Thou wilt keep him in perfect peaceThou wilt keep him in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on Thee When the shadows come and darkness falls He giveth inward peace O He is the only perfect resting place He giveth perfect peace Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on Thee. |
Monday, January 5, 2015
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
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Matthew 2:19-23
Lord Jesus,
The Christmas season has been incredibly busy. Baking, cooking, parties, dinners, programs, travel, family, and friends have crowded my life. Whew! I’m glad it’s over! Now it’s back to the ordinary. Does life every settle down?
After Your miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in Your mother’s womb, angelic confirmations, an extraordinary birth in a sheep cave, angelic announcements, shepherds congratulatory worship, Magi following a star for over 500 miles to meet You–an infant King, and an emergency flight into another country to escape an insane Herod bent on baby killing, who would expect Your life to be ordinary? Your start in life was anything but ordinary!
Then the angel told Mary and Joseph that it was safe to take You back to Your homeland. Galilee made the most sense. Nazareth was home. So, it was back to the ordinary. But Nazareth was anything but ordinary in so many ways. International caravan routes lay nearly at Your childhood feet. The Mediterranean was visible to the west from lofty crests in the Galilee.
Then there were the people... the talk. For your parents, Mary and Joseph, Nazareth meant a return to the ordinary cruelty of gossip, questions about their integrity, and suspicious glances at You. Back to the ordinary.
You learned the trade of Your earthly father, Joseph, in his carpenter shop. As a toddler, You milled about in the dust and shavings until Your mother, Mary, concerned that You were getting filthy, called You out of there. As a boy, You began with small projects, shaping blocks, sticks, perhaps a wooden Roman sword. What was the first piece of furniture You made? How many attempts at making a sturdy, comfortable yoke for oxen did it take You before You learned to make easy fitting yokes You must have been known for? Back to the ordinary.
What were those years between Egypt and Nazareth like for You? From infancy and a toddler’s life in Egypt to manhood and ministry at age 30, Your Word is largely silent. I see only one glimpse of You at age 12 in the temple questioning the lawyers and doctors at Father’s House. Other than that snapshot, silence. Back to the ordinary.
So, here I go. I am headed back to the ordinary pace of life. Walk with me in my ordinary journey. Lead me. Direct me. May the beauty of Christ that was crafted through the ordinary events of a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth be crafted in me amidst the ordinary parts of my life.
In the Name of my Savior who knew ordinary, but is anything but ordinary,
Amen.
Lord Jesus,
The Christmas season has been incredibly busy. Baking, cooking, parties, dinners, programs, travel, family, and friends have crowded my life. Whew! I’m glad it’s over! Now it’s back to the ordinary. Does life every settle down?
After Your miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in Your mother’s womb, angelic confirmations, an extraordinary birth in a sheep cave, angelic announcements, shepherds congratulatory worship, Magi following a star for over 500 miles to meet You–an infant King, and an emergency flight into another country to escape an insane Herod bent on baby killing, who would expect Your life to be ordinary? Your start in life was anything but ordinary!
Then the angel told Mary and Joseph that it was safe to take You back to Your homeland. Galilee made the most sense. Nazareth was home. So, it was back to the ordinary. But Nazareth was anything but ordinary in so many ways. International caravan routes lay nearly at Your childhood feet. The Mediterranean was visible to the west from lofty crests in the Galilee.
Then there were the people... the talk. For your parents, Mary and Joseph, Nazareth meant a return to the ordinary cruelty of gossip, questions about their integrity, and suspicious glances at You. Back to the ordinary.
You learned the trade of Your earthly father, Joseph, in his carpenter shop. As a toddler, You milled about in the dust and shavings until Your mother, Mary, concerned that You were getting filthy, called You out of there. As a boy, You began with small projects, shaping blocks, sticks, perhaps a wooden Roman sword. What was the first piece of furniture You made? How many attempts at making a sturdy, comfortable yoke for oxen did it take You before You learned to make easy fitting yokes You must have been known for? Back to the ordinary.
What were those years between Egypt and Nazareth like for You? From infancy and a toddler’s life in Egypt to manhood and ministry at age 30, Your Word is largely silent. I see only one glimpse of You at age 12 in the temple questioning the lawyers and doctors at Father’s House. Other than that snapshot, silence. Back to the ordinary.
So, here I go. I am headed back to the ordinary pace of life. Walk with me in my ordinary journey. Lead me. Direct me. May the beauty of Christ that was crafted through the ordinary events of a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth be crafted in me amidst the ordinary parts of my life.
In the Name of my Savior who knew ordinary, but is anything but ordinary,
Amen.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Choices Determine Destiny
I had two friends at Mount Carmel High School who lived next door to each other in the boys’ dorm in the Spring semester of 1979. Kent was my first cousin. David was one of my best friends. Their stories are hard for me to tell. Grief comes back in as a flood each time I share these stories; however, you may be the person who needs them.
Kent came to Mount Carmel for the Spring semester of his Sophomore year. He came from a Christian home. Kent grew up in church. The same grandmother that prayed for me, prayed for Kent. It was 1979. Kent was only 16 and already struggling with drugs and alcohol. God called Kent to himself, but Kent never fully surrendered to Christ. After that one semester, he stayed home, and did not return to Mount Carmel. I saw Kent in about 1994. He looked good. He was married to a lovely wife, but rumor was that he had a drinking problem. Soon, the marriage ended. Last year, Kent and his sister were sharing a house in Cincinnati, Ohio. On Tuesday, December 11, 2012, my mother called. Kent had died. Kent died of an overdose. Kent loved his life, and lost it. Kent was 50.
David came to Mount Carmel High School in his Freshman year. He came from a Christian home. He grew up in church. David had praying parents. But David was not sure it was for him. During our Sophomore year in high school, in a season of rebellion, he had to leave school and return home. That semester in public school, he was attacked by a jealous boyfriend, who accused David of speaking to his girl. He landed in the hospital, beaten and broken. That Summer, David petitioned to return to Mount Carmel for our Junior year. His petition was granted. He returned, and he was different.
Soon, David, Todd, Lonnie and I started to sing together in a gospel quartet. We graduated from Mount Carmel on the same day, attended Kentucky Mountain Bible College together, graduated and went into ministry. I will never forget the day at a KMBC revival, when David surrendered his all to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The message was about the 7 last sayings of Christ on the cross. David prayed them, meant them, died to himself, surrendered his all to God, and was filled with the sanctifying Presence of the Holy Spirit.
David became a Wesleyan pastor. He called me to recommend associate pastors to him. We succeeded twice. The second time was 2012, and my son, Nathan, joined his staff in June of that year. December, 2012, David was on a missions trip to Nicaragua. At age 51, he was cut down in the prime of life with a sudden and unexpected heart-attack. It was December 9, 2012. He was 51.
Within two days of each other in 2012, two men who had lived next door to each other as dorm mates in 1979 went out into eternity. David went to meet God. God alone knows where my cousin Kent is spending eternity. Both men had similar backgrounds, similar opportunities, similar formative experiences. But they made different choices. David chose to lose himself in Christ and to become a winner. Kent appeared to save his life for himself, and tragically seems to have lost it.
John 12:23-26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
I grieve the passing of both men, but am reminded that our choices determine our destiny.
Kent came to Mount Carmel for the Spring semester of his Sophomore year. He came from a Christian home. Kent grew up in church. The same grandmother that prayed for me, prayed for Kent. It was 1979. Kent was only 16 and already struggling with drugs and alcohol. God called Kent to himself, but Kent never fully surrendered to Christ. After that one semester, he stayed home, and did not return to Mount Carmel. I saw Kent in about 1994. He looked good. He was married to a lovely wife, but rumor was that he had a drinking problem. Soon, the marriage ended. Last year, Kent and his sister were sharing a house in Cincinnati, Ohio. On Tuesday, December 11, 2012, my mother called. Kent had died. Kent died of an overdose. Kent loved his life, and lost it. Kent was 50.
David came to Mount Carmel High School in his Freshman year. He came from a Christian home. He grew up in church. David had praying parents. But David was not sure it was for him. During our Sophomore year in high school, in a season of rebellion, he had to leave school and return home. That semester in public school, he was attacked by a jealous boyfriend, who accused David of speaking to his girl. He landed in the hospital, beaten and broken. That Summer, David petitioned to return to Mount Carmel for our Junior year. His petition was granted. He returned, and he was different.
Soon, David, Todd, Lonnie and I started to sing together in a gospel quartet. We graduated from Mount Carmel on the same day, attended Kentucky Mountain Bible College together, graduated and went into ministry. I will never forget the day at a KMBC revival, when David surrendered his all to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The message was about the 7 last sayings of Christ on the cross. David prayed them, meant them, died to himself, surrendered his all to God, and was filled with the sanctifying Presence of the Holy Spirit.
David became a Wesleyan pastor. He called me to recommend associate pastors to him. We succeeded twice. The second time was 2012, and my son, Nathan, joined his staff in June of that year. December, 2012, David was on a missions trip to Nicaragua. At age 51, he was cut down in the prime of life with a sudden and unexpected heart-attack. It was December 9, 2012. He was 51.
Within two days of each other in 2012, two men who had lived next door to each other as dorm mates in 1979 went out into eternity. David went to meet God. God alone knows where my cousin Kent is spending eternity. Both men had similar backgrounds, similar opportunities, similar formative experiences. But they made different choices. David chose to lose himself in Christ and to become a winner. Kent appeared to save his life for himself, and tragically seems to have lost it.
John 12:23-26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
I grieve the passing of both men, but am reminded that our choices determine our destiny.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
"Mr. Higgins"--Living and Loving for all the Right Reasons
I knew him all my life. We simply called him “Mr. Higgins.” He was the Mt. Carmel High School principal. His deep love for the students endeared him to us. My father came to Mt. Carmel as a high school freshman in 1949, the same year that Verdon Higgins came as a new teacher.
I remember Mr. Higgins preaching on chapel. He said that he was not a preacher! Could have fooled most of us! He told stories... success and failure... faithfulness and rebellion... Most of his stories involved unnamed former students. Rebels and failures served as warnings. Faithful successes served as examples, challenges to young people that we could achieve God’s beautiful plan and will for our lives.
I still remember the stories. But more than the stories, I remember the emotion with which Mr. Higgins told them. He told the stories of rebels and failures with tears, weeping, a broken heart, and an agonizing burden that reminded us that people are never finished! He told the stories of faithful successes with joy and reward, reminding us that these were his paychecks!
I understood something about the paycheck because I knew how Mr. Higgins lived. I knew that he lived without a living wage salary. A teacher with a Master’s Degree and high school principal certification–Mr. Higgins was called of God to volunteer his life in shaping the lives of young men and women. I knew that he lived for a reward greater than earth. Mr. Higgins lived for eternity. He inspired me to live for eternity, too.
Mr. Higgins loved Jesus radically, and he expressed that love toward us students. Because he loved greatly, he was a real winner.
John 12:23-26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
I remember Mr. Higgins preaching on chapel. He said that he was not a preacher! Could have fooled most of us! He told stories... success and failure... faithfulness and rebellion... Most of his stories involved unnamed former students. Rebels and failures served as warnings. Faithful successes served as examples, challenges to young people that we could achieve God’s beautiful plan and will for our lives.
I still remember the stories. But more than the stories, I remember the emotion with which Mr. Higgins told them. He told the stories of rebels and failures with tears, weeping, a broken heart, and an agonizing burden that reminded us that people are never finished! He told the stories of faithful successes with joy and reward, reminding us that these were his paychecks!
I understood something about the paycheck because I knew how Mr. Higgins lived. I knew that he lived without a living wage salary. A teacher with a Master’s Degree and high school principal certification–Mr. Higgins was called of God to volunteer his life in shaping the lives of young men and women. I knew that he lived for a reward greater than earth. Mr. Higgins lived for eternity. He inspired me to live for eternity, too.
Mr. Higgins loved Jesus radically, and he expressed that love toward us students. Because he loved greatly, he was a real winner.
John 12:23-26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”
Friday, January 2, 2015
CT Studd learned to trust God
Kinlaw on CT Studd
"C.T. Studd and his missionary team lived deep enough in the interior of Africa that their mail only came every two weeks. Their existence depended on the money that was in that mail, so its arrival was always an event. C.T. Studd was master of ceremonies at the opening of the mail. He made it quite a ritual.
"One fortnight there was a pleasing amount of money in the mail. Studd's comment was 'Bless God forever! He knows what a bunch of grumblers we are. He has sent us enough to keep us quiet.' Another fortnight the amount was quite small. Studd's comment was, 'Hallelujah! We must be growing in grace. He thinks we are learning to trust Him.' One fortnight there was nothing. Grubb (Norman Grubb was C.T. Studd's son-in-law and missionary colleague in the heart of Africa) said that the missionaries gathered around Studd, waited, wondering what he would say. They were not disappointed. He lifted up his voice in a shout, 'Hallelujah! Praise God forever! We are in the kingdom already, for in the kingdom there is neither eating nor drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost'
"Some would think Studd's faith was reckless. I suspect, though, that he had a special place in the heart of God because he dared to expect God to be faithful to His promises."
From Kinlaw, This Day with the Master, December 1.
Dear God,
Teach me to trust You like the great saints who have gone before me. They risked much for You, and seemed to have a trust in You that matched their risk. You have called me to risk everything for a cause You have birthed, Wesley Biblical Seminary. I am often tempted to fear. I am choosing to trust You. Make me a man of faith and trust through the adversities, setbacks, and disappointments I face. As we experience growing success for Your glory, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world."
In the Name of my trustworthy Savior and Lord,
Amen.
"C.T. Studd and his missionary team lived deep enough in the interior of Africa that their mail only came every two weeks. Their existence depended on the money that was in that mail, so its arrival was always an event. C.T. Studd was master of ceremonies at the opening of the mail. He made it quite a ritual.
"One fortnight there was a pleasing amount of money in the mail. Studd's comment was 'Bless God forever! He knows what a bunch of grumblers we are. He has sent us enough to keep us quiet.' Another fortnight the amount was quite small. Studd's comment was, 'Hallelujah! We must be growing in grace. He thinks we are learning to trust Him.' One fortnight there was nothing. Grubb (Norman Grubb was C.T. Studd's son-in-law and missionary colleague in the heart of Africa) said that the missionaries gathered around Studd, waited, wondering what he would say. They were not disappointed. He lifted up his voice in a shout, 'Hallelujah! Praise God forever! We are in the kingdom already, for in the kingdom there is neither eating nor drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost'
"Some would think Studd's faith was reckless. I suspect, though, that he had a special place in the heart of God because he dared to expect God to be faithful to His promises."
From Kinlaw, This Day with the Master, December 1.
Dear God,
Teach me to trust You like the great saints who have gone before me. They risked much for You, and seemed to have a trust in You that matched their risk. You have called me to risk everything for a cause You have birthed, Wesley Biblical Seminary. I am often tempted to fear. I am choosing to trust You. Make me a man of faith and trust through the adversities, setbacks, and disappointments I face. As we experience growing success for Your glory, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world."
In the Name of my trustworthy Savior and Lord,
Amen.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
They Trusted God--Wilfred and Alice Fisher
Alice and Wilfred Fisher were my neighbors. They had a profound impact upon my life and upon the lives of many others. Alice and Wilfred Fisher modeled lives of complete trust in God.
Alice and Wilfred had graduated from a Bible College in Oregon, then enrolled Asbury College. While completing their degrees at Asbury in the Fall of 1939, Rev. Lela McConnell approached the Fishers. Rev. McConnell had founded a fledgling ministry of churches and schools in the hills of East Kentucky. She called it the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association. On July 5 of that year, the startup Bible institute she had founded eight years earlier was destroyed in a flash flood. Lives were lost. McConnell found herself leading a grief-stricken, short-handed organization.
McConnell, desperate to keep the Bible institute afloat, approached Wilfred and Alice. Her request was simple, direct, and astonishing. “Come help me finish the school year at Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute.” She offered no salary, only a humble place to live and even humbler provisions. The Fishers, inspired by McConnell’s vision agreed to finish out the school year at KMBI.
Wilfred and Alice arrived on the newly rebuilt KMBI campus in December, 1939. One building was under construction. After the flood, land had been donated to KMBI by the Fletcher family. Raymond Swauger and his team of young men, desperate to reopen the Bible institute, rapidly constructed the first building. It stands today. When Wilfred and Alice moved in, there were no doors hung on the rooms in the building, only sheets to serve as modesty dividers. That is, there were no doors except on the humble dorm room that the only married couple on the hilltop would call home.
The Fishers had trusted God and His leading to join McConnell in a temporary arrangement. That six month agreement spanned 71 years for Alice, until her death in 2010. Wilfred died in November, 2014, shortly after he turned 100 years old.
Trials, triumphs, and tragedies filled those years of service to Christ as full-time volunteers in a “temporary arrangement.” Alice birthed three children in those years. She and Wilfred buried two of those children. Steve died tragically in a bulldozer accident. Frances succumbed to long-term illness.
Yet, Alice and Wilfred Fisher trusted God. Alice taught at KMBC and served as registrar. She was a counselor to many, myself included. Wilfred founded WMTC radio which is still going strong! Wilfred was a well-known camp-meeting evangelist who traveled the world in evangelism. He often returned his revival and camp-meeting offerings to WMTC in order to help pay the bills.
Daily, for many years, Beth and I would see Alice walking around the tennis court between her house and our own. We could watch from our kitchen window while washing dishes or preparing an evening meal. Alice carried 3x5 cards, and was memorizing scripture. She continued this practice as long as she could walk, which was well into her nineties.
Next to my own parents, Wilfred and Alice Fisher are among the Godliest people I have ever known. Service was never about self. It was always about the Savior and the mission to which God had called them. Life was never easy for them, but they walked with God with such a grace and intimacy that I wanted to be like them. They simply trusted God.
Jesus is often asking us this simple question, “Will you trust me?” If we will, we have much to gain.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.”
Alice and Wilfred had graduated from a Bible College in Oregon, then enrolled Asbury College. While completing their degrees at Asbury in the Fall of 1939, Rev. Lela McConnell approached the Fishers. Rev. McConnell had founded a fledgling ministry of churches and schools in the hills of East Kentucky. She called it the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association. On July 5 of that year, the startup Bible institute she had founded eight years earlier was destroyed in a flash flood. Lives were lost. McConnell found herself leading a grief-stricken, short-handed organization.
McConnell, desperate to keep the Bible institute afloat, approached Wilfred and Alice. Her request was simple, direct, and astonishing. “Come help me finish the school year at Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute.” She offered no salary, only a humble place to live and even humbler provisions. The Fishers, inspired by McConnell’s vision agreed to finish out the school year at KMBI.
Wilfred and Alice arrived on the newly rebuilt KMBI campus in December, 1939. One building was under construction. After the flood, land had been donated to KMBI by the Fletcher family. Raymond Swauger and his team of young men, desperate to reopen the Bible institute, rapidly constructed the first building. It stands today. When Wilfred and Alice moved in, there were no doors hung on the rooms in the building, only sheets to serve as modesty dividers. That is, there were no doors except on the humble dorm room that the only married couple on the hilltop would call home.
The Fishers had trusted God and His leading to join McConnell in a temporary arrangement. That six month agreement spanned 71 years for Alice, until her death in 2010. Wilfred died in November, 2014, shortly after he turned 100 years old.
Trials, triumphs, and tragedies filled those years of service to Christ as full-time volunteers in a “temporary arrangement.” Alice birthed three children in those years. She and Wilfred buried two of those children. Steve died tragically in a bulldozer accident. Frances succumbed to long-term illness.
Yet, Alice and Wilfred Fisher trusted God. Alice taught at KMBC and served as registrar. She was a counselor to many, myself included. Wilfred founded WMTC radio which is still going strong! Wilfred was a well-known camp-meeting evangelist who traveled the world in evangelism. He often returned his revival and camp-meeting offerings to WMTC in order to help pay the bills.
Daily, for many years, Beth and I would see Alice walking around the tennis court between her house and our own. We could watch from our kitchen window while washing dishes or preparing an evening meal. Alice carried 3x5 cards, and was memorizing scripture. She continued this practice as long as she could walk, which was well into her nineties.
Next to my own parents, Wilfred and Alice Fisher are among the Godliest people I have ever known. Service was never about self. It was always about the Savior and the mission to which God had called them. Life was never easy for them, but they walked with God with such a grace and intimacy that I wanted to be like them. They simply trusted God.
Jesus is often asking us this simple question, “Will you trust me?” If we will, we have much to gain.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.”
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Christ of Christmas
Christ for sickness, Christ for health,
Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth,
Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow,
Christ today and Christ tomorrow;
Christ my Life, and Christ my Light,
Christ for morning, noon and night,
Christ when all around gives way,
Christ my everlasting Stay;
Christ my Rest, and Christ my Food,
Christ above my highest good,
Christ my Well-beloved Friend,
Christ my Pleasure without end;
Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord,
Christ my Portion, Christ my God,
Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep,
Christ Himself my soul to keep;
Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace,
Christ hath wrought my soul's release,
Christ my Righteousness divine,
Christ for me, for He is mine;
Christ my Wisdom, Christ my Meat,
Christ restores my wandering feet,
Christ my Advocate and Priest,
Christ who ne'er forgets the least;
Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide,
Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide,
Christ the Ever-living Bread,
Christ His precious Blood hath shed;
Christ hath brought me nigh to God,
Christ the everlasting Word .
Christ my Master, Christ my Head,
Christ who for my sins hath bled;
Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown,
Christ the Plant of great renown,
Christ my Comforter on high,
Christ my Hope, draws ever nigh.
Source Unknown.
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