A Coffee Break With Jesus

Locked Out It wasn’t until I stopped attempting to get God’s attention that I experienced Him up close. When I became a Christian, I began working on a plan to please God through works of service. Those were tough years, filled with times of great discouragement. I couldn’t seem to get Him to pay attention to the many ventures I started in His name. The more I said, “Look at what I am doing for you,“ the more distant He appeared. The door to God’s presence appeared slammed

I spent my first two years as a Christian studying the 39 books of the Old Testament. These 39 books shaped the way I see Jesus, and God's plan to bring us into a relationship with Himself. The Old Testament is like a large window with many individual panes of framed glass. As I look out the window, I see the broader landscape before me. Every single pane reveals a smaller portion of the whole scene. In the picture above, I'm looking out the window on the broader view, and

Awakening early in the morning, I am conscious of my breathing. I am breathing because God has breathed life into me. I am filled with gratitude as I take my first breath, and as I exhale, I am reminded of the goodness of God. Psalm 197:8, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” No less than 4 times in this chapter, this verse is repeated. God is shouting to us, “Remember My goodness towards you.”

One of the wisest men I have ever known never attended school. Until he was nearly 50 years old, he couldn't read or write. I remember him well; the last time I saw T K Carroll was right after I was discharged from the Air Force, and he stopped to spend a few days at my mom's home. He told me he was a notorious sinner and ran with a rough crowd of moonshiners until he met the Lord at age 45. Picking up a Bible, though he couldn’t read it, the Holy Spirit taught him. "Bu

“How long will it be before this nagging temptation and sin no longer has any control over me,” is something I have asked throughout my life. Do you find yourself doing things that you hate? Unable to control the temptation to repeatedly do what you know is wrong but without knowing how to stop? You and I are not alone in this struggle! Paul said in Romans 7:15-18 AMP “For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I wa

I live in the big house on the hill, it’s the one that JESUS owns. I have shared this thought many times during Sunday mornings. As an unbeliever I would pass by this big house; there was always a celebration going on inside. When I passed this way at night, the lights were always on, and I could hear the joy filled festivities. I desperately wanted to be a part of the celebration going on inside. Then one day I met Jesus personally and I was introduced to His Father. When

On cold winter mornings my uncle Lloyd would pick me up from our farm and drive me into town, where I would work at my Grandfather’s Sinclair gas station. At age fifteen I would open the station and pump gas, repair tires, do oil changes, and handle minor repairs. Upon reflection I can see God’s hand in my life from those early beginnings. One of my first real impressions of God was at Lake Ann Bible Camp near Traverse City, Michigan, when I was 11 years old. Over the years

We first learned about Happy and Sad when we were having a meal with our son Judah, daughter-in-law Angela, and our grandkids. Each day at dinner our grandchildren, along with their parents, share their happy moment for the day and also share a sad moment, whether it be a big thing or a little thing. I realized that we all have our own happy and sad, but most likely we keep it within ourselves and fail to express it. When I look back on my journey, my Sad was finding out th

I did not find it natural to walk in the supernatural. When I acknowledged that God’s love was revealed through Jesus Christ, both in His life and death, I stepped into the supernatural. This was way over my head, and when I read in the Bible that God requires faith to please Him, I was equally mystified. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” G

Being thankful is one of the most liberating things I have ever experienced; it has freed me from preoccupation with self. Instead of focusing on disappointments and suffering that we have all experienced, I reflect on the good that has come out of my pain. To THANK GOD, I must first THINK GOD. I must choose to prioritize God in my thoughts. If I treat Him like a life preserver in the boat for emergencies, it may be some time before we connect. It may even be awkward approa

When I was a young boy, you knew that Sundays had a special significance. Shopping was limited as most stores were closed in deference to the Sabbath. Our family would go to church, returning home to rest, or share in family events. We looked forward to the feast that mom would prepare on Sundays, as this was when we would all gather for fun and leisure. Many times, guests would visit unannounced, and mom would invite them to share in our meal and family time. The Bible re

God is calling each one of us to dedication and consecration to Jesus as our Lord and Christ. We are to wait on Him with a diligence that opens our hearts to hear Him speak. In seeking Him we will more fully understand where He is taking us and what He is going to do through us. We can do nothing of real importance apart from Him! We are pressed by the tyranny of the urgent, leaving little time for reflection and fellowship. We pass in and out of each other’s lives as cr

If you could live your life over, what changes would you make? No, I am not going to dredge up our past mistakes, as we would all be overwhelmed. Ecclesiastics describes life as fleeting and portrays the whole of life as vanity. The following question stops me in my tracks. “What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?“ Anonymous Considering yesterday‘s thankful thoughts, I would be both rich and poor. I would be poor because I forgot t

We are all pressed to change the way we live our daily lives in the face of our present crisis. There is one thing that cannot change. God said, “For I [am] the LORD, I do not change...” Malachi 3:6 We must hold on to God, who cannot change, as our present circumstances involve continual change. Fear is a genuine part of our current condition as we face the uncertainty of new and pressing challenges. I have faced overwhelming challenges, where I took my eyes off God,

God has intervened time and again in my otherwise seemingly impossible circumstances. But why does He take so long to do it? It was during my many moments of testing I questioned God’s plan in fulfilling His work in me. Testing added to my life much frustration while questioning God’s purpose in these lengthy, drawn-out disappointments. God seemed to take much more time than necessary to deliver my help. I would say, “I know you have a lot of people to take care of, but c

Over these many years, I have been thoughtful of the fact that God doesn’t need me. Truly this has been a humbling and healthy perspective to hold. In my 40 years of pastoral ministry, I have witnessed far too many individuals who thought God needed them. They had great beginnings but were blinded by success, and fell prey to the idea that God owed them something. The love of money and marital infidelity led to broken families, death, financial ruin and destruction. Pride

Imagination: the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses: Imagination is a constant companion in our daily journey. It starts at a very young age when you are playing or daydreaming. The young boy is acting out in his imagination some heroics; the young girl dreams of adventure or the day she will be a bride. In your thoughts, haven’t you rescued someone in danger, or been the hero in your story. My poin

You are facing a foreboding situation, you don’t want to appear fearful, but deep inside, trepidation is banging on your door. You question if you dare to make a stand. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is trusting God and refusing to submit to fear which can paralyze you into unbelief and inaction. King David, who wrote many Psalms said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in the Lord.” David demonstrated an honest and humble approach to his many fears. Like David, I

I recall many times when I was preparing to move in a specific direction, the Spirit would speak to me through the Word, in my thoughts, and through changing circumstances to make a course correction. Even when I undertake a new painting, I ask the Spirit to assist me, give me understanding of the subject, and when I am stuck on some aspect, I ask for His guidance. Don’t blame the Spirit for my finished product, He only can do so much with this piece of clay. We tend to t

It wasn’t until I stopped attempting to get God’s attention that I experienced Him up close. When I became a Christian, I began working on a plan to please God through works of service. Those were tough years, filled with times of great discouragement. I couldn’t seem to get Him to pay attention to the many ventures I started in His name. The more I said, “Look at what I am doing for you,” the more distant He appeared. The door to God’s presence appeared slammed shut and lock