When I first lived in
Miami from 1991-1993, there were always trials & tribulations for me before
&/or after significant spiritual moments in my life but we have a choice
as to how we respond.
"While we may
not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens
inside us." — Benjamin Franklin
A few years ago I
found a folded up piece of notebook paper with SCRIPTURES hand written in
cursive. I wrote those verses 20 years ago after a second car of mine was
stolen within a year. At that time, a friend had driven down to visit me in Miami &
I had all my clothes in my car as I was going to do laundry that day. I
also had all my Christian music, pictures from my various mission trips, etc.,
as I sometimes was asked by coaches to lead BIBLE studies or give a devotion on
the spur of the moment.
Basically, I got a
flat on I-95 as I travelled home from Miami Senior High School to North Miami-Dade County. A flat tire shouldn't have been a big deal but I had a flat
the day before & did not have time to get that repaired, so I made my way
home & my buddy drove me back to where the car was.
Unfortunately, my car
was gone in less than the 20 minutes since I had left it. All of this
happened shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew & I vividly
remember the majority of people crying & screaming that they had worked
their entire lives for their homes/things & now it was all gone & they
didn't know what to do.
However, there were a
few people who thanked the LORD that they still had a relationship with JESUS
& their families were safe.
I often thought to
myself, "It isn't too hard to be thankful in situations like
that!"
Word of advice, be
careful what you say or think as the LORD may test you to see if you are able
to handle losing all of the things you call dear in this world.
Now I had to get my
bicycle fixed in order to pedal the 20+ miles to work the next day as it had
been damaged in a hit a run accident when I flew over my handlebars & slid
across the pavement on my knees.
That night was
horrendous for me but I wrote out SCRIPTURES in cursive on the front & back
of a piece of notebook paper as I knew that I had to read those truths over
& over, even if I didn't feel like they were true at the moment.
I know that ALL of
the BIBLE is TRUE . . . but I didn't feel like it was true at that
moment.
What's the
difference?
Feelings are never
wrong . . . they are as many say, "It is what it is."
So, even when I am
feeling frustrated & vexed, I am making the choice to believe that the LORD
is still in control & HE has a plan for me.
Please believe that
those SCRIPTURES I wrote so long ago, would encourage me & you whenever we
are discouraged & in the midst of an emotional or mental or physical or
spiritual storm!
Why do I believe that
something like that is possible?
The day after I wrote
those SCRIPTURES, I was asked to go to the bleachers on the practice fields at
Miami High to be in charge of detention so that any students who were late to
class or disciplined by their teachers would be punished by sitting out in the
hot Miami sun.
Wouldn't you know
that 3 of the toughest, most disrespectful students spent a couple hours out
there with me.
One of them asked me,
"How are you doing today?"
I replied, "I'm
not doing too well as my car was stolen yesterday."
This student look
puzzled & said, "Quit teasing me, your car was not stolen."
I replied, "Yes
it was. I wouldn't joke to you about something like that."
What happened next is
something that I will never forget.
"There is no way
that your car was stolen because you are the same today as you were yesterday. How
is that possible? You should be angry & mad but you're the same as you
always are. How do you do that?"
I sure didn't feel
the same as I had spent many hours crying out to the LORD!
As tears began to
well up in my eyes & my hands began to tremble, I asked them if they really
wanted to know why I am different, they should read this & I pulled the
folded up piece of notebook paper out of my pocket & gave it to them.
They sat down to read
& as they did it was all I could do to keep myself from uncontrollably
sobbing as there were 3 young people who were reading GOD's WORD with the
desire to understand the truth.
Who cares if I had to
have another car stolen?
At that moment, I began praying for the HOLY
SPIRIT to open up the minds, hearts, souls, & spirits of these students to
understand that our HEAVENLY FATHER loves them & cares for them.
They never would have
listened to Billy Graham or Martin Luther King or Tony Evans or whomever you
think is one of the best evangelists/preachers/teachers in the world!
They had never been
to a church & they sure wouldn't have read these SCRIPTURES out of a BIBLE
. . . but they were reading the WORD of GOD.
I had spent many
nights crying out to the LORD, asking HIM to do whatever it takes to make the
young men & women understand that JESUS is our SAVIOR & HE is also our
LORD.
I believe that the
only time the HOLY SPIRIT gives people who don't yet have a relationship with
JESUS discernment & wisdom about SCRIPTURES, is when they are seeking the
truth!
These young people
were reading BIBLE verses to understand why I was the same today as I was
yesterday.
Let me tell you, I
didn't feel the same at all.
But guess what?
"JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday & today
& forever." ― HEBREWS 13:8
They weren't seeing
me at all!
They saw JESUS in me
& HE never changes!
May the truths of these 11 SCRIPTURE passages that I
wrote on a simple piece of notebook paper many years ago, once again encourage
me & may they also be a blessing to you, if not now, then sometime in the
future when you are frustrated & feeling down.
"The LORD GOD is my strength; HE makes my feet like the
feet of a deer, HE enables me to go on the
heights." — HABAKKUK 3:19
JESUS replied, "You do no realize now what I am doing,
but later you will understand." — JOHN 13:7
When HE heard this, JESUS said, "This sickness will not
end in death. No, it is for GOD's glory so that GOD's SON may be
glorified through it." — JOHN 11:4
"Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on
threshing it forever. Though he drives the wheels of his threshing
cart over it, his horses do not grind it. All this also comes from
the LORD ALMIGHTY, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in
wisdom." — ISAIAH 28:28-29
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as the
potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the
potter, so are you in MY hand." — JEREMIAH 18:6
"MY sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow ME." — JOHN 10:27
"Sing to the LORD, you saints of HIS; praise HIS holy
name. For HIS anger lasts only a moment, but HIS favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the
morning." — PSALM 30:4-5
"GOD is not a man, that HE should lie, nor a son of man,
that HE should change his mind. Does HE speak and then not
act? Does HE promise and not fulfill?" — NUMBERS
23:19
Although the LORD gives you the bread of adversity and the
water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes
you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice saying, "This is the way; walk in
it." — ISAIAH 30:20-21
"I know your deeds. I have placed before you an
open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little
strength, yet you have kept MY word and have not denied MY name. I
am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take
your crown." — REVELATION 3:8 & 11
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts
them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and
beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on
the ROCK." — MATTHEW 7:24-25
May we all be
filled with the JOY of the HOLY SPIRIT, the LOVE of JESUS, & the PEACE
of our HEAVENLY FATHER!
GOD has commanded us
to be strong & courageous!
"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead
these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law MY servant Moses gave
you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be
successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your GOD will be with you wherever you go." ―
JOSHUA 1:6-9
Whether we believe it
nor not, there is a spiritual battle going on & we must be equipped to be
victorious!
"Finally, be strong in the LORD and in HIS mighty
power. Put on the full armor of GOD so that you can take your stand against the
devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore
put on the full armor of GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be
able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand
firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up
the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the SPIRIT, which
is the word of GOD. And pray in the SPIRIT on all occasions with all kinds of
prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints." ― EPHESIANS 6:10-18
We are able to stand
in spite of whatever the devil may throw our way & in standing, the LORD is
glorified because there is no earthly reason why we should still be filled with
faith, grace, hope, joy, love, & peace.
Recently there have
been moments of tears that almost overwhelm me.
"There is a
sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They
speak more eloquently than 10,000 tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming
grief & unspeakable love." ― Washington Irving
Be encouraged in the
midst of trials & tribulations though as satan is not omnipresent like our
Sweet Heavenly FATHER, so he has to choose his battles carefully & he will
only spend time pestering people who are making a difference in the spiritual
lives of others or are destined to do so!
Count it all joy!
"I pray for you,
that all your misgivings will be melted to thanksgivings. Remember that the
shadow a thing casts often far exceeds the size of the thing itself, especially
if the light be low on the horizon & though some future fear may strut
brave darkness as you approach, the thing itself will be but a speck when seen
from beyond. Oh that HE would restore us often with that 'aspect from beyond,'
to see a thing as HE sees it, to remember that HE deals with us as with
sons." ― Jim Elliot
An amazing passage
from the book "Shadow of the Almighty" was shared with me as I was
preparing to live overseas to serve the LORD however HE so desired & it's
by Jim Elliot who also wrote the last quote. This is from a letter written to
his future bride when he thought getting married might get in the way of what
the LORD's plans were for both of them!
"Dearest Betty,
I charge you in the name of our Unfailing Friend, do away with all waverings,
bewilderment, & wonder. You have bargained for a cross. Overcome anything in
the confidence of your union with HIM so that contemplating trial, enduring
persecution or loneliness, you may know the blessings of the 'joy set before.'
'We are the sheep of HIS pasture. Enter into HIS gates with thanksgiving, & into HIS courts with praise.' And what are sheep doing going into the gate?
What is their purpose inside those courts? To bleat melodies & enjoy the
company of the flock? No. Those sheep were destined for the altar. Their
pasture feeding had been for one purpose, to test them & fatten them for
bloody sacrifice. Give HIM thanks, then, that you have been counted worthy of
HIS altars. Enter into the work with praise." — Jim Elliot
How can I do anything
but praise the LORD after such profound words were shared with me so many years
ago?
"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Hallelujah!" — PSALM 150:6
I shall continue to
praise the LORD through the storms that are sure to come.
"The storms of
life are sure to come but a world without them would not be the same. As
thunderstorms are necessary for flowers to bloom & trees to grow, they also
light up the sky in a truly awesome light show. Yet, the sun shall break
through the clouds, causing that which has just been watered to grow. May the
SON break through all of our storms, causing us to shine & grow!" —
BPK
It's now Thursday October 23, 2014 & my wife & I are living in Key West, Florida exactly 18 months from when I originally posted this on my blog.
Rain, rain, & more rain has been falling throughout the Florida Keys the last few days & will probably do so for at least a couple of more & that is why I felt an urge to not only share "In The Midst Of A Miami Storm!" again but also to add a bit more which I pray will bless at least one person.
"LORD make my way prosperous, not that I achieve high station, but that my life may be an exhibit to the value of knowing GOD." ― Jim Elliot
I hope & pray that the precious children that my wife & I were blessed to care for now understand the value of knowing GOD!
We did not not shove the gospel down their throats but we tried to live our daily lives in such a way that the house we all lived in became a "HOME!" where our sons & daughters not only felt safe physically but enjoyed being there despite their horrific circumstances because they felt joy & peace.
The first several months we were house parents at the FKCS, we would work 6 days & then have 3 days off as the respite house parents would be at the home.
However, they were eventually let go & I worked 5 months without a day off until I went to the STL for my Mom's funeral.
That left my wife caring for our children until I came back but that only lasted a couple of weeks before I had cervical surgery & 2 days later lumbar surgery which I only did so I could be more active physically with our sons & daughters.
I returned to work at the FKCS less than a month after my surgeries & that same day my wife & I were told that the FKCS no longer wanted us to be house parents.
That was extremely difficult & stressful & if I ever needed a hero, that was the time!
There is a man who was murdered 10 years before I was born & if I would call anyone a hero in this day & age, he would be it!
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." — Jim Elliot
Edward McCully, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, & Roger Youderian were speared to death on Palm Beach in the jungle of Ecuador in 1956.
"FATHER make me a crisis man. Bring those I come into contact with to decision. Make me not a milepost on a single road. Make me a fork, that men must choose one way or the other when facing CHRIST in me." — Jim Elliot
May the FATHER, JESUS & the HOLY SPIRIT be working in us & through us causing "Another Hallelujah" on a daily basis to be echoing throughout heaven as our lives profoundly touch yet another person with wisdom & understanding.
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