall back an hour ritual in most of North America and Europe. Now I haven’t really dug into the reasoning behind Daylight Savings time, but it seems to me that unless the population tends to be more on one side of a time zone than the other, then this semiannual ritual is a wash as far as any energy savings goes. In other words if everyone on the eastern part of the time zone saves a little daylight then everyone on the western side of that same zone will make up for it by needing to use a bit more. Perhaps I am just too simple to understand their reasoning. Perhaps DST has simply become a ritual that will not go away. It seems to me that if 24 time zones more accurately reflect the time of day to our watches then 1440 would be even better! My house is now officially in the Mountain + 15 time zone, please adjust your watch accordingly when you come over. J
A good warning about the devil today from Dr. Kennedy, after all how can we stand against an enemy that doesn’t exist? The world may close one eye and claim that the enemy on that side does not exist, but that will not make it go away. If an enemy perceives the foe will not acknowledge his existence, would it be best to attack obviously by smacking the foe a good one and thus forcing acknowledgement, or would it not be craftier to allow that foe the luxury of ignorance while the enemy steals the world right out from under the foe? When Christ claimed you as his own and opened that closed eye, what did you see? Right, you looked at the world and started praying with some fervor! You were probably sorely tempted to hide your head in the robes of our Lord and not see. As you grow in Christ, I would urge you to keep up with the news and not just one source. Vote in elections after thoroughly researching and discussing the candidates and measures. Many Christians have hidden behind our Lord for too long. Look out; see what is going on around you and in the world. As Jesus said, it is getting dark and the harvest is very much ready.

God bless you this weekend!

Bucky

October 27, 2006

Good Morning! The mystic ways of the Orient usually bring to mind a monk meditating, supposedly at one with his own self, others, and the world, in perfect peace and harmony. This seems very alluring to us since we seem to be in contention with ourselves, each other, and the world in general. On the other hand we might ask what that peaceful monk has produced in his lifetime; what good is it to sit in peace while the world goes to complete higgledy-piggledy. Of course, someone might come back that if everyone parked their butts on a bench and practiced peace then the world would be a better place for all. Everyone would then start fighting over who got the bench under the apple tree since everyone else would soon starve. There just aren’t any universal answers in the world, no panacea that will make everyone content, happy, and productive at the same time. Even in the Bible we read that this world will one day be tossed out so that God can create a new heaven and earth, one not stained by sin. In the world we are told to meditate and search for that inner peace; in Christ we are given peace.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
Christ and the world are at odds; here we see that He gives not as the world gives. You may find some peace by detaching yourself from the world as much as possible for a short period of time. However, events in the world will interrupt that peace sooner or later. Only in Christ will we find a lasting peace and it is given to us, not earned through some regimen of self-denial and physically awkward positions. Please don’t think that I mean to say that physical exercise and stretching to maintain our bodies is without merit, but rather we cannot find the peace we seek in this world through its methods. We run right into that same old rebellion; Jesus gives us his peace and the first thing we do is, “Yes, but what do I have to DO to earn it.” Accepting the gifts of Jesus, peace, love, and grace is not easy because pride compels us to go obtain these things through some act or discipline, to win some struggle and gain the prize. It goes against our worldly nature to accept those things given to us freely by God. There is no peace in the world because it hates the light of Christ. Observe, you will see it all around you, the world at war with Christ. That is why we surrender to Christ, for we know that he has already won the victory. Those who do not believe cannot see that Christ has already won and they do hate the word “surrender”!

Peace and contentment are yours through Christ Jesus!

Bucky

October 26, 2006

Good Morning! October is drawing to a close; does the world ever slow down? Praise the Lord is does not! Every turn of the globe brings us closer to that great day when Jesus will return.
“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.” Today the third stanza of the 119th Psalm pleads for understanding of why God gives us his commandments. Why do we have all these rules? One of the wonderful truths that may be found is that none of these rules are for God’s benefit. Not even the rules about having no other gods before God. He does not need anything that we have or can give to Him. Worshipping God keeps us from asking for boons from a block of stone or wood. If we could see just how demeaning it is for a beloved creation of the Creator to worship a creation of a creature, such as any idol, we would surely never do it. Bowing down to a “god” chipped from a rock which God created from nothing, probably demeans the rock as well. If a rock placed on a pedestal could shake its head, it surely would do so at the sight of people bowing down before it. However, some folks have done so since the stain of sin first covered the earth. We do shake our heads when we think of the angels telling Daniel and John not to worship them, but to only worship only God. All of the rules in the Bible are for our benefit. If all people obeyed the commandment against adultery, there would be no sexually transmitted diseases in the world. Obeying the commandments is for our benefit, open my eyes to see…


17 Be good to your servant,
that I may live and obey your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
the wonderful truths in your law.
19 I am but a foreigner here on earth;
I need the guidance of your commands.
Don't hide them from me!
20 I am overwhelmed continually
with a desire for your laws.
21 You rebuke those cursed proud ones
who wander from your commands.
22 Don't let them scorn and insult me,
for I have obeyed your decrees.
23 Even princes sit and speak against me,
but I will meditate on your principles.
24 Your decrees please me;
they give me wise advice.

God bless you all!

Bucky

October 25, 2006

Good Morning! Today the second stanza of that great Psalm, the 119th and longest, speaks to us of the solution to having a pure heart. Obey God’s Word and follow the rules therein. Yesterday we read how it is not so simple to obey and follow when the psalmist exclaimed, “Please don’t give up on me!” There are more pleas in this stanza, “I have tried my best… don’t let me wander…” We see that in our lives every day; trying our best falls far short of perfection. We need the Lord to keep us from wandering. I like the twelfth verse, “Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your principles.” Throughout our remaining years in Christ, we need to be taught. It is wonderful to become a learner again, to know that I do not know enough to be secure in my own knowledge. So much opens up to us when we come to the Lord with a mind and heart ready to learn from Him. Want to know the principles of the creation? Where better than the Creator? Want to know the principles of living like Jesus did? Where better than the one who died for our sins, Jesus the Christ? What if you want to become an attorney? What better place to start than with the commandments upon which all of our laws are based? The psalmist ends this stanza affirming that he will delight in the Lord’s principles and not forget the Word.

9 How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word and following its rules.
10 I have tried my best to find you-
don't let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your principles.
13 I have recited aloud
all the laws you have given us.
14 I have rejoiced in your decrees
as much as in riches.
15 I will study your commandments
and reflect on your ways.
16 I will delight in your principles
and not forget your word.


Praise God for His Word!

Bucky

October 24, 2006

Good Morning! Sometimes a rule or policy is posted in plain sight and we miss it or don’t pay attention when we should have. This happened to me yesterday and was then brought to my attention. This first stanza from Psalm 119 spoke to me about the commandments of the Lord.
1. Happy are people of integrity,
who follow the law of the Lord.
2 Happy are those who obey his decrees
and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your principles!
6 Then I will not be disgraced
when I compare my life with your commands.
7 When I learn your righteous laws,
I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your principles.
Please don't give up on me!

Yesterday’s incident brought to mind the question of those who don’t know God’s laws. Perhaps the 10 Commandments have not been posted on their City Hall or the Bible has never been seen in their part of the world. Are they held accountable on Judgment Day for the Law? The Bible tells us that they are indeed for the laws of the Lord have been written on their hearts. Even those who have never seen the 10 Commandments know that they should not commit murder, or bear false witness, or steal. When you set a nice burger on your table and turn away to grab the salt shaker from the cupboard, what might a dog do with that opportunity? Yes, a dog who has not been taught obedience might take the opportunity to snatch your burger. How does the dog go about the act of theft though? You have probably seen a dog in the act of theft at some time. Does the dog gracefully sit in the chair and eat as though it belongs there? No, unless it has been shown otherwise or accumulated enough evidence through experience, it will snatch the burger and flee. Even a dog knows that you didn’t set the burger there with the intention of giving it to him.
I like the last verse; it would seem that even thousands of years ago this psalmist had trouble with obedience. He or she prayed to the Lord, “Please don’t give up on me!” Amen to that.

God will not give up on us!

Bucky

October 23, 2006

Good morning! How much do you believe? Whenever I try to answer that question in my own mind doubts come from much of my worldly learning. I have been warned that what is true in Christ would be thought of as foolish by the world, but do the doubts have to come from my own inner dialog? I realize today that this conflict is the same that Paul experienced almost 2,000 years ago. Some things haven’t changed yet, and will not until our Lord arrives to claim us. What this conflict in my heart does for me is that it gives me understanding into what would make someone uncomfortable in the presence of the Word of God. The world will feel that I am putting its toes in the fire when writing about the things we know of Jesus. In the world the schools teach us about the natural process of conception in human beings. So naturally, when I think of what happened to Mary my worldly knowledge fights against that and causes me to doubt. However, when I believe that God created the heavens and the earth from nothing, how hard can it be to believe in conception by the Holy Spirit? What trouble is the manipulation of a few chromosomes to the Lord of all Creation? You and I believe more than we think during those times of doubt and stress.
Have your sins been forgiven? When I think of the answer to this I cannot help but to burst into a smile. I need to remember the grace of God more often during each day. All of my sins are forgiven in Christ. It is a glorious thing to have your sins forgiven. The world would likely take that as a license instead of liberation, and some early Christians did just that, but in the love of Christ we know better. Liberation from the chains of sin allows us to serve the cause of Christ and to spread the word to a non-believing world. Having trouble with the difference between license and liberation? Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” That is liberation. Had he said that her sins were forgiven and to go and do whatever she pleased, that would have been a license to sin. However, Jesus did not and would not have said such a thing since we are promised in John 3:17 that the Son came to save the world, not to boot it off the cliff of sin.

God bless you this day!

Bucky

October 22, 2006

It is a nice frosty morning today, praise the Lord! The sun is rising far to the south these days; the northern folks would tell us to be grateful the sun comes up at all during this time of the year. Please forgive any gaffs in the typing today, Samantha the cat wants to help with the devotional for some reason.
Our churches always seem to be short of money because there are so many needs in any community. A congregation might protest if the church started buying big screen TV’s for all the poor folks in a town, but I haven’t heard of a case like that yet. Usually the Food Bank here in Sidney is begging for donations when winter starts, with the exception of canned vegetables, thank you! I am amused by the seeming choosiness of those who would turn away any kind of food at all when depending upon donations to do their good work. However, I am reminded of the disasters in Oklahoma one year when donations of used clothing poured in from all over the country. Yes, many people lost everything, but the old clothing became a logistical nightmare for the relief workers. When a relief or charitable organization asks for cash only, people can get their noses in snit, “Cash only? Well I never…” Jesus always told us to look at it from the other point of view. Cash is easy to handle and with it the organization is able to buy exactly what is needed. Charities and churches should never be looked upon as a dumping ground for old stuff we don’t want. If our church holds a rummage sale to raise funds, and no one buys our old stuff, we should at the very least offer to take it back.
How many times has that devious little voice in your mind mentioned some donation of stuff and suggested it be a part of your tithe? That voice can be a mean one, really hitting your sensitive spots at the wrong time. We cannot always have things the way we want, and that voice is always there to make some quite hair-raising suggestions at times. Perhaps it’s just my little voice and not yours that offers those very bad suggestions; I don’t know for sure what happens in your mind. Tithing is very important for churches and other Christian organizations, strive to be as generous as that widow woman and her two mites.

God loves you!

Bucky

October 21, 2006

Good morning! It must be Saturday, praise God for the day! It would be difficult to get around mentioning the big game out here today, Texas at Nebraska. Though you may not believe it, life will go on in Nebraska, no matter how the team performs in the game. Back in the day when most of us would have been serfs, cheering the home team meant something more life altering. If the “team” lost, the opposing team got to set fire to your village, loot everything of value and carry the virgins back home with them. The survivors usually faced starvation or at the very least a long walk to poverty in some other village. Today, unless you foolishly bet your savings on the outcome, we do not face danger to life and home when our team loses the big one, but we do still like to see them win.
I see some of the media has taken to predicting a Democratic Party victory in Congress already. Elections have a way of surprising the media, perhaps since so many of their predictions are based on wishful thinking; I suspect that we should probably wait for the outcome to report the results.
Setting aside the faith and confidence you have in yourself and then trusting in God completely can be a difficult process. I say process since it may be the journey of a lifetime. One of the blessings of growing older is in realizing that you cannot trust in your body, no matter how much you work it out. There are so many things on this earth that can bring us down that I don’t even need to list them all, no doubt many popped into your head even as you read this. We place our faith in God, because he loves us and because when the trials come they prove how weak we really are in this world. There are giants and mountains aplenty in this world, we cannot conquer them all on our own or even together. However, with our faith in Christ Jesus, you and I can conquer any giant or climb any mountain.
In time we can either have confidence in our own abilities and be beaten down by one giant that is too big or one mountain that is too high, or we can put our faith in Jesus and climb over every giant and mountain until he welcomes us home. Did you ever stop to realize that without Jesus, we would probably expend what little strength we had climbing the wrong mountain? Some of the mountains in this life are meant to be looked at; trust in God to show you the mountains he has prepared for you alone.

Have a wonderful weekend in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

October 20, 2006

Good Morning! A little late today; I enjoyed one of those late night installations this morning. Well, I wake up to find reports of Kim Jung Il apologizing for nuclear tests and the Cardinals going to the MLB World Series, can the day get any stranger than it has begun? Perhaps the Dow will hit 13,000 just to prove to me how strange a day can become. Why are some days perceived as better or worse, stranger or more same than the usual; whatever the usual might be? For one thing, God sends trials to remind us of our dependence upon Him. We are not only saved by grace through faith, but we live by faith as well. In Hebrews, the author gives us the answer to the question a child might ask. “The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about Him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by mighty power of His command. After He died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.” (Heb 1:3, NLT) That question is “What holds up the earth?” We are dependent upon God for more than we realize most of the time. The stars and planets did not appear by accident; the Lord of creation put them in their places and keeps them where He will. Even the little things like a virus are controlled by our Lord. A virus is dependent upon a host to reproduce. If a virus becomes so toxic that it kills its hosts before it has time to spread to others, it will cease to exist. I read about one plague back in jolly old England that did just that. If God had not designed in that limitation, none of us would be around today. Often we walk through a day in ignorance of how close the entire universe might be to flying apart, destroying every life form in it. We simply don’t know these things. What are we to do about it? Nothing at all, this area is under God’s control and if there is nothing we can do about it there is certainly nothing to be gained by worrying over it. We can live by faith or we can live in ignorance.

God be with you this weekend!

Bucky

October 19, 2006

Good Morning! Whoo, a cool one last night, hope you weren’t out in it. I see the political process is under full swing, even out in our end of the state. However, it probably has been for some time, since I don’t get out a whole lot.
I suspect the reason we tend to think Christianity is a have no fun kind of place would be due to the seduction of the worldly delights that we used to partake in. It seemed fun to get drunk, laugh, and be foolish. One sure way to tell the difference between the joy of Christ and the foolishness of drunken revelry is to sit in a room sober with a bunch of drunken folks. It isn’t so pretty from that point of view; you wonder what a person ever saw in such a thing. All other types of sin that seemed fun before, take on a different hue in the light of Christ. A killjoy? No, we simply are changed to a different point of view and we find the joy that Christ gives in unexpected places. Perhaps a gift to a children’s ministry hurts you financially and would make a businessperson wince, but you get a great joy from that gift. You might find yourself taking delight in what the world calls “clean” humor. Most of all you may find joy in reading the Bible that you never saw before, thinking it a chore for do-gooders in your past life. One thing I have found is the season of Christmas and not from any expectation of “lots of loot” as Calvin might say, but just from the joy in me and surrounding me during this time. I am sure that you can quote me many more examples of the joy in Christ that the world does not know about. Feel free to share them with us.

Seize the joy of knowing Jesus better each day!

Bucky

October 18, 2006

Good Morning, there is snow on the ground! Every snowfall feels like a renewal of the world to me. However, we cannot cover up the sins of this world with a little snow. Like the rainbow, a nice snowfall serves as a reminder of God’s promise that one day this world that is stained by sin will be made anew. Does it seem as though God is counting the revolutions of this planet until he reaches some unimaginable number? “Whew, 140 gazillion revolutions, I thought it would never get there! Next time I’m making a faster planet…” No, set your mind at ease, our God is not limited to or bound in any way to the way we check off the days in his creation. The prophets and Jesus himself often told of both near and far future events in the same paragraph just as if God saw it all at once. I think that is true, God sees all of creation from start to finish, Genesis to Revelation, laid out before him, no gaps, no unknowns. How then can we presume to have freewill? Perhaps time is simply a journey that we all must take through a course that we cannot see. If we give our life to Jesus, then he guides us along the right path to come back to him. Those who cling to their own life in the world will walk a path that seems straight to them, but that continues straight to destruction and the second death. Now someone in the world who reads that last statement might think that we somehow wish that upon them with a feeling of superiority, ready with an “I told you so.” God wants all to be saved and we grow to want the same thing as our walk with Jesus becomes closer by the day. “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. (2 Peter 1:3, NLT)
May your walk in Christ glorify Him more each day.
Bucky

October 17, 2006

Good Morning! Does it seem to you that the world has gone a little haywire lately? Celebrities travel thousands of miles to adopt a third world orphan when the cost of their travel alone might feed hundreds. The longer our military occupies Iraq and Afghanistan, the worse the news seems to become each day. Another congressional scandal here, a political scandal in Israel, some countries where political scandal is so commonplace that no one bothers to report the events. Women without babies murdering pregnant women and stealing the baby from their womb. Shootings in schools and workplaces. Ghastly sentence fragments in my devotionals. Okay, maybe the last one is not reason to fly to the hills just yet; however, while leaping to the conclusion that the time is now might be premature, ignoring the signs might be just as bad or worse. We realize that every generation has seen signs of the end times, and that ours may be no different with respect to knowing that glorious day when Jesus comes back to this world. But this also just might be the signs leading to the final tribulation. We probably shouldn’t strap on a placard with “repent, the time is at hand” stenciled on it and walk the town square, but we should be praying for and spreading the message to those around us. Even the secular folks will admit that something is not entirely right in the world these days. Do you trust our modern medicine, our government, the company you work for, your retirement funds, or even your family? Any or all of them can be gone virtually overnight; just read Job if you need further proof. Our money, of all things, actually has it correct; “In God We Trust”. Atheists may want to remove it, secularists may ignore it, but as for you and I, we believe!

God bless you,

Bucky

October 16, 2006

Good Morning! Autumn moves along; does this one seem cooler than usual to you?
The happiness the world is searching for seems to be simply relief from itself. The world would be happy with no war, no discrimination, no health problems, and prosperity for all. Happiness for all usually comes down to getting relief from their current situation. We can certainly see where that comes from! However, unlike the world, we know that relief only comes in Christ Jesus. This does not mean that we are going to receive that relief immediately here on earth. We are relieved of the burden of our sins even though the accuser may replay them for us through those mental images that pop into our minds or through the long memories of others. We are relieved of the burden of guilt; though once again we may squirm over the hot coals of bad memories or be raked over those same coals by another person. We are relieved of the burden of the future; though we may continue trying to wrestle control back from our Lord. We are relieved of loneliness; though we may not always be with some other person. We are relieved of earthly ambition; though we may still desire to succeed in our workplace and receive human accolades. In Christ we are relieved of many burdens that we may stubbornly cling to from our old life. A minister once gave the illustration that we throw our burdens at the foot of the cross, praise Jesus for his infinite mercy, and then gather our burdens back up and take off into life once more. How often does that come true?
We can lay those burdens down and work on our character. However, most of the work will be done by the Holy Spirit as we face the trials and temptations with the everlasting and renewing strength of Christ Jesus. We may stumble on that road for our freedom of choice remains with us even now. Every time we fall, we will be picked up, dusted off, and set back on the path. Falling may not feel good, even though the temptation is seductive, and those hurts can pile up more of those burdens for us. Put the thoughts the accuser whispers in your mental ear away; look only to Jesus. If you need help finding him, check out the entire New Testament and if that isn’t enough go to the Old Testament, both testaments point to the Messiah!

May God’s peace give you another wonderful week!

Bucky

October 14, 2006

Praise the Lord! I read a psalm today that started and ended with that very phrase, and how appropriate that is for us. We should begin and end everything we do with praise for our Lord. Since we are speaking of reading, I also read that school shootings are rare and that we should not worry about our children. Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t even have any children and I am of the opinion that school shootings have become all too common. What can possibly be the reason for this? I don’t recall reading or hearing about any school shootings when I was younger; it seems to be a phenomenon of the 1990’s and later. However, that may be a mistaken impression. Perhaps someone whose memory stretches farther back than mine can help us with that. Some would have us believe the ACLU is to blame, including Dr. Kennedy. Removing prayer from schools may not help matters, but if there is no prayer or belief in the home then prayer in school may not have much effect. However, let us not belittle the effect of prayer at any time. We can certainly encourage our children (and ourselves) to have an active prayer life in their minds throughout the day. Jesus told us to go into our closet and shut the door to pray. I would submit that we do not need to pray publicly to show our faith and belief in God. So many of us want to DO something to assure ourselves of salvation; remember the rich young man who came running up to Jesus and bowed at his feet? He asked, “What must I DO to receive eternal life?” James later tells us to show our faith by doing good works, but to receive the gift of eternal life we simply believe in Jesus. That is difficult for us to grasp, “Yes I believe, but what must I do?” No, the first step is to believe and as you look at grace by faith, you come to realize that simply believing in Jesus is at odds with the world and that believing is not so easy in all things. When the world questions our faith, usually implying that only simpletons would fall for this or that, we must rest in the strength of our Lord.
Intellectuals in the world will have many very convincing arguments, and the evidence to support them, attempting to put our faith in the realm of simple-mindedness or foolishness. Jesus told us the world would do this, so we should not be surprised. The demands of your life; working, raising children, perhaps attending night classes, and learning each day from the Word of God, will probably be about as much as your poor mind can stand. Certainly I have found this to be true, and I don’t have the kids part to worry about. All that I don’t know about God’s creation does indeed make me feel simple, and praise God for that! Jesus thanked God for giving knowledge of the Word to those who are simple and hiding it from those who think themselves wise. As we grow in faith, we will see examples of that time after time in the media and in classes. Secular humanists are very intellectual in the worldly sense and very smug in their “knowledge”. Praise God for showing me each day just how much I do not yet know and praise God for sending his Son to show us the way to himself.
One good step to reduce school shootings might be to assure our children that they are in fact beloved creations of an almighty God. The schools try to tell them that they are the results of evolution from some cosmic accident; it is not to wonder why the little ‘uns have self-esteem problems.

Praise the Lord!

Bucky

October 13, 2006

Good Morning! Triskaidekaphobia’s beware, today is your favorite day, Friday the 13th! Do you realize that to this day hi-rise buildings do not have a 13th floor to satisfy superstition? The funny thing is that even numbering the 13th floor “14” doesn’t change the fact that it is the 13th floor; and no building to my knowledge has fallen down simply due to numbering a floor “13”. Major league baseball players, arguably among the most overpaid people on the planet, are famous (or infamous) for their superstitions. I wonder how CEO’s rank in terms of superstitions? Okay, enough of poking fun at the great and mighty for today!
Yesterday I spoke of including God in our plans for the future. Today, something in a similar vein is what I call the arrogance of man. You have seen headlines in the media about the Greenhouse Effect, or from a few years back the possibility of depopulating our planet through a huge nuclear weapons exchange. Another crackpot idea would be to use rockets to shift the earth’s orbit just a little bit to cool down the planet. Aside from making the Acme Rocket Company extremely rich, it is unlikely that such an idea could be worked out successfully. The Titanic, “unsinkable”… wham! Blub, blub, blub, many lives lost in a great tragedy of an arrogant species. Many are the ideas of man for changing God’s creation; remember the one about stopping aging through genetic manipulation? All of these ideas may be possible under one big assumption. That assumption is that God will not take a direct hand in preventing the action someone desires. Set aside the outrageous for now and consider the little things we do each and every day. God allows us a lot of freedom in doing everyday kind of tasks and in choosing what to do for a living and hobbies. Of course, above all other choices, we can choose to believe in his Son or not. However, life under the influence of original sin causes us to lose much of the freedom granted to us. Many of the tasks you perform each day have to do with caring for our body or that of a loved one. Got a pet? Yes, we can freely choose to have one or not, but once in the house that pet will have needs to be met also. Many are the toils of this world that we would cheerfully set aside if we could. Who among us would not seriously consider putting aside the aging of our bodies while in the prime of life, if we could? Declining health? You bet, sign me up! However, the condition of sin in the world causes decay, rottenness, and destruction. In this world, many think that they are free, while in truth they are under the slavery of sin. In spite of what the secular humanists would have us believe, we simply cannot set them aside in this world. Only through Jesus can we be set free of that slavery in this life. Only in Jesus can any of us one day find true freedom, and that may be at the end of a long life of slow decay in our human bodies.

The peace of Jesus be with you,

Bucky

October 12, 2006

Good Morning! Once in a while I am reminded of how much I do not know. Yesterday proved that point once again; I planned to complete some work during the night at one of our sites. However, I could not know that one; a sinus headache such as I had not felt in years lay waiting for me later that day, 2) the manager of the site had not been informed in a timely manner, and perhaps most of all 3) much of the work could be done in normal business hours and I was trying to play the late-night hero. I am still out of it today, but the time spent prostrate has given me the chance to form a new plan; this time prefaced with a “God willing” which is what our Lord told us to do when making plans. So far I have seen little evidence that God has called me to be the type of prophet who foretells events; in any case it is unlikely that such knowledge would be of benefit to me personally since those promises are already written down in the Bible. The point is that we should ask God first when making plans; even at our work place. We simply cannot know what may lie around the next corner in our lives. What do I believe? I believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ. That he came to this earth in human form under a heavenly sign that even pagans could see. That the words which he spoke were unlike any heard before and that those same words resonate with us to this day. I believe that Jesus took our sins to the cross, where he died in fulfillment of what God the Father asked of him and that on the third day he rose again. I believe that even now Jesus is returning soon to redeem the lost from the earth and that we should strive to always be ready for him.
God’s grace be with you,
Bucky

October 11, 2006

Good Morning! Back in the day there lived groups who thought to make themselves suffer. You have probably seen them characterized in movies or books. However, I think all of us now realize that hurting yourself is not the way to salvation. How would loving others as you love yourself fit in with whipping your own body? Are you or I guilty of whipping ourselves mentally though? Living in guilt, blaming your own shortcomings for any negative event, wallowing in self pity; is all of that really much different from the flagellants of yesterday? We may disagree with the sugar-coated message of the “God will make you rich” ministers, but they have one thing right, we are to live in victory! Learn from your mistakes and move on in the glow of faith in our Lord Jesus. Not every negative event in your life is punishment from God; many bad things are simply the result of sin in this world. Does a loving father continually beat his child? No, he does correct his child, and those times can be uncomfortable or painful. However, we should never leap to the conclusion that all suffering is punishment. I suspect when we get to heaven and have the opportunity to ask God about certain events in our life - that is assuming we will even worry about our old lives at that point – we will find that many which we thought came about as the result of our actions, were not related to us personally at all. People will do hateful things to any of us, once our faith and the light of Jesus in our lives becomes apparent. We do live in a blessed country; the simple act of being on this devotional list might land you in jail and in torment in many parts of the world. Let us give a prayer of thanksgiving today for our nation.

God be praised!

Bucky

October 10, 2006

Good morning! What time is it? Now is the time. I’ll start tomorrow. When is the perfect time? His/her life was too short. Many expressions, and I’m sure you can think of many yourself, deal with time and duration. Mozart created an incredible repertoire of music in a short life, some actors are treasured for the few movies they made in a short life, but one short life stands above all others, that of our Lord Jesus. He didn’t begin his ministry until he came of age, approximately 30 years old for a man of that time. He was crucified only a short time later. I have heard that he ministered somewhat over 3 years, and I would guess 42 months. The reason I guess that number is the use of it in the Bible. The tribulation is divided into two sections of 42 months. In this great creation that we are in, God has set numbers which seem to be constant and significant. You will recognize such numbers as 3, 7, 40 (days and nights), 12, 144 (thousand), and that infamous, 666. All numbers used with great significance in the Bible. So was Jesus’ life and ministry cut short or too short? No, I suspect the duration of his stay on the earth was like everything God does; it was just right! Four is known in the Bible as the Earth number; four cardinal directions, four seasons, four elements (earth, air, fire, water), and other occurrences of the number. So the Lord gave us 4 gospels to save the earth. Next the letters of the apostle Paul, a man who was turned 180° from his chosen path. 3 the number of the Trinity, times 6 the number of imperfection or Saul, times 10 the number of wholeness of completion, equals 180 a man named Saul turned around to become Paul. God does everything perfectly; and we can rest in the fact that Jesus’ life was not cut short, but was lived and ended perfectly, and he rose again, perfectly.

Praise God for the perfect life of Jesus!

Bucky

October 9, 2006

Good Morning! Rain, possible snow, cool weather, I do enjoy the fall! This whole week looks to be a cool one too! Today’s devotional from Pastor Rogers is a good one for all of us. Those of us who have struggled with poor physical condition for most of our lives know that dramatic changes in a short period, though we may desire them, just don’t happen. The methods developed to “cheat” such as liposuction and other surgeries can be quite dangerous, though certainly the change can indeed be dramatic. Praise God there is no way to “cheat” on gaining a closer relationship with Jesus. We must go off by ourselves at times to read the Word and seek understanding, join small groups for Bible study to gain additional insights, and attend worship services to glorify God. All of it works together towards our spiritual toning and trimming. Toning in that as we understand some, we will be given more and our spiritual muscles will grow. Trimming in that we will desire to get rid of those things which are not good for us to think upon, view, read, watch, etc. Come to think of it, my media collections could use some trimming, there are DVD’s in my house that don’t need to be here. That would be a good first step this week for me. What might you need to cast a critical eye upon in your life? Let us pray for God’s wisdom in this.

God bless!
Bucky

October 8, 2006

Good Morning! Hallelujah, praise the name of God forevermore! What challenges we face each and every day; why even getting up in the morning is a challenge. Yet in Jesus we overcome many obstacles on a daily basis. Everywhere you look in the media there will be someone telling you to do more of this, that, or the other thing. We are continually challenged as Christians, but once in a while we all need to hear a “Good job!” Today, I decided to do just that. Every day you get up to do something; whether it is five days or more of working, going to church, cleaning house, feeding a family, volunteer work, and many other demands on your time and energy. If you have never suffered a serious illness or traumatic injury, you may not realize just how much energy and effort it takes to go through a single work day. We should all thank the Lord for the strength we have to carry on each day and give each other a ‘good job!’ for getting the job done each day. Today, I thank God for giving us the strength to carry on, and thank you to each of you for doing your job, earning a living, feeding your family, and glorifying the name of God. In Christ we gain the strength to do that job that we do, but Jesus doesn’t drag us out of bed, he says to “follow me” and that requires us to put in our own effort in his great work. A commendation to each of you for getting up and doing those things each day that God has given you the task of getting done. You deserve it.

Praise the name of Jesus!

Bucky

October 7, 2007

Good Morning! My goodness there seems to be many questions flying about our government these days. I have cautioned before about reading too much into the signs in the Middle East right now. However, one cannot help but wonder about something… What if a person would show up on the political scene, perhaps representing the UN, and have enough credibility in the Arab world to form a new government that in one fell swoop; united Islamists, made peace with Israel, and stabilized the region enough to send all US troops home? How much intellectual and psychological credit would that person have throughout the world? While this particular set of signs that we are seeing right now may not be the final signs leading to the seven years we are looking for, the opportunity for the coming one world ruler seems to be growing with each passing day. Imagine, if you will, that the number of combat fatalities in Iraq has reached the point where everyone in the US knows someone who has lost a family member or spouse. The war has become immediate to everyone and does not appear be any closer to creating the stable, peaceful democracy that we have been promised. Then that person appears and promises that our loved ones will be home by Christmas. Not only that but this person puts an immediate stop to the insurgent activity, the Al Qaeda leader in Iraq shows up in the media and pledges his support of this new figure. Our government is grateful, we are happy to see the troops coming home, oil prices drop, stocks go up and the good times roll. How easy would it be for such a person to then humbly suggest the one world government? Sound farfetched? I read in the news where many are fasting through Ramadan to show solidarity with Muslims; it would appear that the one world religion will take care of itself.

Trust in God, believe in Jesus, and spread the Good News… we need all three these days.

Bucky

October 6, 2006

Good Morning! I like that, reading for quality, not quantity. Too often we take pride in reading through several chapters each night in order to fulfill some goal of quantity. Reading the Bible through several hundred times will not grant you entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. God does not measure in the same way that we do; his measuring stick would probably be unrecognizable in our present form. For example, here is one part of one verse that speaks volumes to us; Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” (Mark 5:36, NLT) Our Lord said that to Jarius when the crowd of mourners inside of his house laughed when Jesus came to heal the man’s daughter. However, those few words from Jesus resonate through 2000 years of history; “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” We need to remember them in times of joy and in times of trouble. Throughout all of that time, man has built fortresses, armies, navies, personal weapons, machines, and shelters of all types, trying to protect one person or a group of people. None are sufficient without faith in God. Think about how many times someone has claimed some sort of permanence in something humans have created. The Titanic, Rome, some “impregnable” fortress? None have stood the test of time; even the earth will be replaced with a new one. Our fears are often even less permanent, usually gone with the morning light. “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” One part of one verse, and Jesus said so much to us.

Bucky

October 5, 2006

Good Morning! It has been suggested to me many times that daily Bible reading is essential to the Christian faith… then it was suggested that reading the Bible both in the morning and at night would be of great benefit. Is the next step then morning, noon, and night? Maybe, and it certainly can’t hurt, only help. The explanation for this is found in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus tells his disciples about understanding.

22 "Everything that is now hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light. 23 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! 24 And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand-and even more, besides. 25 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them." (Mark 4:22-25, NLT)

Jesus gives us understanding in this passage about why we need daily, even twice daily, Bible reading; it is to understand more! That is why the Bible is the one book that you can read over and over gaining further understanding each time. I have heard people say that “Yes, I have read the Christian Bible, it was interesting, but kind of dull (preachy, boring, etc)” You might even know someone who has said something like that. The Bible is also one of the most quoted works in many languages. However, it is so much more than that, and in the same passage Jesus explains why some people, even after reading through the Bible, just don’t seem to understand. What little understanding they had is taken away when they refuse to hear.
When Jesus tells us in the Bible to “listen”, he is telling us to study the Bible with an open heart to gain understanding. This life is tough, there is no question about that, even the pagans understand that fact; we need the Bible to remind us of our great hope and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. There is a devotional out there entitled “New Every Day” and that is exactly correct. It seems that every time I read the Bible, even the passages that I am very familiar with, I gain new understanding and Jesus said that it would be that way.


Yours in Christ Jesus!
Bucky

October 4, 2006

Good Morning! We have been given the opportunity to show our attitude towards service here at our workplace. All exempt employees at the Corporate HQ must serve 3 consecutive days at the Retail store or Distribution Center this holiday season. Will we do our best to serve our employer or will we cry and moan about it every step of the way? It is never easy to do something you don’t want to do, especially when it is sprung upon you and mandatory. In serving our employer, and thus serving the Lord, we do not always get to choose between two things that we want to do, sometimes neither choice may be to our liking. Of course in this country at least, we can always choose to end our employment. However, unless you feel that this is an opportunity from God to move on to something else, you may be disobedient and rebellious in taking that step. Sometimes God does use the dreaded lay-off to let a person know that it is time to move on; to give us another opportunity to glorify his name. Usually, a short tasking that we may view in a bad light is but another test which we can use to show our love for the Lord and those things which he has put over us in this world. As for the people here, some will endure the task as an indignity, some will try to escape with some reason or other, some will endure in good cheer, others will prepare physically and mentally to enjoy the break from their normal jobs, and some of us will make up our minds to glorify God by putting in our best effort, no matter what the task at hand. We always have a choice; at times we may need some help to realize the options that are available.

Service with a smile, to God be the Glory!

Bucky

October 3, 2006

Good Morning! Today is another great day in the Lord! What do we choose to believe? Last night, just as a finished my prayers, a cool breeze picked up, like a cleansing wave. Now some in the world might say coincidence, but I choose to believe differently. The world might say just a lucky break that a cold front arrived at just that time, 2100 to the second. In the world, yes it might seem that way. When we choose to believe, only then do we realize that God made all of creation and set in motion the events to have that weather front arrive at just that moment in time to give at least one believer a little reminder that God is always here and always listening. The world might use such terms as gullible, rube, simple, stupid, and others, in Christ we know better and we seek to spread the good news. Simple, I’ll take that one, simple faith in Jesus. Some still claim that we must choose between good and evil; that this will determine our fate or karma. However, in Christ we beg to differ, the choice is between God through faith in his Son, or faith in ourselves. At some point all believers come to realize that faith in our own self or humanity is the road to destruction, only in Christ can our hope be fulfilled. Only in Christ is life eternal. Those who choose who choose to believe in one or more of the many things the world offers; secular humanism, Darwinism, the UN, churches of various types, etc; really have chosen to believe in their self knowledge or wisdom. Jesus said that whoever lays down their life for his sake shall regain it and that you must give up your own life to follow him. The opposite goes for those who reject him, they choose to cling to their own life and believe only in themselves. The choice is not good or evil; the choice is Jesus or not, there are no other alternatives.

God loves you!

Bucky

October 2, 2006

Good Morning! Today is a new beginning to the work week, make the most of it! I watched more of the health and prosperity ministry yesterday and it does strike me as dangerous. What happens if a non-believer sees only this one show; the one chance to get a message to them. What they see is God will make you rich. Prosperity may come to a Christian as the world defines the term, but what we are promised is peace. Jesus says in John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
That much we are promised by our Lord. So whether we have much or we have little, we always have the Lord’s peace. Some believers may be wealthy and some may not. Some may constantly battle disease and illness, while others enjoy consistent good health. I realize that the Lord wants us to have every good thing, but wealth may not be a good thing in all cases. I agree on one hand about banishing the negative thinking, part of following Jesus, and keeping our minds centered upon Him. I worry that a message of prosperity is too subjective to the world; that is the world will make the leap that prosperity equals rich, that God will shower us with money for believing in His Son. Part of the problem is in that I agree that God wants us to be prosperous, but that might mean that we are content and do quite well on a little, much like Paul. I suppose that in the end, I want my riches to be in Heaven.

May God be with you this week.

Bucky

October 1, 2006

Good morning! The first day of the week, Sunday, is here once again. As we worship God the father this day, we prepare to serve him at our respective workplaces throughout the week. The good news is that Jesus has risen, let the day begin! Today also begins October and once again the year is waning once more. Sitting here in the bright sunshine, a cat stealing the slipper off my foot, a feeling of peace comes over. Sunday mornings are good for that and for listening to the Lord’s ministers. There are days when I don’t feel called to bring up some controversial topic, then I remember that anything centered on Jesus will be controversial. It seems somehow ironic that if I bring up the subject of the peace that Jesus gives us, someone will take offence. “Life is a struggle, there is no peace,” they might say. Yes, that is true, in Christ we realize that more than most, however it makes no sense to be upset over it all the time, why not accept the peace of Jesus our Lord? Praise God for peace and the still waters.

Bucky