Some 400 years ago, 250 people sought religious freedom. They were seeking a place where could live their lives as they saw fit. They were willing to risk their lives to obtain this freedom. They loaded a boat renamed the Mayflower. In July, 1620, the Mayflower left Southampton, England for the new world. The voyage took 3 months. The North Sea had nothing but storms. By the time they reached Plymouth, over 150 people were dead. The remaining Pilgrims prayed and fasted on whether or not they would stay. After they decided to stay, they all came to an agreement, The Mayflower Compact. They pledged themselves to each other to make the colony strive. Everybody owned everything and they would share all. They built homes and farmed the land. But it wasn’t going well. They needed help and no one was coming to help. They pray for deliverance. God heard their prays and sent an Indian. His name was Squanto. He had lived in Europe and spoke English. Squanto taught them how to grow corn and to fish for food. The Pilgrims, not like the Puritans, had made peace with the Indians. They traded with the Indians and lived in peace with them. The Pilgrims had grown enough food to survive the hard winter in Massachusetts. The following year they grew enough food to last most of the year. In November of 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims held a feast to thank God for the bountiful harvest. They invited their Indian friends. For 3 days they played games and ate from the bounty. Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
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I have seen people pray and think that God didn’t answer them. I have never seen God not answer a just prayer. God may not tell you the answer but one will come. When I was younger, I had a roommate 1 summer. He kept asking God for answers and he said he hadn’t received any. That summer he was inspired to write 25 songs. He was a musician. Take a wild guess where the answers were to his prayers. This is the 3rd story about God’s providence. This story is from the 1970s and 1980s. This story is about a young black man born in poverty. He went to a public school and excelled in basketball. His mother was raising him alone. She prayed that the inner city wouldn’t take her son away. The city was going to move the family into the projects. She knew that her son would have no chance to survive. She went to mayor of her city and asked if she and her family could stay out of the projects. The mayor knew who the young man was and agreed. Not only did he agree, he help this young man to get into a private high school. The only problem was this young man’s education was poor. He had to build his vocabulary. He had to learn 5 new words every day for a year just to catch up. He did. In his junior year, he led his high school team to the state championship. In college, he did the same. He was drafted into the NBA in 1981. He was the #2 pick in the draft. He went on played in the NBA. And final ended up coaching. Of course I am talking about Isiah Thomas. Without his mother’s prayers and God providing for his family, you would have never known about him. God takes what you have and uses it to provide for you and your family. It doesn’t matter what we think, God is always there and working in our behalf. It is part of God’s inheritance for His children.
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There are 3 stories about God’s providence I want to tell. I don’t know if I can tell them all in one blog, but I’ll try. They are all true stories. My first story happened about happened about 2800 years ago. One of the preachers in the school of the Prophets suddenly died. He left a wife and 2 sons and vast amount of debt. The creditors weren’t going to take his house, they were going to take his sons as bondsmen. Literally they would be slaves unto the debt was paid. His widow went to the head of the school, who at that time was the prophet Elisha. She asked Elisha for God’s help in this situation. Elisha asked her what she had left in the house. She said all they had left was a pot of oil. It was about 1 or 2 gallons of oil. Elisha told her to go to her neighbors and borrow pots. As many as she could get into her house. Then he said, shut the door with your 2 sons and pour the oil into the pots. She did exactly as Elisha said. She filled all the pots she had. When there was no more pots the oil stopped flowing. Elisha said sell the oil and pay the debt and the rest you can live on. And so she did. God took what she had and used it to provide for her and her sons. My next story happened in the 1950’s. This was a very similar story. A young woman lost her husband. She had three young children at home. Her husband was the bread winner. She was a housewife. After the funeral was over and the family had gone home, she didn’t what to do. She was praying, asking God for help. Every time that friend or family would come over to see about her, she would bake a pie for them to eat. She was a very good cook and her pies were delicious. Friends and family started asking her to bake pies for them. They paid her for the pies. At first it was just to help out financially. But the volume of sales of the pies began to increase. Until it became a business. God had answered her prayers. God took what she had and used it to provide for her and her family. I’ll tell the 3rd story next time.
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There are many romance novels that are read by lonely hearts looking for that connection. People want to make a connection with people to feel whole again. Some look their whole life and never find it. Some find the love they need immediately. I had a father, mother, aunts, uncles, grandparents and brothers. Yet I didn’t find that connection my heart was looking for. My heart was always heavy. I knew that there was a person out there for me. I just had to find that person. I dated all through college. There was one young women that I wanted to make my wife. But my stupidity got in the way. So I carried around a pain in my heart that never seemed to go away. One summer a friend ask my brother and I to join their business. I agreed and began going to a business meeting each morning at this friend’s business. Each morning this friend and an associate would talk about the strangest subject, Jesus. They would talk about how He helped them solve problems. They would talk about how real He was. After 3 months they asked me if I wanted to meet Jesus. I said yes. The day that I met Jesus, I knew that this was the person I had been looking for all of my life. As I began to read the bible, I wanted to find out who this person was and why He loved me. As I read I came to a book in the Old Testament, The Song of Songs. I began reading and discover it was a book about the intimate relationship between a man and a woman. I couldn’t believe God had put this love story in the middle of the bible. He put the book in for a very important reason, to show how much He loves us. And to what extent God will go to bring us home. I found the person that loves me for me. Have you found that person yet?
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The people of Ancient Babylon spoke one language. It was the language of the world. Everyone spoke the same language. The King of Babylon was a powerful man because of the people he ruled. The Babylonian people were very smart and figured out how to build a beautiful city, the hanging gardens of Babylon, in the middle of the desert. They were a very advanced civilization. They were so smart they figured out that they didn’t need God at all. So they began to build a tower high enough that the king could shoot an arrow at God and tell Him that they didn’t need Him. God looked at the Babylonians and said nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined God scrambled their languages so that they couldn’t understand each other. In 1775, 77 men and boys formed their militia on the green at Lexington. 400 British Regulars marched into town. They ordered the militia to go home. But they wouldn’t. No one knows who fired the first shot. But when the shooting started, 7 militiamen fell died. The rest ran for cover. The call went out to the Massachusetts’ militia. The British had about 1500 troops and were marching on Concord. 3900 Massachusetts’ militia came out to face the British. They fought the British Indian style and chased them back to Boston. The British causalities were over 200 men. When all the British troops reached Boston, the militia surrounded the city with bonfires. It was known that the British General Gates told his subordinate that they were defeated by an idea. Being in one mind and one accord was how the American people became a nation. God was not against us being in one mind and one accord. He was against people using it to fight God. Today people need to be in one mind and one accord. It is the only way we as a people will solve the problems facing us with God’s help.
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Home is calling out to me. I can hear my name being called to come home. Do you remember when you were young and your mother was calling you to come in? It was time for supper and play time was over. My mom said if we didn’t come into the house she would send my father to get me. I was on a high rise building this past weekend. I was looking at the skyline in the morning sun. It was beautiful. The temperature was in the 60’s and the sun was shining. It was like time had stopped. The skies were blue. It was as if I was transported to another world. Then this world came crashing down on me. And I remembered all the duties I had to do. I am so homesick. I want to go home to my Father. But I can’t leave because there is work to do in this world. I haven’t finished the things that are necessary. This blog is one of those things that is necessary, not for me but for you. The Apostle Paul said I am torn between to 2. I want to go home, but I must stay for your sake. He stayed to fulfill God’s plan in his life. He preached the gospel to kings. In the end he was put to death for his belief. And he went home. Home isn’t a strange unusual place that no one has ever heard of. It is a wonderful place fill with beauty and people. As God says there are no tears in heaven. There is no pain or suffering in heaven. My younger brother who just died asked me about heaven. He asked was there pain in death. I told him that death was a door opening to the other side. The pain is in this world. I told him that Jesus would come to get him. He would close his eyes and fall asleep. Then he would awake in heaven. Oh that I could awake in heaven today.
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I was 8 years old when I first met Jesus. I was watching a Billy Graham Crusade on television. I found the singing interesting. Then Billy Graham began to talk about life itself. He ask if our lives were what we thought it would be. He began to talk about the one person who could change our lives for the better. He explain that He has always been there waiting for us. Then he explain how we could meet Jesus. And all we had to do was pray and believe that Jesus would answer our prayer. Then he said pray with me and I did. I wasn’t sure what I did, but I knew that there was someone with me. He was watching over me and I was loved. God knew that I was going to go through some hard times. I was going to need someone helping me walk through this life. By the time I graduated from high school. I was in so much pain, I walked away from God. I ran for 10 years until He stopped me. God reached out to me and turn me around. The day I prayed to same pray again, Jesus surrounded me. He held me all day long. From that day to this I know that my Redeemer lives in my heart. God saw my broken heart and loved me back into the kingdom. He healed my broken spirit and set me on the right path. I am testifying that Jesus loves me and has saved me from my deserved fate of hell. He didn’t stop or start with me. God has been there for anyone and everyone who will listen to His voice. When you hear that small gentle voice calling your name, turn and say I am here, Lord. I thank God every day that He redeemed me.
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Are you enjoying your life? Yes, yes, I know life has burdens. There are things that weight you down. But are you enjoying things and people God has given in your life? I was at a big box store the other day, a young mother and her son and friends came in. The boys were about 7 or 8 years old. There were 4 of them. The mother was in a hurry and the boys were just enjoying themselves. They were arm in arm walking behind the mom. They weren’t making any noise or disturbing the mom’s shopping. They were just enjoying each other’s company. The mom was busy with the shopping and didn’t see the beauty of the moment. I laugh as the boys just kept walking together. I enjoyed the moment as much as they did. There is beauty all around us. It is just looking for it. When you find it, then to enjoy the moment. I have seen people and I am sure you have too, that couldn’t see anything because they were weighted down by life. This isn’t just right or that is just too much. I feel sorry for them. As the expression goes, they can’t see the forest for the trees. There are many horrible things in this life, but what makes this life worth living are the beautiful things you find. I went to a wedding this past weekend and my nephew was taking pictures. I was reminded of the joy and beauty I have seen. I thank God that I have. We were enjoying each other’s company. Although I have gone through a lot with my family, I love them dearly, big belly’s and all. It is one of the things God wants us to do. That is to enjoy the now and look for the beauty in it all.
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My wife and I are fairly conservative. We like a quiet and well managed life. But every so often we like to do something unusual. It is so that we don’t become stagnant or boring. My niece was getting married and we wanted to go. My niece lives in a big southern city. We drove into town and got there about 3pm on Friday. Just in time for the 5pm traffic rush. It takes 2 hours to go over the bridge to the other side. What was a real surprise to us was that all the drivers were courteous to each other. No one was honking horns or yelling and cursing at each other. As we were there 2 cruise ships docked in the port and all the passengers came into the city. We finally got to our 5 star hotel. It was nice. I mean people waited on us hand and foot. It started with the valet parking. Then the front desk personnel did everything but pick us up and carry us to the room. A king size bed with a bathroom as big as the bedroom. It had a Jacuzzi tub that was big enough for 2 people. It was almost country come to town. We went to restaurants that were excellent. Friday night it was a seafood restaurant. We were with friends and family. After the meal, we ordered a Crème Brule that was a big as a dinner plate. 4 people ate from it. Unfortunately or fortunately I ate the most of it. About 3am I paid for it. The next night was even better than the Friday night. We went to a prime rib restaurant. There was so much food, it took 3 hours to eat. That I paid for too about 4am. The wedding was great. We had a wonderful time. The family came together and we took pictures of everything. The young man coming into our family doesn’t yet know what he is getting into. My family has never been shy about expressing themselves publicly. This young man will fit in perfectly. When you feel that there is nothing new to do or see. Go to a family wedding and enjoy yourself. For all that our families are, they want to be with you and share their lives. And do something unusual, share your life with someone else. You never know what will happen.
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A question for the ages, how to know. Growing up I was never certain about anything. My body was never the same size because it was always changing. Everything changes every day. How do you know for sure? As life goes by it like you in movie of your life. Sometimes it is in slow motion. And then again my life has gone by in flash. Yesterday I was 18 years old, then I looked in the mirror and saw a wrinkled face. How do you know what to do or where to go? When I graduated from high school, my mother said I had a frown on my face. I realized that that part of my life was over and the future was uncertain. That uncertainty cause problems in my life. I like to have things in order, neatly in order. There was a plan for my life, I wasn’t finding it. What I didn’t know was that the plan was unfolding despite me. Learning that you aren’t in control of everything is unsettling at the least. I wanted predictable things in my life. I wanted to see results like I thought should be. When the whole thing collapsed on me, I found the thing that never changes. I wish I had been more willing to listen to the truth. I wouldn’t have suffered as much as I did. But the plan for my life depended on me listening and surrendering my life voluntarily. So when I got myself into a hole I couldn’t get out of, I stopped and listened. I was surprised at what I heard. I found someone who loved me for me. It didn’t make any difference what I had done. I had come home. And my Father was there waiting for me. He opened His arms and held me. I had come home to my Father and Jesus. I began to see how much He loved me and had helped me all along the way. He never forsook me or left me alone. I have lived at my Father’s home for 35 years. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. And all you have to do is ask.
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