Musings from My Sun Porch

  “Simon answered, `Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.   But because you say so, I will let down the nets’” (Luke 5:5 NIV84).                  Have you ever had a situation in your life, where you felt God calling you to do something that made absolutely no sense to you?   Have you ever looked at the Scripture through your human perspective and thought “That’s not a reasonable demand on us”?                  That’s just where Simon Peter was that day at the lake.   Simon and some other fishermen had been fishing all night and had nothing to show for their labor.   They were fishermen by trade, so they knew when the fish were biting, they knew when it was the best time to fish, and they knew when it was time to haul in the nets.   Peter tried to tell Christ that it didn’t make any sense to put the nets back in the water becaus...

  “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch…. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.   News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.   When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their heart” (Acts 11: 19 – 23 NIV84)             The disciples gave one of the believers, a man named Joseph, a nickname.   They called him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement.   Barnabas is probably best known as a co-worker with Paul on some of his first missionary journeys, but I think that his ministry was really one of encouragement.   Those in need were encouraged by his generosity when he sold his land and donated the money.   I’m sure that Mark was greatl...

                           This week we set aside a day that we call “Thanksgiving”.   It originated with the Pilgrims in 1691, when they celebrated their first harvest in the New World.   Later, it was commemorated by the proclamation of several Presidents, including Washington and Lincoln, but it wasn’t until 1942 that Congress established it as a national holiday.             The day began as a celebration of thanks, recognizing the blessings of God in helping the Pilgrims establish a home in a new land.   Today, the word “thanks” has almost become an afterthought in our celebration.   We have become more concerned with how we will cook the turkey (oven, slow cooker, deep frier, grill, etc.), what sides we will serve (mashed potatoes and dressing are a given), and how many football games we can watch in one day.   The stress leve...

  Early one morning, I was standing on a deck, overlooking a lush green lawn.   The building was located on several acres and was surrounded by rolling hills, with deer grazing in the distance.   There was a beautiful morning sky. Surprisingly, what caught my attention was two long strands of yellow grass, there in the middle of that sea of green.   Immediately my imagination went wild.   Why were they there? How did they get there? Will they multiply and eventually take over the entire lawn or will they be snuffed out by the overwhelming green surrounding them?   They looked lost and out of place.     Probably because I was attending a Prayer Conference at the time, God moved my thoughts from those two strands of grass to Christians in the middle of unreached people groups.   They are all alone just like those two strands of grass!   How overwhelming that must be! Unlike the yellow strands of grass, we know exactly why the Chris...

  Zechariah 12:10b says “…They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Have you ever stopped to truly look at the one we have pierced and mourned for him?   Have you grieved for the sacrifice that He made?   I know we weren't there the day they crucified Christ.   After all, that happened over 2000 years ago.   Even though we weren't there in person, it was our sins that nailed him to that cross just as if we had been there to drive those nails ourselves. So, the question again is: Have you ever stopped to look at the one that we have pierced? This is the same one who invited the little children to come to him, who raised the widow’s son from the dead, who fed the 5000 with the little boy's lunch, who cried at the pain and sorrow Lazarus’ death brought to his family.   We like to look at Christ in those moments.   It is...

  Have you ever had a crisis in your life?   Unless you live in a bubble, I’m sure that you have experienced at least one of those moments.   Maybe it was the serious illness of a beloved family member, or maybe it was a loss of your job, or maybe you were dealing with a difficult relationship. The situations may be different, but we’ve all faced those times when it seems like there is no hope, no solution, and no way out. If you are a believer, those are the times when you fall on your knees and cry out to the Lord.   As a believer, I am confident that He hears me, that He listens, and that He responds.   I've been in those situations several times and I felt His presence in the storm.   I knew at those times that there was no place else to turn but I found peace because He was there.   Those are the moments when we ask: “how can someone get through this without God?” Did you ever stop to think what it would be like if you were faced with one of...

  For 10 days in September, we mourned the loss and commemorated the life of the Queen of England.   From all accounts, she was a remarkable woman who truly believed in and practiced duty, honor, and country. She also was apparently a woman of great faith. The mere fact that she reigned for over 70 years endeared her to the citizens of the United Kingdom.   Their love for her was evident by the throngs of people who lined the streets just to get a glimpse of her coffin as it passed by, the hundreds of people who passed by her casket as she lay in state, and the flowers and other memorabilia that were left in various places throughout the country. Obviously, she was someone who was greatly loved and revered. What a contrast between the death of this mortal queen and the death of our eternal King, Jesus! Scripture tells us that only two men and a handful of women were there to mourn.   No crowds were lining the path as Joseph and Nicodemus carried his body from the...

              This Sunday has been designated a special day of prayer for the Persecuted Church, but I challenge each of us to pray daily for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who risk their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Last year, according to Open Doors USA, r oughly 5,600 Christians were murdered, more than 6,000 were detained or imprisoned, and another 4,000-plus were kidnapped.   That’s an average of over 15 deaths, 16 imprisonments, and almost 11 kidnappings per day! Consider how many may die, be imprisoned, or be kidnapped on Sunday while we worship in peace and freedom!             Those who are being persecuted never pray that the persecution be taken away but here are some prayer requests that they do have. 1.     Pray that those who imprison them will realize that Jesus must be real because He is the only one who ca...

  One week from today, elections will be held across the land.   State Representatives, Governors, Congressional Representatives, and Senators will be elected.   My question to you today is what role does the Christian play in this process?             First, and foremost, I know full well that my true citizenship is in heaven.   As the old song says “this world is not my home.   I’m just a passing through.” We are also challenged in Romans 12:2 to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world...”   Therefore, our primary allegiance is to God and His mission. However, I also know that Romans 13:1 makes it very clear that all government authorities are ordained of God.   So, what should be the role of Christians who are also United States citizens?   The government that God ordained for us is a representative form of government that gives us the privilege of electing our governme...