by Donald | Mar 29, 2014 | Blog
“A voice says, ‘Cry out.’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field’” (Isaiah 40:6).
Have you watched the television show “Storage Wars?” Episodes chronicle auctions of abandoned property in storage lockers to buyers who sift through the contents searching for treasure. Each week someone discovers great value in a purchased locker, but why unknown former owners would abandon property of value is never presented. I suppose the question goes unasked because the answer would point to misfortune befalling the original owner, unsettling a national television audience.
My business uses rented storage lockers and this past summer I spent two days in the August heat searching for records to satisfy the inquiries of a sales tax auditor. (We may in fact abandon these lockers someday, but they will not yield any treasures.) Wheezing around in the locker reminded me of the last time I cleaned our attic—something else I do not like to do. It’s dusty work, slow and tedious, and the search for value, let alone “memories,” is inconsistent.
My parents died almost twenty years ago, but I still recall sorting through their lives as collected in their “attic.” The evidence portrayed lives lived on an ordinary stage; if my parents had unrealized hopes and dreams, the fragments they left behind did not disclose them. In another generation no one will remember them in any meaningful way; of my children, only my son knew and loved my parents and although he carries their memories forward, whatever imprint of my parent’s lives to exist in the lives of my daughters now rests only in how their lives resonate in me.
Fleeing more swiftly than our precious lives are our livelihoods. Thirty years ago, employed as a CPA, I enjoyed my work and believed it had “value,” yet I metaphysically wondered was there really a purpose in it. Who would care years down the road about the work the firm was doing? Since the firm’s policy was to destroy audit work papers after passage of a statutory time, I was sadly and completely aware that even the physical evidence of my work would not last long.
Perhaps the author of Ecclesiastes had similar feelings in mind when he said, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is Meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
I read an article on the internet about a promising test that might detect Alzheimer’s disease many years in advance. The author speculated if such knowledge would be of interest to anyone. I know my answer: no. Adding the certainty of loss of mental acuity to a life’s accomplishments that are already specious seems to be insult to injury.
Five occupations later I still wonder if those who followed after me in my former jobs cared one hoot about the work I did.
Are we not all mere storage lockers whose contents will be claimed by others after we are gone?
God put the thought and desire of eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) in spite of our knowledge that death is inevitable and generally a surprise visitor. The thought of eternity is one of God’s greatest blessings, spurring us on to pursue hopes and dreams that fatalism would destroy. And since God is the author of “us,” pursuing our talents, hopes, and dreams is godly, worthy of God’s blessings even though we all know in the end what we have done in our life will not matter much to others.
But here’s the even greater blessing: we matter to God in ways unmeasured by our work and achievements.
I learned the other night that a boy in our area committed suicide. He was in high school. All I could think of was “for God’s sake, why?” Even now the news confronts me almost physically. In our Bible study group that night we discussed how God alone gives meaning to each of us and lamented that too little knowledge of God bars hurting people from solace and healing. Don’t miss those few words, “too little knowledge.” The God who saves us and who changes lives is won on faith to be sure, but gaining insight into our worth and precious beauty that work together to stay our hands from harm or pushes them out to others in love in hopes of reeling them in takes effort born of desire to know a God who would die for us.
God loved that young boy. God sees our hidden value—our value we think lost to misfortune or neglect and soon to become the profit of others, or “moth or rust.” Such knowledge is life changing and life saving.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Too many times I sit on my hands and choose not to speak of my Savior’s love. I don’t mean here, on a written page that some few people will read. And I don’t mean at church, either. No, I mean in the everyday walk of life where people interact with me filling their attics with mere existence while I do the same. Attic, after attic, after attic.
Yet God is always with me. Always. Dear God, loosen my lips to speak of your glory to others.
My friends in Christ, what we do matters to God. We matter to God.
by Donald | Mar 9, 2014 | Blog
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?” (1 Corinthians 1:20a).
I am not young, but I have a young family, and family vacations revolve around my four daughters’ interests. In August, we rode “the City of New Orleans” to Chicago and toured some museums, and we have just returned from eight wonderful days at Walt Disney World. Rattling around in first one roller coaster and then another I discovered my error in thinking daughters would be different than my son who has a taste for all things fast and furious. Proving the law of diminishing returns, one night at WDW, my daughters debated where we might go “next time.” Ignoring my wife’s observation that I am a home body, the girls were of one accord we must visit “another country.” Since I am a home body, no final decision was reached, but Germany is now a front runner.
Yet later that I night it occurred to me I am already a stranger in a strange land, the root cause: public affirmations of God and His glory are now verboten. I have witnessed amazing technological advancements (man on the moon, microwaves, Silicon Valley, and intelligently designed and fuel efficient cars and light bulbs), and also the systematic removal of God from everything except church and an occasional movie.
This change has taken years; its pace slow but inexorable—so slow we don’t need seatbelts. Yet sometimes, I am jarred by how far apart the world view and my personal beliefs are from each other. My last two vacations bare witness to that separation.
In Chicago at the Field Museum, hundreds of animal species are stuffed and on display (apparently collected before killing animals for sport went out of fashion), yet not one placard, not one display, attributes glory to God for His handiwork. The theory of evolution is alive and well, however.
I wasn’t surprised that the Field Museum reports evolution and is silent about creation. Although some school systems teach Creation alongside evolution, America is resolute in its educational system that evolution is no longer even a “theory.”
Shortly before we left for WDW, I read an account of a debate between Dr. Kenneth Ham (Creation Museum) and Bill Nye (the Science Guy) about creationism and evolution. The article was slanted entirely towards evolution and it reminded me of our visit to the Field Museum. A few days later I was surprised to see a rebroadcast of the debate in its entirety on CSPAN, and was encouraged by the boldness and cogent conversation Dr. Ham offered. With this fresh in my mind, we drove to WDW.
My daughters had prepared “bucket lists” of things they wanted to see and do; at Animal Kingdom, the Dinosaur attraction was near the top of the list. Waiting in line, I was struck by the mural on the wall that asked the question, “What caused the dinosaurs to become extinct?” The Flood was not among the theories offered. Then I heard Bill Nye over the audio system explaining the accepted theories and knew why a Flood conversation was not to be.
The human condition desires to make sense of our world and ourselves as sentient beings. Why am I here and does my life really matter are questions of everyone. But the bedrock question that precedes these is how did “we” come to be at all?
Evolution believes chance is at work; although the progression since chance first occurred seems to follow “laws” that are discoverable (go figure how that works when you are next at the Roulette Wheel). Creation says God is at work. These two different starting points lead to remarkably different philosophies about life and its meaning. On the one hand “chance” yields randomness, uncertainty, chaos, and injustice, but God offers us a plan, a purpose, justice, and order.
Some Christians believe debating the merits of Creation and evolution are quibbling over details that are unimportant. They point to Christ and say knowledge of Him is all we should be worried about. After all, we weren’t there when God created everything, so we really don’t know what happened. We believe God is behind it all anyway, so who cares if He used evolution?
Bill Nye, in the debate, made a similar appeal, arguing that many people of various religions also see the truth of evolution. Perhaps the “religious” should pause upon hearing such an assertion from an atheist. The Bible states very clearly that God is Creator and nothing in the Scriptures gives any credence to His using evolution to do the work. If the Bible is inaccurate with respect to Creation (“In the beginning God”), can any of it be trustworthy?
How does anyone build a life of faith in God if His word is doubtful? Creation, Adam and Eve and the Fall; sin and the consequences of sin (death); Noah and the Flood; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses, the deliverance from Egypt, and the Ten Commandments; Jesus’ virgin birth, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead; our need for a Savior because we, like Adam and Eve, are fallen and sinful and deeply troubled: are these truths or fiction? Is God’s message a smorgasbord we can pick and choose from?
In a few weeks we will celebrate Easter, the day that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. That day is foundational to everything we believe as Christians, and it is a miracle unlike anything in history. The next time you bump up against the theory of evolution and wonder how it relates to the biblical account of creation, take a different paradigm to reflect upon its true message. Rather than start at a big bang, start at the empty tomb and work backwards to God’s Spirit hovering over the waters. What truly is beyond our God’s power? Can you not sense His love and His purpose for His Creation?
PS
If you have an interest in learning more about creationism and arguments against evolution, there are a number of books on the subject. One I recommend is by Walt Brown, PhD. entitled In the Beginning, Compelling evidence for Creation and the Flood.
by Donald | Jan 31, 2014 | Blog
“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write” (2 Thessalonians 3:17).
Yogi Berra said some very funny things. At once humorous, garbled and yet profound, they make you think and they make your head hurt.
Here’s one: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” It sprang into my mind recently as I read, yet again, someone’s opinion that mankind is growing nobler in character. The author of the book I was reading believed evolution was at work, inexorably pushing humans (sitting regally above the evolutionary chain) to higher purposes than those, say, of our brutish human ancestors whom we are leaving in the evolutionary dust. Others believe God or an unnamed higher power is doing the pushing. Regardless, the conclusion is the same: “we are getting nobler.”
I disagree. The history of mankind from ancient days to the modern era is chock full of atrocities and brutality. History reveals no differences in how humans of this or any age think, let alone how they behave towards each other, the things they strive for, the things they desire, and their propensity for exploitation of others to promote self-gain.
I tend to think like Yogi: some may hope the future holds more promise, but I know it ain’t what it used to be.
But even though humanity may still be corrupt, individuals can and do change to become better humans. Speaking as a Christian, I believe Jesus changes people—He changed me. In his book, Six Surprising Ways Jesus Changed the World, John Ortberg gives an excellent account of how humans have changed for the better as a result of the life of Jesus and His followers. But Jesus changes us one at a time; it is a one to one relationship. It cannot be legislated, coerced, forced, or assumed, and it certainly isn’t evolving. Brevity of life and a one to one confrontation makes the process non-universal.
Choice and free will are pesky things.
No Yogi Berra, my Mom had her own unique way with words. She used to tell me to be careful about the road I traveled because “you never know who you are going to meet.” Who knew she was talking about me? Too many times the person I meet on the road, the one who needs to be approached with caution, is me. And here another “Yogiism” comes to mind—“It’s déjà vu all over again.”
Our gospel message is clear: with Christ we are born again. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But it is also equally clear that we are far from perfect. “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7:21-23).
The change wrought by God is permanent, but we can and do still go down swinging.
I didn’t realize it then, but I began to record my own punches when I began journaling in 2000. I am not sure what prompted me to begin to journal about the things going on in my business and personal life, but I am very glad that I did. Journaling has been of singular importance to me, chronicling my growth in Christian faith and enabling me to recall, in my own voice, God’s magnificent answering of each and every one of my prayers.
That is not to say I always got what I originally wanted, but I always got what was perfect and right. Perfect because the answers revealed a God who heard my prayers and used the circumstances of my life to mold me more into an image of Christ; “right” because the outcomes led to wisdom and the realization of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) in my life.
But the biggest benefit I obtained from journaling was gaining perspective.
Journaling gave me perspective about my own human frailty. If you want to experience the reality of the duality of human purpose—a strong desire to please God that runs headlong into a strong desire to entertain the flesh—start journaling.
The second perspective gained: anxiety is worthless. Jesus (Matthew 6:25) tells us not to worry. Paul tells us (Philippians 4:6) to be anxious for nothing. God tells us through the Psalmist to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). We all experience trials. Journaling has kept me from forgetting the highs and lows of my life and the anxiety I suffered along the way, spilled (and spelled) out in my own handwriting on page after page. But the record also reveals (1), I am not omniscient, and (2) God always works things out. Anxiety contributed nothing.
The record also reveals scar tissue was inflicted in times of trial, but wisdom was the fruit I harvested. And peace was the blessing. Not a remembered peace gained from looking back into history, about what happened and exhaling a loud “Pheeeew!” as if I had somehow dodged a bullet. Rather, I gained peace that is available to me in the present because of the clear record of answered prayer granted in the past.
My journals remind me of victories against insurmountable odds inflicted by an unfair world. They also provide comfort because a crisis is just “déjà vu all over again.” And my journals remind me, garbled as it may be, “the future ain’t what it used to be.” It is much brighter.
by Donald | Jan 6, 2014 | Blog
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18a).
It’s January. My family is beginning to think about when to take down the tree. We have an artificial tree because of allergies, so the disintegration of a “real” tree does not spur us on from our lethargy. I think one year it was late February before we took the tree down.
It would be nice to think our delay is because we want to preserve the Christmas spirit in our home, but that is not the case. Rather, taking down the tree is a chore, and there is no gratification coming my way for doing the job. What is there is finality; Christmas is over.
So, when you look back on this past Christmas, how was it? Are you ready to put everything back in its place?
One of my favorite Christmas hymns is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (based on a poem from 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). I am moved by the lines, “And in despair I bowed my head, ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said. ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song, of peace on earth, good will to men.’”
When Christ is presented to the world, “whether in pretense or in truth,” He requires a decision to be made about “who” He is, and that decision point creates conflict for everyone, not just on December 25th, but 24/7/365. Christmas just seems to accentuate that truth.
Anxiety over Jesus materializes in the news almost on a daily basis in December. This year, Duck Dynasty and the removal of nativity scenes from public buildings created fodder for the press, in years past it was something else, but there has always been something to get excited about. Such jarring acknowledgements that Christians are different populate every December, and every December battle lines are drawn.
I am not a good gift wrapper. A few years ago I noticed with great delight that the back pages of wrapping paper contained outlines for cutting straight lines. This year, I noticed the lines were checker boarded, and it impressed upon me that the battle lines formed over differences in fundamental beliefs are not a single line, either. We stand with lines drawn all about us. When anyone expresses a remark about God that catches the ear of the press, the alarms sound for everyone.
I can understand how Christians find themselves at odds with the world, but why are Christians so often at odds with each other? You would have thought the Duck Dynasty conversation was as Luther in the Reformation with Christians of good will sounding off against each other. Many voices speaking the truth in love sounds like chaos rather than unity, but to paraphrase Pilate, “What is truth?”
My opinion is Christian disagreements such as those caused by the Duck Dynasty conversation are rooted in our human nature struggling with the death of self for the surpassing greatness of life with Christ as our Lord. Our zeal for the Lord can reveal itself in intolerance for others, Christian or otherwise, who do not exhibit our same zealous behavior over things we find important. Stones seem to find our hands more easily than tweezers to remove planks from our eyes.
What is the Christian prescription for plank removal? Certainly we could work towards a more harmonious dialogue with each other, but I believe the dialogue has to be with our Lord, one on one, and in our hearts, where He can sift truth and reveal it.
Fix your eyes upon Jesus—and your hearts, and your minds, and your strength. Love Jesus with all that you are and all that you have. Spend time with Him, study His words and reflect on their meaning; seek wisdom and understanding. Do the work.
Peter admonished the early church to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5a). Christ is our Lord and Master, and Christ will lead us into spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is worth pursuing for many reasons, but chief among the blessings it provides is peace—the peace that passes all understanding—as we sojourn here in a fallen world looking forward to a better home and eternity with God.
“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men.’”
We hold in our hearts, in our “jars of clay,” a priceless treasure—knowledge of God and His love for us. A Christian can be joyful in December and all year long because the outcome of everything in this world—the things we agree on, the things we disagree on, the things that make us happy, the things that infuriate us, the honesty and the deceit, the shrewdness and the naivety—all of it—is outside of our control. None of it is in our hands.
Let that sink in. God wins, or to say it more exactly, He has won. If we are on His side—we win, too. And we can love because He first loved us.
A Christian learns to be tolerant of others, love one another, and still maintain his zeal for our Lord and King because it is Christ working in us, who enables us to live and breathe and to submit our wills to His. It may be a bumpy road, but the bells are pealing loudly and deeply.
Happy New Year!
by Donald | Nov 11, 2013 | Blog
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away” (Matthew 13:24b-25).
Bluegrass music is popular in Austria. I learned this first-hand in 1990 when I accompanied a bluegrass trio invited to Graz to represent the USA in an international folk festival (I was the fiddle player). We were guests of a local bluegrass band—Rawhide—replete with five-string banjo and mandolin, but no fiddle. We were in Graz for ten days, and we shared a lot of music and beer.
It was in Graz that I first heard Lyle Lovett’s recording of “God Will.” The lyrics impressed me then, and I recalled them again as I was flying home from Lubbock last Friday evening. In the song, Lovett asks, “Who keeps on trusting you when you’ve been cheating?” and “Who keeps on loving you when you’ve been lying?” His stinging reply is, “God does, but I don’t, God will, but I won’t, and that’s the difference between God and me.”
Serious business problems had taken me to Lubbock, and 30,000 feet in the air, fresh from reading the Scripture of Matthew 13 where God allows weeds to grow in His garden because He does not want to injure any of the wheat growing alongside it, I sat juxtaposed between God and Lyle Lovett. Weeds had been sown and were growing in my garden, and I needed to decide what to do.
Just a week earlier I had conducted a meeting with all of my employees in Lubbock, acknowledging we faced serious problems, but also informing them of my plans to redress those issues. I was positive and upbeat; I have successfully executed turnaround strategies in other situations. Although everyone (me included) had contributed in some way to the problems, I was intentionally “hospitable” to all—no one was excluded; no one was left behind.
Using a “Kentuckyism” I assured everyone that we were going to have a “do-over.” We were turning the page on the past and starting afresh.
And early last week we began to implement the plan. Over two days we offered training to every employee in the market. In addition to practical and technical training, I presented the business purpose of my company—to sow seeds of opportunity to our employees and to share the blessing of hospitality with our guests and the communities in which we do business.
My Christian values come out whenever I discuss hospitality (see Hebrews 13:2) and the importance of ethical behavior inside my Company (making godly choices in any business circumstance). I reminded my employees that what they do every day in the workplace matters in the big scheme of things.
What I kept private was that for the preceding three weeks I had earnestly and plaintively prayed to God that He would guide me and deliver our Company from evil—from anyone deliberately undermining our efforts or from thieves and malcontents whose purpose was anything but “hospitable” to my business. Experience has shown me problems like we face in Texas generally include malicious behavior from some.
Therefore, I was neither dismayed nor surprised when by Friday of last week a number of our employees had been caught stealing or otherwise flagrantly disregarding our Company policies and the training that had just taken place. Those employees lost their jobs. Other employees, perhaps sensing that a “do-over” was going to require them to “do things differently” opted to no-call, no-show, and to self-select out of our Company. And a few lost their jobs because of suspicious behavior.
Boarding the plane on Friday, a former employee texted me, pleading to be reinstated and calling on me as a “Christian man” to give them another chance.
I did not change my mind. I could not.
Recently, a pastor at church discussed some of the contradictory sayings of Jesus: do not judge, love your enemies, do not cast your pearls before swine, forgive others seventy times seven times, be innocent as doves and shrewd as snakes. His point: Christian principles are not easy to practice. Discernment is necessary.
Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” And Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
I am the recipient of God’s favor. Sitting in judgment of others is difficult since I know my own failings. I care about all of my employees, but in the case at hand, I particularly care about my leaders who have exhausted themselves in a losing battle up to now. They are the wheat growing in my fields. They are struggling to find nourishment and hope. They are priceless to me.
God will deal with my former employees in love and judgment just as He will deal with me. God will treat those who have done me wrong or who have just been swallowed up in a bad situation fairly. After all, sometimes wheat and tares look the same. But as for me, I trust God to continue winnowing the weeds out of my business while I will strengthen my strong leaders and employees who need to know there is a reason for working hard and doing things ethically.
David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
I am good with that.
by Donald | Oct 22, 2013 | Blog
“The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:7-8).
Each year, I wait with great anticipation for the month of October. There is much that commends it to me, but of most importance are the blue hues of its skies and its position on the calendar that invites introspection and the opportunity for renewal.
An October sky is unsurpassed in its beauty. All skies are blue, but they are not all equal. An October sky is a mirrored, almost silver blue, perhaps attributable to the effects of sunlight now lower on the horizon creating a different refraction of shimmering white that polishes and changes the blue, giving it a sharper edge and deeper clarity.
October marks the beginning of the fourth quarter. Businesses are already developing plans for the New Year based upon results achieved through September. The rapidly approaching holiday season compresses time; acquisitions, divestitures, financing, and fund raising activities take on a sense of urgency in October—a deal not done by Thanksgiving may not get done until January.
Given all of this, October is naturally a time for leaders to reflect on the year that is slipping past, and to set sights for what is going to come. Contemplative moments are not morbid in October. If things are not well, they can still be improved. If things are well, they can be celebrated and reinforced. October does not easily tolerate spilled milk dispositions.
Which brings me to renewal: If all is not as we hoped and all is not yet lost, then work must be rejoined to bring victory. Standing between the vitality of summer and the bleakness of winter is October, a time to renew commitments, affect change, and establish a better future.
What works for business also works for us individually. October provides us with a setting for reflection and renewal, too.
Spiritually, I find myself to now possess an “October soul,” and I like that. What do I mean by an “October soul?” Age has something to do with it—as I write this I am fifty-nine—and there are fewer days in front of me than behind me. No morbidity here, either. I retain my health, my zest for life, my pursuit of knowledge, my striving to become what God wants me to be, and my desire to be a better husband, father, friend, and leader. In many respects, I am at my peak performance—my life’s experiences have yielded wisdom and scar tissue. I have done good things and bad; smart things and foolish things. In honest reflection I find both wonder and blessing because God has used these things to make my soul prosper, and for that I am very grateful.
In my October soul, reflection yields peace and joy. I know how I will respond to crisis, to trouble, to testing, to hurt, to disappointment, to unfairness, to prosperity, and to times of need. I know how to laugh and how to make, and take, a joke. I know what kind of husband I am. I know what kind of father I am. And over the last fifteen years I have come to know Jesus, my God and King. I am at peace with me.
Because of Jesus, I know what to do when I fall short of being who God wants me to be. In my October soul I allow past regrets to wash over me, but I do not wallow in them. I remember my mistakes and those times where I was much less than I should have been with remorse, but not with continuing indictment. In the words of an old bluegrass song, “I have done my time.” And through God, I have moved on to restoration and healing. I pray for those I have hurt, trusting God to make all things right. In my October soul, good memories comfort me, and hurtful memories merely mark the road I have traveled.
And in my October soul, I look forward to enjoying a harvest. I look forward to helping my family make their own journey through life so that they, too, somewhere in the future, arrive safely in their October souls.
Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie—Mellon University who contracted pancreatic cancer in 2007 and passed away in 2008. His final lecture is available to view on “You Tube.” It is a remarkable lecture, and Randy must have been a remarkable man. Diane Sawyer interviewed him shortly before he died, and in that interview, Randy spoke candidly about his terminal illness and he said something that I found very uplifting. Randy said that inevitably with his passing, his wife and children would find themselves being thrown over a cliff and he would not be there to catch them. Since that was the case, he had decided he would spend his remaining time preparing nets that would catch them when he could not.
In my October soul, I want to prepare nets to protect my wife and children if they fall and I am not there to catch them. My nets will be sown using strong fabric and fiber, and my nets will be filled with the cushioning power of faith, hope, love, and goodness even in the midst of evil. My nets will offer healing, forgiveness, redemption, and an everlasting future because my God has promised those blessings to me and he will give them abundantly to my family.
It’s October—a rare and beautiful month. I pray this October will hold rich blessings for you.
(Excerpted from my manuscript Carry a Godly Briefcase, the Power of God at Work in Your Business)
