Almost Heaven?

No, I’m not talking about West Virginia. The almost I’m referring to is the answer I received to many of the questions I asked our kids when they were younger. Is your room clean? “Almost, Daddy”. Almost tends to be a rather relative term because in fact their room actually resembled a nuclear test missile site.

My son, who firmly believed that homework and many other school assignments were merely suggestions, would frequently answer almost when questioned regarding the completion status of school work. Translation: He was going to start it as soon as he finished making the perfect song mix for the project and right after the Doctor Who marathon was over.

My lovely bride was and still is not immune to the land of almost. “We need to be leaving soon. Are you ready?” More often than not, she will sweetly respond with “Almost”, which means that I have some time to waste before getting in the car. Before I get too high and mighty, I need to confess that I can be guilty of using the almost sliding scale myself. On more than one occasion when asked if I have completed the chore that my love has requested some time prior, I have used the almost standard response. There may be parts scattered with no particular pattern or any idea of how to reassemble the chaos. Needless to say, almost is at best a relative term which tends to have no real relevance to the status of completion of a task.

That’s why it is so significant that God through Jesus left nothing to doubt in regards to salvation. There was absolutely no almost involved when Jesus paid the price I could never have paid. The debt for my sin was satisfied by God himself with Jesus’ proclamation that “It is finished.” No almost paid, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

John 19:30

³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Romans 5:18

¹⁸ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for five minutes on a prompt word. Today’s word is almost.

Never Alone

Having survived three teens journey to adulthood, I had very few instances of being lonely. As a matter of fact about the only alone time I could manage when all three were at home was in the bathroom. Now that they have their own homes, it is just my wife and I so the opportunity to be by myself happens much more frequently. During our recent move, I experienced a bout with loneliness. The day we had movers loading up the bulk of our furniture, I was by myself in our former home. We had left my car at our new home about an hour away. We loaded my wife’s SUV and our son’s truck, who had come to offer assistance for the move, pretty full. They then drove to the new home. I had our dog and that was about it. Our Internet service and home phone had been disconnected and all our food had already been taken to the new house. Cell coverage in the neighborhood was spotty at best so I felt rather disconnected. Lunch time had long passed and I was getting quite hungry. After several failed attempts to contact food delivery services, I was forced to accept my fate until my son returned to take me and the dog to our new home. My vivid imagination pictured visions of Tom Hanks, Wilson, and “I made fire”. Fortunately my son called asking for my lunch order before I could make a volleyball my BFF.

Despite my hunger pangs and my isolation from on line and cellular communication, I was never in any real danger of long periods of being lonely. My wife and son had not abandoned me, not to mention my trusty canine companion. Even more so is the fact that the Father has promised that He will never leave me. I think that’s why Joshua 1:9 has become my go to verse.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for five minutes on a prompt word. This week’s word is lonely.

That’s All I Can Stand…

The title of today’s post is the first part of Popeye the Sailor’s catch phrase if you are unfamiliar with it. The entire quote of “That’s all I can stan and I can’t stands no more” was usually spoken when Popeye was in a bad way where upon he would inhale a can of spinach to make everything right. One week removed from our big move, I am fast approaching the point of I can’t stands no more. Let’s just in other words say that I have pretty much reached my limit. I have muscles aching that I didn’t even know I had. Fortunately our new home has a large barn but it resembles more of a warehouse for junk than an ideal quaint country barn. My son did an excellent job of replacing the nasty carpet in our bonus room with luxury vinyl planks. This morning, we attempted to dispose of said carpet which may have pushed me over my limit. First, we were informed that carpet could not be disposed of at the convenience center but must be taken to the main dump on the other end of our new county. We were in my son’s truck and I was supplying the gas but I still regretted the fact that it would take so much more time. We had no idea of the proper process once we arrived. I had nothing to prove I was now a county resident to the attendant and cell coverage was spotty at the best. She must have pitied my ineptitude because she processed us anyway. To push me a little further over my limit, I had not expected to need cash for a trip to the dump but at least she informed me that an ATM was located only 2.3 miles even further away. Thank goodness for small favors because the ATM was apparently within our network so I was not charged the convenience fee which by that time I would have gladly paid. I figured my wife may have been a little concerned that our garbage had been hijacked but as stated earlier, any demands for ransom would have been unsuccessful because we were several miles beyond the edge of nowhere.

As frustrated as I was by being pushed beyond my limits, my inconvenience and trials were so insignificant compared to the limits the Father has gone to have a relationship with Him. I mess up time and time again making the same mistakes over and over again but He waits like the Father of the prodigal son for me to return. His love knows no limits and there is no limit to the distance He goes to demonstrate that love. Jesus went as far as He needed to go on the cross until it was finished.

Each week I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write on a prompt word. Today’s word is limit.

K.I.S.S.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for five minutes on a prompt word. This week’s word is complicate. I usually try to complete the challenge on Friday but this week has been more than little unusual. We completed our move to be closer to our daughter, to be completely honest closer to our 2 1/2 year old and one month old granddaughters. We had lived in that home for nearly 29 years. We had movers move the vast majority of our furniture on Thursday but spent Friday packing, loading on a U-haul, and cleaning up the old house. I honestly believe someone was bringing stuff in the back door every time we would put something on the truck, either that or it was undergoing some kind of mitosis and forming new colonies of junk after we turned our backs. I say all this to maybe in some way justify my failure to keep it simple. I must avoid using the last s of that principle because I referred to myself out loud when I made a less than sterling choice in front of the two year old only to have her repeat it quite plainly. Needless to say, I was exhausted both mentally and physically and I blame that on my lack of judgement.

Saturday I planned on taking our son who came into town to help with the move and do some work on the new house along with my daughter and her family out to eat at a river front restaurant close to our new home. I got dressed and we decided to stop at Walmart on the way to pick up some supplies before going to the restaurant. I was wearing slip-on shoes but my toes felt awfully cramped in the right shoe. I began to mentally run through the possibilities for the discomfort. Had I twisted my foot during the move resulting in.swollen toes? Maybe I should have just worn thinner socks. Had I developed some strange allergy at the new location that was manifesting itself only in my right foot? I tried to complicate the situation with a myriad of reasons for my discomfort suffering in silence. It was only this morning getting ready for church that I once again slipped on my shoe experiencing a shooting pain. Before reviewing the same litinny of probable causes, I reached into the shoe to only to discover a sock stuffed into the toe box. I suffered because I failed to keep it simple.

Too often folks tend to make God’s plan way to complicated. The Father sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin. That’s it it all we have to do is admit that we are sinners who can’t save ourselves and accept the price He paid. We get to have fellowship with the Father because of Jesus’ sacrifice. It’s not complicated, all wew need to do is to keep it simple.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that’s anyone who believes in Him shall have eternal life.

Already Taken Care Of

When my oldest daughter got married, one thing she requested at her reception was Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets. We ordered them and they were to be delivered in plenty of time for the celebration. Like most father of the brides, I was busy running around putting out fires so I was glad to delegate the job of meeting the delivery to my brother. I assured him that everything was already taken care of and all he had to do was sign for it. Unfortunately the delivery was quite late and the reception was nearly over. It didn’t ruin the day but it did put a damper on it. Knowing how much Chick-fil-A values their service reputation, I planned on meeting with the person responsible for catering to see if some type of adjustment could be made. I had my argument points all prepared but almost as soon as the meeting began the individual said that it was their mistake and everything was already taken care of. True to their reputation for service, they said that there would be no charge.

Ever since sin entered the world, man has made attempts to have it taken care of. They tried to strictly observe the law but only ended up making more rules. When the sacrificial system was put into place, the priests were the ones who determined the price to be paid. None of it worked because all have sinned. The payment for sin is death. That’s why we call today Good Friday even though such a tragic event occured. It’s good because Jesus’ death on the cross means that the price for our sin has already been taken care of. He didn’t make the mistake because He never sinned. He didn’t do it because I am so good. In fact, He did it knowing that I am a sinner and even His enemy. Not only did He already pay the price for us but He also already won the victory when He walked out of that tomb on the third day. All we have to do is accept the price He has paid to receive the gift that is ours when He conquered death.

Romans 5

¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for 5 minutes on a prompt word. Today’s word is already.

The Blame Game

With my wife and I having raised three kids, we were very familiar with the blame game. When something got broken or a mess was made, it was some times difficult to deduce who was to blame. The not me or the I don’t know was a common occurrence when something went wrong. Even when it was obvious who was responsible, the kids would look at me with angelic faces making every attempt to shift the blame away from themselves. They really couldn’t help it because even their father has been guilty of shifting blame away from himself.

Years ago I had returned home from work. I was in the restroom when my wife entered our home. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was not pleased. It’s fortunate that I was in that particular location because my stomach definitely clenched wondering what I could have possibly done to incur her wrath and how I could shift the blame away from myself. She asked, “Did you come through the garage?”. “Yes,” I replied wracking my brain for what I might have missed. “You came through the garage?” Not as sure of myself, I timidly responded, “Yes love of my life.” I was running through every excuse so I would be ready when confronted. The good Lord must have been smiling on me that afternoon. I was not to blame because the hot water heater had rusted out at the bottom and flooded out through the garage. It definitely wasn’t a good thing costing us money but at least I wasn’t to blame for the calamity.

The blame game started way back with Adam and Eve. When confronted by God about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed it on the woman that the Lord had given him regardless of the fact that Adam was standing right beside Eve as she conversed with the serpent. Eve blamed the snake for her transgression. The blame game has continued through history with people constantly refusing to accept the blame for their sins. It is only by confessing that we are sinners and accepting the price He has paid that we can escape the blame for our sins. Even as He hung on the cross, Jesus cried out to His Father asking forgiveness for all who had caused His death.

Luke 23:34

³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”^[a] And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for 5 minutes on a prompt word. Today’s word is blame.

Hurry Up and Wait

I have had the distinct privilege of jumping through multiple hoops in attempting to obtain insurance coverage since I have retired. I never had to worry about either mine or my family’s medical insurance since it was obtained through my work. About a month before retirement, I applied on line. The online instructions stated that it would only take 2 to 4 weeks. Needless to say, it did not operate as advertised. I was supposed to be contacted if any further paperwork was required. I began checking the status at the two week period ever the optimist. After four weeks had passed, news whatsoever. I continued to check my status daily. Finally after 8 weeks, I received a call while at an eye doctor appointment that was identified as possible spam. When I checked voice mail, a representative left a message to return a call and provide some additional information. I called the individual almost 1 and 1/2 hours before closing to be placed on hold and eventually sent to voice mail. Much to my surprise, I again attempted to contact the individual with the requested vital information only to once again to be shifted to voice mail. Later that day I received an email from the head of the district, who ironically misspelled their own department name informing me that I had been granted part A but would need to take documentation that took 8 weeks to request to my local office to prove I was entitled to the necessary part B since I was now in full retirement. I couldn’t get the supplemental insurance I desired until that was taken care of.

I placed a call to the federal government agency handling my dilemma Talk about hurry up and wait as I was informed that the next available representative would be with me in approximately 58 minutes. Since I’m now unemployed and apparently having nothing better to do, I figured that I could out wait them. When I finally had the opportunity to speak with someone, I was informed that her purpose was scheduled an appointment almost one and a half month away.

If that wasn’t enough, I was able to experience the joy of arriving at my local federal office at opening time. I took a number and a seat along with everyone else in the midstate area. The numbers obviously meant nothing. Then I watched one of the windows close to take a break one hour after opening. There was a repeated announcement that one particular window was only to turn in proof of certain things but there was no mention of the forms that I had. Since my number was still far in the future, I began to wonder if I could possibly utilize this avenue to escape this federal purgatory. I sheepishly waited in line fully anticipating to discover it was nothing more than a dead end of the maze. I know how Dorothy felt in front of the Great and Powerful Oz because the representative at the window snarled “You can’t do anything at this window except turn in proof of validation.” I shakily presented my forms “I hope it’s Ok to turn my proof here but the announcement never mentioned these”. The clouds parted, a halo surrounded me as the angels sang when she smiled and stamped and accepted my “vital” information. I am proud to announce after only an additional 3 weeks I now am covered by insurance. I must be so much special than most of the people who take 2 to 4 weeks because I got to hurry up and wait for 13 weeks.

I know that sometimes God’s timing seems like hurry up and wait. Sometimes prayers are answered immediately like Abraham’s servant when he prayed for God to select Isaac’s wife but sometimes it’s like it was 10 years before Abraham would have a son even though he was like 100 already. Unlike the government, God’s timing is always right. Hopefully I won’t .get sick or have an accident in the next couple of weeks before my insurance kicks in. The federal government may not care what happens to me for the next couple of weeks but my Heavenly Father does.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Each Friday I participate in the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge to write for 5 minutes on a prompt word. Today’s word is hurry. I would say that I would apologize for taking the opportunity to lament my experience but it did feel good to vent about my confrontation with federal authority.

All In

It’s good to be back participating in the FiveMinuteFriday.com again this week. I failed to contribute for last week’s word suffer due to the pain it would cause so I was pleased to discover this week’s word, dedicate.

We live in a culture that it is common place to check out if the going gets the least bit tough. I’m from a Christian home with both parents who were dedicated to each other. My wife, however, experienced the pain of divorce and then her step father leaving so she had difficulty trusting me when we were first married. I tried to explain that she was stuck with me no matter what. This year we will celebrate 38 years of marriage. We aren’t perfect and I’m sure there have been days when she doesn’t like me but I know she always loves me. We have made some amazing memories but like everyone it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows. I mess up constantly but I’m all in to being there for my wife and our family. I don’t understand when I hear someone say that they are giving their 50% to the relationship. Marriages won’t work if both partners are not 100% dedicated to making it work.

I am so grateful that Jesus was all in when it came to our salvation. He was fully dedicated to doing everything necessary to provide us a way back to the Father. He suffered torture and even worse had to take on our sin as a perfect sacrifice. His anguish in the garden was palpable. He asked His Father to take it away if all possible but still accepted God’s will. To further demonstrate His dedication, Jesus had the power and the authority to end it all. He could have simply said that we were not worth it and it would have been all over. He was dedicated to point of death on the cross to offering a way back to the Father.

Philippians 2:8

8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.

Romans 5:8-9

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! 9 Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.

Gimme a Break

I nearly decided not to participate in this week’s FiveMinuteFriday.com’s challenge. The word is respite which of course means a brief rest from something difficult. The problem is that our family has recently and even now has encountered situations that individuals desperately needed a respite but one failed to come. I got too emotional each time I sat down to write and just couldn’t do it. When I relate the situations, I believe you’ll understand my difficulty.

I have relayed in a previous post about the complications my youngest daughter had with the delivery of our first grandson in December. She was a little overdue and it was discovered she had elevated blood pressure on a doctor’s visit. They admitted her to the hospital to begin induction. She labored for forty four hours when the labor stalled. Although she desperately wanted to have natural child birth, she and her husband realized that a C-section was the safest course. She hemorrhaged but fortunately the doctor was able to get it stopped. Just when we believed,she was out of the woods. Her arms and legs began swelling. She had developed postpartum preeclampsia. Her blood pressure was elevated and she was treated for that. Early morning after she and the baby were discharged, she became short of breath. Returning to the hospital, she was admitted to the ICU and treated for a pulmonary embolism. To make matters worse, she was separated from her new baby for 3 days. After returning home, her blood pressure fluctuated for weeks before returning to normal. No matter how hard I prayed, it seemed that she just couldn’t get a break, no respite. Thank God, she is doing great now along with our now 2 months old grandson.

In the other situation, my older brother and his family have had a constant barrage of bad news. His wife has been treated for renal cancer for over a year and then it was discovered that my brother had esophageal cancer. While visiting his oncologist, it was noticed that he was jaundiced. He was admitted to the hospital to have a stint inserted but needed to be transferred to a facility where it could be done. A room was not available until 3 days later so he was forced to wait. Finally when the surgery was performed, it was more involved because of the amount of inflammation. The doctor also discovered a tumor on my brother’s pancreas. His poor family has had to face challenge after challenge and they are devastated with each bit of bad news. My prayers for them and my brother for some relief seem to be useless.

It is hard to see people I love suffer so much with no end in sight. My daughter is a godly young woman and my brother is a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather who has served the Lord faithfully so it is difficult to understand why they have had to endure such suffering. I know in my head that we live in a fallen world and that “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” but my heart says something else longing for some respite for my brother. Finally last night as I was praying, the passage where Jesus prayed in the garden for the cup to be passed from Him if possible. I still don’t understand but if God didn’t provide respite for His own Son then all I can do is take solace in the fact that He was with my daughter throughout her ordeal and He will be with my brother and his family as they face theirs.

I would greatly appreciate any prayers for my brother and his family. I realize that I have far surpassed my 5 minute limit but I knew once I started I had to get it all out. I leave with what has become my go to verse.

Joshua 1:9

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

One Bad Apple

It’s been really difficult to have an opportunity to write for the FiveMinuteFriday.com challenge this week. Although I’ve been retired for 2 weeks now, I have been super busy. A big reason for that is our fault because we put a contract on a new house after living in the same home for 28 years to be closer to our daughter and her family. Between packing up to declutter and getting our home ready to sell, it has been tough to find the time to write about this week’s word- spoil.

Friends have been asking me how I’m enjoying retirement but to be truthful, I can’t really say because of everything that has been going on. I will admit that the past couple of days I have allowed little issues to spoil what has otherwise been a good day. Take Friday for instance. I loaded up the car with stuff to take to a storage facility close to our daughter’s home. It routinely take a little less than a hour for the journey depending on traffic. That morning I breezed through a portion of Nashville that can be congested but made every single stop light without stopping and the traffic was light on the interstate making the trip in record time. Noticing that the interstate for the return trip was at a standstill for miles in both directions, I choose to take state highways instead enjoying the trek along the Cumberland River. My wife had several errands for me to run. The first few went off without a hitch. Then the other shoe fell. I returned to the car after purchasing several collections of boxes. I need to explain here that my key fob for my wife’s SUV has not worked for a while. My wife insisted that I replace the battery even though I had previously done so with no success. True to form neither the locking nor unlocking function worked but apparently the panic button did, although only intermittently. I must have brushed that feature removing the keys from my sweatshirt pocket. The theft deterrent alarm began sounding preventing me from starting the car. Having no idea when the button would choose to work, just when I thought I had stopped the alarm it would begin again. After 15 frustrating minutes, I nearly called my wife to bring her keys. Before giving in, I got in the car, banged the fob, locked all the doors, waited a moment, unlocked the doors, opened them, exited the car relocking all the doors, walked away sure the alarm would sound at any moment, walked away, and then returned to the car unlocking it with the key. The sound of the car starting was sweet relief. The rest of the day had no issues but I continued to reflect on how that one incident spoiled the day. The next morning I made another run to the storage facility once again it was smooth sailing. I emptied the car quickly amazed at the ease of the trip. As I went to exit, I discovered that the buttons on the keypad were frozen. Nothing seemed to unstick the device. I did the only thing I could think of by cupping my hands over the keypad blowing on it. I was worried that I would be trapped inside the storage facility fence. After several moments of giving CPR to the Keypad I grew frustrated letting this glitch spoil my good mood from my early morning trek. Now that I’ve time to stop and think about it why did I allow a couple of brief moments in the grand scheme of what otherwise had been a fruitful, productive, and even enjoyable days.

It is so easy to lose sight of all the blessings that God bestows upon me and let little things spoil my attitude. The glitches in my day were really nothing more than small bumps on my journeys this weekend. I forgot all the good things that had happened and focused on the bumps. Those things really didn’t spoil anything and just gave me stories to laugh about.

Psalm 144:15

¹⁵ Happy are the people with such blessings.
Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh.