God's provision is key

I got up and headed out the door to work on Thursday - yesterday - and as I reached for my key, I noticed it was gone. I keep my car key hanging out of the little coin pocket of my jeans so that I don't accidentally push any of the buttons on the little key fob. I have set off the alarm more than once, and I have walked up to the car to find it unlocked, or the trunk lid open, knowing that I did not leave it that way - so now the key fob lives on the outside of my pocket and no more trouble. But this time, it was not there. I went back into the house, said something to my wife about grabbing my keys, which I did in fact grab off my desk - but not the car key. I grabbed the whole big ring and headed out the door. I guess my brain was not quite awake yet... so once more I felt for the car key, and it was still gone. Turn around once more and head back to the house once more - I'm glad we don't have a real large estate with some long walk between the car plaza and the front door....

My wife walked up just as I was coming in for the third time, fishing in her purse and handed me the key to my car, with a smile on her face. I was confused - but here's the rest of the story:

The previous night I was at church. After worship/prayer, I decided to run home, as opposed to walking. When I do that, I head off across the parking lot uphill, and go to the top of the hill at Foothill road so I can then run along Foothill Road to the top of my street, then down my street and home. It is still less than a mile, but a much better workout than just walking straight home.

When I run, things do tend to come flying out of my pockets, so I usually end up holding my iPhone in one hand and my keys in the other hand. But apparently my car key jumped ship halfway across the parking lot. I must have really put on a blinding burst of speed at that point or something, or maybe God just wanted to teach me a lesson?

Some other saint saw the key on the ground, and they retrieved it and walked into the foyer of the church and announced it. My wife 'happened' to be still standing there in the foyer, and heard it. She glanced at the key and recognized it as ours. She took it from the person, and dropped it into her purse.

So there you have it - I lost it out in the middle of the parking lot, it didn't get run over, rather it was found and saved, then my wife was still at church when the person who found it came in and announced that they had, indeed, found a key. And then my wife looked at the key and recognized it as ours, and then she put it into her purse. The biggest miracle of this whole thing might just be that we ever saw the key again once Hope dropped it into her purse, but that's a blog for another day.

Also - Hope had planned on going shopping before work, and would have been in the next city (with my key in her purse) but for some reason I ended up going out the door ahead of her. Again, I guess it just 'happened' that way, right?

God seems to truly delight in blessing us. Sometimes in real big flashy ways, other time He does it by weaving together a hundred seemingly unrelated little things just to show us that He is, in fact, God, and we are not.

Plans

We are very low on cash these days, and the greatest problem with that is planning. What I mean is that we have plans we made long ago which we can't afford to carry out.

It's not so bad when we think of something we would like to do, and then look at each other, laugh together and say, "right. Like we have the money for THAT..."

But it does bother other people when we have said that we would do something, and then we can't come through. So -

We stop promising things. And THAT - well, that is not easy. We have been blessed over the past decade or so, and we have been able to see a need and just go ahead and help out. Now, not so much. At least, not with money. So - we try to use the time we have, the strong backs, talents, abilities and other creative things God has blessed us with.

Most of all - we try very hard to still laugh together about it.

And that is priceless.

Miracle

I don't know how people who are physically handicapped figure in God's kingdom. The Word talks about 'innocent blood,' and 'widows and orphans,' and 'the poor.' But these people don't seem to meet those characteristics: they may be innocent in the sense that nothing they did caused them to be born the way they were, but as they grow and develop they can become spiritual people, humanistic people, people limited by their physical traits, or people challenged and even set free by those same traits.

I mention this at all, because our community just put on a very special event yesterday: our third "Miracle League Practice and Play." Coach Mark Magdeleno put on a baseball clinic with the help of the Ventura College baseball team players. The players give this time in a big way: they come in uniform and set up stations for the special athletes to learn to bat (some off of a batting tee), catch, throw, and all the other skills. But these clinics become very personal and geared to the fact that many of the players are in wheelchairs, some are physically limited in other ways, and some are mentally limited.

It is an awesome way for a group of athletes - the college ball players - to give back to the community, and to bless another groups of athlete - the special-needs people who come to play ball, many for the first time in their lives.

But the people who I observed getting the biggest blessing were not the players. Not the special needs athletes who, admittedly, may not have smiled this much at any other time in their lives. For me, it was the parents of these special-needs young people who seemed to get the biggest blessing from our efforts. You could watch them as they come for the first time: they were skeptical, cautious, even wary of this event and the people who would put on something like it. Why? Because up to this time, they had been the only ones in the life of their kids who loved on them the way they do. And here, possibly for the first time, was a whole day where they could relax and let others love their son or daughter the way they do - taking into full account limits as well as abilities.

You could tell the parents who had been to more than one of these events: they came in with smiles, thanksgiving, and they released their young one to the waiting arms of people who where there to give that young person the best day they possibly could.

I guess the Bible does say a thing or two about loving others as yourself, and about giving to those who have no way to give back. But I sure enjoyed being 'paid' in the smiling faces of the players and their parents yesterday, so I don't know if that's it. I guess I'll just have to be sure and be part of the two other events planned for this summer, and see if I can figure this thing out.

Be there?

Humble themselves, and SEEK my face

I got up and told this story last night as we began our worship time. It is, as usual, most likely more for me than anyone else, but I will share it here nonetheless.

I sold a car yesterday. Hope and I own two cars in Florida - long story - and we decided that we do not WANT to own two cars in Florida anymore. So I listed one of them on Craigslist.com

I must have set the price just right, because within a couple of hours I had ten emails. A few were scams, I'm sure: you seem to get some of those no matter what you list on CL, so I did not go out of my way to respond to any of them. But one guy sent three responses, and he included a cell phone number. So I was getting ready to respond to his email when my phone rang with a Florida area code.

You see, we had tried to sell this same car several months ago, and it had 'for sale' signs posted in a couple of windows, and on those signs were my cell number. Note: at no time did I ever get back to this man with information about where to go see the car, or any other information. It was evident that something unusual had happened here... I answered the call just as I was opening the ad - the man had found the car, and was standing next to it as he dialed.

I realized that in my ad I had mentioned that the car was on campus at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL - so he had to have gone to the campus and just driven around looking for our car until he found it. Wow - this guy obviously WANTED this car!

The phone call was friendly - he liked the car, had one just like it already and wanted to own twins, and by this time I had sent a text message to our daughter to go out to the car and meet this man with the key. She did, but the battery was dead. The guy ran home - a short distance from the campus - and returned just a very few minutes later with jumper cables. The car was started, and he drove it around a bit. He was 'sold.'

But he tried to ask me to accept a lower price.

Mind you - he had just found the car based on nothing more than a very vague description of it's location and a picture of the back end of it - and he had boldly called the out-of-area phone number he found on the sign, and I was just looking at my email inbox to find that he had sent me three inquiries about the car... This man was by very definition a 'motivated buyer!'

I told him that no, I was very happy with the price I had on the car, and would not be accepting lower offers. I would, though be glad to check in with the other people who had sent me emails asking about the car, and get back to him if none of them panned out.

He finally said that he would run to his bank and return with cash just as fast as he could, if my daughter would be kind enough to meet him back there in fifteen minutes or so.

And he was as good as his promise - we sold him the car on the spot fifteen minutes later, and he drove it away with a huge smile on his face.

So - the question is - do we seek things like that? Or more importantly: do we seek God like that? I have the opportunity to step into God's very presence anywhere, anytime. Do I do so? If I showed half as much desire for God as that man showed for my car, well... you do the math.

Where am I supposed to be?

2 Samuel 11
David and Bathsheba

" 1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. "

It's amazing to think that the whole chapter of "David and Bathsheba" might not have happened if David had simply been where he was supposed to be. How often are we tempted, how often do we fall, and then blame God? Or circumstances? Yet we were not where we belonged.

Not Applicable

I have found an interesting formula in my life. OK - to be more precise, I have found that there are dozens, even hundreds of formulas in my life. What do I mean? Glad you asked.

There are certain things which I do - these are called 'behaviors' by people who study this stuff - which result in certain changes. Simply put, "if I do what I have always done, I'll get the results that I have always gotten."

There are sayings, aphorisms, proverbs, even posters which proclaim similar thoughts. These come to mind:

No pain, no gain.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Nobody who ever quit, won.

These are common sayings, but I tend to dismiss them as 'cute,' or 'not applicable' to me. But they are applicable to me. And many more are as well. Bummer.

If I eat a lot, I'll weigh a lot. If I walk five days in a week, I'll lose five pounds that week, providing I watch what I eat at the same time. Weight Watchers has a saying about it's program: "if you do it a little, you'll lose a little. If you do it a lot, you'll lose a lot." I don't know if I have that just right, I'll Google it later.

Point is - our behavior does effect our life. We cannot break laws of man, God, or society and expect to get away with it, no matter how special we think we are.

So - what does God expect of us?

Great question!

I sat in silence today, and heard the most important thing in my life.

I teach and they run away.
I listen, and they come.
My strength is my silence.

Akiane, age 9 (child prodigy)


Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.

Jesus Christ (John 14:27)

There are times our speaking can communicate the very words of God.
There are times our speaking can chase away the very presence of God.

Me.

Our provider

Luke 12

32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It is amazing to me that some of us think of the government as our providers. But as history has taught us - if we are wise - is that a government can only TAKE from us. Only God can give us everlasting life, and a place to enjoy them with Him.

The storm

The image I uploaded with this blog came from NASA - I was looking at over fifty amazing shots and it was one of them. Some were taken from the International Space Station, others from the Space Shuttle, but I think they all were taken from orbit. You know - 'from space.'

The hurricane in the picture is Felix. Can you imagine the impact a storm of that size would be having on the people on the ground? Hard to imagine, since it looks so beautiful from above.

But we do tend to forget that even when storms rage and clouds cover the sun, whether we are talking about clouds real or figurative, the sun is still shining above it all.

God sees us from above, according to Hollywood, the Media and most people who give it only casual thought. But the Bible mentions "Emmanuel," God With Us. With. As in- the sun may be shining above the storms of life, but God isn't up there wishing us the best of luck. He is right there WITH us, in the midst of the storm.

I like that better. Thanks Father God.

Hidden sins

In the past few days, I have encountered two people who are trying to get building permits. That's not at all unusual, given that I am in business, I am a contractor, and that I do work which often could - or should - require various types of permits. But these two people are somewhat unique in that they are trying to get permits after the work is completed. Yes, both of them got caught doing work without first getting permits, and of course, without getting the inspections along the way.

One of them built a beautiful backyard, complete with a gazebo, a patio cover, a gas barbecue, nice lighting, and a self-contained hot tub. Completed it all a few years ago.

The other is the tenant in a commercial building we own, and is trying to get her business moved in and operating in her new location. With some new lighting, plumbing, and a couple of new office spaces.

Both of them are now in trouble with the city. They share one very important similarity: they both got caught. Both of them are now trying to do the least amount of work possible to prove that they met the codes and requirements for all the work that they did - but the inspector is not willing to just take their word for any of it, because he can't SEE any of the important parts now. And how can he be expected to believe what these people tell him when they obviously tried to put one over on him already?

So - they will have to cut open some concrete slabs, rip open some walls and some ceilings, and do some other expensive work. The one family has had to remove the Hot Tub completely. Don't worry, they say, once they get the permit signed off they will put it back. Wow. How honest is honest these days? I sure hope that they never have a fire. I'm pretty sure that being warned - in writing, as a matter of public record - that you have a fire hazard in your yard is plenty of excuse for their insurance company to NOT cover their losses if the place did happen to burn down. Or if the gazebo caused the fire to jump to a neighbor's house and burned it to the ground...For me, it would have been bad enough to get caught once, can you imagine if they get 'caught' by some tragedy?

So - we'll see how things proceed. But at this point, I am thinking about the things in my life which I have tried to hide. An impure thought life is one of those things which plagues all people in some fashion. All people. The genders are very different, of course: men tend to struggle in the realm of lust, while women struggle in other realms. Fear, gossip, anger, harsh words, and other hidden sins can an do work their way into all of our thoughts. Wow - did I just manage to insult everyone on the planet?

No - I came to a conclusion about myself, and the people I care about. And I am not going to try to cover it up any more, because God's way of exposing things after the fact is much more painful than opening up a bit of drywall or cutting a hole in a concrete slab. And much more personal.

Numbers 23:23 is often quoted in this regard:
"Be sure, your sin will find you out."

It is written about not wholly serving the Lord God, and not doing what you promise. But don't worry, there are lots of places in the Bible where we can see examples of a person's sin coming to light, and to use the common vernacular of today: biting them in the butt.

I guess it makes it all the more important for us to guard our every thought, and to give thought to every thing we allow into our lives. Secret? Don't count on it staying that way.