Accepting The Gift

I will always remember the day that three distant cousins of Reva came to say their last goodby’s.  It was a sunny day in July of 2014.  I had never met them before.  When they rang the door bell, I invited them in and they hugged Reva.  I could see the shocked look on each face as they saw how very thin she now was.  Reva had been giving family members special gifts as they came by.  It made her happy during her last days.  When they were getting ready to leave, Reva said, “I have something special for you to have.”  She wasn’t able to move from her cushioned chair  and said, “Allen.  Will you bring those three angel vases to me.”  These were three of her favorite vases.  I gathered them up and gently gave them to her.  I could see she was excited to give each of them a present.  

But then the unexpected happened.  As she painfully reached out to give the angels to them, the oldest cousin looked at them and said, “Oh no, that’s okay Reva.  We really don’t need them.  Give them to someone else.”

I ushered them out the door as they said their hurried goodby’s.  I looked at Reva, and she had tears rolling down her cheeks.  Until that very moment, I had never seen her cry all the time she was in hospice care.

This Christmas Season, it is a wonderful thing to give gifts to loved ones.  However, it is also a time to receive gifts, no matter what.  Whether it is a little clay object of some sort made by a child’s hands, an expensive gift, or even a joke you’ve heard a hundred times.  The material price of a gift, be it simple or elaborate, still comes from another person’s heart.  When you accept it, it symbolizes you accept them.  May you accept the gift of Jesus Christ this Christmas Season.  God has given you His greatest gift.  

Back from a near fatal anaphylactic attack

On January 6, 2017,  I experienced an almost fatal anaphylactic episode.  It was an uneventful day and nothing out of the ordinary.  I had celebrated my birthday the day before and looked forward to a great year.  Around 10:30, I began to itch around my lower back.  I didn't think much about it until I  began having a little trouble breathing.  Within minutes I began itching around my stomach area.  I went into the bathroom and took off my shirt.  I looked in the mirror and saw what appeared to be welts.  Several around my stomach about the size of a candy bar, reddish, swollen and slowly growing.  I turned around and the mirror revealed what was on my back.  Four or five more welts approaching the size of a dollar bill and spreading up my back.  The swollen, reddish welts on my thighs were even bigger than a dollar bill.  

I knew what was happening.  I was having an anaphylactic attack.  I had an episode several months earlier.  The first time I thought it was a spider bite causing the welts.  I took a picture of it.  I fought through the breathing difficulties by using the training I had learned in the military on how to breathe for chemical attacks.  A little painful but I made it.  The next morning I saw my primary care physician who took one look at the picture and said it was not a spider bite, but rather hives and I had an anaphylactic episode.  She had been taking care of me medically for a couple of years and knew that I tended not to take things very serious.  She tried to make it clear that these episodes can be dangerous and life threatening.  Also, that the next one will be more serious than this first one.  She wrote out a prescription for epi pens (Epinephrine Auto-Injectors 0.3 mg).  She told me how to use them.  I told her I had used them on myself in military training.  I knew she wasn't impressed and she warned me again that I could die.  I picked up the epi pens at the pharmacy.  There are three in the box.  Two are real and one is for practice.  I did a practice one and it all came back easily.  Nothing to it.  Pull the blue cap off, plunge it into your outer thigh for three seconds, and pull it out.  

I was aware that I was sweating and itching and having a little more trouble breathing.  This went on for awhile and I expected it to stop like the last time and go away.  This was a little bit more difficult, so I continued to get on my knees next to the side of the bed, like a child praying, and breathed slowly without increasing my heart beat, and no fear, so adrenaline was not entering my blood stream.  I was doing everything right.  I knew I could beat this.  It was now a little after 1:00, and I was having more difficulty breathing.  As I look back on this, I cannot to this day understand why I didn't just use the epi pen and drive to the hospital.  I can only rationalize this by believing that the lack of oxygen was affecting my reasoning ability.  (I hope that it was not because of an out of control bravado that believed I could conquer anything.)  

At about 1:45, I was having great difficulty breathing and I actually crawled to the bathroom where the epi pens were.  It seemed to take a lot of my strength to open the cabinet and take the box out.  I got to my knees, took an epi pen out, flipped up the blue safety release and jabbed it into the side of my leg.  Nothing happened.  I looked at it and it was the practice pen.  I actually laughed to myself.  I had to catch my breath and reach for another pen.  Jabbed that in my leg.  It went in well, but there was no effect.  I had waited too long to use it.  It was rendered useless.  It was now almost 2:00.  I thought about calling 911.  It had now been 3 hours.  The nearest phone was in the master bedroom about 25 feet from where I was on the bathroom floor.  I couldn't stand up, but I could crawl.  I crawled into the bedroom.  Now I was at the point I couldn't breathe.  I stood up.  I knew I was not going to make it.  At that moment, I knew I was going to die.  I knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life.  Why didn't I call  911 before this?  Was this some kind of macho game?  Is this how I die?  I'm going to die for nothing?  I called out, "God save me!"  I then had a Grand Mal Seizure.  

When I came to I noticed that I was all wet.  Why am I so wet?  I then realized that I had lost control of my bladder and my organs were shutting down.  I was only less than 10 feet from the phone.  Incredibly, I was wondering if I should really call 911.  I made the decision I must and I must go now.  I crawled because it was impossible to stand up.  I could breathe again, but just barely.  I dialed 911.  The operator asked my situation.  I told her I could not breathe and needed to get to the hospital.  She asked my address.  I gave it to her.  She asked if I had pets.  I said no.  She asked if I could turn the outside light on the ambulance could find it easier.  I said I will try to do that.  She said if the front door was locked.  I said yes.  She asked me if I could unlock the front door.  I said I'll try.  

I then crawled as quickly as I could trying to control what little air I could inhale.  I reached up and turned the light on.  Rested for a few seconds and with literally the last of my strength, I turned the key to open the door.  The door opened, and I lay on the floor on my back.  I could't move.  I only had my bottom pajamas on.  I did not have a shirt on.  It was 2:30 in the morning.  A full moon out.  I looked up at the sky.  All was silent and calm.   It was very pretty.  But it was so cold.  All of a sudden a man showed up at the door.  He looked down on me and said he was my neighbor down the end of the road and he had heard the situation on his emergency phone.  He called the ambulance and gave them directions but it seemed like they were there quickly.  

The ambulance crew looked briefly at me and got me into the ambulance quickly.  They put a mask on my face.  I was driving in and out of consciousness.  I heard on guy say, "It's not working.  He's not breathing."  The hospital is only five miles from my home and we were there very fast.  I remember the ambulance driving into the building and nurses coming out.  I was then in what I thought was he ICU but I'm not sure.  I remember the nurses were roughing me up.  I wondered why they were treating me so mean.  They would put one mask over my face, and then suddenly rip it off and put another one on.  Whatever they were doing, it wasn't working.  They then began shooting me up with what I can only guess, because I didn't ask, was massive doses of epinephrine.  I could hear several doctors say, "Look how red he is.  Like a lobster."  I then remember being in a hospital chair with a mask on and I could see several nurses.  One in particular watched me constantly and she seemed to have a mean look on her face.  I looked up and saw a sign of some kind which had only one word on it, "BREATHE."  Then an ER doctor, who was very pleasant, came by my side and seemed to whisper, "We may not be able to help you."  (I didn't know what that meant at the time but I do now.)    

Obviously, the nurses weren't being mean to mean as they were doing their job and  I lived through this.  Three ER doctors were involved.  Unless they were just trying to scare me, they told me I was the worst case they ever treated where the patient lived.  One doctor told me that my oxygen level was below 70 when I got to the ER.  He didn't say how low and I didn't ask. 

I have almost made a full recovery.  I am no longer anemic, although still a little low and a little low in D3 and a few other things, but basically I'm back.  I only did one article in April of 2017, so this is really the first of many articles to come in the last two years.  I think it is also rather obvious that God, for the third time, has intervened again and saved my life.  For that I am eternally grateful. 

The First Prophecy of the Bible: Genesis 3:15

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."   (New King James Version).

The context of this prophecy is the original sin and fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  

There are three parts to this great prophecy.  Part number one:

God is talking to Satan and God is telling him that from this point on there is going to be enmity, i.e., war.  From that time forth there will be two kingdoms:  the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil and they are still in conflict to this day.  All Christians are in the kingdom of heaven (Gospel of Mark uses kingdom of God, but it is the same thing).  The kingdom of the devil will be filled with his followers as seen in John 8:44 when Jesus tells the ungodly, "You are of your father the devil . . . "     

Part number two:  

The war will be between Satan's followers and "her Seed."  Who is "her" and who is the "Seed?"  The "her" is the virgin Mary.  Galatians 4:4 tells us, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman . . . "  Please notice the "Seed" is capitalized.  In the NKJV of the Bible, all deity is capitalized to present clarity and avoid confusion.  Also fascinating is that "seed" throughout the Bible is almost always referring to the man.  I believe that this is the only verse that refers the seed to that of a woman.  The "Seed" refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Redeemer.  Jesus will be the "Second Adam" and correct the mistake that the first Adam made.  

Part number three:

"He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."  Satan bruised the heel of Jesus on the cross.  However, when Jesus rose from the grave, He  bruised (crushed) Satan's head.  Satan was defeated at the cross and his doom is predicted explicitly in Revelation 20:10, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire . . . "

Due to Adam and Eve's fall from grace, their dominion of "every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28) which God had given them authority over, was taken by Satan.  Paul refers to Satan as the "god of this world" many times, e.g., II Corinthians 2:4.  

To make this even more thorough, examine the "Temptations of Christ" found in Luke, especially Luke 4:5-6, "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish."  So, who delivered all this authority to Satan?  It sure was not God.  Satan took it from Adam and Eve at their fall from grace when original sin came into the world.  

Now, the coup de gras is delivered in Matthew 28:18, when Jesus, after resurrecting from the dead and immediately before ascending to heaven, says His last words on earth, which is called the Great Commission, " . . . All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth . . . "   That means the devil has none.  Jesus, as the second Adam, has taken back the authority that the first Adam had lost.  

And so, what we have here is the first prophecy in which God promises to us the eventual defeat of Satan which would come from Eve's descendents.  Our Redeemer lives.  We know how all of this ends.  And to Jesus goes all the power and glory, forever and ever.   

Getting Free

On July 4th, 1776, thirteen colonies proclaimed their independence from England.  That event eventually led to the formation of the United States of America.  Every year our nation celebrates this historic event on July 4th.

I have always looked at Luke 4:18, as the Biblical proclamation of freedom from oppression.  After Jesus had fulfilled His forty days in the wilderness overcoming the temptations of Satan, He began His earthly ministry.  The Bible tells us that Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and read these words from the book of Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind.
To set at liberty those who are oppressed."
                                           Luke 4:18  (NKJV)

After Jesus read these words He said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Many of us today are not really free.  We struggle with problems and various issues of stress almost daily, which can take away the joy that Jesus promised to His followers.  Jesus was aware that we can become prisoners of our own mind.  How do we break free?  How do we capture peace of mind?  How do we get free?  

Jesus says that whoever believes in Him and has a relationship with Him, that He will give them peace and set them free from the struggles and stress of life.  Developing that relationship with the Lord is the most important thing you can do in your life.  That requires talking to the Lord on a daily basis and growing in your personal walk with Him.  Make this Independence Day your independence from oppression of any kind.  Jesus knows now is the time to get free and He will help you every step of the way.

Happy 4th of July to you and your family.  May God's love be with you.  

How To Make God Happy

Can you remember the first time you fell in love?  Wasn’t it somewhat magical and perhaps breathtaking?  Didn’t you feel such incredible joy in your heart?  Didn’t you want to do whatever it took to make the object of your love feel happy?

I remember when Billy Graham was asked that question.  He said, “When I told my parents that I was in love they told me,  ‘that’s puppy love.’ I said, ‘Maybe so, but it sure feels real to the puppy.’”  

Jesus tells us in Luke 10:27:  “. . . You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. . .”

What would it take to love God like that?  How could we make God happy more than anything else?  The Bible tells us exactly how to do that. In the 15th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells three stories about how to make God happy.  The story of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.  In the story of the Prodigal Son who was lost, the father represents God who waits patiently for the lost son to return.  When God sees him, He runs to greet him and hugs him.  It is the only time in the Bible that reveals God ever running.  God is so happy he says, “ . . . this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry.”   In the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin, whey they are found, Jesus says, “ . . . there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents . . . “

We live in a lost and fallen world.  As Christians, the Lord has given us the Great Commission to, “make disciples of all the nations . . .”  We are instructed to reach out to the lost and invite them to church.  Church statistics point out that over 80% of people who come to church were invited by a friend.  Can you be a friend to the lost, and invite them to church?  If you want to make God happy, and make the angels rejoice, this is how to do it.

Time: The Final Element of Love

After 45 years of working with couples in marital therapy I have learned what makes an excellent relationship.  Without question, the ability and motivation to adore the object of your love is the most important.  I have always found that to be true and what separates a good relationship from a great relationship.  To adore the object of your love is the key to a great relationship.

I have also realized during this time that there is also one more element that separates the good relationship from the great relationship.  It is time.  We love what we give our most time to.  If we adore the object of our love and we truly love them, the most important thing we can give them is our time.  It is not material things, although they are nice.  It is not just being a good friend, although that is very important.  If we are truly "in love" with the object of our love - we give them our time.  If we don't, then we are not.  We can be a great friend but there is a huge difference between loving someone and being, "in love" with someone.  

We are now living in a time where social media plays a big part in our lives.  It is so simple to just send an email to someone on their birthday or for their latest accomplishment.  That extra touch; however, is when we take the time to send a card instead.  That extra time to do that sends a message to the recipient that you care about them.  It is personal and it really does let people know that you do care a little bit more about them then they thought.  Why?  Not because it cost more.  It's because you took some of your precious time and went to that extra trouble to let them know that you do really care.  

Time.  How do we use it?  Who do we give it to?  There are so many ways we share our time with.  If you are going to meet the President of the United States at 1:00, are you going to show up at 1:30?  Probably not.  Why?  Because you respect him or her and you show that you care by being on time.  

Our time is important.  How we use it determines who we are and who we respect and who we love.  God is very aware of the time we spend with Him.  What does time say about our relationship with the One who made us?  

May God's love be with you and may you be a blessing to those around you.  You have the time to make everyone feel a little bit special.  To let those around you know that you really do care.  

The Saturday People

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."                    

                                                                 Isaiah 43:1-3

There are 7,000 promises in the Bible.  I would like to address one of the most important in this article.  Easter has passed and life goes on for all of us.  For many there will be joy but there will be those who do not experience joy due to doubt.

To simplify things I would like to look at three important days:  

Good Friday - the day Christ was crucified.  Pain. 

Saturday - the day of confusion and doubt.

Easter Sunday - the day of joy.

Good Friday was the day of pain for Christ and all of His followers.  

The next day, Saturday, there was confusion and doubt among His followers.  How could this happen?  Was this not the Messiah?  Why didn't He save Himself?  What is going to happen to us now?  Was He really the One?  The Messiah?

Easter Sunday was the day of joy.  Jesus arose from the the dead and many people saw Him as He walked the earth and preached the Kingdom of God for 40 days before His ascension into heaven.

We have all felt pain in our lives.  We live in a fallen world and we will feel pain again in our lives.  We know it.  We don't like it, but we understand what pain feels like.  

We also know what Easter joy is like.  It feels wonderful and we have not doubt or confusion.  We are happy.  

But what about Saturday?  That is what I want to focus on in this article.  What about those who are caught between the pain of Friday and the joy of Sunday?  They are stuck in Saturday and cannot seem to move on to the joy of Sunday?  

I would like to call these people the, "Saturday," people.  They still live in doubt and confusion.  They ask questions like, "Why did God let my child die?  Why did God let my son-in-law die?  Why didn't God save my loved one I prayed so hard for to live?  Why didn't God intervene when I prayed so hard for Him to do so? 

Some Saturday people cannot bring themselves to ever forgive God and are clearly stuck in Saturday.  Others just are not sure about God and if God can really be trusted.  A lingering doubt hangs over their head like the Sword of Damocles.  The doubt can feel like one lover towards another lover:  "does she really love me?"  The joy of conviction is not there.  The lingering doubt hangs heavy and robs the lover of his or her joy that the object of one's love truly is "in love" with him or her.  

When it comes to God; however, the Bible tells us that there is no lingering doubt on God's side of this issue.  God is love and truly loves you and knows what you are going through.  Jesus tries to explain that He must die for the sins of humanity and He must go away, but that He will return again.   Jesus tells us this in John 16:20-22:  "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."  

If you are a Saturday person, it is time to come home.  God is waiting for you, to hold you, and to love you and to bring comfort to your emotional wounds.  God made you and God can heal you.  God will give you the strength to overcome your pain and sorrows.  

It's time for you to come home.  God is waiting for you with opening hands.  Like the father in the Prodigal Son story.  The father represents our heavenly Father in that story.  When He saw His son coming home He ran to meet him and kissed him and gave him a great party and gave him great joy.  

It's time to come home.  Your heavenly Father is waiting for you.