Evil In Heavenly Places

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12. We are in spiritual warfare in this country, make no doubt about it. If almost half of our country would like to see our President fail, it is because of spiritual wickedness in high places. So many want their power over the good of the people in this country. Wanting this President to fail is like flying on an airplane and wanting the pilot to fail and crash the airplane, because we don't like him and because he represents the other party. When we look at it in that light we see how foolish it is but still we see even the media fighting this President daily. It is a spiritual battle going on for our families and our country. Sometimes I think it is because we are so near the end of time on this earth that the battle has become so fierce. Perhaps we are nearing the times predicted in the Book of Revelation.  I remember many months perhaps even a year ago when I said if we win, it will be because we have been on our knees before a Holy God. It will require us to be on our knees in prayer to a Holy God if our nation survives. Our families are under attack. This President has moved in the right direction in some areas, recently the move away from Transgender persons in the military. This President has moved to protect Christians. Some of his actions have angered the opposition but they are so blinded by hate, they don't even use common sense. I think of the cliché during the last election of the liberals, when they go low we go high. We have seen their actions and it is nothing like their popular cliché. Slander and bickering, are the norm. These are not high actions we are witnessing but actions from the pit of hell. Why else would we want to see our country fail? This is a spiritual battle we are fighting and we need to be on our knees daily for our President and other political leaders. I think of the War Room movie, and we indeed need to be in our War Room. We are fighting for our families. Even the Bible tells us unless the days be cut short many will be deceived. We see the deception happening right before our eyes. We are in a spiritual battle for our country. We have been the most God centered country in the world until recent years and as we walked away from God and Godly principles, we have gone down hill. If we become like other countries, we do not win we lose. We are in a Spiritual Battle. God help us, LVZ.

Conditional Promise

Many times in the past couple of years I have quoted and talked about 2 Chronicles 7:14.  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. It is a conditional promise from God. So what is the condition? If my people who are called by my name (Christians), will humble themselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways. We are Christians, why would we need to turn from wicked ways? I have thought much about this turning from wicked ways and Christians. It just seems these two thoughts don't go together. Christians and wicked ways.  Christians are suppose to be followers of God, Christ like etc. I look at my own life, I have been following Christ since childhood and did turn away for a period of time but returned to trying to live a Christian lifestyle in 1984. So use me for an example. Since that time I have been divorced 4 times. God's word tells us what God has joined together let no man separate. His perfect plan since the beginning of time has been one man / one woman for life. We have failed. If you read scriptures such as Matthew 19, you will find where the Pharisees and others were questioning Jesus about the very subject of divorce and if it is wrong why did Moses allow divorces to be granted? Jesus replied because of the hardness of hearts, but from the beginning it was not so.  I noted at church, I am not the only one who has been through divorce. Sometimes I look around and it is as prevalent in church members as it is with none church members. Look around and you will see many claiming Christianity who look no different than those around them that do not claim Christianity. It is almost like claiming Christianity and certain scriptures allow us to live any way we want to.  I am not trying to say Christians are perfect. I can use my own life as an example, divorced four times.  I remember a Christian friend of mine that became upset when a drunk came into their congregation. Yet the Bible tells us to not show partiality. We see Christians that seem to consider their financial status and bank account make them better than that poor person next to them. It would smell of partiality if there were a smell to it. I was living with a woman from my church for a period of time and yet the Bible speaks against that and even Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, go and sin no more. The man the woman was living with was not her husband, Christ did not condemn her but let her know in his loving way it was not pleasing to God. So perhaps this is the condition God is giving us to repent of and turn from our wicked ways. In areas where Christians do not look much different than the world. You will find many Christians who support abortion, or same sex marriage. Perhaps God is saying these are the wicked ways we need to turn from in order for him to hear from heaven and heal our land. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2. I really wonder if Christians need to stop living by the worlds standards and start living by God's standards in order to turn the heart of God back to our nation and healing. He will forgive our sins and heal our land if we meet his conditions. I wonder if we need to search our hearts and see if their be any wicked ways in us (Christians) that hinder God from keeping his promise?  Our country is in serious condition, just listen to the news on any given day. Fighting and slander are the norm. If Christians will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. It is not a President or any elected official that will heal our land. It is God hearing from heaven and seeing his people repent that will turn the heart of God to move on our behalf and heal our land. What is in my heart that is not pleasing to God?  What wicked way do I need to repent of. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a conditional promise, have we met the condition God placed  on us? God bless, LVZ.

Building Blocks

As a senior citizen, I must acknowledge that I am. I have a lot of life to look back on. Hind sight is 20/20.  I have had a lot of failures in life. As I look behind me I realize some of those failures have been building blocks in my life. Sometimes I learned more from failures than any thing else. Maybe I have a thick skull and just won't listen when given advice, and end up learning through hardship. I have learned through hardship. We have all heard about Thomas Edison and his many failures and yet to day as I write this blog, I have a light bulb behind me lighting the room. Thomas had many failures until he found a filament that would work. Today our light bulbs are even better than those of Thomas Edison. He learned much from his failures, he at least learned what did not work. They were building blocks until he found something that worked. And lighting engineers have learned even from Thomas Edison's successes. As I have looked back on life I realize many of my failures have been building blocks. I failed in marriage and I learned not to do some things. Simple little things, like I have many times used the wrong names for people. I have a neighbor named Janet and a sister in Law named Janice and almost every time when I speak of Janice I say the name Janet, When I speak of Janet, I say the name Janice. Don't know why it just happens. It has been that way for years. Two church families from years ago, the Morleys and the Masons, I did the same thing. This does not work in a marriage and I learned to use names of endearment, like sweetheart and honey, sugar and the like. They work, but when I had names like Jenie, Joanie, Jean, you can see with my history that was dangerous. In the same way failures can be building blocks in my life. I remember a time when I took over a set of drawings as an engineer. My first set of drawings for a new customer were a disaster. I thought I understood what I was taught by the engineer that taught me. He even recommended me to take over this set of drawings when he left. But my very first set of drawings came out wrong and I did ADCN and DCN the next three months until I had those drawings corrected. I learned so much from those mistakes, I never had that problem again as long as I had that set of drawings. Those failures were a building block in my career as an engineer. They helped me to understand what I missed during the prior six months of my training.  Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. Ecclesiates 7:14.  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes. Psalm 119:71.  Some one once said God does not waste a trial. I feel I can say that in my life, God has used the afflictions of my life for my good.  Someone also said God is more interested in our character than our comfort. I learned much from failure, they have been building blocks in my life. I feel my driving is much better today than even in my forties. I had 4 traffic tickets and one accident in 2001 and my drivers license was suspended. I had to get SR22 insurance to get my license back to be able to drive to work. I once checked on what my insurance would cost me if I bought a new car during my three years on SR22 insurance. It would have been $430 a month, more than the car payment. I learned to set my cruise control, it is much cheaper than paying all those tickets and having to buy SR22 insurance. We can learn from our mistakes and the afflictions in life. Sometimes it is God that sends them our way.  God bless, LVZ.

Notches In His Sheperds Staff

When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” 1 Samuel 17:31-37  David has always been a favorite Bible character  of mine. I am sure as a child I was told about this shepherd boy who became the King of Israel. My thought this morning was notches in David's staff. The passage above is telling about when David was sent by his father to check on his three older brothers. His three oldest brothers were in the army of King Saul of Israel. We have probably all heard the story of David and Goliath. Before David met Goliath, he had met a bear and a lion while herding and protecting his fathers sheep. These were notches in his staff. Remember the stories of the old west as a gunfighter would have notches in his belt as he faces his challengers. Here David had notches in his staff as he faced his challenges in his life. We all face difficulties in life. What notches do you have in your staff or your belt that you think back on when you face difficulties that help you to face the Goliaths in your life? David reached back to the lion and the bear that he had killed with his shepherd's sling when he faced Goliath. I remember the first notch on my staff. I was but a five year old boy. My father was angry as he unloaded dirt from the back of his pickup truck. He was digging a basement under our house in Bismark N.D. His truck would not start when he finished and I remember Dad being very angry. And as a five year old boy I was afraid of Dad when he was angry.  I walked a few steps away and asked God to let the truck start. I remember hearing Dad's voice as he said you'd better start praying. I wondered how he knew I was going to pray. I did pray and ask God to let that truck start. It started. I believe it was God that answered that prayer, as simple as it was. I wonder why else would that memory be etched in my mind. It was a notch in my staff that has encouraged me over the years to face the lions and the bears and the Goliaths in my life. It is the first of two prayers that God answered almost instantly. God does not answer instantly every time. Some things I have prayed about for many years. Those notches encourage me to keep praying.  God bless, LVZ.

Do You Believe in Prayer

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel 6:10. We tend to call on God when in trouble. If we believe in the power of prayer, it will become a daily habit. The verse above is speaking about Daniel, of Lion's Den fame. Daniel was in exile and was serving in the government of his country. People were jealous of his position and set out to do him harm. Daniel knew that a law had been signed to work against him. Even in a difficult time Daniel kneeled to pray as was his habit. He was caught and thrown into a Lion's Den. Daniel believed in the power of prayer, and he prayed religiously, habitually. If you read or heard the story, God delivered Daniel and took care of his enemies. The real point I want to make is that when we truly believe in the power of prayer, it is not just something we do in the midst of trouble. We pray when things are going good. We pray when the world is crashing down around us and in the times in between. Mountain top or Valley, it makes no difference, we pray because we believe God is still on his throne and is concerned about us and our concerns. Scripture tells us the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We need prayer for our country this day. It is not Trump that I going to turn this country around. It is God. As I am talking about prayer, I would like to refer to 2 Chronicles 7:14. In this scripture God is promising to heal our land. It is a conditional promise, God tells us if we do certain things, he will heal our land. That condition is calling on him and turning from our wicked ways. If God' s people will humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways, God will hear from heaven and heal our land. Our land will be healed because God moves when we kneel in prayer and repent of the sin in our lives. Christians are not perfect, we ere, we sin. I have been using this 5 finger prayer method. There is no perfect way to pray but the five fingers helps me to remember. My thumb, closest to my heart, my wife children and extended family, my accountability partner. Pointing finger, My church, those that guide me spiritually. My middle finger, the strongest finger, my government, President and on down to local government. My ring finger, some times the weakest finger, those in need of prayer, right now I have several friends battling cancer, one grieving the loss of his life partner and others that are in need of spiritual or physical healing. Last my little finger, me, the many hats I wear. This blog that it would be a blessing, that God would search my heart, and that I would pray as a publican and not a Pharisee. I have been on this road a long time, sometimes we can sound like a Pharisee. I need God every day for everything I do.  I have made prayer a habit but I desire relationship with my creator. I pray religiously but desire relationship.   God bless, LVZ.

Children

This morning I am thinking of my son who is in his forties and in Jail. The call came to bail him out. It would be an extreme hardship to try and bail him out. As a parent, we want to. Sometimes as we pray for wayward children, we need to realize that perhaps this is God trying to get his attention. Sometimes as parents we tend to bail our kids out of trouble until the trouble becomes so big that we cannot rescue them anymore. A second DUI in Washington State is a big deal. As I read on the internet it may require a minimum of 30 days in jail. It may require a $1100 plus up to $5000 fine. It was as I understand a $2000 cash bond. If this is God trying to work in his life and get his attention, I do not want to stand in God's way. Sometimes love is tough love and perhaps it is hard for parents to just stand back and let children suffer the consequences for their actions. Sometimes I don't feel like a good parent when I stand back and let the consequences for an ungodly life style happen. I often think of Asia, a fatherless child in Tacoma that I tried to help and there came a point I felt I needed to stand back and let consequences for a sinful lifestyle happen. I continue to pray and wonder did I do the right thing. I know the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much as scripture tells us. Sometimes just praying feels like doing nothing and we want to do something. At this point all I can do is pray for God to intervene in a life that is following a worldly path and ask God to knock on a hearts door and bring them into relationship. I wish they knew the God I know, a present help in trouble. There is nothing to hard for God. ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27.  Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. Ecclesiates 7:14. Nothing is too hard for God, and that last verse says to realize that even hardship can come from God. It can have a correcting influence on our life when we go through hard times. I have experienced hard times that corrected behavior. I remember I 2001 when I had 4 traffic tickets and one accident, and my license was suspended. In order to drive I had to get SR22 insurance for three years. I remember checking how much my insurance would cost me if I had full coverage. I wanted to by a new car with payments. When I checked with the insurance carrier, I found my insurance would have been $430 a month. It would have been more than the car payment. I stuck with old used cars and liability insurance until I could do better. That hard time had a correcting influence on my life and I do feel it was sent from God to make a course correction in my life.  God bless, LVZ.

Partiality

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Colossians 3:18-25. This passage is very similar to wording in Ephesians chapter 6. We were looking at the Bondservants section of this passage.  It seemed to be a  difficult passage to deal with. I live in the deep south where slavery was a big deal and considered an economic necessity a few generations ago. We know it was wrong, morally and spiritually and many on both sides of the issue would use this passage. It almost appears as if God is condoning slavery  and perhaps that is why it was used by both sides. My thought is that the word helps us in an evil world and to live for God what ever our present circumstance. We read scriptures from old testament even touched some on the slavery during the times of King Solomon. This is why I think the Bible is relevant what ever the age and political climate. God didn't condone slavery any more than he condoned King Solomon's many wives and concubines. It was the culture and the political system at that time. There is also scripture that addresses economic levels, and at the end of this passage we see there is to be no partiality. Bond or free, rich or poor, we are all made in the image of God. We sin when we show partiality. This type of partiality still shows up in our society today. There are still old south people around. A white woman at the rehabilitation center that did not want to get on the platform side by side with a black woman. Or you will hear those that discuss going to a party with rich folks, and you can feel the attitude of we are better than they because we have money and a large home and lands and a bank account.  We are not to show partiality when it comes to economic status or political status or race. It is SIN. Bond or free, slave or master, boss or worker, we are all made in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally and fairly. No partiality, we are all God's image bearers, and partiality is sin. I look at the political racism we have dealt with in recent years with Black lives matter. Partiality of any kind is sin. All lives matter. White, Black, Olive skin, Red, Yellow, rich or poor. We are to do the work we do as if we are working for God, not to serve man or to please man but to please God. Racism, if it is white against black or black against white it is sin. Poor against rich or rich against poor, it is sin. Our political divisions are not better. We are all image bearers of God. We may disagree with acceptable norms in our culture, but the people are made in the image of God. There is no partiality with God.  God bless, LVZ.

No Other Gods

“‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. Deuteronomy 5:8-10
Listen to people and what they talk about and you will discover their god. What is the most important thing in their life? Listen and you will find the god they serve. Our God, the one that created us and sent Jesus to die on a cross for our sins is a jealous God and does not want anything in our lives before him. It is really sad but some people choose a really poor substitute for a god. Watch people that are always talking about what they have, who they know. You will discover their god is money and prestige. God wants our devotion. Money cannot by happiness, it can buy things, houses, lands, toys, cars etc. But it cannot buy happiness. Godliness with contentment is great gain. When we do not bow to the gods of this world but serve the true God, we will find contentment and happiness. We often talk about generational sins and how they are passed on from generation to generation and this verse does tell us to even the third and fourth generation, but notice God's promise to those that love God and keep his commandments. He will show steadfast love to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments. Those that obey him and make him their God have a promise of good to not only the third and forth generations but to thousands. If we bow to a god , let it be to the creator God that made heaven and earth, who holds this world in his hands. The God that gives life, our breath. Notice how he feeds the sparrows, they have lived from the generation of Adam until now and still thrive. God sees the sparrow, how much more does he see us who were made in his image. God bless, LVZ.

Why I Believe

I remember as a five year old child a time when I was afraid. My Dad was digging a basement under our house in Bismark, N.D.  He would haul this dirt out in to the country with a pickup truck,. In my mind I picture a mid thirties style pickup. I was probably riding with Dad because Mom had two children younger than me she was caring for.  Dad unloaded his load of dirt and the pickup wouldn't start.  Dad was angry, and when Dad got angry I got scared. I walked a short distance away from the truck and prayed, God let this truck start. I remember Dad saying you'd better start praying. It was like he knew what I was doing. The truck started. I remember when I was 47 years old and I had gotten myself into a mess. I was going through a divorce but my wife did not want a divorce. I know God hates divorce so I didn't know what to do. Do I try and continue to work on the marriage or is my wife cheating on me as I believed. I still remember that morning as I drove from my apartment on South 40th going south on Yakima Street. I was almost to 56th street where my wife was staying. We were separated. I thought I don't want to drive past her house and appear to be spying on her. I turned left to Park Avenue and continued south. I was praying, God I do not know what to do. This is what I think, my wife is cheating on me and has from day one. But she does not want a divorce. I don't know if I am being hasty with taking divorce action, because I know God hates divorce. As I was praying I remember saying, God I can't see what you see and I don't know what to do. As I pulled up to a stop sign on 56th street, I was the fourth car back from the stop sign. There I saw my wife walking across the street in the intersection in front of me from the Safeway Store to the Gas Station on the other side of the street. I watched as she walked up to a van at the gas station and got in. As I pulled forward I could see the license plate number and it was the van owned by the man I thought she was cheating on me with.  Then in my mind I heard these words: I showed you this so you would know, now don't go over there and make a fool of yourself. I drove on and continued divorce action. Even when I messed up God had me in mind and was there for me. As a five year old child he heard and answered that prayer, as a 47 year old man in trouble, he heard and answered my prayer. I know God is real. Those two prayers were answered immediately, when I felt I was in trouble. I know as an adult my Dad was an angry man when I was young and I was afraid. God heard and answered. As 47 year old man, I knew I had messed up, and it wasn't the last time. But God intervened in my life. Not all my prayers were answered like those two. I saw him intervene in my life through the years. I didn't live a perfect life, I messed up so many times, but God was always there. Those two prayers that God answered immediately make me believe God is who he says he is in his word. I had already accepted him into my heart as a young child by faith. I had returned to God in 1984 by faith. But God saw to my needs and helped me many times. There were other times when I prayed and he answered but those two times were like instantly and I remember them clearly today. I am not saying I never went through periods of doubt, but many times I look back on those two prayers and know God had my best interest at heart. He loved me unconditionally, especially as an adult when I made bad choices and got into trouble. Sometimes we read in the Bible where God took 400 years or more to answer a prayer, but if God said it, he kept his word. There are many other stories I can and have told in this blog, where God had my back. I chose to believe in him before these prayers were answered in this way. It is a faith program, where we trust God is who he says he is in his word. I know as a five year old, I wasn't very big on theology, but I did believe in Jesus. God has been so good.  God bless, LVZ.

Put to Death

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Colossians 3:5-11.
Put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature. Here lately when I pray I think of the Publican and the Pharisee praying, and I want to be like the Publican in my prayers. The publican saw his sinful state and asked God for mercy and forgiveness.  I think of a phrase I read in a book a while back: passionately pursue Christ. I try to do that. I have religiously developed a prayer life, but I desire relationship. I wake up in the night and I pray while it is quiet in the house. I desire to be like Jesus, and to do that I must put to death that earthly nature that we are born with. God's wrath is coming to those that reject his son. I think we live in a day when sexual immorality is so prevalent. I am not speaking of the gay lifestyle that is being pushed on us, but it has become acceptable even in church to live together outside marriage. It is deemed acceptable to sow your wild oats as a young person and we are bombarded with sexual immorality daily. Impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. If we look around us it is common place in our society. Because of these God's wrath is coming. I use to walk in these ways, I remember the days when I was living with someone outside the bounds of marriage and sometimes it was with another church member. I am not immune to sins appeal. That is why I pray and seek God daily. We are to rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language. Look around at our world, language has deteriorated to where we hear the bad language daily. Road rage seems to be common. And slander is almost a nightly thing on our evening news when it comes to our President. We are to put off these things. It is done with Christ in our hearts. I see Christians struggling in  their faith. O how we need God in this day and age. We see so many divisions in our day. It seems our racial divide has grown instead of becoming one.  In Christ we are to be one, there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free.  We are to be one in Christ, there is no partiality in God. As he changes our hearts into the image of his son, these earthly divisions should be worked out of our lives. There should be no economic or racial barriers in our lives as Christians. Yet perhaps today we see so much division along political lines. In heaven there will be none of these things, as we put on Christ's nature. God is working in us here below to take those things our of our hearts in preparation for our eternity in his presence. There is no partiality with God. We need him. We were born in sin and with a sinful nature, and that is why we need Jesus in our hearts and lives. We remove these earthy nature through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of our sins. I need God, I need relationship with him, I need his work in my heart and life.  God bless, LVZ.

It shall Accomplish

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11.
I was encouraged by the testimony of a friend. He did not grow up in a Christian home.  He remembers twice when he was in Sunday School as a child. Today he is a part of American Family Radio. He spoke about how just simple words that he heard in his early years stuck with him. HE had a Greek Orthodox mother and a Catholic father and they could not decide how they wanted their children to be raised, in which religion so most of the time they did nothing. Yet that word that was planted early in his life bore fruit. The word of God is powerful and it will succeed in the thing that God sent it for. So I think of my childhood and the dysfunctional home that I was raised in. The word that I heard even as a child as brought forth fruit in my life. I have really come to realize how dysfunctional so many homes are.  But God intervenes, he has purpose for each of us. Our hair on our head are numbered and even before we were born, he saw us today and what we have become.   God never takes away free will. But God can also make that word we heard so long ago stick with us and bare fruit.  He molds and shapes us all through life. I sometimes think of my dysfunctional father and how I saw a change in the last six months of his life. God changed him. I remember in earlier years when even a judge told him he was a hypocrite. But God never gave up on him and in his last days there was a change in his heart. God's word will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. I think of my time as a young man and the struggles of life I faced and for a time I even walked away from God. But God was not finished with me and is still not finished with me to this day. He will accomplish his purpose for me. I can still remember being Gleaners as a child and the rub a dub dub song we would sing. I remember the days of youth when we had a twenty eight club and we were encouraged to read four chapters in the Bible a day. Some imperfect people spoke a word in my life and God has been at work ever since. It has been a long journey, many a bump in the road. Many times the enemy of my soul tried to turn me aside, but God continued to work in my life. From a time of prosperity in my life when I turned aside and thought I didn't need him, to times of poverty when I lived with out running water and electricity, God has been at work in my life. I thank God for the day when he knocked  on my hearts door and I let him in. He has worked on me ever since.  It was a Sunday night in January of 1984. I have been through much since that night. Four times divorced and yet I stand with many a memory of answered prayer. Many a struggle with sin in my life and God continued to wash me with the water of his word. God's word has been active in my life. I am so grateful. God bless, LVZ.

The Summers Heat

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31 It is hot in Mississippi in the summer. If it gets too hot I can pick up and travel to a milder climate. There is a place that is even hotter and there is no place to go to get away from the heat. We have an eternal destination, there are only two choices. We can choose Jesus and the pardon of our sins or we can ignore his knocking on our hearts. We can override his call, we can say there is no God. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. There is a place of torment, eternal torment, we don't like to hear about it but as sure as there is a Mississippi Summer, there  is a eternal destination with or with out God. This rich man in the scripture above received good things in his lifetime and didn't feel a need for God. In Hades, in torment he looked up and saw the poor man he had seen in There is no changing of destinations once we pass over. It is set for eternity. When the rich man was told no one could cross over either way, he then asked if Lazarus could be sent to warn his family, Abraham said, they have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear Moses and the Prophets. Perhaps is someone comes back from the dead and warns them, they will listen. No, even then they will not listen if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not listen to one coming back from the dead. Moses and the Prophets is the word of God, the Bible. If we will not listen to God's word and accept by faith that Jesus died for our sins, we will not listen to any other way either. Through the word God talks to our hearts and says come unto me, I will give you rest. Jesus is the only way. Some don't believe in a God or even Heaven or Hell, but the Bible tells us it is real. When we reach the grave it is too late to believe in a God, and change our ways. All around us we see his handiwork, his beautiful creation. I use to look at the flowers and marvel at the different colors that come from the same dirt. This world and universe and the many laws of nature that make it work point to a divine hand that created us in the first place. We didn't just happen, the earth didn't just start spinning on its own, nor did the gravitational pull that keeps us the right distance from the sun, just suddenly happen. God set it in place and he created us to worship him. Moses and the Prophets are there to tell us of our creator and his goodness. If we will not listen to them neither will we listen to one sent back from the grave. God does not send people to Hell, they choose to go there by ignoring his word, his knocking on our hearts door. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to a knowledge of his grace. When you look at the marvels of creation, God designed in six days, think what splendor is ahead when he has had thousands of years to prepare a place for us. It is on the other side of the grave, be ready. There is no chance to change our destination after eternity is reached, The destination is set on this side, we choose to believe or not to believe. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20  God bless, LVZ.

A Fallen World

Does any one doubt we live in A Fallen World?  Look at the news each evening, People killing each other and stealing.  People bearing false witness and trying to destroy a leader they did not vote for. I don't have to look at everyone else, I remember enough of my own sins, my own motivation that wasn't true. We can look at the dysfunction we were raised in. We can look at what is happening to our families. We live in a fallen world that needs Jesus. Our best works will not buy us a ticket to heaven. There is none that is good, Just Jesus. We need him. If I look at the Carmichael show as I happened to do a few nights ago and I saw TV programing that was telling us about using drugs and alcohol. And the woman afraid of what is growing inside of her. In just a few minutes until I turned it off, I saw the actors justifying sinful lifestyles like it was normal. It is not normal. Since Satan came into the garden of Eden and deceived mankind, we are doomed with out Jesus. We can blame it on Eve, but if we truly look into our hearts, we see the same tendency to sin. We live in a fallen world and the way out is through Jesus. I want something better, and Jesus made the way. If Jesus / God  made this earth so beautiful and so interesting in just 6 days, imagine what eternity will be like. Yes we live in a fallen world but all around us are examples of God's creative genius. For all have sinned and come short. Jesus died for me and for you. He is the only one that can change a heart, we need him in our lives.  God bless, LVZ

Prayer

I need God's help in every area of life. I recently blogged about different hats I wear. My last blog about parenting was no different, I need God. As I thought about being the best husband I can be, I need God. As I thought about being a Deacon, or a Nehemiah's man, I need God. As I blog, I hope to be rightly dividing the word of truth, I need God's guidance. I did not work my way through all the hats I wear, but with every hat, I need God. As a citizen and trying to hold the board of Alderman feet to the fire, I need God.  As we deal with a President who has not come from the political arena, he needs God's guidance and I pray for him everyday. If our country turns around and begins to prosper again, it will not be because Trump is President, it will be because Christians have gotten on their knees and prayed for this country. We do not trust in horses and chariots, but in God. Not a day goes by that there is not some news on National Media to tear this President down. That is like wishing the Pilot of an airplane to fail while he is in the captains seat. We need God's help. That is something I mention in many of my prayers, I need God in every area of life. So I pray. I have tried to make it a habit in my life and yet I still want it to be more than a habit, but I want relationship with a Holy God.  He is able to change hearts and lives, including mine. One of the things I have done recently was  to think of the 5 fingers of prayer, to remember all on my prayer list. Thumbs, those closest to my heart, my wife, my children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, my accountability partner. then that pointing finger, those that lead me spiritually, my church, my Pastors, my Elders,, Deacons and even Sunday School Teachers. They need God. That middle finger, the government, our President and the rest of government. They need prayer. Then the weakest finger, those in trials and difficult circumstances in their lives. They need prayer. then I come to the little finger, me, is my heart in tune, do I pray like a Publican or a Pharisee? I need God. Prayer, communing with God, talking to him. Reading God's word, listening to what God has to say to me. I need God in every area of life. He gives breath, keeps my heart pumping blood, and my lungs taking in oxygen. I live because God has given another day. I need God. God bless, LVZ.
 2 Chronicles 7:14
James 5:16

The Most Difficult Job

I loved my kids, but I was a terrible parent. Parenting is probably the most difficult job in the world. Most of us have absolutely no training when we start parenting. By the time our kids are grown, we learned a lot, but they are already grown. I was 21 when my son was born, 22 almost 23 when my daughter was born. I was a kid, myself. I didn't have good parents.  This blog is not to make excuses for myself. But the Bible, God's handbook for parents would help if we would listen.
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged. Colossians 3:21

ex·as·per·ate

exasperates (third person present) · exasperated (past tense) · exasperated (past participle) · exasperating (present participle)

1. irritate intensely; infuriate:

   "this futile process exasperates prison officials" ·
   

   [more]

   "she grew exasperated with his inability to notice anything"

   synonyms: infuriate · incense · anger · annoy · irritate · madden · enrage · antagonize · provoke · irk · vex · get on someone's nerves · ruffle someone's feathers · rub the wrong way · aggravate ·
   

   [more]

   rile · bug · needle · get someone's back up · get someone's goat · tee off · tick off · infuriating · annoying · irritating · maddening · provoking · irksome · vexatious · trying · displeasing · aggravating

We need to discipline Children, the Bible tells us he who spares the rod hates his child. The rod represents discipline, this does not have to mean a spanking, but sometimes it is necessary. Children have their own personalities, even in the same family, even with both of the parents the same. Add into the mix blended families and it even gets more complicated. I was listening to parents talk, and many have blended families. Some had adopted children. Some advice to parents in blended families was only the blood parent deal with the discipline when needed. Sounds really good until the adoptive parent speaks about their experience. They had a blood child, and then two adopted twins. Sometime children will think they don't love me as much as the blood child because they discipline the blood child but not the adopted child.  Sometimes it seems parents can't win. Children grow up and then they raise their kids and then maybe they realize my parents really did love me, its not as easy or as cut and dried as it seems. I now want to talk about dealing with my kids. I worked for a new car dealer when I was 19. I learned that I had to touch every inch of the car with the wash rag or sponge or it would look like I missed a spot when the car dried. My son was washing the family car and I tried to impart that knowledge to him but it came off  to him as I can do nothing right, you always have criticism for everything I do. Was it my tone of voice, the scowl on my countenance? I had an allergy on my hands and when working on some jobs the chemicals would make my skin break out. Eczema is what the doctor called it. When I became an engineer and worked on a computer and paper work the problem went away.  When my son was young I noticed he had a breakout on his skin at times, and one time he wanted to learn painting cars. Once again with eczema in my mind and the difficulties I had, I tried to advise him against it. I was thinking of the irritating chemicals his hands would be dealing with and thought it would not be good for him. Should I have left it alone and let him do what ever he wanted? Probably, because I think I came off as exasperating.  Parenting is a difficult job, and I saw some parents do a much better job than I did. The Bible has a lot of advice for raising children. As I sit through these Sunday School classes I think, I wish I had this knowledge 40 years ago. Prayer is so necessary, even in recent blogs about the different hats I wear, I thought about how much I needed prayer with every job. Parenting the hardest job in the world requires prayer. Perhaps if I'd prayed more, I would have understood more of the word I have studied my whole life. If any lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives liberally. Today I pray every day for my children. They are grown and make their own decisions. Some one pointed out in the class, that discipleship and discipline are closely related and it might help to remember that.  All I can do is pray and hope my children do better than I did. I hope they learn to pray for God's help. He wrote the book on raising Children.
God bless, LVZ.

Hat of a Citizen

When I retired I became much more interested in local politics.  I attended city council meetings and after seeing what I thought were issues with the existing board of Aldermen, I decided to run. I lost. But the problems I saw still exist. In fact I was not the only person who saw issues with the existing board. Every seat was challenged and we all lost to the incumbents, except the mayor. The former mayor won reelection. The problem is the mayor does not make decisions, he is a weak mayor and just runs the meetings. The Aldermen make all the decisions. I attended the first board meeting of the new term.  The board has tried to clean up the city ever since I have been here. I heard them give property owners time limits to clean up their properties and condemn properties that were in disrepair.  I heard citizens complain that they were ticketed for the condition of their properties but just across the street from them is a property owned by one of the aldermen. In fact it was the alderman that I ran against. The code enforcement officer has not one time ticketed that alderman for his properties.  That Alderman has a storage unit complex that is in a state of disrepair on the main road through town. He has a house across the street from the businessman that complained, because he spent 40,000 dollars fixing his property and they still wanted to ticket him and did nothing about the property across the street from him that is run down and an eyesore. This Alderman started to build a Elvis Pressley Birthplace house replica and never finished it. It also is an eyesore. The house where he lives has the roof portion of a building that fell down  and he moved it to his front yard about 1996 and has done nothing with it except to build a fence to hide it when it was complained about. This board and the code enforcement officer have done nothing about any of his many rundown properties. This is unfair and I addressed the board to point this out. I used a scripture from Proverbs that says God demands equal weights and measures.

The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;

he sets the standards for fairness. Proverbs 16:11. (NLT)
I have some other ideas that I will bring before the board, but my first concern was the partiality the board was displaying. I believe our country is in the mess that it is because Christians stood back and for the most part stayed out of politics. We see a lot of dirty politics and it seemed like politics and Christianity don't mix. In fact we are to be salt where ever we go. We are to influence society in all that we do. God bless, LVZ.
I think I will leave the hats I wear alone for a while. I have other things I want to blog about.

Hat of a Deacon

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 1 Timothy 3:8 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household. 1 Timothy 3:12.  Over the years in different churches the job of Deacon can vary.  This scripture says to be dignified. I take that to mean honorable, I think integrity is another word I would use, not double tongued, to say one thing to one person and say another to another person to deceive. Scripture says to let your yea be yea and your nay be nay,.in James 5:12.  A good manager of his children and his household.  They should not be a new convert it tells us in another place. We live in an age when so many of us have faced divorce, as I have. When I was young, I don't feel I managed my children well.  I am married to one woman and I believe I have a good marriage. Many of us have not lived perfect lives in the past. I believe they need to have a servants heart. Deacons are the service arm of the church. Some of our deacons including me do needed repairs on our building, Sometimes manual labor as when we are called upon to move furniture. In our body, we take up the offering and pass the communion trays. We set up and clean up for communion and for Baptism.  We want men that are dependable, we can count on them to be there when needed. I believe we need to live it as well as speak it. I feel somewhat inadequate because of the past. Divorce and all. but then it is not where we have come from that matters as much as where we are headed. Are we headed in the right direction. Are we working to have a good marriage? A husband of one wife, and are we faithful and committed? I believe even as I write this blog it is an effort on my part to teach and lead others in living the gospel to the best of our ability.  I went through much difficulty in early years and that is why the bible tells us not to make a novice or someone new in the faith a deacon. Let them prove themselves, will they stand as they go through trials and temptations? It is a hat I wear, and I try to do my best to be willing to help whenever I can. Even before becoming a deacon at this church for years I would find some way to serve. Sometimes I mowed the lawn. I would pickup trash in the parking lot, pull weeds, whatever I could find to do. I wanted to serve in someway. I worked to develop a servants heart. Here I have painted walls, changed light bulbs, moved furniture. When they had a youth activity, the deacons would be there to keep the kids safe on a water slide or a zip line. Some that are better at cooking than I will cook, I did make popcorn and cotton candy. We even serve as security with others but in our congregation, the deacons have also become part of the security. I think it really comes down to serving in what ever capacity is needed. But I do think they need to be strong Christians, able to lead by example, and not just words. Men of integrity, and honorable. Examples in character. Yes personalities can show through. I think of a dear Uncle who passed on, he was an usher and he was good at it. He could tease you and make you feel welcome and wanted at the same time. There are so many ways to serve, Deacons serve the body in any way they can. We are not cookie cutter types, sometimes our personalities will show through as my Uncle's did as he served his church. That is my view of it and I hope to be scripturally sound.  God bless, LVZ.

Hat of an Accountability Partner

I really felt my need for an accountability partner as I moved south. I was 2500 miles from family and most people I have known my adult life. During my time in Tacoma I didn't have that accountability partner and I struggled. Earlier years I had my friend Virgil, and then Wash. They were such a help to me. Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, Hebrews 10:24. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.  Hebrews13:17. As an accountability partner I pray for my friend and watch out for him, and he for me. In my life this has taken many forms over the years. Right now we meet for breakfast once a week and discuss any needs we may have and pray for one another. A sounding board perhaps and just to lift up spiritual needs that we have. As iron sharpens iron, so we sharpen each other as we walk through life. We  stir up one another and encourage each other. We can ask difficult questions, as we watch for each others souls. With Wash, myself and another man would meet for dinner on Friday nights and just talk.  With Virgil it wasn't a scheduled meeting but frequent visitations and we could talk about anything. These men help us as we walk through life to keep on track. A man needs another man friend to be able to talk freely about difficult things and in confidence. A woman would also need another woman to confide in.  For a man this friendship needs to be another man or a woman another woman because this closeness could lead to trouble in a man woman friendship. When I think back, my worst years in struggling with sin were my years in Tacoma as I didn't have that accountability partner.  I really felt that need as I moved to Mississippi, so far from friends and immediate family.  At the time I was thinking about this need in my life, our Pastor spoke on it one Sunday morning and confirmed what I was already thinking. They watch for our souls and we theirs. God bless, LVZ.

The Hat of a Father

God's plan for the family was one man / one woman for life, until death do part. God's plan is not for a village to raise a child. It is for that Husband and Wife to raise their children. No one knows the heart of their children like a parent does. God gave parents the responsibility for raising a child. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9. One of the best verses for a Father to pay attention to is probably Deuteronomy chapter 6. First of all these words that God commanded us are to be on our hearts. I believe that means we live it. Then these statutes, commandments, God's ways that he has impressed upon our own hearts are to be taught to our children as we live life. Diligently, with a plan, with purpose, not haphazardly, but diligently. It is a fathers responsibility to teach his children, not the village, the school system, or the TV, or the babysitter. Some of these may help from time to time but it is your values that are to be passed on to your children. This responsibility does not end when they leave the house. All the days of your life you are to still lead as you mature and reach old age, you are still wiser and have had more life experiences than your children. I believe it is a life long, until God takes you, responsibility to lead and teach your children. I think of my Grandson in Tupelo and I hear those words, what do you say? How many times have we heard those words uttered to a child as someone gives something to a child and we hear what do you say, ant the response we want to hear from  the child is thank you. That is how we are to teach our children as we live, as we go on our way. As we sit in our house, as we get up and lie down. AS WE LIVE LIFE, we are to teach our values to our children. Not the village, not the school system, not the Sunday School teacher, or the baby sitter. But the primary responsibility for raising children is with the parents and especially the father as we lead the home. There are so many more verses I would like to print, Ephesians 6, and spare the rod and spoil the child.  Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.

Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24. Next to being the best Husband we can possibly be is being a father. Two very important hats we wear all the days of our lives. God bless, LVZ.

Hat of a Husband

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
This is actually difficult for me to write on this subject. I have failed in this area of my life. But I am not alone. Many times we actually learn more from our failures than any other way. God's perfect plan is still one man / one woman for life. I will repeat that, God's perfect plan is for one man/ one woman for life, or as our vows say until death do part. Divorce is not an unpardonable sin.  We fail, and God forgives. Sometimes it is impossible to go back and fix that first marriage. I have seen this belief misused and tear families apart in the name of God. We fail in many areas, not just in marriage. What is God's plan? It is very important how we treat our wives. Christ uses his example of dying on the cross for our sins and tells us to love our wives in the same way, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. I want to tell of a time in my life when I was looking for a church to attend. My wife at that time asked me to pray about it and decide where we should attend. I did pray, and one day during this time I was praying for a church to attend, I read this scripture Ephesians 5:25 and asked my self how do I apply this scripture in the current circumstance. We were a mixed couple and I thought her culture is Black, some of her family attends this Black Baptist Church and the Deacon that gave her away during our marriage ceremony in place of her father was a deacon at this same church. In light of this scripture and in trying to follow scripture as best I knew at the time I made the decision to attend this Black Baptist Church. I felt like a fish out of water. I was much of the time the only white person in that congregation. I learned much from that experience and with hind sight I do believe I followed God's will in that instance. I also learned that God does not answer that prayer the same every time. Do not be harsh with them, I think I have finally realized how important this is. I did not have this exampled for me growing up.  Unkind words would be harsh, do we use kind words. I am to treat her as the weaker vessel, to watch over her, to protect and see to her  wellbeing. This version uses  the words delicate vessel, one version tells us to dwell with them according to knowledge. How important is this? That our prayers be not hindered.  I did not see this modeled in my home growing up, but I saw other homes that did model this and I wanted what they had. When this relationship is messed up, it affects our children, it even affects our nation. God gives us direction, he wrote the owners manual, he knows us better than we know ourselves. Open doors, treat your spouse with respect. Let them know how important they are. Use kind words, words of endearment. This relationship affects so much of our lives, if it is not right it will hurt us and even our prayers are hindered. Think about that. I believe it gives our children a tainted view of God when this relationship is not right. Men are the leaders of the home, we lead by example as we live it out in our lives. Showing the way, leading the way. We ae initiators, we are responsible to God for our families. Lord help me to wear this hat as best I can, I need your help in this area of my life to be the husband that Barbara needs. Help me to be kind, love as you loved the church. To honor, live with knowledge, that my prayers be not hindered. God bless, LVZ.

Many Hats

This morning I was thinking on the many different hats I wear. Perhaps I may write a blog on those hats for a short while. Those that come to mind this morning are, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Accountability Partner, Deacon, Citizen, Prayer, Brother, Church Member. I suppose in some ways many of these overlap with each other. As I thought on this in the early hours of the morning, I realize many of these are volunteer positions that I have taken on to spread my sphere of influence. As I write I perhaps will think of more. One more I thought about was a Father to a fatherless child. In the course of just living, and going through a divorce, I became aware of fatherless children when I saw how being out of the home affected even my own children. I took on a prayer life for a fatherless child. By that I mean I pray for that child as I do my own children. I have a prayer life and the five finger prayer I blog about in the recent weeks has helped me to remember those I pray for. My fatherless child is one of those I pray for daily. I don't have any contact with her, I just pray for her. I also include her three boys with my grandchildren. I am a husband and I pray for my wife daily. I understand that I am responsible to God for my family, I try to be a good husband, I pray for my wife and try to dwell with her according to knowledge. She has been a good influence on me and I believe I have possibly expanded my sphere of influence because of her and the support she gives. My children are grown but they are still my children and I pray for them. As they have travelled into adulthood, they have given me grandchildren and I pray for my grandchildren. I meet with my accountability partner weekly and pray for him daily. At least I try to.  Prayer seems to be a part of every hat I wear. Deacon, here again I pray for the Deacon chair and lift up each deacon by name. We are the service arm of the church and I pray for a servants heart. As a church member I pray for our Pastors, our spiritual leaders. I pray for our Elders, lifting them up by name.  I sometimes forget but I try to remember to pray for the Sunday School teacher for the class I attend. As a citizen, I recently ran for an office but lost. I don't feel I have been able to lay down that hat, I now see it as an opportunity to be salt in my community by attending the board meetings and have asked to be on the agenda and have spoken about  the needs I see for the city.  One of the five fingers of my prayer life has been for our political leaders, I have prayed daily for our President and our political leaders.  One reason I feel our country is in such a mess is because Christians have taken a back seat politically. When prayer was taken out of school, we should have united in prayer, we didn't. When Roe VS Wade changed our national view point on abortion, we as Christians should have united in prayer and we didn't. Now we have gone even further and have taken steps to legitimize another sin in our politically correct support of gay marriage. We need to unite in prayer for our nation. I think I could possibly write a blog about each of these hats. As a church member I pray for Pastors, Elders, Deacons, and other spiritual leaders but I also think about the weak ones, the fourth finger in the five finger prayer.  There is a brother younger than I that recently lost his wife, I lift him up. A friend who is on the front lines of spiritual warfare as an employee and radio speaker for AFA is fighting cancer. I lift him up.  I lift up another couple that is having difficulty adjusting to life after stroke. Then here I am blogging, another hat I wear as I try to be salt to my sphere of influence. I am not sure who reads my blog but I pray to be scripturally accurate because I do want to use this blog to influence and encourage others in their walk with God.  So many hats, perhaps I will blog about these hats to some degree. As I read in Ephesians chapter 6, we are in a battle and some of these hats I wear are to not only defend but to have an offensive influence and be salt in the spiritual battles of this life. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Prayer is needed in every hat I wear.  God bless, LVZ.

Why I Tithe

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:8-12. I woke up this morning thinking of tithing. For that reason I will blog about why I tithe.  I believe I have been blessed my whole life because of tithing. I remember my mother telling me how even when I was in my young teens, I would always find a way to make money. if it was mowing  lawns, or shoveling snow, delivering newspapers, what ever I could find to do, I would do it. I was taught in Sunday School as a young child to tithe and for most of my life I practiced tithing religiously. Sometimes I felt my attitude wasn't right but I would tithe anyway. I believe this scripture written above and as much as I wanted God's blessing, I didn't want his curse. I have a relative that teaches Tithing is not scriptural the way we do it today. In biblical times they would tithe of cattle and crops that they raised. If they traveled to pay tithe they would convert it to money and then buy the animals or grain offerings at the end of their journey. While this is true, it would not be practical in our day. There is a new Testament reference to tithing and it says to not leave it undone as you do other things. A tithe is 1/10 of our income. That is what tithe means. I went through some years where I was discouraged with the church and quit going, but I drove a Pastor crazy because he didn't understand why this young man would pay his tithes faithfully and not attend church. I believed that scripture above and even though I was hurt and would not attend church, I did not want that curse upon me. I have not been 100% faithful my whole life in tithing. This scripture promises if we try God in this area he will bless us. The following scripture says he will rebuke the devourer for our sakes. I heard a story of a farmer that had tithed his whole life and there were locust coming his way. they were like a cloud in the sky, you could see them coming and they were eating everything in sight. The farmer stood at the edge of his property where he saw the locust coming. He prayed, God you promised in your word that you would rebuke the devourer so that I would not destroy the fruit of our soil. He watched as the locust came up to the fence line and went around his property. God promises to bless us and open the windows of heaven if we will trust him and tithe. The scripture tells us to bring it to the storehouse which would be his church. I recommend wherever you are feed spiritually. I do not recommend TV preachers. I believe God has bless me throughout my life because of this one practice. I quit one time and felt self sufficient and got laid off. But I also say God protect my job. Once in 2000 / 2001 when the airline industry was suffering I was one person away from being laid off. I was a level two engineering employee, and a retention 1 in that level. My supervisor came to me and said I am going to put you in for a level three. I thought I was going out the door. I felt safe at the higher retention level but I knew when I got a higher level three I would be at the bottom retention wise. By the end of that month all level two's were gone. He actually saved my job. I was blessed over and over again. I believe much of my blessing was God blessing me because of tithing. That is how I believe and that is why I tithe. I feel God has been faithful to me.  God bless, LVZ.

The most important thing you can give your kids.

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  Ephesians 5:33.
We have been in Ephesians in our Sunday School class for a long time.  We never get in a hurry. We do not follow preprinted Sunday School literature and sometimes it seems we stay in a Book of the Bible for a long time. A question was asked what is the most important thing we can give our children? I believe it is a good home life, a good relationship with your spouse.  I did not have that growing up. I had so called Christian parents that did go to church religiously, but what we saw in our home did not measure up to what we were taught. We saw physical and emotional abuse. The bible does tell us how a husband and wife relationship should be. unfortunately many of us even in the church did not see it lived out per biblical direction. I also believe this tainted relationship we saw lived before us gave us a tainted view of God. When parents love and respect each other as instructed in the Bible, when parents discipline their children as instructed by the Bible, we raise up a generation that is secure in themselves and in their relationship with God. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave his very life for it. We are to love our wives as we love ourselves.  This strong family relationship that results from a right relationship between husband and wife, builds a strong home, a strong community and a strong nation. We want to fix this nation, it will be in the home. God created us and wrote the owners manual. God's way works and like anything else, not following the owners manual has disastrous results. I failed in this respect myself. The mother of my children and I did not see eye to eye to raising our children. We did not present a united front to our children. We failed to give them the best thing we could have given them.  The good news is God starts from where ever we are when we follow after him. He can restore and he is the great fixer.  He came to a lost world that failed even in the Garden of Eden, to bring them back to his way. Imagine what we lost in the Garden of Eden by not following his way. God sent Jesus to redeem  us. Yes we failed, many of us, in fact the word says all have sinned. Jesus came to fix our hearts and our lives.  We don't need to stay where he finds us. We can grow and learn to follow God where ever he finds us. God does not throw us away because we are broken, he fixes us. God bless, LVZ.

Fairness

The king speaks with divine wisdom;

he must never judge unfairly.

The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;

he sets the standards for fairness.

A king detests wrongdoing,

for his rule is built on justice. Proverbs 16:10-12

The above scripture verses were taken from the New Living Translation. I chose that version because of the word Demands in verse 11. I spoke to the Board of Aldermen a few days ago because I saw and heard from citizens what I perceived as unfairness on the part of the board. I believe this scripture applies to the civil authority because both verse 10 and verse 12 address the King, which in our day is the civil authority There are some property owners in our little town that need to cleanup their properties. The problem I have and other citizens have is the Alderman from ward 4 has some of the most dilapidated properties in town and not once have  I heard the board address his properties. So I got myself put on the agenda for the July 5th meeting and spoke to them about fairness. This scripture using the NLT translation says the Lord demands accurate scales and balances. To me that says this board must also address the properties belonging to the Alderman in ward 4. They cannot be fair and impartial unless they deal with him also. He should not be looked over because he is on the board. He has storage units on the south end right off Raymond Ave, the main north / south route through town that is just full of junk. Some of the doors are damaged and do not close and show the junk that is in them. It is his junk, and the property is not mowed. He has another house on Raymond near the center of town that is in bad condition and either needs to be repaired or torn down. He lives in another house behind that house that can not be easily seen from the street hat has a roof from another building that fell down and that roof portion has just been sitting on bare ground for probably ten years or more just rotting away.  The roof need replacing on his house and it appears to have dry rot although it is hard to see with out trespassing. Yard full of junk. Front stairs look like they are almost ready to fall down.  He started to build a replica of the Elvis Pressley House on College street many years ago and never completed it, it is an eyesore. He is building a lean-to on this property on main street for a shelter for a barbecue and it is being sided with used scraps of tin and looks like something built in a third world country. I have heard this board address many properties around the city and give them tickets and condemn and even tear down dilapidated buildings but not once have I heard them mention this Alderman's properties. That is unjust and I do not believe God can be please with their actions. The Lord demands accurate scales and balances. This is the same reason I ran for this position, I saw the unfairness and desired to do something about it. I didn't win so now I will address the board as a citizen and try to hold their feet to the fire and try to get them to do justice. They have a responsibility to God as well as the citizens of our town to treat everyone fairly. Romans 13 says civil authorities are God's servants sent to do good. For that reason I believe they are responsible to God as well as man for what they do on this board.  God bless, LVZ.

Religiously

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. Daniel 6:10.
We often talk of relationship with God. Relationship is different than religion, but sometimes like as with Daniel there is a religious aspect to our relationship. What I mean by that as I read about Daniel he had a relationship with God, he called out to him in prayer three times a day. There was a structured element to his relationship, it was his habit to go to his upper chamber with a window open to Jerusalem and he would get down on his knees and pray to God.  As he had done previously, it was a habit. He felt his relationship with God was so important that he developed this habit by doing it over and over again. You might say he prayed religiously. Even though it was structured, a habit, he loved his God and trusted him to bring him through anything, that was relationship. Daniel knew they were plotting against him and were watching to condemn him.  Daniel was a faithful servant not only to God but to his King. He was blameless and those that worked with him were jealous of him and knew King Darius wanted to put Daniel over the whole kingdom. His enemies knew the only way to trap him was in his worship of his God. They got the king to sign a decree that no one in the kingdom could petition any god or man other than King Darius for 30 days. If caught they were to be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel as was his habit when he knew the decree was signed prayed as he had previously. Hid relationship with God was that important that he did not let his enemies stop him. We have all heard the story of Daniel and the Lion's den. Daniel was caught and thrown into the den of hungry lions but God delivered Daniel. I remember a statement in a book I read a while back about passionately pursuing God. That is what Daniel did, he passionately pursued God, it was a habit, it was a religious effort on Daniels part. But it resulted in a relationship that was strong enough for him to face a lion's den. He religiously prayed three time a day, kneeling in a window open toward Jerusalem.  Religiously: with consistent and conscientious regularity: is the definition I found on the internet. Consistent and conscientious regularity. Daniel knew what he was doing, it was on purpose. We need God, every last one of us. Sometimes that relationship may feel forced as we consistently but God desires our relationship, our prayers. He will bless and keep us if we seek him. God bless, LVZ. 

Ruling Our Spirit

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. Proverbs 16:33  The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.     1 Corinthians 14:32.
I was raised in a Pentecostal church. Those that would speak in tongues. I remember the days of my youth when we had what was called a Holy Hoedown.  A person would get up and speak in tongues and walk across the front or any isle of the church and hold everyone hostage while they spoke gibberish that no one understood.  The Pastor could not speak a message that he had prepared for the people of God. It was a misuse of a gift at best and at worst the person was being used by Satan himself to disrupt a church service.  These verses above tell me we control our spirits and this does not have to be. I haven't seen anything like this in years and years and hope I never do.  The person speaking in tongues and disrupting a service was often thought to be spiritual. We can choose to obey God. God is a God of order and not a God of chaos. I remember when I was but 16 years old and coming from that background of the holy hoedown. I felt the spirit come on me and a friend advised me that that was not necessary. I believe he quoted 1 Corinthians 14:32 to me. It never happened again. Now that I am older and have been in this way a long time, I don't look at someone as spiritual that cannot control their own spirit. Uncontrolled emotional outbursts are not a sign of spiritual maturity, if it be a fit of anger or speaking in tongues. As I think back to those days I am thankful for a mature Christian who was not that much older than I, that spoke some words of wisdom in my life. The last time I saw something of this nature was when I visited a church in Tacoma, probably 15 or more years ago. I remember a testimony service they were having and it seemed each one had to have a bigger story that the last, to look spiritual. We joke about it now and call it Test a lie.  Sometimes I question my spirit, and today was one of those days. I went before the city council yesterday not sure of myself and worried that I would find impure motives after I spoke.  I am not so sure of myself anymore, I know I am a fallible human being but I forged ahead after praying many a prayer. I pray that God will bless the words I spoke. After the fact I felt I had followed God's direction. We are able to control our spirits and to obey God.  Many of the battles we fight are spiritual battles and God is there to fight them for us. I am thankful to be on this spiritual journey, I don't always see my way clearly but I know I can trust God. I am so thankful to be a Christian and know I can ask God for help in any situation.  God bless, LVZ.

Work As If God is Your Boss

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.  Ephesians 6:5-8. As I read this passage I am struck with how we are to do what ever service we do as to the Lord. Although the Bible does not condone slavery, here is instruction how to live when we serve others. We are to do it as if God is our boss. We may have an earthly boss, but our biggest concern as Christians is to please our Heavenly Boss. He sees all, there is nothing hid from God. The issues of life come from the heart, here again we see not by the way of eye-service, as people pleasers but doing the will of God from the heart, with a sincere heart. I remember years ago when I first started at the Boeing Company, someone said you needed to know someone important to get anywhere in the company. I remember thinking when I heard those words, I know God and God is over the CEO. God is sovereign. I started in a Mock-up shop and I really loved my job. Several times I took classes after hours to better myself. One particular class made me realize my job was going away. After that class I went back to work and evaluated my situation. I had hopes of being a lead someday in Mock-up. I looked around me and thought even if they keep a skeleton crew in Mock-up, I did not have the seniority to be lead. I decided then and there to take more of these classes to prepare myself for another job. I believe God who is higher than the CEO was watching out for me and put this on my heart. I thought perhaps I have five years before mockup goes away.  Within a couple of years as I continued taking computer classes, an engineering supervisor came to me and said I hear from your supervisor that you are taking CATIA classes. We need CATIA operators and if you are interested see my lead and see if you'd be interested. I took some time on Vacation and went and checked it out. During my time on my current job, I was put on second shift. I had gone from a Mock-up Mechanic to a Mock-up planner. I was the only planner on second shift in our office. When I finished my work as a planner and my day had not ended I would see stacks of drawings on our office clerks desk that she had to stamp in the next day. To keep busy because I felt I was working for God, I would stamp in those drawings. This clerks husband was an Engineering Supervisor. She would go home and tell her husband about this planner that did a bunch of her work for her. None of the other planners would help her and it was always done the night before, so she knew it was me even though she didn't see me. I didn't know this at the time, I was just trying to work as if I worked for God. That was the Engineering Supervisor that hired me as a CATIA operator on the engineering side. I started creating electrical drawings and had my name on the drawings as Engineer, or Checker or Drafter. My God was higher than the CEO.  As my years progressed on the engineering side, I never thought I'd be a lead because I did not have an engineering degree, I was just a technical worker. One day when our lead in our office got demoted, a new supervisor came to me and asked if I would step in as lead until they found a lead to take over. I was the senior employee, so I said OK. Two months later, she came and asked if I would just take it. If they got a lead they would probably have to take them from  another department and right now that would be difficult. I didn't have to go through a selection process or anything, they just gave me the lead position. My last four years I was lead. God who is higher than the CEO gave me even a desire of my heart. You will not lose by working as if God is your boss.  God bless, LVZ.

Fake News

I love this President. I can't see into his heart, don't know  and only God really knows if he is actually a blood bought Christian, that has surrendered his heart to God. Anymore than we can know some of the Church members we go to church with every Sunday. Some of our every Sunday church goers are just as lost as others. Barbara came home from taking her client to Walmart and one of her clients friends was telling her client about President Trump losing it and hitting a man on the ground in his face. Barbara says "O really".  Of course her clients friend was not talking to my Barbara and she left it alone. My first reaction was fake news. Sure enough they reported it as fake news later that evening. It seems it is something Trump did as a promotional back in 07, at a wrestling event. They used the film to show him beating the letters CNN (Clinton News Network as we like to call it). The letters CNN were covering the face of the man from that 2007 promotional video.  Trump has a sense of humor, but it also shows how many of us spew stuff as news without knowing all the facts. God help us.  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  1 Timothy 2: 1-3.
We are instructed in God's word to pray for those in authority, our President, ore Senate and Congress. Our Supreme Court should also be lifted up in prayer. I am thankful for a Christian Governor in the state of Mississippi. We need to pray for even our local leaders. I believe that the corruption that is so prevalent in our politicians starts at the local level and works its way on up. So it is God instructs us to pray for our leaders. If your read Romans 13, you will see God ordains civil authority, and we are to respect this authority. When civil law goes against God's law we then obey God's law over civil law. But we are to respect and obey civil authority. I noted we teach disobedience to our children. Yesterday I blogged about training and teaching our children on a daily basis as we go through life. Today is the Fourth Of July and many municipalities have ordinances against fire works, yet many parents will still buy and allow children to light off fire works in disobedience to civil authority. Those laws were designed to protect us, even this year we have already heard of children being injured and maimed for life because of fire works. But we so innocently teach our children to disobey authority in little things like buying fireworks. We have a real problem in our country with disrespecting authority and it begins in the home. That is my opinion for what it is worth. Sometimes my legalistic past shows through, but think about it.  God bless. LVZ.
I would like to add why I went off on the rabbit trail about fireworks. Yesterday I spent just a few minutes with my Grandson here in Tupelo. At nine years old he seems to know there is an ordinance in the City of Tupelo against lighting off Fire works, I didn't know that, but his words were: "we shoot them off in the back yard so the police don't catch us."  Sometimes we so innocently teach our children to disobey. Or why do we have an ordinance against fire works and then issue permits to sell them? Sometimes in just little things we don't think about what we teach our children as we live our daily lives. I am reminded of my Christian father., once I bought a $500.00 car from him and he offered to write me a bill of sale for $100.00 so I could save money on taxes.  Think about the innocent little things we do every day and teach our children. I don't say these things to condemn anyone, I have done the same, its just food for thought in how we teach what we live.