Happy Birthday America!

Hooray for the Fourth

It seems that each year, this day of celebration gets here just a little bit quicker and leaves me a little wearier and a little less hopeful for what lies ahead. We all run hither and yon, wishing all those we know a “Happy 4^th”, singing patriotic songs, eating BBQ and watching fireworks. We collectively ask for God to Bless America and then, somehow seem perplexed when gas prices keep rising, crime escalates and our leaders debate in open forum the merits of partial birth abortions, gay marriages and legalized gambling known as state lotteries. How can a righteous and holy God bless this mess that we now call America?

In fact, after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Anne Graham Lotz was queried on the Early show, the host asking, “How could God let something like this happen?  Her response was quite profound. She said, “I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And, being the gentlemen that He is, I believe He has quietly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?”

And that my friend, unfortunately, is the sad state of affairs that we find ourselves facing in this year, 2018. God has slowly and surely left us to our own demise and I am sure that it is breaking His heart to see how far we have fallen from our roots as a Christian nation. A country that He ordained, that began with such great and magnificent promise is sinking fast and unless, God Himself, orchestrates some cataclysmic jolt to all of us….this nation that still prints “In God We Trust” on our money, is doomed to a bitter end.

There is one bright and shining star though and that is His CHURCH, ordained to be both salt and light for such a time as this. Let us not shrink from the battles that lie before us, but rather put on the whole armor of God and wage war. We serve the Great Commander-in-Chief who has never been defeated ….and HE NEVER WILL BE!!!!

Proclaim this July 4^th as our day of Dependence on the Creator of the Universe….and fight the good fight…..we know the outcome, WE WIN!         

MARCHING ON,

WPQ

WALKING HIS WAY

A few years back (or was it a decade ago), I was sitting in a conference room in Atlanta, listening to a story from our executive director of a Christian non-profit in which I was employed. He was recounting a particular time when he was in route to a special sales call during the early years of his sales career.

He was a relatively new Christian at that time and he was working hard at “walking with the Lord” through all the ups and downs of life. As we all know, it is often at times like this that the Devil finds fertile ground in which to plant a stronghold. As he recounted his story, he told of how he was traveling down the highway, in the middle of absolutely nowhere, when his car broke down. He was already running on a tight schedule to get to his next business appointment and this was the last thing he needed in what had already been a very hectic and challenging day. He told of how he got out of the car and began to walk around and around and around and around the car while he prayed. He shared that he must have walked around that car more than a hundred times….and at that moment this little thought popped into my head that I shared with the group…“Just imagine how far you could have gone if you’d have walked in a straight line.” We all came apart at the seams in laughter…including the story teller.

But that thought caused me to reflect on just that question…How far could we go if we didn’t let the circumstances of life get the best of us?
So, don’t let the speed bumps of life deter you from following the path that the Lord has set before you….He has established each step and He is just waiting for you to “step out” in faith and walk the walk that He has ordained for your life.

Often, all it takes is some small catastrophe, setback or minor inconvenience to set us off and that causes us to pitch some type of “tizzy fit."  We begin to wring our hands and walk in circles, questioning what to do and forsaking the path that the Lord has laid before us. We have made plans to do what is required to walk with our Lord; yet, when we encounter obstacles to that walk, we too often forsake it. The writer of Proverbs tells us in chapter 16, verse 9 “that the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

And be assured that you will never have to walk by yourself… for God has promised to always walk beside you (Psalm 23). When you’ve made the commitment and have given yourself to Him, there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that can befall you that can remove you from the protection of your Heavenly Father ….. And there’s no circles to walk….unless there’s a Jericho in you future…but, that’s a story for another day.

So, trust the Lord and walk in His way and you can know that He will see that everything turns out for your good and His Glory…

Walking the walk of Faith …Counting on the Promises,

WPQ

Poem for the day...

Walking life's path each day for God

Can be trying with each step we take;

But we can rest assured in this....

Our Father will never forsake.

We can know that with each step

He will take us by the hand;

And leads us past the minefields

That are scattered across our land.

Until at last, on Heaven's shore

We shall see him face to face...

We'll know that we have made it home

Because of His love and abundant grace.

WPQ © June 2018

LIFE CAN BE HARD...RIGHT!?!?

Life can be hard is a statement with which I have never had anyone disagree. We all know that some days are better than others ...and some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. But for most of us, we teeter between the good days, the bad days and the ones we'd like to forget.

Sometimes, all that is needed to make a ho-hum kinda day just a wee bit better is a little levity. In fact, the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to weep and a time to laugh; so today, I hope to pass on a few funny stories that may make this a time to LOL.

So may God bless and keep you smiling no matter what kind of day it is...it is the day that He has made, so rejoice and be glad you're still in it!

Ever heard the story that goes....A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?""No," replied Johnny. "How could he... he only had the two worms."

Or the one that goes....A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Tommy was excited about the task, but the more he practiced and tried to memorize the passage, the harder it seem to be and he struggled to barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Tommy was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly,

"The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

And let's not overlook the story of a little boy named Johnny. 

Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. His mother quickly interrupted his eating when she said, "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer." To which Johnny replied, "I don't need to!" 

"Of course, you do" his mother insisted. "We always say a prayer before eating at our house."

"That's at our house."Johnny explained." This is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook."

Laughter is indeed a gift from God that allows us to breathe deeply and let the troubles that might beset us slip away as we chuckle, smile or even guffaw. It is in these times that life or its circumstances remind us that as bad as things might seem, laughter makes us feel better, lifts our spirits and ushers us into a deeper appreciation for our friendships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. After all, we know the outcome: no one leaves this earth alive; but those that know Jesus as their Savior, we leave for a better, happy, heavenly place where the tears are wiped away and sorrow and sin and death are no more....just thinking about that should put a big grin on your face...it does so on mine!!!!

Remember this today...you belong to the family of God...you are a child of the King....and one day not too far from now, HE IS COMING BACK TO CLAIM US AS HIS OWN....

OH, HAPPY DAY!!!!!

Looking toward the Eastern Sky....Longing for the Sweet By and By,

WPQ

Poem for the day...

When life seems to get the best of you

And your smile has left your face;

Just remember who you belong to

And His abundant and amazing grace.

Don't sit and contemplate your fate

Be it filled with joy or with pain...

For when your days are over,

Then life is measured by what you gain.

For if your earthly gain is Heaven

You should rejoice; smile and be glad;

For a life that's lived with laughter

Is the BEST life that can be had.

So don't wait until it's too late, my friend

To tell others of the joy you know!

For you have a FRIEND in Jesus...

And in your life, that's gotta show!!!!!

BE BLESSED AND REJOICE IN THE LORD!

WPQ © June 2018

R U a Fair Weather Follower ???

We have all heard the term regarding a "fair-weather friend" and if I dare say so, many of us have, at one time or another in our lives, been just that ...A FAIR WEATHER FRIEND!

Which got me to thinking that all too often we treat Jesus in much the same way when it comes to our faith. Consider the many times He turned to His disciples and ask of them, "O ye of little faith?"  How many times could He have asked the same question of you and me as we falter in our daily walk with Him?

From the onset of His earthly ministry, Jesus was always questioning His followers regarding their faith. In Matthew 6 during His Sermon on the Mount, He tells his disciples not to worry regarding their daily needs since their Heavenly Father takes care of even the smallest sparrow and not one of the smallest of His creation can fall from the sky without His knowledge; however, we fret and worry about our next meal and wonder if God really cares and will feed and clothe us...so Christ asks, "Will He not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?"

And let us not forget that evening in the boat as the disciples began to make their way across the Sea of Galilee and the storm blew up, and the waves rocked and tossed the boat and all seemed lost...but at just the right moment, Christ arose from a peaceful slumber, rebuked the winds and the sea and all was calm...then He said to his followers, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no FAITH?" (my emphasis) Mark 4:40 NKJV

Unfortunately, many of us are just like those first disciples who had left their families, their homes, their livelihood to follow this miracle worker named Jesus.. all was well for a season!  But as opposition to the teachings of this man from Galilee arose and the hardships and threats against their lives increased, the disciples began to pull back into the shadows of their society so as not to upset the ruling sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees...they fell into the trap of being FAIR WEATHER FOLLOWERS!!!!

The same mentality can invade our thinking in our society today. We might hear that some folks don't like to spend time with those "religious nuts" and so we distance ourselves from our church friends or any reference to how we spend our Sundays in worship. We have a bad argument with our spouse and think that maybe this thing called marriage is just a farce and we would be better off on our own...or a job that we expected to retire from has been pulled out from under us and we are too old to learn anything new...so our faith falters and we begin to look for someone or something to blame. Yes, when life is going good and all the pieces seem to fit just right, we can proclaim that we do indeed love Jesus; but when life hands us a big bowl of lemons, we decide that we are no longer thirsty for life or for the work that requires us to make lemonade.

We are perfectly content to be a FAIR WEATHER FOLLOWER ...but a FWF is just a lukewarm follower and Christ said in no uncertain terms in Revelation 3:16, "So then, since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit (vomit) you out of my mouth."

THE BAD NEWS...There is a day of reckoning coming for us all...and for those who are just a Fair Weather Follower, it is NOT going to be a good day! 

THE GOOD NEWS...if you are still breathing, there is time to make a change and become a FAITHFUL FOLLOWER as you commit to lean on Jesus in all the challenges and triumphs of  life. 

Don't be apathetic about your relationship with Jesus. After all, He gave His all so that you could be reunited with your Creator and all He ask in return....LIVE FOR HIM LIKE YOU MEAN IT....

JUST TRUST AND OBEY, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER WAY, TO BE HAPPY IN JESUS , BUT TO

TRUST and OBEY,

WPQ

Poem for the day...

When troubles in your life

Are knocking you down;

It's then you need a faith

That's built on solid ground.

A faith that will sustain you

Though the stormy winds may blow.

A faith that keeps you in His grasp

And will never let you go!

Your faith must be your anchor

That keeps you tied and tethered.

So you will have a faith that last

Through more than just fair weather...

So no matter what you come against

Whether in calm or stormy seas;

A life that's a life of faithfulness

Is a life that's sure to please!

WPQ © JUNE 2018

Who Me...WORRY?

We live in turbulent and troubled times to say the least! All anyone has to do is turn on the TV or read the headlines in a newspaper or check out a news source on your computer to see that bad things are happening all over the world. It is enough on most days to make even the strongest of us question what's going on and who is really in charge of this spinning orb we call Earth.

So, for many of us, it is very common to be ANXIOUS regarding the turmoil that seems to be all around us. Our fast-paced lifestyles keep us constantly in motion and our thoughts continually swirl around in our brains wondering what the next calamity will be; where will it happen; and will it affect me and my family.

When those thoughts go unchecked, we become anxious(there's that word again), uneasy, unsettled and often, downright paranoid that someone or something is out to get us. What has really happened in this situation is we have replaced our FAITH with WORRY...the oldest of Satan's weapons in his arsenal of deceit. Satan will try to deceive us in to believing that our Heavenly Father is just too busy with planet-altering activities to be involved in our lives, so whatever has or might come upon us, it is up to us to fix it or deal with the consequences...and so, WE WORRY AND FRET!

Jesus warned his disciples about this enemy of faith known as WORRY when he told them in Matthew 6:34, "Therefore DON'T WORRY about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (my emphasis)

The great apostle Paul expanded the words of Jesus when he told the Philippians, "Don't worry about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests (or concerns, my translation) to GOD." Philippians 4:6  And in these words, we find the solution to worry....PRAYER. You see where there is prayer there is no room for worry, for how can one truly pray to an all powerful God that holds in the world in His hands and worry at the same time...the two are diametrically opposed to each other. You cannot pray and worry at the same time since prayer exists with faith and worry says faith is impotent.

The best news is the next verse in Philippians 4:7, when Paul says," And the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

This is the truth that breaks the back of worry so it can no longer stand on its own or stand in our way of being all God wants us to be....WE HAVE PEACE BECAUSE WE BELONG TO JESUS and NOTHING can come against us that HE CANNOT HANDLE...So why WORRY?

So the next time the Devil pulls out his weapon of WORRY,  just smile a wry smile, look him dead in the eye and say, 

Who me...worry? 

Not gonna happen  'cause I belong to Jesus...so you can just take your worry and move on...I've got God's peace, so I'm not about to worry!!!!!

Praying hard....staying worry free,

WPQ

Poem for the day...

Living in this hectic world

Bad news at every turn;

Many of us are prone to worry

It's not a trait we had to learn.

The Devil seeks to do us woe

To make us worry as well as fret;

Bu we must hold tightly to

Our faith and not forget...

We serve a loving, caring God

Who meets our every need;

And the times that He can hear us best

Is when we go down on our knees.

To lift a very heartfelt prayer

As worldly cares will drift away...

Then His joy and peace will enter in

To help and guide us through today!

W. Patrick Queen © June 2018

Essence of My Dad

This Poem was written for my Dad for Father's Day in June 1977...He left this world to be with our Lord over 35 years ago, but he still walks with me every day in all that I do...

I MISS YOU, DAD!

If you are fortunate to still have your Dad with you, please make sure to reach out to him this Father's day and share with him what his life has meant in yours...be it good or bad...your father has had a helping hand in shaping the person you are today. For me, my dad taught me to love those around me and to ALWAYS strive to have a servant's heart. What do I mean by that? A servant does and performs at the will of his Master, with little or no expectations to be praised or rewarded...he serves to please his Master and in that he can find comfort for a job well done. My dad taught me to serve others in such a manner...to do right and to give of myself with no thought to receiving praise or reward. He contended that if I did that, I would never be disappointed when I did not receive the acclaim that I believed I was due...and when I have been able to live up to that selfless standard, his words have ALWAYS proven to be true...and for that advice and for his life lived in such a manner, I am eternally grateful.

Let your dad know how grateful you are that he has been in your life and if you can't find the words to say, you have permission to borrow mine...

ESSENCE OF MY DAD

Often, I have stopped to think

of times both good and bad;

And in each fleeting memory,

I reverence my Dad.

He stood both tall and straight,

Colossal in my mind.

He spoke in tones both harsh and firm,

Yet so gentle and so kind.

An unquenchable desire for life;

A zest for Life and living;

He fought and scraped to provide for me

Through his unselfish giving.

A guiding hand he led my steps

Down paths I dared not tread,

A steady mind, a sturdy back were the

Essence of my Dad.

A willful man, his beliefs ran deep;

He taught me to be good;

Yet, when times got rough

Or I failed my Dad....

He always understood!

So surely on the day he passes,

I truly will be sad,

But never will I forget the man,

I loved and called...My Dad!

W. Patrick Queen  © June 1977