When i first met Jesus and went to church, i remember the story of Israel crossing the Red Sea and spending 40 years in the wilderness more than most other stories from the Bible. It’s a story of great deliverance, great rebellion, incessant complaining, God’s rich and miraculous provision, and the miles and miles and day after day life in the wilderness. i was taught to dread the wilderness, after all, look what happened to Israel. Older Christians would tell me, “Oh, you don’t want to be like Israel, camping in the wilderness for 40 years!” Over time there began to grow in me a subtle dread of spiritually being swept off into the desert to probably die from thirst for God only to befound one day as just a dry husk, slack jawed, stiff and with empty eye sockets, and no one will remember me. Or to be like Elisha in 1 Kings 19 and get driven into the wilderness only to lay under a tree, whining and pining about “where is God” and saying “i’m the only one left”. Boo-hoo, just lost and sad in the wilderness.

In light of that, lo these many years later, i’ve concluded that probably all Christians, at one time or another, will spend time in a spiritual wilderness of some sort. We will likely battle with even the most subtle of things. We’ll struggle to pray, fight off indifference, we’ll likely work to connect with others and feel like we’re just getting nowhere fast, and maybe even just quit church for a while. We’ll probably feel the press of darkness, our fears will haunt us, and suddenly God will want us to do more than simply confess our faults one to another but He’ll want us to dig into the root of our conflicts. Oh and we’ll have to dig into all our “why”, with “why” being one of the most dreaded words in America today. Anyone knowing what dumb stuff we’ve been party to drives us into hiding, we discover secret sins lurking around in the back of our closets, encountering persistent bad attitudes, incognizant biases which persuade us so subtly, and unresolved old wounds that still whisper to us. Oh, yes, those pesky undelt with old wounds that have a way of surfacing at all the most inconvenient moments, dragging us back to the shadows of twisted thinking. The wilderness has a way of whittling us down to our most basic bits of faith making it so we know that we know exactly what is real and what is fluff. Gosh, we’ll probably even doubt we ever had any faith sometimes and then, yes then, we’ll feel ashamed of our shame and feel stupid about our doubts and we may even get good at running away.

But, let’s also see the amazing things that will happen while we’re in the desert or in the wilderness. We will stride forward with a new-found confidence and a more sure faith that God is all He said He is. We’ll learn how to overcome our tendency to panic when we don’t know what to do, and how to keep our head when the storm is howling. And what is most important, we will be spending close, one-on-one time with God, real personal time and conversation. He will teach us to pray, one of the most basic things all believers must learn to do considering it is an essential learned language all it’s own from the moment we were born again. We’ll become resilient and will find ourselves stronger with a new rhythm in the momentum of Grace. Yes, grace has momentum, like saying the more we live in grace the more we live in grace, and the closer we get to God the closer we get to God. Do you see it?

Here’s another insight. Although we’ll have to face ourselves and resolve the differences between our conscience and our character, which is a big deal, our fears and concerns about what other people think of us will begin to lose its power over us, not for us to be indifferent, but for us to re-prioritize within ourselves what is actually important. God has not and will not leave us to perish in a terrible place as we fear. Deuteronomy 32:10  “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”

The wilderness and the desert are not terrible places as we’ve been led to believe. Sure there are storms, wild winds, pounding sun and heat, but, they are their own environment, designed by God to serve His purposes. Not to mention that the Lord goes with us and where ever Jesus is, that’s the best place we can be. i think my dread of those places is largely what makes them seem so awful, but maybe it’s more that they just don’t look like our comfortable home, we know where everything is and it’s all arranged to be ever so convenient. Not dreaded, they are simply different, and as you know, most of us don’t do “different” very well, at all.

My fears and failures don’t scare or frighten me much anymore. God’s grace overwhelms us in the flood. Having been caused to face those “shadows of death” I’ve realized all of the things I feared concerning myself were actually pretty true after all. And even in that, God’s grace overwhelms Us in the flood of unkind circumstances and dire events, and we are not swallowed up by our fear in the valley of the “shadow of death”. Having been in a position where I had no choice but to camp for a while, off and on, “in the valley of the Shadow”, eventually I saw it was just a shade, and I grew to not be gripped by paralysis due to my fears and failures. They are what they are, they are memories of fears and failures, and more importantly stories of God’s deliverance when my mourning was turned into dancing. Jesus is who He is and He lives in me. He is stronger than the shadow, He is better than the valley. Camping in the valley of the shadow of death I learned to make a warm campfire and build shelter and even find water. He prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies. He forgives and heals all of our iniquities and transgressions and wounds, and God’s grace overwhelms Us in the flood. My fears and failures don’t scare me anymore.

Isaiah 35:1-2, “Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God.”

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Synthesis of Nine Fruits of the Spirit

At about program number 52 i began to notice a phenomenon within myself…it was the growing realization that i didn’t know what i thought i knew. You’ve heard the phrase, “Out on a limb”? Well, i was far beyond the end of the limb and standing on the breath of God… i realized everything was over my head.

Long before the Lord gave me the idea to do a radio program, i had been praying that He would show me what He meant when He said what He did, because i really didn’t understand it. Don’t get me wrong, i read scripture and grasped the English translation, but i believed the Lord meant something much larger than what the translators often portrayed.

i wanted something that was mine, what He gave to me… not something someone else said or wrote. i would rather have a revelation God gave to me that was only a quarter inch wide and a half inch deep… that was mine all mine… than to always be quoting someone else and the amazing things “they” had to say. Honestly, i wonder a little about believers who are always quoting someone else and seem to have no real thoughts of their own. What is the value of quoting amazing things others say and not really grasping the Lord’s larger meaning and putting it in motion?

Don’t get me wrong, there are many profound writers and speakers out there whom the Lord reveals amazing things to, for sure, they have beautiful words within themselves and are completely worth quoting… they seem to have LOTS of words which just poetically flow from their lips. But i would like to encourage everyone who listens to pursue the Lord to have your own experiences, our own revelations, our own God-views so we can speak from our own experience and insight, as well as quoting other well-known people. It’s good to be well read, but what would you think of that scripture you just read if you’d never read anyone’s commentary or never heard anyone expound on it?

In developing the Fruit of the Spirit programs, #113-122, i thought i knew at least a little something about it all… only to discover… not really. Honestly, it’s embarrassing and quite humbling to realize this. In my mind, by this time in life, i figure i should know something about scripture and have better insight… well, i didn’t… but… things are getting clearer, thank you Jesus. My eyes began to recognize the Lord more clearly when i realized i didn’t have what it took and He began to give me insight and foresight….so in consideration of what i thought i knew,  i cut the anchors from the ship named “i know”, left them in the sea, and sailed with the flow of His presence, like Paul did in Acts 27:40… go with the wind of God and just let her ride.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation.

This evenings content is a summary of the nine programs representing the nine fruits of the Spirit… the Holy Spirit is likened to a dove in Luke 3:22, and on each wing of the dove are nine primary feathers, each one of the nine feathers representing a fruit of the Spirit, as listed in Gal 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit is on one wing, and the gifts, manifestations or ministries of the Spirit on the other. i believe the gifts of the Spirit are represented by bells, and the fruits of the spirit represented by pomegranates, both of which were embroidered on the hem of the priest robe as seen in Exodus 28:33-34. Without the nine primary feathers on each wing the dove couldn’t fly correctly, just like if we aren’t operating in the nine fruits and the nine gifts, we are not operating at our full potential either.  That maybe a little complex, so bear with me here if you would.

i hope you enjoy what’s ahead. Dream, believe, and imagine as we set sail to a new harbor.

           i heard somewhere that the first fruit of the Spirit, love and the last one, self-control are like bookends which hold together the remaining seven. The last shall be first, so let’s start with Self-control…

The word “discipline” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew idea of “self-control”. The O.T. uses that Hebrew word 50 times, and the English translators called it reproof, chastisement, or instruction… but in the sense of self-control, it is seen as discipline, correction, or personal restraint. In the New Testament, the word often used is “sober”, “moderate”, “temperance”, and even “discreet”, meaning to be of sound mind, self-controlled and sane… or as i like to see it… thinking on level ground. The picture is one of fenced in passions and purposeful restraint.

The word for “self-control” reveals God’s intent that we use it as one of our methods to enter into the “returning light of God” which will wash over us like a wave, empowering us to be even more disciplined; the implication of the word means we are to explore our real motivations, in order to stand in the revealed truth of the Lord, knowing the Lord is our support to lean upon in order to conquer the passions of our flesh… and so much, if not all the battle for self-control is in our head. In the belly of a man are the passions which need to be in subjection.

One method to bring those passions into subjection is honesty, rigorous honesty, understanding why we do what we do… getting God’s instruction and correction is called education… something we, as a nation, desperately need… not education in the ways of the world and men, but of the Lord and His values. The Lord IS our method for our feet to be on a level path, or exercising self-control.

Gentleness – is portrayed as something with a much larger implication in the Hebrew and Greek than in English… in the case of Galatians 5:23, the translators used single words like “gentleness” or “meekness”, but the larger picture is “to have the attitude of a little lamb”… not, as many interpret “gentleness” as groveling, slavish, or pandering. What the Lord means is far from that. Gentleness is so very not cowardice or weakness, by any means, according to God’s values.

Ecclesiastes 8:1, “There’s nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes, and gives gentleness to words and manners.”

Those who go with God and endure the “educational institution of unhappy situations” have their sharp edges rounded off by circumstances, with the character of Jesus slowly being revealed in them like gold sticking out of the ground. Gentleness is a grace all believers possess… mildness of disposition, a natural inclination to kindness above violence and doesn’t spring out of, nor rest upon a sense of worthlessness. Ever. A gentle heart is not a victim’s heart.

In 2Cor10:1, Paul included the words meekness and lowly in conjunction with gentleness. These three words support each other and easily go together… gentleness requires humility, and humility is accompanied by meekness…. in contrast, with pride and feelings of superiority come rough reactions, stubbornness, and know-it-all answers. Gentleness isn’t just an external attribute like a washed face, instead, it is, what i call, an “inner worked grace of the soul”, born from the inside out… not ignoring our wrongness of character, nor being distracted from it, pretending it isn’t there, but by accepting with a receptive heart Christ who is able to save us altogether. Gentleness is a pattern of grace only found in Christ Jesus.

           These days, in a world of moveable boundaries, flexible morals, and the changing colors of loose principals and ethics, depending on the back drop, i believe faithfulness, is one of our most excellent testimonies to the greatness of our God. Faithfulness is related to that of fidelity and several times the original Bible translators interchanged “faithful” with “fidelity”. Anytime we see the words, “Hi-fidelity” on a stereo or an album cover, it means it is considered “faithful” to its source… as believers, it is the fruit of righteousness to be “faithful” to our source. Fidelity and faithfulness is the character of one who can be relied on.

An attribute of God is His faithfulness and, if we are His children, first born in the Kingdom of God, then we reflect this quality also. We are faithful in friendship, faithful in marriage, faithful in keeping His values, we practice “hi-fidelity” – meaning dependable, reliable, consistent and repeatable. Faithfulness is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something and putting that loyalty into consistent practice, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

We wear our faithfulness as a ring or bracelet, it adorns us like jewels for all to see as a reflection of Jesus in our hearts. Faithfulness isn’t just how you act, it’s more than what you do… it’s our dependable, consistent, and repeatable lifestyle.

We get to know “goodness” by being involved with the personification of “goodness”… Jesus, and the better we know Him and His details, the more of a sharpened gold standard of goodness we can live by. Goodness is both hidden and revealed, it is seen in the idea of “the greater includes the lesser” like a mother carries a child in her womb. Goodness has a way of bringing potential things into becoming a reality. By the blood of Jesus and through faith, goodness is imparted to us….it is there, intrinsic to our character because Jesus is alive in us. Everywhere we go, everything we touch, everywhere we set our feet, the oil of anointing of God’s goodness leaves its mark. In every kind word and every good deed, His goodness is infused in it and passed on to the world around us. Goodness subdues and coerces… subduing by way of God being so good to us we can’t help but love Him, and coercive in that when God’s goodness is poured out, even on the unbelieving, they are driven to their knees in honor of the King. God’s goodness will never be restrained, not chained, nor managed by man… it does what the Lord says and follows His will… like the wind or the sea, it cannot be directed by man, and is exclusively controlled by God. Man cannot alter it, and cannot change it; goodness goes before and after us like a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy are with me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”

God’s goodness is never still, like the wind… day and night it is always moving. When the sun shines it is moving up and down the hills, across oceans and deserts… goodness is never still. The moon shines and the stars light up, and still it moves on. Even in darkness, when our eyes see nothing, goodness is still moving like the ocean waves; it is like when we are asleep, the forests and fields are still growing, we may not notice but His goodness is always marching on. A.W. Tozer said, “His goodness is the axle and we are the wheel, it is central to all that happens with the wheel, whether or not the wheel understands or appreciates the axle”… that is a picture of God’s goodness and it is alive in us… amen

           Kindness is not only what we do, but how we are and why we do what we do. It is a kindness to listen; it is a kindness to bury the dead; it is a virtue which affects everyone and was considered part of the Knight’s Code of Chivalry. Ruth kept her word and went with Naomi out of love. Boaz recognized her action as goodness in Ruth 2:11-12 and calls it kindness in Ruth 3:10. Kindness is the power to lift up the fallen ones and those who are near to fainting in the heat of battle… it is having grace in the palm of your hands to pass out like candy from your pockets… an action where we extend our hands of grace to others. From the Hebrew words for kindness and compassion, they are, amazingly, words of grace which are linked by grace. Within kindness is written the Names of God, which are powerful to break down strongholds and overcome darkness in high places… within compassion there is the action of God for the sake of the Son, Jesus. In the middle of kindness is “goodness” which is an inspiration for repentance. That the Lord accepts our repentance is a kindness, after all, His kindness leads us to repentance. When we practice kindness and compassion… goodness, the goodness of God is enlarged in the spiritual eyes of the world. Kindness and compassion always end up pointing to the King of Kings, are always inclined to teach others of the Lord’s purposes, and are never random.

Longsuffering – patiently enduring while diligently clinging to the promise that God will do what He said He would do, and when He does, it will be a testimony to all who see. In the mean time, we develop an understanding of the Lord, coming to a better perception of what is in our hearts along with knowing God’s details. Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of offense and personal challenge which does not hastily retaliate or run swiftly to chastisement; it is the opposite of anger, is associated with mercy, and is used of God in Ex. 34:6.

Getting wisdom and grace are often acquired through trials and difficulties… typically through situations rife with unfortunate circumstances and not something we would wish on anyone, but truly, it is wisdom and grace possessed in no other way except to “go through” deep water with the Lord. In the Old Testament, patience can be used where the translators used longsuffering. If we set sail with longsuffering, patience insists on being at the helm also. Patience says i will abide in Christ while we wait, and longsuffering says i refuse to budge from my place of forbearance while patience does her work. It is easy to find fault with other believers, but it is God in us to be longsuffering and patient.

Peace, real shalom peace is only gotten one place in the universe. Many search for fulfillment, happiness and contentment in material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, etc. But those things do nothing to fill “the hole in our soul” which only GOD can fill. God’s peace, shalom peace, is dependent on trust, doesn’t need to be seen to be believed, makes room for trouble, trusts God to manage everything, and always endures… it doesn’t mean there is an absence of violence. Shalom peace brings all things into alignment, draws everything into it’s proper God-context; it sets the correct horizon and focal point and is the only vanishing point based on God’s Che’sed, which is never vanishing… peace is part of God’s mercy and grace… beyond the vanishing point. God’s peace is defined as God Himself, He is the pivot and pinion, and peace is part of the Fountain of His heart on which we hang our lives in confidence and assurance, never failing and always in shalom peace by the blood of Jesus. Peace, God’s peace, is one of the elements of the platform on which we plant our feet and live our lives….it is one of the ways we know we are in the fellowship of the saints. Everybody wants it, but in the world today, it would appear not many have it. God’s idea of peace, shalom peace, has “Ha’Shem – The Name” built into it. Looking at the root Hebrew word for peace… it represents Yeshua and the names of God, it is about learning and teaching, in that we can’t teach others about peace unless we, ourselves, have first learned about peace. In peace is hope, denoting direction, goal, and purpose, three key elements of hope. In peace is an underground stream and completeness, Our God-peace is hidden in our hearts and revealed in our character and actions, and glorifies the Kingdom of the Almighty.

           Joy is associated with gladness, which can be a wonderful habit-forming inclination of the heart… much more than being “happy”. From God’s perspective, joy doesn’t have sharp rises and falls, like a sine wave, but it’s always on the slow steady rise, and it persists. Joy, as a fruit of the Spirit, is the melody of an illuminated heart, a brilliant gladness with a shout in the middle of our fundamental make up. With joy, comes light, and the root Hebrew word for “light”, as used in Esther 8:16 is an action verb meaning, “to be illuminated”. The picture is one of head and heart being connected by our purposeful choice, which to me means choosing Jesus… when that happens, there is illumination, making us to be bright. Rejoicing is the root word of joy…those with joy have an illuminated heart, God-light at their center. Joy is tied to gladness in Esther 8:16, expressing a shout in gladness… not just being happy but more, exhilarating brightness, and the dancing fire of rejoicing… the opposite of hard breathing conflict and sighing grief, struggle, and trouble. With wind and fire we have joy and gladness in the Holy Spirit, who comes to us with a melody in His glad heart, making us passionate to rejoice, regardless of our circumstances… even when the sky is dark, those in the fellowship of the saints have a naturally occurring brightness and singing which always finds a way to rise in their heart.

As self control is one book end to the fruit of the Spirit, Love is the other, the God-glue that sticks it all together.

The love of God, as demonstrated by Jesus, is the crown of everything and has everything to do with everything. His love is universe changing, demon defeating, earth re-polarizing, disease healing, and relationship repairing, Jesus is love and love is the answer of all answers, both noun and verb altogether. Love healed the sick and lame, love raised the dead, love was kind to the desperate and the leprous, and gave His face to mankind… looking us right in the eyes for the first time ever. The Father (aleph) sent His Son (beit), and by means of the Holy Spirit (gimel), makes appeal to the poor and needy to receive the Love of God.

Love literally is not bound by law, but is free to walk in and out, filled to running over with divine grace and holiness… and right in the middle, in the belly of the word, is a prayerful rainbow. Love girds us with the sword of the Spirit and decides it is fitting to be generous to run after the poor; it is uninterrupted and thrives in perpetual faithfulness.  As a fruit of the Spirit, love is about character and action, as is the heart of the Father about character and action… loves’ intent of grace makes opportunity for those who have wandered off… to come home. It is the motivation of Love to lift the burden of those who hoist the white flag of surrender, and persuade those who have not yet abdicated their fortifications to come home singing the songs of returning to God.

So ends the review of the nine fruits of the Spirit, each one have it’s own branches which represent the righteous character of the Lord, who is most extraordinary, the One and Only, savior of mankind.

           When our Savior is on the throne of our heart, what is in our heart makes us more than a conqueror by the blood of Jesus… like the persistence of leaven in dough. As a result, His qualities of righteousness become qualities of ourselves to shine in the dark world around us, offering salvation to those who are chained in darkness… imprisoned in chaos.

Isaiah 49:9, “That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.‘”

Here is a reconstruction of Gal5:22-23 by extending single words into their identities…. “But the fruit, the action and consequence of the Holy Spirit is

love – free roaming and overflowing with divine grace, a noun and verb altogether; joy – an effervescent melody of an illuminated heart; peace – a heart that is settled and still comprised of direction, goals, and purpose; longsuffering – that fierce determination to not be moved while we wait; kindness – grace in the palm of your hands to give away; goodness – the axle and hub of our heart; faithfulness –dependable, reliable, consistent, and repeatable; gentleness – an inner worked grace of the soul as in the manner of a lamb; and self-control – thinking on level ground with purposeful fenced in passions.” This is the beauty of the Lord.

From where i’m sitting, i don’t believe we should function in merely an either/or employment of the fruits and gifts… i believe we, who are mature in Christ, should be hitting on all cylinders, operating in all fruits and all gifts at the same time, being instant in season and out. Sure, the Lord has made some to have more of one gift, ministry, or practice than the other, but….

The Fruits of the Spirit are the governance and foundation of the beautiful manifestations of the Spirit of God… they are more than just something we do, but are governing policies by which our lives are lived. Not a “to do” but a “to be”.

We are to be pastoral with love as is needed, evangelical with joy and gladness, practice tongues and interpretations with diligence and peace at all times, and being prophetic to the benefit of the whole church with love, and self-control…they all function together as a whole, not separately while wearing a suit standing up to be noticed on a platform somewhere. Like the dove who needs both wings and all nine primary feathers on each wing to fly, we too, fly above a fallen world to glorify the Lord and all He represents. To function in both gifts and fruits is a calling of the Lord.

The fruits of the Spirit aren’t attributes we go and get somewhere, they aren’t book learned, won as a prize, or some sort of mental ascension, but are overarching policies of our lives… They are all works of the Lord, attributes of Himself that He shares with us.

Be strong and courageous… remember, our God is a consuming fire, the closer He gets to all things, the more all things become like Him, which, to me, is a wonderful thing, indeed. Drive carefully, mind the gap, and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen!

The tragedy involving the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Jovan Belcher stirred up a number of emotions and thoughts for me.

We know that after the shooting and killing of his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, Belcher drove to a location near the team’s main campus and took his own life. I felt a profound sadness for the team and others close to Belcher, like his mother and daughter; now left without parents. Then I had concern for how the story will be told in the media. Let me explain.

One portrait of Belcher emerging in the aftermath of his murder/suicide was as a 25-year-old man who had a history of making adult choices like joining a campus group called Male Athletes Against Violence. Even beyond that, Belcher majored in child development and family relations at the University of Maine.

But, according to one report, the couple had argued over relationship and financial issues for months before the tragic events unfolded. On that Saturday, his mother heard her son say something along the lines of “You can’t talk to me like that” before pulling the trigger.

Here’s my concern about the story.

There is no question Belcher had good behavioral things that could be said about him. The media, society and pundits out there are going to want to emphasize that. They’re going to want to find what it was that made him snap and go from a, quote/unquote, “good man” to a common run of the mill criminal thinker who shot his girlfriend and then himself.

Some will want to emphasize that, as a pro-athlete, he struggled with entitlement. In so doing, they’re going to miss that being a pro athlete didn’t cause this. Some will want to blame the Chiefs or even Pro football being more interested in his production as a football player than they were about him as a person. If they do, they’ll miss that it had nothing to do with his crime. To the NFL’s credit, they will support Belcher’s and Kasandra Perkins’ daughter through college. Then, there are some who will want to play the “concussion card” and look for an outside source as the cause behind his criminal behavior.

This crime didn’t happen suddenly or overnight! He didn’t wake up one day and, out of the blue, decide his future actions were a reasonable choice. Don’t hear me say Belcher planned on murdering Kasandra Perkins and then himself as if he was a murderer his whole life, that’s simply not true. Also, you didn’t hear me say this was a moment where he was beside himself and just lost it.

May I say that overtime, Belcher’s criminal act – among other things I haven’t the space to write about this within the context of this program – was more about hiding the way he thought about being superior to others; something we already saw before he killed Kasandra Perkins when he told her, “You can’t talk to me like that.”

I deeply believe the focus shouldn’t be on good behaviors or that some outside source was responsible for his horrific criminal act. What was wrong was really on the inside of Belcher, which obviously, he kept from others. Why does the society we live in never seem to want to go there for the reason behind any criminal or irresponsible behavior?

I think one reason is because we are extremely uncomfortable to think we can’t control what’s going to happen. So if we talk about a man’s good stuff or that there’s some “outside of the man” cause for what happens, then some people think they’ll be alright. That’s sort of like living in a perpetual state of denial while bombs are dropping on us from everywhere.

Here’s a biblical thought about this. Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but yet is grudging the cost].”

That verse shows a method of operation that’s committed to duplicity and double standards, with “committed” meaning wholeheartedly feeling dedicated and loyalty to a cause, or idea. Double standards promote paranoia because instead of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us, we do unto them before we think they’ll do it to us. That’s one story I see in this tragedy. How sad! Will we (society) ever realize Duplicity and Double Standards = Devastation? The Lord is our standard, and His preferences set the stage for our preferences, and believe me, we can tell a lot about ourselves and other people simply by observing their preferences.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Common Sense, if you’ve got, use it, and if you need some, God’s got it.

On February 18, 2003, I remember hearing the disturbing news that Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI and expert in counterintelligence, had been arrested on espionage charges. He was accused of passing top-secret information to the Soviet Union, starting in 1985. Federal agents apprehended him at a Virginia park just minutes after he left a package under a wooden footbridge, which investigators say was a drop site for delivering secret documents to his Russian handlers.

As the information on Hanssen poured out, we learned he was a faithful church member who attended services every week. In addition, he was a member of Opus Dei, a conservative religious order that was strongly anti-communist and stressed moral righteousness.  Sunday after Sunday, I have to wonder if Robert Hanssen really heard what was being said at his church. Hello? Are we listening? The writer of Proverbs, said in chapter 8, vs 5, to get some common sense, and don’t be so foolish, and part of getting common sense is having wisdom and understanding. And on a side note, it seems to me that most all of us get common sense by probably having had no sense at all. When we tripped and stumbled for lack of common sense, then we learned from it. i heard a fellow say once, “Wisdom is knowing what to do; discretion is knowing when and where to do it.” i think one of today’s major enemies against common sense is the instant gratification world we live in, gimme, gimme, gimme. We’ve gladly become the “have it your way” people, getting what we want, when we want, willing to live in the illusion we can pay for it later … somehow. Common sense is having sound judgment in practical matters. i learned the hard way, that if it hurts to hit your fingers with a hammer, then move your fingers. That would be common sense. A lack of common sense would be to just stop hammering because the hammer hurt me. Well now there’s some twisted thinking. It was the hammer’s fault. Victim thinking is very disturbing.

Common sense says if you want to eat, then you’ve got to work, and if we want to know God, then common sense says pray, read your Bible, look for Him and He will find you. Some people just seem to be born level headed, but folks like me seem to only learn by getting knocked around. i don’t know much, but what i do know is solidly fixed in my head and heart. The Lord helped me gain some common sense, thank you Jesus! i figure, no one can have as little common sense and live as i did when i was a young man.

In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus talks about people who are like Hanssen. He says, “… some crowds that gathered around Him will be ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving.”  There will always be people who won’t get what Jesus is saying which is why he said what he did in verse 15.

“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

In my lifetime, it seems there’s been a moral disconnect between faith and action in much of the Christian culture in this country. Or, what we believe, our orthodoxy, and what we actually do, our orthopraxy, most sharply doesn’t add up.

People can hardly hear with their ears, because they have determinedly closed their eyes.

James 1:22 says, “Don’t merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Jesus talked about the heart or soul of a person becoming calloused by only being a hearer of the word.

Proverbs 2:7 says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

I think minding the gap between hearing and understanding or seeing but not perceiving is being compromised by the sin against having common sense. James wants every believer to have common sense and there’s nothing like the Bible and walking with Jesus for developing that. i’ve got this idea in my head that says that we can’t live out the scriptures unless we are confident that it means what it says, so when the Lord says He’ll give common sense and wisdom to those who asks, He’s not just kidding around. He will do what He said. In Jeremiah 49, a question aimed at Edom was asked, “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” When we read on though, the Edomites are prophesied to lose, not just their wealth, but also their less tangible riches, even their common sense! The worst part may be that they will fail to even recognize that it has left them all together. Clueless as to the vastness of their cluelessness. i don’t want to be like them. Help us Lord to have common sense, and put it to work.

All to often though, mankind has a bent to live in a destructive self-delusion. How sad if believers do that too. Isn’t this a lack of common sense in the believer who lives like that?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

Let’s step off the dock here and jump right in: What will it take for you to be OK with yourself? We say, “If they’d just …”, “If i could only …”, “If everyone would …”. Shoulda’, woulda’, might’ve … and there’s that slippery little “if”, “if” this “then” that. “If” is the foundation of imaginary things, “if” is the bricks which build air castles.

At church a good while back, a young woman with smoky venom in her eyes, said to me, “I hate that woman! I mean i really really do!” All while staring (maybe glaring) at another woman across the room.  It was just the two of us, she and i for a moment in a room full of people. We had a little history from a few conversations in the past, so i felt comfortable to ask, “Why?” Her reply was that the other woman was a purposeful and conscious bad influence on the young men, like dresses too short, leaning over to reveal her chest at the right time then looking up to see who was looking, always in a pose of some sort … you know the drill. i checked to see if we were both speaking of the same person, and yep, she was still staring at the woman across the room with the same smoky venom in her eyes. i asked her “Why do you think she does that?” Suddenly, she turned and glared at me, saying, “Why do you think?!” and then she added, “You ask too many questions!” and huffed away taking her storm with her. i thought to myself the idea of “why” was a great place to begin a discussion. i thought “why” was a wonderful word which God had given to us to use and explore with. Hmmmm … i guess it irritates others occasionally to investigate “why”. It seems to be a very uncomfortable word for some when referring to themselves and their behavior. Tonight, we’re talking about “Why – why why why”. We are uncomfortable with the word as it applies to ourselves, Why is that? Ooops! Asked another question there. A few folks have called me the interrogator or the “question asker” when they think i don’t hear their comments. When i was a kid i almost failed the 7^th grade because i was tired of asking questions and being made fun of. My mother, who was also a teacher, when she saw my grades and found out why (oops, there’s that word again), why they were so poor, she told me, to be brave and ask as many questions as necessary in order to understand. She told me to ignore people who laughed at me and ask until i was satisfied with the answer. Don’t let public opinion make you stupid.

Here at Outposts, we’re a group of individuals called to be in close relationship with God Almighty, living His Life out loud in wisdom, conduct, and character, in evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in a world of declining values.

Why do i take the time each week to write, produce and publish? Because i am passionate and compassionate about Jesus and people; i have a heart to inspire the world around me to live restored, reconciled, and redeemed lives which will bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus. As to where i’m connected, we are a conversational fellowship living to fulfill Gods Word, not forsaking fellowship, encouraging one another in prayer, bringing home the lost, and building disciples. Our path is Jesus Christ Himself, the Singing Light, the Brilliant Sky Who rains upon us, the Radiant Gift who lives in us in Splendor; He is the Living Poem who lifts the corners of our mouth, and the Light who poured Himself in a cup to refresh thirsty hearts. Taste and see the Lord is Good! Take an “O” out of good and you get God, but He is more than good, He is God and there’s never a time He isn’t!

Some would say “Why” is a word used too often, as in “You ask too many questions”, but it’s also a word people totally avoid when it is in reference to themselves. Why, meaning “for what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive?” Asking “why” is intrinsic to being honest, in fact, the Hebrew word for knowledge has six adverbs which are derived from it, who, what, where, when, how, and why. So, i figure, if we want to have knowledge as God sees it, we’ve got to be brave and venture off into the word “why” and all which comes with it.

In referring to ourselves, the word seems to get right down there under the surface of where we live. Do i avoid the inquisition of “why” because i am uncomfortable to see my real motivations, or is it more that i don’t want to be responsible and accountable if i did realize my real intentions? Maybe i’m not sure of my real motivations and i fear someone will find me out?

According to Simon Sinek, there is a golden circle made of an outer circle and two inner circles. Each is labeled, starting from the outside in, “What, How, and Why”. Mr. Sinek says almost everyone knows what they do, only some know how they do it, but very very few actually know why. Why is the fuzzy center which many never quite get to. They figure if they know what and how, then why isn’t all that necessary. Really? God thinks why is every bit as important, maybe even more important, than what and how many times.

i have come to a question within myself that i find quite ponderous, and that is – WHY is it that asking the question “why”, when it comes to our intentions and motivations, why is it so difficult to face for so many? What is it about ourselves which we fear so much that we hide our heart away, then we cover up our hiding, and then we cover up our covering up and maybe even manipulate the facts of ourselves, all in an effort to avoid the discussion of “why”?  How is it that asking “why” is, often, seemingly a much easier conversation with unbelievers and even criminals than it is within the walls of a church? Honesty is such a difficult commodity to possess for many. Sometimes, it appears the inquiry into behavior and motivations is far more honest with the world and far more dishonest with believers. i believe that ought not to be so.

What is this very disturbing word, “Why”?

It is a word used as an interrogative pronoun, or, so to say, a word used to set the stage of interrogation, like the words “which, when, what, how, and where”. We use them in an interrogative styled question, as an example, to glean information, like “What is this place?” or “Where are you going?” Do you get my meaning? In fact, “why” is one of the six adverb derivatives of the Hebrew word for “knowledge”, meaning, to actually possess knowledge as God gives it, not only as the gift of knowledge He gives, but He also empowers us to be inquisitive to use the words “who, what, where, when, how, and why” in order to glean information for righteous decisions.

Why is used, approximately 600 times throughout scripture. From Matthew 1:1 to John 21:25, the word is used 72 times, and 102 times by the end of the N.T.. The four gospels have 3779 verses, and in those 3779 verses there are 630 questions. That means that a little more than 16% of those 3779 verses are questions.

“Why” is a key word to getting understanding, as the writer of Proverbs suggests in Proverbs 2:2 “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding...” i believe we are clueless as to just how clueless we really are, which is probably the reason the Lord calls to us to get wisdom. i figure, God is not calling to us to get understanding and knowledge just to hear Himself talk. Truly, i just don’t think we can get understanding without asking “why”, it’s almost like saying, if you’re not willing to ask “why” then you must not be willing for understanding, OR, maybe only willing for enough understanding to make your agenda to work, but not quite enough to actually be accountable and responsible. God want’s me to be better than i am, and in order to get there i must ask “why” and actually answer “why”, and that can feel pretty intimidating, especially when i don’t want to hear the answer.

Take note of God’s teaching methods. Throughout the Bible there is the obviousness of sentences which ask a question, they reflect the clarity of God’s methods of teaching. The idea of asking a question was used in order that people would think for themselves, and we can trace this pattern by the way Jesus asked questions. By using the word “why”, the Lord was saying, search your heart; He was saying I want you to see your motives and understand your intents. It was a word He used to prompt us to think, to ask Him for wisdom and understanding.

As we’ve said before, Jesus didn’t ask questions because He was ignorant as if needing an answer, He was bringing issues to light, it was meant to prompt people to “think about it”.  Jesus asked “why” and used interrogative or inter-rogating-type words to lead us to an understanding of our circumstances, to cause people to draw their own conclusions from His parables, or to inspire someone to consider what they were doing … as seen in John 1:38 when Jesus turned and asked, “Why are you following me? What do you want?”

To reiterate, do we really think He was asking that because He was scared or lost, or was He asking in order to inspire the two disciples to cross-examine themselves that they would understand more clearly their own motivations? John 10:32, He asking them “Why are you going to stone me?”, do you think He asked that because He was confused and didn’t understand? Not hardly.

Jesus fully understood and knew the people who wanted Him stoned and dead totally didn’t understand the why’s and wherefore’s of their intents and motives. The “stoners” had clarity about what they wanted to do, and they understood the “how” of it all, but they were highly likely completely fuzzy as to “why”, and in this case, “WHY” was the all encompassing, important question.

Is our problem with the word “why” a fear of scrutiny, at our own hand or worse, others? For some leaders, maybe they are weary of constantly being questioned about their motives and intentions, over and over, to the point where they are simply not willing to engage in a discussion of “why” anymore. In game theory there is always the payoff to consider, so, what is their payoff by not engaging with others about “why” they do what they do? The church, most especially leadership, seems to avoid the word “why” as it relates to themselves, as if the word itself were the plague. What is it that we’re afraid of?

Why do you get up in the morning? That may not seem like a nice question, but i do think it’s worth coming to a conclusion about. Is it because you have to? Feed the kids, need to work, or get the house moving for another day in a work-a-day world? Maybe most of us get up in the morning for a myriad of subtle reasons that we don’t even notice anymore. Because you need to? Maybe your body aches if you keep laying there? Possibly motivated by hunger? But if we only get up for the multitude of subtle things that occur in a bland go-along-to-get-along life, after a while it seems, we’re just living a gray-scale life with gray-scale reasons and eventually the wind, rain, and heat of the sun of everyday life feels like the color has been beaten out of our lives, and maybe even stolen the twinkle from our eyes. There is something better. Personally, i want a better reason to open my eyes and see the world i live in. It’s a world none of us designed, yet here we are, every day. For me, i get up to meet with the Lord because i want to, actually, i need to because i need Jesus, and that’s the best reason to get up in the morning. Jesus is my motivation.

Why do many people post on Facebook what they ate or where they’re going when no one has inquired as far as we can see? Maybe people feel generally unseen, unheard, unknown, and no one seems to even be asking after them concerning their well being. i know some folks who, when i asked them that question, said they just felt they needed to keep others posted and updated. i thought to myself, “Who are “others” and why do we assume anyone is interested if we’ve been outside watering the lawn or not?” Do we assume someone would like to know, or maybe we imagine people are interested even though no one has asked a question? It’s possible a pretty honest answer would be that … i would certainly want to know about me, and i like to imagine others are interested too. Maybe the truth is, we as a nation generally feel abandoned, rejected, isolated, and alone, and we really wish someone would inquire, and if no one has, we imagine what we would say if they had.

We often move from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing, often getting lost in the clearest and never quite make it to defining why, the fuzzy part.

“Why” as in what’s your purpose, what is your motivation? How far apart is our presentation face, our work face and our real face, and why is there seemingly an unbridgable gulf for many between who we present ourselves to be and who we really are?

A few years ago i went down town and took a survey, asking a question which actually referred to the chasm between our presentation face and our real face. The question was, “If your character met your conscience on the street would they know each other?” Most all the answers in reply to my question were answers to questions i was not asking. Even more amazing, no one replied “Yes, my conscience and character get along quite well”. One fellow said that his character would throw rocks at his conscience, and a young woman said her conscience would refuse to walk on the same side of the street with her character. One fellow said with a laugh, “My conscience left the building a long time ago.” You know, that’s not funny. i realized most everyone knew what they did in life, some knew how they lived their life, but almost none, almost none knew why. It seemed people were somehow a little afraid of knowing why and didn’t even want to talk about it.

What were the things Jesus asked others to consider more deeply by asking them “why”?

In Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing?” God considered it important for us to know why we are so worried about our stuff. We, in this nation are obsessively concerned about our stuff, all our stuff. Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” And again, think, was He asking this because He was mystified at our behavior, or was His intent more that we would consider our intentions concerning our judgments that are aimed at other people? It appears we have a lot to say about what others do or don’t do, but how rarely we challenge ourselves about our own motivations. Honesty is a key issue with God, but when is honesty just unnecessary bluntness? How about Matthew 8:26 “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” That wasn’t just a question to believers. The grammar there is more universal, as applicable to the “every man” everywhere. How about Matthew 14:31 “…why did you doubt?” In that use of the word “why”, Jesus was asking more accurately, “for what”, or “for what reason did you veer off your faith and re-decide to question God’s intent toward you?” Jesus wasn’t asking Peter because He didn’t know, it was to inspire Peter to look more closely at his own heart and motivations. The Lord’s heart is for us to be transformed, not just change but transformation, and, He wants it to be our idea that we need to stop being like we are and become like He is. For the reason that we desire it, not because He mandated. Yes, people can change their behavior without being transformed in their heart. We can mandate addicts stop their addictive, relationship destroying behavior, but really, the need to stop their addiction needs to come from them because they choose it, not because we require it. We can NOT condemn anyone into being more moral or possess higher ethics. If we pound higher morals and ethics out of people, they may present a face which says they are complying, but their heart is the same.

Jesus is asking us to think about why we have a hard time trusting God, and He’s never “trying to get it across to us”, as if He might fail in His efforts and promises, as if He EVER failed in anything. Why do we have such a hard time letting God be good to us? He was calling us to re-imagine what a nation who does not trust God would look like. Why don’t we trust Him? Romans 3:4, “God is true and every man a liar.” We are all betrayers by nature, God is the ultimate truth teller, the very personification of truth, but yet we often listen more to the liars than God. Why?

In Matthew 20:6 Jesus asked them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” What do you think that was about? Matthew 26:50 when they came to take Jesus away to be crucified, He asked them, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” Was He feeling like a victim and was playing His victim card, or did He want them to consider their motives and intents, being honest about why they were doing what they were doing? Jesus said, “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they’re doing”, and maybe He could have added, “… and they don’t even want to consider what their motivations are.”

Let’s get to the bottom of our reasons and be brutally honest. i believe, simply, that we fear and have a hard time trusting God; simple unbelief. We fear someone will know what’s truly at the foundation of where we really live. What will it take for us to face the long dark of our unbelief and resolve the conflict? Are we willing to investigate, or should we just procrastinate and ride the wave of “mindless good times”, meandering along in a fog? What will we do, O, what will we do? If we don’t like what we reap, then let me suggest we change what we sow. Think about it.

This has been another late evening conversation just full of difficult questions. For most, i’d venture that the answers are very uncomfortable in the short run, but totally profitable in the long run. How far are we willing to travel in order to resolve our issues, or are we satisfied to sit, muddled and clueless as to the magnitude of our cluelessness? Are we a nation which only has eyes to see the short-term profit of things? The answers for these questions bring us strength to pivot and gives momentum to our lives for the tipping point towards our destination.

i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining me for a late evening radio-styled broadcast from the deck of a rural cafe over looking the cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

This evening was supported by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, the home of brilliant creativity and dynamic forward thinking, McDowell Electric, International Tile, the Jump Off Rock Gift Shop and Constabulary, and of course, Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Tonight, i’m bidding us all to take the challenge of digging into the why of our what. Every successful leader and company starts with “why”, not what. Please, be honest with yourself about it all. Open your ears, muster your courage, the phone is ringing, God is calling you. It would be good if we would take His call and answer the phone. Amen.

This evening is another beautiful evening on the banks of the beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, which flows south from here until it joins the French Broad many miles from the end of Old Field Road. For the sake of trivia, i thought this was interesting: The name, Ockluhwahhah River, is a corruption of ak-low-wah-‘hey, Creek Indian for “muddy creek”. And yes, it’s a real creek.

I’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast of cool jazz and contemplative conversation. Peace is available from God for all who would ask Him, even those who are awake in the late night hours, some sitting in their big armchairs pondering the events of the week, looking for a little closure on some of life’s open-ended items, others tossing and turning, trying to sleep, looking for rest in a world which offers very little closure or peace.

i was at the jail doing Thursday church a few weeks ago with a friend and he was explaining to the inmates about the extraordinary events which brought him out of his criminal thinking nose dive. It occurred to me that the things which brought my friend to an awakening relationship with God were events spread across many years, it wasn’t simply an overnight thing. While listening to his testimony, a question came to me, “After you believed, in between the times of refreshing from the Lord, what did you do with yourself? While you were waiting, what did you do with your time?” When there was a lull in the room from all the talking, i asked that very question which the Lord had put to me. The room of chatter came to a sudden standstill. i suppose we don’t think about the in-between times much. i realized people, typically, are really bad at waiting. We often speak of events in our lives, but rarely discuss what we do in between those events. If we were to plot a graph showing noteworthy occurrences in our lives, i believe we’d see a lot of flat line, way more flat line than upward blips where relatable events occurred.

The word “wait” is used approximately 148 times in the Bible, so i’m going to assume it’s an important thing to do from God’s perspective, but, considering how much waiting we have to do in life, you would think we would be much better at it than we are. If you need a visual, the Hebrew word comes with the idea of “swirling in a circular pattern”, sort of like the picture of an airplane circling the airport waiting to land. Yes, waiting to land. The word waiting is occasionally used in conjunction with hope, but is more often a certain amount of laborious effort and agonizing patience is buried in the belly of the word for “wait”. It seems life is all about biding time most of the time … just waiting … so we wait, knowing patience is seldom easy, it is always rewarding, it’s a reward i gladly receive but i am tested to my last nerve in the tedium of waiting. i don’t think anyone ever said , “Wow! i’m really looking forward to waiting,” although i’m always glad at the results of my waiting saying, “Gosh, i’m so glad i waited,” but it was all still very unpleasant … all that waiting.

Life often just goes on around me and i simply don’t participate. i’ve wondered why is that? Even though i’m present, inside i feel like i’m going through all the motions of being present, but the truth is, i’ve realized i’m actually waiting but for what? Some days, in the middle of all my waiting, it feels like i’ve been holding my breath for months or even years in some sort of anticipation. That’s a pretty good picture of what it means to “wait”. Sometimes it’s breathlessly waiting, other times i’m nervous for some reason as if something amazing is about to happen, i have no idea what, but here i sit, waiting. Always waiting. i’d bet we can all relate to that.

What do you do with your time while you wait? How do you occupy your time when you are in a holding pattern? It seems life is all about biding our time. For many, they’ve been waiting, but they’ve been waiting so long i think they may have lost sight of what they’re waiting for and now they are lost in the holding pattern of waiting, the circling agony of prolonged waiting, having lost the vision of why. Those who wait without a “why” look, to me, like lines of pointless, lifeless carcasses, living in greyscale, and don’t know why they wait. Waiting without having a “why” and there’s no vision for an end point just seems like dying to me. What are we waiting for?

Acts 1:13-14, “And they had entered the city, they went up the stairs to the upper room where they were staying. Peter and John and James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All of these with their minds in full agreement devoted themselves steadfastly to prayer, waiting together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

According to “The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament”, there is the implication of “indefinitely” in the sentence where it says, “…where they were staying”. The disciples went into the Upper Room with a mind-set that said, “We are not coming out of here until God shows up.”  They did not go in there to wait ten minutes. They didn’t go in there to wait two days. They did not go in there to wait three months. Their objective was to connect with the Lord, waiting as long as it took in order to accomplish that goal. They weren’t pointlessly biding their time, oh no, they had an objective, they had a “why”, they had a reason to wait. They weren’t looking for an experience or to have an “event”, nor did they sell tickets as if they anticipated some spectacle.  No. They went in there saying, “We cannot do all that God wants us to do without His full power in our lives.”  Like those who entered the Upper Room to wait for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we should approach God with a similar attitude that says, “I’m waiting on You, Lord, indefinitely, until I receive your authorization to continue and your power to go forward in your name” and then with all purpose, long-suffering, and determination, we wait on God.

Waiting for God, or anything else for that matter isn’t easy. i have difficulty waiting for a sandwich at a fast food place, much less having to wait on the move of God. Hey, it’s not easy. We have so much energy and such heated passion for the Lord and His cause, or even our own ideas, that if waiting is ever gotten around to, there’s a pause, only for short periods, before we’re off and running, the energy of all that thinking and wanting just takes over again.  Round and round and round.

        Often, if God does not do something as quickly as we want, then our own bright ideas overtake us again and we’re right back in our own momentum.  It is unbelievable how often the same ground is constantly covered and re-covered, thinking we are really getting somewhere, when really much of it all is just going in circles. i believe we really do make some progress in our waiting, but then we become impatient and lose our place, we gain a little ground then get lost due to our impatience. We have to “capture and hold”, or “Hold the line!”  We must stand fast in the freedom we are given and not allow ourselves to become slaves all over again to the yoke of bondage we have previously been relieved of. Even when we do not “see” something or if we don’t “feel” that God is working … friends, “capture and hold” the moment, believe and stand fast on His promise that He is working mightily on our behalf, not allowing ourselves to become impatient, missing God’s opportunity. Think! We inherit the promises of God through faith and patience according to Hebrews 10:36.

The mind-set we need to have is … “Lord, i have come to the end of myself. I don’t have what it takes. It is obvious I cannot do what needs to be done by myself. I need you, for only You can do it.  I’m waiting on You.”

Waiting! Oh gosh sometimes that is so difficult. To “wait on God” means “to stay in place with the expectation of His further direction.” If there is one thing i know, it is this: The Lord hears me, and He WILL answer, but i do have to wait, which is a good thing yet such a difficult thing.

Psalms 62:5 “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.”

Be encouraged to be willing to wait on God, as long as it takes. Are you willing to wait on God? i am included in my own question, Am i willing to wait on God? i say to myself, “Yes”, but i challenge my enthusiastic answer in realizing that saying “yes” and doing “yes” are often very different the same way “having wisdom and doing wisdom are often two different things”. For me, i have learned to be careful what i say “yes” to, and, once i say “yes” i must be prepared to change my agenda, objectives, or priorities in order to accomplish what it is God has asked of me to do. And then wait. On a side note, i’ll add, if you’re too busy, remember, you’re the one who said yes. Don’t miss that, here it is again, if you’re too busy, remember, you’re the one who said yes. We must also face the fact that sometimes when we tell others, “i’m too busy”, more often than we care to admit, i think what we’re really saying is “it’s not that important” and saying, “i’m too busy” is an excuse.

i read a story of Mother Teresa who wanted to go to a distant town to see if God wanted to do something there. She and another sister went, taking their staff and one change of clothes. They slept where they could and ate as God provided, waiting and praying for God to show them what He wanted them to do. As they waited for God under the big tree in the middle of town, they began to encounter the town children who lived on the street, and while they were waiting to find out what God wanted to do, they decided that in the mean time, they would teach the children to read. They put out the word if any children wanted to learn to read and write, for them to come to the big tree. Before long there were many children coming. In the end, while they were waiting to find out what God wanted to do, they raised a school, a mission, and a small medical center. God’s two exemplary servants waited on God, they did what was in front of them in the mean time and the Lord greatly blessed them.

The phrase “killing time” is an idiom, meaning we are engaging in some self-generated busy activity, usually an aimless one, with the goal of making time pass more quickly while we wait. Instead of “killing time” being busy so as to not notice we are waiting on something to happen, maybe we could be more committed to the Lord’s preferences and standards, doing what God has put in front of us, while we are waiting on God,

i went to the doctor’s office a while back, checked in, then was directed to have a seat in a place called “The Waiting Room”, oh yes, the dreaded Waiting Room. As i sat there i began to notice the overall idea of this place specifically designed for waiting. There were well thumbed through, tired looking magazines, restrooms which were nice yet sterile, very impersonal. A clean water fountain but still with finger prints on the button which the custodian failed to wipe off last night, a stack here and there of informational pamphlets which no one wanted to look at, and a string of somewhat comfortable non-descript generic chairs, wide and narrow, with plastic upholstery. The room itself is bored and tired. Then, of course, there are people, quite a few people, sitting, all waiting, after all, what would a waiting room be if there were no people to wait there. Some staring, others reading, dozing, softly talking, all waiting. The room wasn’t designed for extended stays but obviously someone realized that people, in general, don’t wait well, and went to work to provide an environment that made waiting less difficult and a little less painful in all that waiting.

We spend time in life waiting far more than anything else we do. Think about it, we wait at traffic lights, wait for food, wait to meet someone, wait for meetings, wait for the weather to change, wait for help, wait for the doctor, wait for justice, wait at the grocery store, wait at restaurants, and wait to get well, all that only to name a few. Sometimes we wait for people to make up their mind which seems to take extra patience, or so it seems. i’ll say it again, as much as we spend our lives in the process of waiting you’d think we would be much better at it than we are, and without a firm understanding of “Why” we are waiting, then what are we waiting for? Waiting without having a “why” and there’s no vision for an end point just seems like dying to me.

An infographic is a quick, clear visual representation of information; we don’t have to read much to get the data we’re looking for. Noah Davis wrote, “One infographic reported that our attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes to five. The rise of infographics in themselves is yet another example of humanity’s inability to read anything for more than a few words at a time without becoming incomprehensibly bored.” Mr. Davis continues, “Another site goes even further, claiming that attention spans have dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds in 2013 — or one second shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.” Honestly i don’t even know how to wrap my head around the idea that goldfish may have a longer attention span than many of us.

One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, again, waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture. Why is it so hard? Is it that somehow we’re sure we’ve got better things to do? Is it that we resent not getting what we want right NOW? Why do we need to entertained in order to wait? Phone in had, scroll, scroll, scroll. And when we’re bored, we tend to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes when we have decided we’ve waited enough, saying under our breath, “i’ll just do it myself because God simply isn’t going to do anything.” Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.” Adam and Eve took matters into their own hands and did not wait on God to open their eyes, they decided to open their own eyes. That was not a very good day for them or any of the rest of us.

Israel had to wait to enter the promised land in Numbers 14, but then they, yes “they” decided to take matters into their own hands and tried to enter in anyway. Who decided to take matters into their own hands? They did, not God. Moses told them “Don’t do that”, but they just couldn’t wait and went anyway. Sadly, they were met by their enemies who drove them all the way back to Hormah. Opposingly, Abraham waited on God, and his waiting paid off, bigtime, in that a nation was raised up which covered the earth from east to west who were blessed of God.

Waiting creates time during which we learn to trust God. Lamentations 3:24-26 calls us to hope in and wait on the Lord because God often uses waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Waiting on God prepares us to have our real needs met. In Psalm 40:1-4 David received four benefits from waiting: God lifted him out of his despair; set his feet on a hard, firm path; steadied him as he walked; and put a new song of praise in his mouth.  I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”

Waiting gives us the opportunity to work out our faith. Learning to wait builds endurance, and the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. In waiting we learn to believe God, to stand firm on His word and it also builds persistence ­­– persistence and endurance are not a means to gain salvation; they are a profitable by-product of a devoted life. i believe it’s necessary to point out the secret to enduring is trust and obedience. Trust God to give you patience to endure even the small trials you face every day; do what God says, even when deferring to God’s process is unattractive. That is not “do what He says” in the sense of keeping rules but in the sense of “yield and let His words persuade you”. Remember, not rules to keep but someone to be. Character!

Patience is developed through waiting. i can’t say i know of anyone who can’t wait to learn patience, although i do consider waiting in line at the grocery store an opportunity to practice my patience while waiting on an elderly lady to dig through her special little change purse to find exact change. While we are developing patience through waiting, even though God promises to reward our learning to wait, we sometimes feel the “payoff” is too far away. Practice one of your fruits of the Spirit, Be patient. God will answer, guaranteed. Let Him expand your attention span to be longer than aquarium gold fish. Wait on the Lord my friend, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Think about it

Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Psalm 37:9, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:34, “Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall lift you up high to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”          Friends, waiting isn’t fun nor easy but learning to wait is a building block of our faith.

i’m Social Porter, and this production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars the home of excellent service and sales at a righteous price, Quality Tire’s very own Jimmy Payton, Kenny Maxwell at Farm Equipment Company on Chimney Rock Rd., the Mill End Store and Silk Shop out in Clear Creek,  and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Be patient this week, be kind to yourself, tomorrow is another day. The hurt of getting something wrong, And the lesson it often brings, all of that is there to make you strong, all in good time. Life can be tough, there’s no doubt, but hope is the thing we can’t do without. Right things with joy will come about, all in good time. And that isn’t just “good time” but more God-time, the right time, right on time. You’ll see.

Practice your endurance while on the path to where you’re going. Wait on the Lord, be strong and courageous until we meet again.

My alarm was set for 6:30 A.M. i had been awake off and on during the night but at 6:30am i was absolutely dead to this world asleep. Amazingly, i should have heard the automatic “click” of the alarm kicking in, but in that instant instead of a “click” for the alarm, i heard a man start to speak from the radio, he was telling a story, almost as if it was all prerecorded and at 6:30am was set to play. Exactly at 6:30am, i heard the man began to speak saying:

“There once was a little boy and little girl who lived in town. One day the mother came and said she was going to leave them with their grandparents on their farm for several days while she and dad took a little time for themselves. The children, of course, were ecstatic and thought this to be a wonderful thing, after all, it was always an adventure at the farm.

They stayed the first night and were up by first light. The little girl went with the grandmother and the little boy went with the grandfather. The first thing the grandfather did was to take the little boy out to his workshop where he made an old fashioned sling shot; he used the fork of a tree, some innertube rubber he had cut into strips with his Barlow knife, and a little piece of leather from an old pair of shoes for the sling. The boy was amazed his grandfather was so inventive and imaginative, and couldn’t wait to test it out. That morning the boy went all over the farm finding rocks just the right size and aiming at everything his eye could see. But, unfortunately, he hit absolutely nothing and he wondered at King David and his abilities with a slingshot.

As lunch approached his grandmother called for the children to come in and eat, and as the boy got closer to the back door of the old farm house, there at the back door was granny’s favorite white duck, just – standing there. He figured since he’d not hit anything he’d aimed at all morning he had no worries of even getting close to the duck. As he let the rock fly from the slingshot he saw the rock go straight as an arrow to the duck and killed it dead. It didn’t even twitch. Just dead. Instantly. The little boy went into a panic, quick grabbed the duck and ran behind the wood pile, weeping while piling leaves on the carcass trying to cover over this terrible thing. He felt the pressure of someone looking at him and turned to see his sister, peering at him with a small, smug little smile. He said, “Oh please, please, please don’t tell granny! i’ll do anything but please don’t tell granny!” The sister realized her opportunity and with an air of confidence she agreed.

When they went inside for lunch the grandmother asked the little girl if she would help get lunch together, and the girl said, “Well granny, i think Bobby would rather do that.” The boy enthusiastically agreed and went quick to help with lunch. After lunch the grandmother asked the sister if she would help pick up the lunch stuff and clean up wherewith the girl said, “I think Bobby would much rather do that than go outside and play.” And again, the boy agreed and leapt to help the grandmother. This went on and on through dinner and to bed time.

In the morning the grandmother called the children for breakfast. As they came to the kitchen they could smell the coffee brewing and bacon frying, it was delicious to their senses. The grandmother asked the boys’ sister if she would help with breakfast. And, of course, the girl said, “Oh, I’m sure Bobby would much rather help than me”, but this time the boy, who, by now, was worn to a frazzle with the burden of his secret, broke and wept bitterly saying between sobs, “Oh granny, i’m so, so sorry. Yesterday i went all over shooting at everything with the slingshot Grandpa made me and i didn’t hit anything. When you called us to lunch i saw your favorite white duck at the back door and i was so sure i wouldn’t even come close, but that time i hit what i aimed at and i killed it. i’m so sorry granny! i’m so sorry i killed your favorite duck, i didn’t mean to!”

The grandmother got down in front of the little boy and took his face in her two hands and looked at him with the eyes of kind wisdom and said, “Oh…I know. I was standing at the kitchen window. I saw the whole thing and forgave you the moment it happened. I was only wondering how long you were going to allow your sister to make you a slave to it.””

God sees me. Always. There is nothing about me God doesn’t see. Nothing. There is nothing my eyes see that God’s eyes can’t see, and there is no darkness deep enough for me to cloak my deeds from Him. He sees me in my most nakedness.  He even knows what i think about when i am most vulnerable and exposed behind a closed door. He knows.

The Lord asked me a question once, He said, “You know those things you do in the dark when you think no one can see? Yea, those things. Do you do those things because you don’t believe I can see you, or do you do those things because you don’t care if I see you?”

Underneath it all – is it unbelief or jaw-jutting rebellion? Probably both together. i don’t like this question. Hard question there, but only hard because i don’t like it.

i so didn’t want to answer because all my answers were not good…hmmm, so which is the lesser of two very uncomfortable answers because one of the two, as previously stated, if not both, are true. So, while i stumbled around trying not to answer what must be answered and, in fact, is already answered by my lack of an answer, God makes me to know another question, “If I have forgiven you, cast your sins as far as east is from west and I remember them no more, who is it that keeps reminding you of all the things you ever did? And how long will you allow him to continue to make you a slave to them?”

This day, i’m asking you the same question: If God has forgiven you, who is it that keeps reminding you of all the things you ever did, and how long will you allow yourself to be a slave to them?

Thanks for listening, i’m Social Porter with Living in His Name Ministries.