R U Ready for Change?

It has been said there is only one thing in this world that remains constant…and that is CHANGE!!!!

If that is true, then it behooves one of wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. We have already been inundated (by both political parties) over the last several months to expect change. We only have to read the daily headlines to see that our world is in a constant state of fluctuation….financial disarray, rising unemployment, spiraling food and health costs…. All producing…change…Change….CHANGE.

Now for most of us, change is something of a dirty word, or at least one that makes us very uncomfortable. We strive to live our lives in a calm and peaceful manner; free from the upheavals of change. Yet, try as we might, change happens! In fact, God’s word tells us that change is coming; but praise be, it also tells us who is in charge of that change.

“I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends the good times and the bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. Isaiah 45: 7 NLT

Our typical response to change is one of fear and trepidation. We all too often begin to look at our circumstances rather than our provision. Unfortunately, change seems to always bring fear before it births faith. Fear seems to focus on the worst rather than hold claim to the best.

When God chooses to interrupt the natural flow of our life with change or something that we have never encountered before….we choose panic over praise. James, the Lord’s brother, wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (change, my interpretation), for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Yes, when calamity or change occurs that is unsettling or disheartening, we can view the presence of the problem as the absence of God ….and our simplistic response is to try and run away from the mess we find ourselves in. Or… we can do the unexpected; we can praise Him from whom all blessings and problems flow!

We can take comfort in and find joy in the midst of any trial if we will but remember that God is on our side…and that He is in control. He is working all things out for our good… so that we may be perfect and complete in Him. We still have a responsibility to do what we CAN....but when we reach the end of what we can do, it is time to realize that what is left is not what we can't do; rather it is what God can and will do on our behalf. 

So….change is coming and you have two distinct choices….Prepare to Panic … or… Praise His Provision…for no matter the magnitude of the change that comes…our God is sufficient to meet and exceed ALL OUR NEEDS.

Standing firm….Praising His Provision,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Sufficient for today are the problems we can see

As we wait upon the Lord in surrendered humility.

Never knowing what the future holds 
Nor where life's roads may lead...

We follow in His footsteps...we listen...trust...believe!

We hear His voice telling each of us 

That change will come our way;

For we need not fear life's outcomes

If we trust  Him and obey.

So welcome change with open arms

For no matter life's ups or downs;

When you're trusting in God's Holy Word....
You're planted in SOLID GROUND!

WPQ © October 2018

Looking for a Perfect Place?

It's simple...Be Just Like Me!

I don’t know about you, but I often get the hankering for the world to be a better place; in fact, A PERFECT PLACE. I have given this a considerable amount of thought and have come to the conclusion that this could best be accomplished if every one was just like me.

Now, I am not always right, but I am seldom wrong. I always have the best intentions, although, things don’t always turn out the way I intended. I am generous to a fault as long as the sacrifice doesn’t hit to close to home….and I have been known to pay others a sincere compliment with no thought of what’s in it for me. That’s about as close to perfect as it gets….RIGHT?

I’m sure that by now, you know that all this is tongue-in-cheek….but isn’t it interesting to note that there are those who think, act and live as if this scenario above would make the world a perfect place. There is no hope that this will happen, yet many are living a life of strife and turmoil because they have not come to that conclusion….for those living in despair and hopelessness because the world will NOT conform to your ways, this poem is for you….

A PERFECT PLACE

Oh, how I wish the world to be

A perfect place for you and me.

A world where all is total bliss

‘Cause nothing ever is amiss.

For this to happen, we must all agree

Everyone has to be just like me.

                                                   

Then I would control what you wear

How you style and cut your hair;

What you eat and what you bake

And how you treat a stomach ache.

All debates would quickly end

And everyone would be my friend.

I’d gladly mandate your movie picks

And give you advice on your politics.

No loud music with boisterous beat,

No double parking on one-way streets.

I’d pick the songs that you could hum 

And even choose your bubble gum.

All this I’d do and all for free

So everyone would be like me.

At church we’d sing my favorite songs

The pastor would preach on my favorite wrongs.

We’d start the service right on time

And I could leave and not spend a dime.

Yes, church would be the perfect dream

 And I get back home to cheer my team.

Yes, all would share my point of view

And nothing would ever seem askew.

There’s not a problem that I can see

If everyone were just like me …..

Just one small thing that dwells within

My ugly faults….God calls them sin.

So what’s a perfect world to do

When I’m a sinner and you are too;

To make this world what is should be

No one should ever be just like me.

A higher standard we must find

If we’re to be pure in heart and mind.

God’s plan is clear for us to know

He sent His Son, His love to show.

If we trust in Jesus, then we’ll see

Our sins were borne at Calvary;

With His perfect life He did atone

And now He reigns on heaven’s throne.

A perfect place one day we’ll see;

He’s coming back for you and me.

How sweet the song on that day we’ll sing

In praise and honor for our King;

Then you and I will know true bliss

Upon our cheek, our Savior’s kiss;

For there in glory, we shall see His face

At last…at home…in His Perfect Place.

W. PATRICK QUEEN

Copyright August 2008

A TIGHT SPOT

As I begin to think about a thought to share today, I was reminded of the little boy that was skipping merrily across the open meadow when he came face to face with a great, big black bull. He took one look at the size of that bull and he turned to run as fast as his tiny legs would carry him….and of course, the bull began to give chase. The faster he tried to run, the closer the bull seemed to get, gaining ground with every step. He saw that the fence was still a considerable way off….and then he remembered something his dear sweet grandma told him to do if he was ever in a tight spot…..PRAY AND PRAY HARD! So with that bull just inches from solid contact on the seat of his britches, he prayed the only prayer he knew…."Dear Heavenly Father, please make me thankful for the blessing I’m about to receive.”

So I want each of us to heed the words of this wonderful grandma and PRAY! Pray for your family, your country, your president. Pray for the homeless and the immigrants that wish to make this great land their new home. Pray for our churches and pastors, our children and teenagers, their schools and their teachers. Pray for our universities, professors and the men and women in military uniform that protect our right to pray……and NEVER, NEVER, take this privilege for granted; too many have and their country has paid the ultimate price.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God appeared to Solomon in the night and told him, “ 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 sins and heal their land.”

We need God’s healing on this troubled land and we, those called by His name, need to lead by example. No more lip service, no more playing church, no more hypocrisy; just honest humility before our Lord God ….seekers of the divine and infallible truth that is in Christ Jesus …repentant hearts that seek to do God’s will….and never-ceasing PRAYER.

IF WE DO OUR PART, HE IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL TO DO HIS PART.

We are blessed beyond measure, even with all that is wrong in our country; yet, how much longer will God withhold his judgment and spare us the fruits of our labor. As a nation that prints his name on our money, we have little regard for the holy name of Jehovah. It is time that we take back America and give God the honor due him. Let’s not wait …let’s start today…let’s lead the way.

Many years ago, when I still had hair, I remember the directions that were printed on the bottle...LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT! I would like to offer a new motto for each of us that hold our faith and our nation with great respect, devotion and allegiance to duty. Let each of us READ (our Bible), PRAY, REPEAT!!!!  If we that are called by His name lead by example, then God will be faithful and grant us the desires of our hearts...A NATION DEVOTED TO LOVING AND SERVING A HOLY GOD...FOR IF GOD IS WITH US, WHO CAN STAND AGAINST US!!!!

Please take a moment, after you finish this, to lift a prayer on behalf of our great nation. When Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all men unto himself. Praise, glory and adoration to Him and Him alone!!!!

Blessed and Praying Earnestly For God's Intervention,

WPQ

Poem for the day....

So when life’s storm clouds gather

And your heart is full of pain,
Just pray to the Father

And like a gentle rain.

He’ll wash away your anguish,

He’ll vanish every care;
He’ll grant your every heart’s desire ….

Through the power of your prayer.

Excerpt from "Bent…but not Broken!"

www.thankfulpraiseministries.com

SEVENTEEN INCHES.....

This is a reprint of a article that was sent to me some time ago...perhaps it's even been years; however, it's message still resonates with me EVERY TIME I READ IT... and I pray that it always will! It will take you several minutes to read it in its entirety; but don't miss a word so you will not miss the poignant message it has for everyone of us that mentor young people...or believe that our country is in sorry shape and we want to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

In Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA convention.

While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name, in particular, kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — “John Scolinos is here? Oh man, worth every penny of my airfare.”

Who the heck is John Scolinos, I wondered. Well, in 1996 Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. No matter, I was just happy to be there.

He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate. Pointed side down.

Seriously, I wondered, who in the world is this guy?

After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he’d gotten on stage. Then, finally …

“You’re probably all wondering why I’m wearing home plate around my neck. Or maybe you think I escaped from Camarillo State Hospital,” he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility.

“No,” he continued, “I may be old, but I’m not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I’ve learned in my life, what I’ve learned about home plate in my 78 years.”

Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. “Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?” After a pause, someone offered, “Seventeen inches,” more question than answer.

“That’s right,” he said. “How about in Babe Ruth? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?”

Another long pause.

“Seventeen inches?”came a guess from another reluctant coach.

“That’s right,” said Scolinos. “Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?” Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear. “How wide is home plate in high school baseball?”

“Seventeen inches,” they said, sounding more confident.

“You’re right!” Scolinos barked. “And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?”

“Seventeen inches!” we said, in unison.

“Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?”

“Seventeen inches!”

“RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues?”

“Seventeen inches!”

“SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!” he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls.

“And what do they do with a a Big League pitcher who can’t throw the ball over these seventeen inches?” Pause. “They send him to Pocatello!” he hollered, drawing raucous laughter.

“What they don’t do is this: they don’t say, ‘Ah, that’s okay, Bobby. You can’t hit a seventeen-inch target? We’ll make it eighteen inches, or nineteen inches. We’ll make it twenty inches so you have a better chance of throwing the ball over it. If you can’t hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say twenty-five inches.’”

“Coaches, let me ask each of you.… what do we do when our best player shows up late to practice? What do we do if he violates curfew? What if he uses drugs? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him? Do we widen home plate?

The chuckles gradually faded as four thousand coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach’s message began to unfold.

Then he turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows. “This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids. With our discipline. We don’t teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We widen the plate!”

Pause. Then, to the point at the top of the house he added a small American flag.

“This is the problem in our schools today. The quality of our education is going downhill fast and teachers have been stripped of the tools they need to be successful….to educate and discipline our young people. We are allowing others to widen home plate! Where is that getting us?”

“And this is the problem in the Church, where powerful people in positions of authority have taken advantage of young children, only to have such an atrocity swept under the rug for years. Our church leaders are widening home plate!”

I was amazed. At a baseball convention where I expected to learn something about curveballs and bunting and how to run better practices, I had learned something far more valuable. From an old man with home plate strung around his neck, I had learned something about life, about myself, about my own weaknesses and about my responsibilities as a leader. I had to hold myself and others accountable to that which I knew to be right, lest our families, our faith, and our society continue down an undesirable path.

“If I am lucky,” Coach Scolinos concluded, “you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: if we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right; if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard; and if our schools and churches and our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to …”

With that, he held home plate in front of his chest, turned it around, and revealed its dark black backside.

“… dark days ahead.”

Coach Scolinos died in 2009 at the age of 91, but not before touching the lives of hundreds of players and coaches, including mine. Meeting him at my first ABCA convention kept me returning year after year, looking for similar wisdom and inspiration from other coaches. He is the best clinic speaker the ABCA has ever known because he was so much more than a baseball coach. His message was clear:

Coaches, keep your players — no matter how good they are — your own children, and most of all, keep yourself at seventeen inches. It a measurement that is good for everyone of us!

Better with a Little...

Most of us are familiar with the old saying, "Money can't buy happiness!"....however, for most of my younger days, I must admit trying to find out for myself if this was really true? For the longest time, I chased after the things that money could buy....nice clothes, big car, large home and a really good set of golf clubs. It wasn't until my daughter battled cancer at age 5 ( I was 47 at that time) that I realized as a dad with no job, no insurance and no means to take care of the mounting hospital bills that I needed to search the Scriptures for a verse that could help me make sense of my desperate situation.

I found it in Proverbs 15:16, "Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil."

At that time, I took it to mean that I needed to let go of my desire for money to pay bills and provide for my family; rather, I should just let go and let God do what only He could do....heal our daughter and take care of my family. My desire to have "earthly treasure" was a thought of the past as I began to focus on what lay ahead for my wife, daughter and myself. The road to being "comfortable" again led me to surrender my finances to God and to learn to trust Him for my needs to be met out of His abundant grace.

So, as I set in my home office this morning, after having read this verse again in my daily devotion, I thought about the many years that have since past and the wonderful life my wife and I have built these past twenty plus years...and the great joy that our daughter has brought to us over that time.  As I listened to the howling winds of Hurricane Michael as he roared past my office window, I thought of all the devastation that had been left behind in the panhandle of Florida and inland as Michael continued his march through Georgia, the Carolinas and then Virginia, before heading back out to sea....and one clear picture kept coming to mind...WHAT WOULD I DO IF ALL THAT I HAD WAS WIPED OUT AND ALL THAT REMAINED WERE THE CLOTHES ON MY BACK?

I believe I would do what I learned to do back when we were told our only child had cancer...I WOULD TRUST THE LORD and wait on Him to show me what to do, where to turn and how to move beyond this loss. That is the true measure of our willingness to believe that God REALLY loves us and cares for us and will never forsake us. When we can count all of our worldly things as lost and still believe the God is in control and He has a plan for our future that only He knows....then we can come to be content with little rather than set ourselves up to enjoy riches that come with the troubles of this world.

Now, don't get me wrong; I hurt deeply for all those who find themselves beaten down by Hurricanes Florence and Michael; who have lost all the many "blessings" they have enjoyed from the labor of their hands and now find that floods or winds or surge or something else has left them homeless and without the bare essentials of life...BUT OUR GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANY HURRICANE OR THE TRAGEDIES LEFT IN ITS WAKE...and it is He and He alone that can bring prosperity in spite of the problem...can give comfort amidst the chaos...invoke delight and determination in the center of devastation... and most of all, bring hope in the midst of heartache!

So if you, or someone you love, are suffering because all the "treasure" you once had has been suddenly taken away; think on today's Scripture and begin to rebuild your life with this simple thought....

A LITTLE with God at your side is far BETTER that untold treasure...especially with Satan constantly nipping at your heels, 

just waiting to devour you and all your things once more.

Giving God the Glory....Being Blessed with the Little,

WPQ

Poem for the day....

Life can make us weary

As we struggle from day to day;

Leaving us sad and beaten down

When things don't go our way.

Yes, we can be stopped, dead in our tracks

To lament the shape were in;

Or we can trust the One above

And allow His work within.

For our heart and soul needs the Father's touch

If from the heap of broken dreams we rise...

For once again we've been humbled by

The darkening of our skies.

So take to heart the Father's words

As He sweetly whispers in your ear....

Fear not, my child, what this world will bring?"

For I am ALWAYS near!!!

WPQ©October 2018

Traveling the Desert Road....R U a Willing Philip?

Have you ever been in a great place, doing great things when the Spirit of the Lord directs you to be somewhere else? I know I have...and many times, I must admit, I went kicking and screaming, if I went at all. Yes, when things are going well and we have peace and prosperity working for us, it is really hard to listen and obey the call of the Spirit....however, sometimes the Lord needs us to take the road that leads to the desert so His will can be accomplished.

Take for example, Philip, who was in the midst of a great revival in a city in Samaria; people were being healed, demons cast out and the "crowds were paying attention to what Philip said." Acts 8:6...but in verse 26 we read, "An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip ,'Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is the desert road." (my emphasis)

I am sure that Philip must have questioned this revelation from the Lord; after all, things were going REALLY well in the city in which he was preaching and many were coming to know about Jesus. But God's vision allowed Him to see what Philip could not see and to know that Philip's presence was required in the desert. To Philip, this must have seemed to be a very strange request, but the next verse says, "So he got up and went." And when you read the rest of this passage you see a few other great clarifiers of how God works in His mysterious ways...for who should be traveling that road but a Ethiopian eunuch, the man in charge of Queen Candace's entire treasury...a man who had the Queen's trust and her ear.

Philip heard the man reading from Isaiah, and after the invitation to join him in His chariot, Philip disclosed the mysteries of the Scriptures and lead the man to receive the Good News about Jesus. But, one of my favorite parts of the story happened next, "As they were traveling down the road in the desert (my addition), they came to some water. The eunuch said, 'Look there's water. What would keep me from being baptized? So he ordered the chariot to stop and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer, but went on his way rejoicing." Acts 8:36-39

Several wonderful things happened in the story. First, although the command from the angel must have surely mystified Philip, he did what he was suppose to do and left the comforts of where he was and headed for the desert. Many times, God will ask the same of us...get up; leave your comfort zone and go to someone that needs to know about Jesus...even if that place is in the middle of a desert...and if we are like Philip, we will do as he did and get up and go...even if we can't possible know the outcome of our obedience.

Secondly, God made sure that EVERYTHING Philip would need to lead this man to the life-saving knowledge of Jesus Christ was there....even water deep enough for a baptism in the middle of the desert. God made sure that the Scripture that the eunuch was reading when Philip joined him in the chariot was just the RIGHT scripture for Philip to share the Good News of Jesus. Yes, God was truly prepared for this encounter...He just needed a willing Philip!

And last but not least in this encounter; when Philip had done all that God had laid before him, His Spirit whisked him from the desert and placed back in another mission field; where he could once again travel and preach the Gospel to all who would listen...back to life in the normal.

Maybe, God is calling you to "take the desert road" today and go where only you can do what God has set before you... It sure seems true in this story of Philip. God was ready to save the eunuch so he could share with the Queen and all of his countrymen. In fact, even today, over 60 % of those who profess faith in the country of Ethiopia are Christians....and this all started due to the obedience of one man who was willing to take the desert road and trust in the God he served....

R U a Willing Philip....If not, it's never too late to be obedient and say yes to serving our great God!

WPQ

Poem for the day...

Your life may be too comfortable

As you serve the King of Kings..

Your truly in your comfort zone

As you manage all your "things."

But God is truly looking

For those who will obey,

And seek to serve Him willingly;

To follow Him each day.

To listen for that still, small voice

To tell us where to go...

To be ready to tell others

Of the Savior that we know.

So if you want to serve the Lord

No matter how great life's load...

When He calls just be obedient

And take the desert road!

WPQ © October 2018

A Sleeping Savior

This is a reprint of a former post....God Bless!

A Sleeping Savior?

Have you been in a situation that seem so terrible that when you looked around at all the surrounding circumstances, you truly believed that all was lost? I know I have …and if I am completely honest, it has probably happened more than once. Even though I know that my God is big enough to handle anything that comes my way,  I don't always act like I truly believe that promise.

The same could be said for the disciples of Jesus when we read Mark 4:35-40 which says, " That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

I am sure that afternoon, as the disciples stood along the shores, weary and frazzled from a day of dealing with the multitudes that had engulfed Jesus, they were ready to "kick-back" and take it easy…but Jesus asked them to take him to the other side, a trip they had made countless times before…so off they went into what eventually became a raging storm with crashing waves that threatened to capsize their small fishing vessel. Their first thought…where is the Master in the midst of this turmoil, for surely they were about to perish…but Jesus was doing what he needed to do…he was resting in a deep sleep in the stern of the boat. How could anyone sleep in such peril? How could Jesus not be consumed with worry and fear?

Simply put…He was trusting in the Father! He was going to a placed that offered rest and refreshment from his busy life; a place where He could commune with His Heavenly Father and once again be rejuvenated to deal with those who so desperately needed a Savior…and so the Savior slept! Not because he was oblivious to all that was around him, but because he knew who was in control…and He knew that His Father would not let anything happen to him that was not in the will of the Father…he knew the simple truth…"GOD WILL NOT GUIDE WHERE HE DOES NOT PROVIDE!'

And so he rose, rebuked the seas and the howling wind and then issued this simple question to that band of men that He had called to follow him…"Where is YOUR faith?"

He still raises that question to each of us as the waves of circumstance and bad news wash over our lives…as the howling winds of misfortune and disappointment blow us off course and threatens to capsize our lives…"WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?"

If you have placed your faith in Jesus, He will once again, each and every time, speak those words of strength and compassion and say, "Quiet, Be still!"…therefore,  you can trust in Him that He will see you to the other side,  just as he did for the disciples…after all, He has made that trip before and He commands all that may overwhelm us to subside as God leads us to a place of rest and rejuvenation in service to our sleeping Savior.

Stepping into the boat…ready for the journey to the other side,

WPQ

Poem for the day....

When your world seems chaotic

And you wonder where to turn?

Just set your eyes on Jesus

Standing tall at the stern.

Peering into the raging seas

Without an ounce of fear...

Knowing that He trusts in God;

Feeling His presence near.

For God has surely promised

When we place our faith in Him,

He will calm the raging seas

And tame life's fiercest winds.

So do as the Master does

When the storms of life prevail...

Put your trust in our Mighty God;

For He shall NEVER fail!

WPQ © October 2018