KLOVE Radio Features – July 2021
FACING YOUR GIANTS
All of us want to know what our future will be like. Especially, so we can prepare. Here’s a hint. You will meet the biggest giants you’ll ever face in life, not in your wilderness of wandering, but in your land of promise; not in your seasons of deprivation, but after you’ve stepped into your inheritance. I’m convinced it’s healthier for me to believe that God is equipping me for greater challenges ahead, rather than to mistakenly think life will get easier. That’s not fatalism. That’s realism. The Bible I read shows men and women of God facing their greatest struggles in the latter stages of their lives. They needed God more, not less. No auto-pilot. No cruise control. They were fully conscious and in pursuit of God until their last breath, just as we must be.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOT AND SOLOMON
Two men were asked what they wanted from God. It was a great opportunity, revealing what was in their heart. Lot, Abraham’s nephew was asked what land he wanted to inherit. He should have deferred to his wiser uncle, but instead, the Bible says, “…Lot chose for himself…” (Genesis 13:11) Sodom. To say the least, not a good choice. The other man, Solomon, was asked by God what he wanted as well. He said, “…a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9, NIV) One man, Lot, selfishly asked for what he thought would satisfy himself. The other man, Solomon, asked for what would help others, and is therefore called the wisest man who ever lived. Each of us are being asked by God the same question every day. Choose wisely!
THE GREATEST GIFT WE CAN GIVE OTHERS
Want to know, perhaps, the greatest gift we can give others? I’ve found it to be true in my own life, as well. Jim Valvano, the renowned college basketball coach said, “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” Have you ever had someone really believe in you, affirm and celebrate you? Or, perhaps you’ve experienced the opposite. You were wounded by people you really hoped would believe in you, but didn’t, and it crushed you. Either experience will brand you. The abundance of affirmation that blesses you beyond words, or the absence of encouragement that leaves you empty. Both affirm how important words are to each of us. They will produce either life or death. As the Bibles says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21, ESV)
RESCUED RATS GIVE US HOPE
A study at Harvard in the 1950’s, by Dr. Curt Richter, placed a rat in a pool of water to test how long they could swim before drowning. On average they’d give up and sink after 15 minutes. Right before they gave up due to exhaustion, researchers would pull them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes – then put them back in for a second round. Amazingly, this time they would tread water for 60 hours! Researchers concluded that because the rats believed they would eventually be rescued, they’d pushed their bodies into the seemingly impossible. If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could hope do for you and me? Keep “HOPE” alive! Keep swimming! Jesus is coming to your rescue. “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken.” (Psalm 37:25)
THE MEANING OF “TRIBULATION”
Do you ever wonder what is the ultimate purpose and value of your struggles? I know I do. A lot. In ancient times, harvesters would use a threshing instrument, or roller, called a ‘tribulum’ to separate the corn from the husks. Over time, Latin writers within the Christian Church appropriated the word and image to set forth a higher truth. They concluded that sorrow, distress, and adversity were what God uses to separate in Christ-followers what was trivial and poor, from what was solid and valuable. Tribulations would divide their chaff from their wheat. That’s why the Bible says, “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Though difficult to fully embrace, our sorrows and trials, our ‘tribulations,’ thresh our inner, spiritual man, removing what is temporary and ultimately useless, for what is eternal and actually priceless.
HOLY SEEDS IN STUMPS
Are you, at times, overwhelmed by the devastation that’s happening around you? There’s a verse I read that greatly encouraged me. It is in the Book of Isaiah, and it talks about the destruction that would come to the nation of Israel because of their poor decisions. But there is a silver lining in it that gives me hope. “Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps. But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.” (Isaiah 6:13b, The Message) It seems like everywhere I look there are stumps. Things that once had life but were cut down because of their own foolishness. At one point in my life, I was one of those stumps. I had sowed the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. But God, in His mercy, had planted a holy seed in my stump, and once I surrendered my heart to Jesus, life began to flourish.
LONE RANGERS ARE DEAD RANGERS
When the Bible says, “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), it really means it. I’ve often watched the decisions people make and thought, “If they had just asked a wise person about the conclusion they had come to, they would have reconsidered their poor choice.” Watching the carnage that comes from their decision, I’m absolutely persuaded if they had told someone safe and wise what they were thinking, they would have come down from the ledge of foolishness and considered a better option. Is there anyone wise and godly in your life that you can bounce decisions off of? They may not be the coolest person in the room, but they may be your best hope of surviving your decisions. More often than not, a lone ranger is a dead ranger.
CONNECTING DOTS IN YOUR LIFE
In my half century of following Jesus, I’ve come to the conclusion that the breadcrumbs He leaves along the way will always lead to a safe, healed place. In Genesis 45, Joseph finally connected the dots that everything those who hurt him had done to him was allowed by God to work for his good. The pain, the rejection, the suffering, all had prepared him to inherit the blessings God had always intended for him. My father wounds and church wounds were the breadcrumbs of future victories, not just for me, but for multitudes I’ve been able to help. All things truly have worked for my good. Have you connected those dots from your past pain? Hidden within your greatest suffering is the liberation you’ve always dreamed of. Your pain will lead to your passion and ultimately your purpose if you allow it.
FEARLESSLY LAUGHING AT LIFE
Would you like to laugh at the challenges of life with no fear of the future? Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? The Old Testament talks about a quintessential woman of God who did exactly that. She is the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. “. . . she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25) It’s not a wild thought, it’s God’s desire for each of our lives. The New Testament says with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NLT) Nothing! There’s nothing worth being afraid of. Our future is bright, because God wrote the script. I’m choosing to laugh at fear and walk in faith, whenever difficulties tempt me to bow to fear. Faith is my future, not fear! What can man do to me?
MAKING MUSH
The other day I was processing a challenge I was facing and fired this question at myself, “So, what do you think?” Immediately, I shot back, “I think I should stop thinking about it. It’s driving me crazy.” After chuckling, I thought, “What a good idea.” Does my ruminating over my problems ever really make them better? Probably not. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It doesn’t say, “Process without ceasing” or “Worry without ceasing.” Recently, someone asked me how I made my oatmeal. I said, “I pour in hot water and stir it.” They said, “That’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.” By stirring it over and over again, you break up its wonderful texture and turn it into mush.” Hmm? Mush? So that’s what I’m making out of my over-thinking. Makes sense.
HAVE LESS TO GET MORE
If I were to ask you, which would be better for you in the long run, starting with more or less? You might be surprised that the biblical recommendation is, it’s better to start with less than more? If you have what you need, you don’t really need God’s help. But, if you have to depend on God and walk by faith, the very thing that pleases God most, then what you need is less, not more. If we are called to “walk by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthian 5:7) then what we have will always seem too little. If our planting and watering is nothing without God’s increase (1 Corinthians 3:7), then we should rejoice when we have less and never take the more we have for granted. Don’t despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), it really is a breakout day!
THE HONEY OF AFFIRMATION
Do you ever feel like there’s way too much criticism and negativity in how people communicate? When my daughters were young, because I was raised with an overbearing father, I would tend to be a little harsh when correcting them. My beautiful wife, Suzie, who had a very healthy childhood, would at times pull me aside and kindly say, “Sweetheart, you can draw more bees with honey than with vinegar.” In short order, I knew she was right, and so began to watch what I said and how I said it when correcting them. It worked better, and allowed them to grow up feeling affirmed, and not feel they were constantly being criticized. Now, I firmly believe, the honey of affirmation will do more to change behavior than the vinegar of criticism.
All of us want to know what our future will be like. Especially, so we can prepare. Here’s a hint. You will meet the biggest giants you’ll ever face in life, not in your wilderness of wandering, but in your land of promise; not in your seasons of deprivation, but after you’ve stepped into your inheritance. I’m convinced it’s healthier for me to believe that God is equipping me for greater challenges ahead, rather than to mistakenly think life will get easier. That’s not fatalism. That’s realism. The Bible I read shows men and women of God facing their greatest struggles in the latter stages of their lives. They needed God more, not less. No auto-pilot. No cruise control. They were fully conscious and in pursuit of God until their last breath, just as we must be.
2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOT AND SOLOMON
Two men were asked what they wanted from God. It was a great opportunity, revealing what was in their heart. Lot, Abraham’s nephew was asked what land he wanted to inherit. He should have deferred to his wiser uncle, but instead, the Bible says, “…Lot chose for himself…” (Genesis 13:11) Sodom. To say the least, not a good choice. The other man, Solomon, was asked by God what he wanted as well. He said, “…a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9, NIV) One man, Lot, selfishly asked for what he thought would satisfy himself. The other man, Solomon, asked for what would help others, and is therefore called the wisest man who ever lived. Each of us are being asked by God the same question every day. Choose wisely!
3. THE GREATEST GIFT WE CAN GIVE OTHERS
Want to know, perhaps, the greatest gift we can give others? I’ve found it to be true in my own life, as well. Jim Valvano, the renowned college basketball coach said, “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” Have you ever had someone really believe in you, affirm and celebrate you? Or, perhaps you’ve experienced the opposite. You were wounded by people you really hoped would believe in you, but didn’t, and it crushed you. Either experience will brand you. The abundance of affirmation that blesses you beyond words, or the absence of encouragement that leaves you empty. Both affirm how important words are to each of us. They will produce either life or death. As the Bibles says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21, ESV)
4. RESCUED RATS GIVE US HOPE
A study at Harvard in the 1950’s, by Dr. Curt Richter, placed a rat in a pool of water to test how long they could swim before drowning. On average they’d give up and sink after 15 minutes. Right before they gave up due to exhaustion, researchers would pull them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes – and put them back in for a second round. Amazingly, this time they would tread water for 60 hours! Researchers concluded that because the rats believed they would eventually be rescued, they’d pushed their bodies into the seemingly impossible. If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could hope do for you and me? Keep “HOPE” alive! Keep swimming! Jesus is coming to your rescue. “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken.” (Psalm 37:25)
5. THE MEANING OF “TRIBULATION”
Do you ever wonder what is the ultimate purpose and value of your struggles? I know I do. A lot. In ancient times, harvesters would use a threshing instrument, or roller, called a ‘tribulum’ to separate the corn from the husks. Over time, Latin writers within the Christian Church appropriated the word and image to set forth a higher truth. They concluded that sorrow, distress, and adversity were what God uses to separate in Christ-followers what was trivial and poor, from what was solid and valuable. Tribulations would divide their chaff from their wheat. That’s why the Bible says, “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Though difficult to fully embrace, our sorrows and trials, our ‘tribulations,’ thresh our inner, spiritual man, removing what is temporary and ultimately useless, for what is eternal and actually priceless.
6. HOLY SEEDS IN STUMPS
Are you, at times, overwhelmed by the devastation that’s happening around you? There’s a verse I read that greatly encouraged me. It is in the Book of Isaiah, and it talks about the destruction that would come to the nation of Israel because of their poor decisions. But there is a silver lining in it that gives me hope. “Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps. But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.” (Isaiah 6:13b, The Message) It seems like everywhere I look there are stumps. Things that once had life but were cut down because of their own foolishness. At one point in my life, I was one of those stumps. I had sowed the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. But God, in His mercy, had planted a holy seed in my stump, and once I surrendered my heart to Jesus, life began to flourish.
7. LONE RANGERS ARE DEAD RANGERS
When the Bible says, “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), it really means it. I’ve often watched the decisions people make and thought, “If they had just asked a wise person about the conclusion they had come to, they would have reconsidered their poor choice.” Watching the carnage that comes from their decision, I’m absolutely persuaded if they had told someone safe and wise what they were thinking, they would have come down from the ledge of foolishness and considered a better option. Is there anyone wise and godly in your life that you can bounce decisions off of? They may not be the coolest person in the room, but they may be your best hope of surviving your decisions. More often than not, a lone ranger is a dead ranger.
8. CONNECTING DOTS IN YOUR LIFE
In my half century of following Jesus, I’ve come to the conclusion that the breadcrumbs He leaves along the way will always lead to a safe, healed place. In Genesis 45, Joseph finally connected the dots that everything those who hurt him had done to him was allowed by God to work for his good. The pain, the rejection, the suffering, all had prepared him to inherit the blessings God had always intended for him. My father wounds and church wounds were the breadcrumbs of future victories, not just for me, but for multitudes I’ve been able to help. All things truly have worked for my good. Have you connected those dots from your past pain? Hidden within your greatest suffering is the liberation you’ve always dreamed of. Your pain will lead to your passion and ultimately your purpose if you allow it.
9. FEARLESSLY LAUGHING AT LIFE
Would you like to laugh at the challenges of life with no fear of the future? Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? The Old Testament talks about a quintessential woman of God who did exactly that. She is the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. “. . . she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25) It’s not a wild thought, it’s God’s desire for each of our lives. The New Testament says with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NLT) Nothing! There’s nothing worth being afraid of. Our future is bright, because God wrote the script. I’m choosing to laugh at fear and walk in faith, whenever difficulties tempt me to bow to fear. Faith is my future, not fear! What can man do to me?
10. MAKING MUSH
The other day I was processing a challenge I was facing and fired this question at myself, “So, what do you think?” Immediately, I shot back, “I think I should stop thinking about it. It’s driving me crazy.” After chuckling, I thought, “What a good idea.” Does my ruminating over my problems ever really make them better? Probably not. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It doesn’t say, “Process without ceasing” or “Worry without ceasing.” Recently, someone asked me how I made my oatmeal. I said, “I pour in hot water and stir it.” They said, “That’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.” By stirring it over and over again, you break up its wonderful texture and turn it into mush.” Hmm? Mush? So that’s what I’m making out of my over-thinking. Makes sense.
11. HAVE LESS TO GET MORE
If I were to ask you, which would be better for you in the long run, starting with more or less? You might be surprised that the biblical recommendation is, it’s better to start with less than more? If you have what you need, you don’t really need God’s help. But, if you have to depend on God and walk by faith, the very thing that pleases God most, then what you need is less, not more. If we are called to “walk by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthian 5:7) then what we have will always seem too little. If our planting and watering is nothing without God’s increase (1 Corinthians 3:7), then we should rejoice when we have less and never take the more we have for granted. Don’t despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), it really is a breakout day!
12. THE HONEY OF AFFIRMATION
Do you ever feel like there’s way too much criticism and negativity in how people communicate? When my daughters were young, because I was raised with an overbearing father, I would tend to be a little harsh when correcting them. My beautiful wife, Suzie, who had a very healthy childhood, would at times pull me aside and kindly say, “Sweetheart, you can draw more bees with honey than with vinegar.” In short order, I knew she was right, and so began to watch what I said and how I said it when correcting them. It worked better, and allowed them to grow up feeling affirmed, and not feel they were constantly being criticized. Now, I firmly believe, the honey of affirmation will do more to change behavior than the vinegar of criticism.
FACING YOUR GIANTS
All of us want to know what our future will be like. Especially, so we can prepare. Here’s hint. You will meet the biggest giants you’ll ever face in life, not in your wilderness of wandering, but in your land of promise; not in your seasons of deprivation, but after you’ve stepped into your inheritance. I’m convinced it’s healthier for me to believe that God is equipping me for greater challenges ahead, rather than to mistakenly think life will get easier. That’s not fatalism. That’s realism. The Bible I read shows men and women of God facing their greatest struggles in the latter stages of their lives. They needed God more, not less. No auto-pilot. No cruise control. They were fully conscious and in pursuit of God until their last breath, just as we must be.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOT AND SOLOMON
Two men were asked what they wanted from God. It was a great opportunity, revealing what was in their heart. Lot, Abraham’s nephew was asked what land he wanted to inherit. He should have deferred to his wiser uncle, but instead, the Bible says, “…Lot chose for himself…” (Genesis 13:11) Sodom. To say the least, not a good choice. The other man, Solomon, was asked by God what he wanted as well. He said, “…a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9, NIV) One man, Lot, selfishly asked for what he thought would satisfy himself. The other man, Solomon, asked for what would help others, and is therefore called the wisest man who ever lived. Each of us are being asked by God the same question every day. Choose wisely!
THE GREATEST GIFT WE CAN GIVE OTHERS
Want to know, perhaps, the greatest gift we can give others? I’ve found it to be true in my own life, as well. Jim Valvano, the renowned college basketball coach said, “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” Have you ever had someone really believe in you, affirm and celebrate you? Or, perhaps you’ve experienced the opposite. You were wounded by people you really hoped would believe in you, but didn’t, and it crushed you. Either experience will brand you. The abundance of affirmation that blesses you beyond words, or the absence of encouragement that leaves you empty. Both affirm how important words are to each of us. They will produce either life or death. As the Bibles says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21, ESV)
RESCUED RATS GIVE US HOPE
A study at Harvard in the 1950’s, by Dr. Curt Richter, placed a rat in a pool of water to test how long they could swim before drowning. On average they’d give up and sink after 15 minutes. Right before they gave up due to exhaustion, researchers would pull them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes – and put them back in for a second round. Amazingly, this time they would tread water for 60 hours! Researchers concluded that because the rats believed they would eventually be rescued, they’d pushed their bodies into the seemingly impossible. If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could hope do for you and me? Keep “HOPE” alive! Keep swimming! Jesus is coming to your rescue. “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken.” (Psalm 37:25)
THE MEANING OF “TRIBULATION”
Do you ever wonder what is the ultimate purpose and value of your struggles? I know I do. A lot. In ancient times, harvesters would use a threshing instrument, or roller, called a ‘tribulum’ to separate the corn from the husks. Over time, Latin writers within the Christian Church appropriated the word and image to set forth a higher truth. They concluded that sorrow, distress, and adversity were what God uses to separate in Christ-followers what was trivial and poor, from what was solid and valuable. Tribulations would divide their chaff from their wheat. That’s why the Bible says, “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Though difficult to fully embrace, our sorrows and trials, our ‘tribulations,’ thresh our inner, spiritual man, removing what is temporary and ultimately useless, for what is eternal and actually priceless.
HOLY SEEDS IN STUMPS
Are you, at times, overwhelmed by the devastation that’s happening around you. There’s a verse I read that greatly encouraged me. It was in the Book of Isaiah, and it talked about the destruction that would come to the nation of Israel because of their poor decisions. But there was a silver lining in it that gave me hope. “Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps. But there’s a holy seed in those stumps.” (Isaiah 6:13b, The Message) It seems like everywhere I look there are stumps. Thinks that once had life, but were cut down because of their own foolishness. At one point in my life, I was one of those stumps. I had sowed the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. But God, in His mercy, had planted a holy seed in my stump, and once I surrendered my heart to Jesus, life began to flourish.
LONE RANGERS ARE DEAD RANGER
When the Bible says, “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), it really means it. I’ve often watched the decisions people make and thought, “If they had just asked a wise person about the conclusion they had come to, they would have reconsidered their poor choice.” Watching the carnage that comes from their decision, I’m absolutely persuaded, if they had told someone safe and wise what they were thinking, they would have come down from the ledge of foolishness and considered a better option. Is there anyone wise and godly in your life that you can bounce decisions off of? They may not be the coolest person in the room, but they may be your best hope of surviving your decisions. More often than not, a lone ranger is a dead ranger.
CONNECTING DOTS IN YOUR LIFE
In my half century of following Jesus, I’ve come to the conclusion that the breadcrumbs He leaves along the way will always lead to a safe, healed place. In Genesis 45, Joseph finally connected the dots that everything those who hurt him had done to him was allowed by God to work for his good. The pain, the rejection, the suffering, all had prepared him to inherit the blessings God had always intended for him. My father wounds and church wounds were the breadcrumbs of future victories, not just for me, but for multitudes I’ve been able to help. All things truly have worked for my good. Have you connected those dots from your past pain? Hidden within your greatest suffering is the liberation you’ve always dreamed of. Your pain will lead to your passion and ultimately your purpose.
FEARLESSLY LAUGHING AT LIFE
Would you like to laugh at the challenges of life with no fear of the future? Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? The Old Testament talks about a quintessential woman of God who did exactly that. She is the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. “. . . she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25) It’s not a wild thought, it God’s desire for each of our lives. The New Testament says with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NLT) Nothing! There’s nothing worth being afraid of. Our future is bright, because God wrote the script. I’m choosing to laugh at fear and walk in faith, whenever difficulties tempt me to bow to fear. Faith is my future, not fear! What can man do to me?
MAKING MUSH
The other day I was processing a challenge I was facing and fired this question at myself, “So, what do you think?” Immediately, I shot back, “I think I should stop thinking about it. It’s driving me crazy.” After chuckling, I thought, “What a good idea.” Does my ruminating over my problems ever really make them better? Probably not. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It doesn’t say, “Process without ceasing” or “Worry without ceasing.” Recently, someone asked me how I made my oatmeal. I said, “I pour in hot water and stir it.” They said, “That’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.” By stirring it over and over again, you break up its wonderful texture and turn it into mush.” Hmm? Mush? So that’s what I’m making out of my over-thinking. Makes sense.
HAVE LESS TO GET MORE
If I were to ask you, which would be better for you in the long run, starting with more or less? You might be surprised that the biblical recommendation is, it’s better to start with less than more? If you have what you need, you don’t really need God’s help. But, if you have to depend on God and walk by faith, the very thing that please God most, then what you need is less, not more. If we are called to “walk by faith, not by sight”, (2 Corinthian 5:7) then what we have will always seem too little. If our planting and watering is nothing without God’s increase (1 Corinthians 3;7), then we should rejoice when we have less and never take the more we have for granted. Don’t despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), it really is a breakout day!
THE HONEY OF AFFIRMATION
Do you ever feel like there’s way too much criticism and negativity in how people communicate? When my daughters were young, because I was raised with an overbearing father, I would tend to be a little harsh when correcting them. My beautiful wife, Suzie, who had a very healthy childhood, would at times pull me aside and kindly say, “Sweetheart, you can draw more bees with honey than with vinegar.” In short order, I knew she was right, and so began to watch what I said and how I said it when correcting them. It worked better, and allowed them to grow up feeling affirmed, and not feel they were constantly being criticized. Now, I firmly believe, the honey of affirmation will do more to change behavior than the vinegar of criticism.