New Years Eve

The first Christmas for Dar and I was quiet and joyful but our first New Years Eve party as newlyweds would be quite different. We didn't have a lot of options for some reason and so we decided to go to a New Years eve party back in Pennsylvania. My sister invited us to a place called "Windfall" in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. My sister lived in this area and so most of the people going to this party were people that she knew. Dar and I really didn't know what to expect but it didn't take long for us to see what was happening as we walked through the door of this big old farmhouse. The house was already full of party goers but these party goers were different. As I looked around the dining room and living room I could see quite a few Bibles. I thought that the hosts might have been super religious but it turned out that these party goers brought their own Bibles. I really felt uncomfortable. There was no beer or alcoholic beverage of any kind anywhere in sight. I thought to myself, it's New Years Eve and I am caught in an old farmhouse with a bunch of holy rollers. I wanted no part of this but I couldn't walk out on my sister. Besides that, it was snowing so bad outside and I probably couldn't get Dar and I back home in a snow storm with our old Plymouth. It was an ambush for sure. It felt like a set up. We were stuck at Windfall on this New Years eve.

I did my best to lay low but was interrupted while eating a cookie by a guy named Ronald MacDonald. No, he wasn't the clown from the food chain. He was a Pastor. He started talking to me about music. He was interested in my stint in Nashville and proceeded to tell me that he played the trumpet. He was real easy to talk to but he and I didn't really have anything in common. After the small talk, He looked me in the eyes and said to me, "Do you know that you are not here by accident tonight?" That was a question that I did not expect and one that I really could not answer. I was kind of paralyzed by it. I couldn't move. I just kind of stood there staring out in space. Pastor Ron then ask me another question. He said, "Davey, did you know that Jesus was coming back and that when He does come back that He is coming back for His people?" He then proceeded to walk away.

So here I am eating this cookie wondering what Ron meant by those questions. I couldn't think about anything else and I was really suspicious about this party. I tried to dismiss the suspicion but it was heavy in my heart. It wouldn't go away. After about a half an hour Ron returned and ask me another question. He said," Davey, if Jesus were to return tonight, do you think that He would be coming back for you?" I promptly responded, "No, Jesus would want nothing to do with me" and Ron proceeded to walk away again and that left me hanging with curiosity. I was so deep in inner thought that I couldn't get into my surroundings. All I could think about was that cry to the Lord that I made in Nashville and wondered if this party was His doing. I didn't know this God though and I couldn't make sense out of anything that was going on.

Pastor Ron returned a third time and ask me one more question. He said, "Davey, would you want to know for sure that you belong to Jesus before you leave here tonight? I felt down deep inside that this incredible moment in time was clearly orchestrated on my behalf. I remember putting my head down and responded quietly to Ron, "Yes, I would".

Dar and I were surrounded by these partygoers right before the New Year Kicked and they began to pray for us. Dar knew more about what was going on than I did. She went to church some in her childhood. I never did. I was ready to explode in anticipation and then it happened.

I fell to my knees and said my own prayer and Jesus filled me with His Spirit and washed me clean. I was literally a new person when I come up out of that. My mind and my emotions were miraculously riveted on Jesus the Christ. I knew for sure now that this was His plan all along. I can still feel the rush of love that filled my being that night. I was a new creation in Christ for sure and I wanted to tell the world about Him and I left that night ready to do just that.

Next up...

Panhandle Power

The Real Prize

I have to admit that I really love everything about sports. There are a lot of reasons why people like sports but there has to be something more to it than the pure pleasure we derive from watching athletes compete. There has to be something in our nature that wants to compete and see victory. Team sports really get us going because the sum of the whole is greater than any individual part. Football is the ultimate team sport. Nobody can be a star without a supporting cast. Each player needs the other for ultimate team success. There is hard work and training involved. There is real blood and sweat shed during a full season of football. There is a price to pay. Sports fans like to watch their sports teams strive for something. It's the closest they can come to being a part of such a thrilling endeavor.

When I first gave my life to the Lord I had the same kind of feelings I had as a super sports fan only with much higher stakes. The game was about your place in eternity and who was going to win the rights to the rest of your life after you die. My original community of believers was a team on a mission. We were heaven bent on conquering and taking enemy territory. We loved the lost even when they would get mad at us. The Lord gave us so much love for people that we were for the most part oblivious to their anger because we knew that they weren't really mad at us. They just didn't know Jesus yet and they knew that something very real happened to us. We weren't phony. We were too stupid to be phony. There wasn't a theologian among us but God was blessing our efforts. We would rejoice when another would come to know Jesus and join our little hit squad. We were impassioned. We were a team.

The Lord is doing this all over the world today. There are teams of believers gaining victories in the kingdom of God but many of us are oblivious to their efforts because their mission is not located in our typical religious settings. The nature of the church of the great commission is a church that is on the go and not on the stay. It's not a church that constantly prods people to come into its brick and mortar domain but a church that goes out into this lost and hurting world and spends time with people. That was how Jesus did it! He competed with the Devil for the lost souls of humanity and won. This wasn't a religious effort. It was His passion to win! He competed for us and won.

I Corintians 9:23-25

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

When I run out of me.....

How many times have you come to your wits end and have to admit to yourself that there is nowhere else to go? We all have knocked ourselves out over something at one time or another. Little children are great illustrations of this. I would often see my kids having fits of frustration when they were growing up. Sometimes pride would let them go a little bit longer before getting to the end of their rope and then the boiling point was reached and their little hearts would explode in anger. They would then come running to mommy or daddy for help. At least they knew where to go for help. As we grow older we do the same things only many of us to do it incognito. We disguise our frustration and don't want anybody to know that we have any. That's not good. In fact it is unhealthy.

I used to know a guy named Joe that wore his emotions and feelings out on his sleeve so that everybody could see them. I actually found him to be refreshing because I knew who he was at all times. He was a real person. He was not a phony. He actually was a very good leader because of this. People could see how he worked his way through things. He did it by calling on others for help. He became very resourceful with what he learned and gladly passed it on to others.

Successful people usually fall into spiritual laws created by God without ever understanding or acknowledging Him. Joe for example, was good at confessing his faults and shortcomings to others. The Bible teaches us in James that this type of openness with each other is a pathway to healing. Joe did this in his life and he received the blessings and benefits of one of God's spiritual laws by confessing his faults to others.

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The human race moves in and out of God's spiritual laws and principals all the time but most are oblivious to the fact that these wonderful blessings are a part of His design. If you are at the end of yourself, that is good. Go to others and enjoy the healing balm of friendship. I have never more realized the value of true friendship than I do right now. James Taylor had a huge hit song called You've got a friend. When I run out of me I often think of the lyrics to this song.

You've Got a Friend
James Taylor

When you're down and troubled And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,And you know where ever I am I'll come running, oh yeah baby to see you again.Winter, spring, summer, or fall, All you have to do is call and Ill be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.You've got a friend.

If the sky above you should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.

You just call out my name and you know where ever I am I'll come running to see you again.Winter, spring, summer or fall All you got to do is call
And Ill be there, yeah, yeah, yeah

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend? People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.Well they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
Ill come running to see you again.

Oh babe, don't you know that,Winter spring summer or fall,Hey now, all you've got to do is call.Lord, Ill be there, yes I will
You've got a friend You've got a friend

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend. Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.You've got a friend.

We have it all backwards

Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we do things backwards and have very poor results. I've noticed throughout the years a subtle strangeness about the methodology we use to identify particular roles that each of us play in varying aspects of our life. The strangeness often occurs when we super impose roles on people . I remember a Little league baseball coach that tried to make me a pitcher. I wasn't a very good pitcher but he wanted to make me a pitcher and so I pitched. The team lost all the time when I pitched. Even as a child I thought that it was dumb to make me a pitcher and I was very discouraged. Now if the coach would have watched me catch ground balls he would have seen that I was a much better infielder. We had other guys that could pitch.

That is a small illustration that when played out in the adult world can be disastrous. God made us what we are. We just need to live out our lives with the talents that he imparted to each of us. Do you think that Paul was born an Apostle? I don't think so because if you study the scriptures you will read that Paul was an enemy of God until the Lord knocked him on his can for persecuting Christians. After that incident Paul was on fire for Christ and spent the rest of his life spreading the good news of the gospel. Paul's identity was later chronicled to be that of an Apostle. The office and ministry of Paul's work was called Apostolic. Paul didn't call it anything. He didn't need a title. He was a man on a mission.

When we read the life of Paul we often mis-intertpret what really happened because we are in such a hurry to put a title on his work so that we can make our own futile attempts to duplicate the process. What we fail to see is the very obvious. Paul did nothing to deserve his calling or the title that we give him as the greatest Apostle. It was what God did to Paul that made him serve in such a mighty way. God blinded him for three days and had his eyes opened in miraculous fashion by Ananias.

Acts 9:17

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

So the Lord knocks Paul on his can, blinds him for three days, and then heals him and we think Paul is great. The works of Paul were great because the Lord needed a great work done and so the Lord orchestrated a powerful conversion to one of His enemies. I use Paul as an example because this is how the church often gets things backwards. We get enamoured with Paul and try to cookie cutter a bunch more like him. We can't do that. That's God's part! We have it all backwards.

Looking Back....

Yesterday
John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it look as though they're here to stay Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me oh, yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away oh, I believe in yesterday

Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

The Beatles wrote this song about living in the past. It is a beautiful song but also very sad because too much time living in the past can hinder you from enjoying life in the present.

As time goes by many of us tend to live in the past. I have been guilty of this many times because my past like yours was full of wonderful adventures. Life does have a way of beating down your enthusiasm as you get older but I think that happens also because we let it happen. We don't make enough adjustments along the way. We let other things take control. America is a tough place to live the christian life because we are moving at a high rate of speed in an effort to accumulate a lot of stuff. That means that we're getting a lot of stuff but don't always have the time to enjoy it. Our lives are often dictated by what we accumulate and what we have to do to maintain it all. This kind of hectic pace usually leads us into reminiscing about the good old days.

I received a birthday card on my 40th birthday that I'll never forget. It went something like this;

When you were 20 you thought you could rule the world
When you were 30 you thought you could change the world
When you hit 40 you begin to wonder, what in the world happened?

The Lord created a natural beauty to life. That's what we witness first as a child and adolescent years. The rest of our life is a movie of how and what we give ourselves to and how those things define us and give us identity. We can partake of God's natural beauty as long as we don't replace the simple things in life with complicated weights that bog us down. I am guilty of this myself. I have so much responsibility at times that it causes me to miss the life giving relationships around me. There are too many people that I haven't spent time with because I'm doing my thing. I miss a valuable expression of life when I avoid those important people that have journeyed with me.

Don't you just admire people that live in simplicity? They seem to have such peace.

David wrote something about that in Psalms 116:5,6.

The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

Why do we lose faith?

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What does that mean? That is the King James version.

The New International Version is a bit easier.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

When we are children we are often promised something from our parents. If my Dad said that he was going to buy me a new baseball glove, I would believe him and just wait for the day that it would come. That was faith brought on by the hope of my father's promise. If your childhood has a lot of disappointments because mom and dad never delivered on their promises then that would cause you to lose faith in them. Grant it, parents are human and cannot always deliver but it really cautions all of us to carefully consider what we promise to others. The Lord created us to be carriers of faith and hope. He wants us to display these virtues in our life.

Nations that do not give their citizens freedom create a faithless atmosphere because the people have very little hope. Their lives are controlled and so they are downcast. The best atmosphere for hope and faith is one that allows us to be free.

Individuals are imprisoned in a different way. There are so many of us that live hopelessly and in fear because we are imprisoned by a life of skepticism. We begin to live a life of self-preservation and find little success in anything we do. We truly need set free from ourselves. God created us to be free and without bondage.

When we are trapped in this kind of disabling fear then the only real way out is Jesus. He is either who He says He is or we might as well finish out our time on earth and return to the dust from which we came. We cannot have real faith and real hope until we are set free from the old life and the old way of thinking.

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free

T.V. Evangelist

I watched a Christian T.V. preacher this morning and I really got an earful and an eyeful. The message was actually a very good one but the messenger looked so angry. He is a beautiful man and has dedicated his life to the Lord but in some ways I felt sorry for him.

I can see why generations x and y would tune him out immediately. He looked so intense and his veins were popping up in his neck because he was so impassioned by his message. The sad part for me is that this man's messaging seems to be for another time and for a passing generation. I actually empathized with him because I know that the way I used to do things doesn't necessarily resonate with the new generations. It's hard to recognize this at first but it happens with every generation as it matures.

We really need to take a step back and look at what we are doing and how we are representing the Lord in the media. I remember years ago when I had an opportunity to sing on local Christian TV. I couldn't do it because the camera's and production change you into something else. I was an entertainer but I didn't think that my songs were about entertaining and I just couldn't do the T.V. thing. It was unsettling because it seemed like a cool idea that I was rejecting.

This has been part of my dilemma all along. I have not been able to embrace all the hoopla displayed in ministry. I did some of those things and tried to enter in but there was something missing. It seemed to be all about the presentation and very little about the Lord. We use His name. We create media programs and huge stage productions in His name but I have this strange and eery feeling that we are doing it without His blessing. I know that He blesses some of it because He loves us all and He has more grace for us than I can fathom but I'm sure that He is grieved and even angered by all of our self-promotion.

Jesus didn't deliver the Gospel message this way. He spent time with people. He had conversations with them. He taught them with stories called parables . That was His way. It kind of makes you wonder about what we are doing.

Economic Balance

Money and finances can cause a lot of confusion in a believer's life. In America where we are so so self made and always seeking advancement this can affect our walk with Jesus. The Bible has a lot to say about the economics of our life as well as the spritual. Here's some verses in Proverbs 30: 8,9 that always helped me to keep an economic balance in life.

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

You can actually determine where you are right now by reading those verses. Do you have so much stuff that it causes you to drift away from the lord?

Are you so needy that you are tempted to take shortcuts to get what you need? It doesn't have to be stealing. It could be tax evasion or use of illegal loopholes etc.

You can have some stuff if the stuff doesn't have you!

A New Beginning

The Beatles had a hit song in 1970 called The Long and Winding Road. When I was working at the Bonanza Steak House in Nashville, I would play that song on the juke box and think about my girl back home. Her name was Darlene and she lived on 49 Hill which was located near a small town north of Wheeling, West Virginia. The drive to the top of that hill was just like the Beatle song said, a very long and winding road. I couldn't wait to see her and I'll never forget that first visit. We sat out on her back porch and kept touching each other on the face. We didn't even talk that much at first. We were so happy to see each other. I left there that night knowing that I loved her and that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. I soon ask her to marry me. Dar's response went something like this, "I'm not sure that I can live with you but I don't think that I can live without you." That was close enough to a yes for me and so we were married on June 12, 1971 at a little country church in Beech Bottom, West Virginia. That was a wonderful new beginning. I had a goal. It wasn't all about me anymore. I wanted to make Dar a good life. This was better than any rockin' roll that I ever played. I didn't regret my decision about Nashville. So Dar and I set out to make a life together in the panhandle of West Virginia. I remember our first apartment in the little town of Follansbee. We had three pieces of furniture. We had a reel to reel tape recorder, a guitar and a mattress. We were set for life!

I started working at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in Follansbee. I worked all three shifts and was glad to have a job. I still enjoyed playing music and writing songs. There was a definite shift in my songwriting. I started writing songs about Jesus. I knew nothing about Jesus other than a little bit of television that I watched as a kid. I remember Dar asking me why I was writing songs about Jesus. I really didn't have an answer. There wasn't a strong lyrical content about Jesus but a lot of references to Him in my music.

Here's the beginning verse of one of the songs that I wrote back then.

Turn the pages of my book. Look it over. Take a good look.
It's the story of a man who crossed this land just to see what he could find in our own mankind.

This was very unlike any of my previous songs. They were lighter and simpler. I felt a growing curiosity in my heart whenever I would pick up the guitar. It wasn't about entertaining somebody or getting ready for a gig. It became very personal. It was a soul searching experience. I could care less if anybody was around to hear me. I wanted to write what was in my heart and I wanted to keep it kind of private. Most of my friends wanted to hear my old stuff anyway.

I remember Dar and I sitting beside the Christmas Tree on our first Christmas that year. I proposed a toast to Jesus on His birthday. Dar and I clanged our beer glasses and downed one for the King, not knowing that within one week we would have an encounter with Him.

Next up

New Years Eve Party

Muppets and Puppets....

In the beginning God made a puppet and he called the first puppet Adam. God saw that Adam was lonely and so he made the Eve puppet. This creation story is different from the one you normally hear about in the Bible. This one has strings attached. Yeah, God pulls all the strings in this creation and so Adam and Eve are really a couple of nobody's unless God decides to move their mouths and bodies. What a lunatic existence. It looks kind of real when He pulls all the strings but when He is done, Adam and Eve just fall limp onto the ground. I don't think I like this version. Some christians think this is how it works though. They think God will just pull the right strings when He wants something done through us and if he doesn't then it isn't God's will.

This kind of thinking causes a lot of problems. It's the kind of thinking that results from an improper view of God. God is not a control freak. He enjoys giving His creation freedom. He knows the joy of freedom. Parents wouldn't get much fulfillment out of having muppets or puppets as children. We want the real thing. We want the ones that scream all nite but give you big hugs when you rescue them. We like the type that fill their diapers with the real deal. We love to take them places when they get older and do things with them. We like to watch them grow and start to make their own choices. We see them learn from those choices and we see their personalites develop and hopefully a philosophy of life as God intended.

Our God even gave us the freedom to reject Him. Why did he do that anyway? That sounds like a bad move on His part. The reason is the same reason that we want real human beings for children and not a bunch of dumb muppets and puppets. We enjoy our kids freedom. We are created in His image and so we should understand why He does what He does. He wants us to choose Him because that is real love.

The more you get to know how God really works the easier it is to understand where we are today. Do you really think God wants us to kill each other or do you think that the murder idea was our thing? Did you want your kids to egg the neighbors house on halloween or do you think that they might have pre-meditated that sneak attack. Our life is free and that's the way God wants it but freedom is not without responsibility and that's why our decision making is so critical. Our life is a story about all that we have sowed and reaped through the decisions we have made.

All things considered, be glad that your not a puppet. Although, I really used to like Gomer.

Jesus, are you there?

I have been a busy guy over the years. I have been doin' lots of church stuff but always feeling some kind of void. I really thought that all the activity that I was involved in would be pleasing to the Lord and that somehow I was paying him back. I've always felt indebted to the Lord because He rescued me from a life that was going nowhere. Wrapped around all this activity was emptiness. It wasn't the same. The passion was gone and I was running on fumes. Everything good and right about God seemed to happen in my past. Thoughts about Jesus were constantly in my mind but His real presence didn't seem to be there. If I wasn't doing enough church stuff then I would up the ante and do more. I wanted God's approval of my effort but I really never seemed to hear from Him.

Over the past 10 years I came to the brilliant conclusion that it couldn't be God screwing this up. It had to be me. That's a heavy load considering He is God and I am me. I started thinking about it more seriously over the past 5 years and I began to notice something. I began to see the wonderful life that I experienced with Jesus was being replaced with all this religious activity and the substitutes were failing miserably. I thought that God had called me to the ministry but as I read the Bible I see that God has called all of us to the ministry. So why are we all acting this way. I can't speak for anybody else about these issues and I probably shouldn't try because everyone has to come to their own conclusions but I felt that I had to get to the bottom of this whole charade.

I noticed that when I attended churches that the language and conversations of the people was very different from the way we all talked about our christian life in the past. The conversations in church seemed to revolve around the Pastors message or things like how beautiful the atrium looked on Sunday. There were a variety of topics but very rarely was the conversation about Jesus. Don't misunderstand me. There were some but He wasn't the focal point. I found myself drifting into the same pattern and my life was empty. I missed Jesus. I missed talking about Him. I missed the everyday testimonies about Him that I used to hear. I missed His joy.

I soon decided that I needed to eliminate all the substitutes and get back to Him. I can't believe the baggage that I have accumulated. Bear with me, I'm still shedding some of that now. Anyway, I found myself asking, "Jesus are you there?" The first time I sincerely approached Him in desparation, He responded with His amazing overwhelming grace and love. I know that He hasn't changed and so I'm going back for a second helping.

The Compartment Complex.....

I understand the rationale behind compartmentalization. The Merriam dictionary definition of the word compartmentalize means to isolate into certain categories. Some things are good in compartments. The computer allows you to save things in folders and e-mail box compartments. Storage compartments are good for food and clothing etc. I have a tackle box with all kinds of little compartments for fishing gear. The problem comes when we try to compartmentalize people or God. People are far too complex. People are moving targets, ever growing and changing.

The whole idea behind having compartments means that you can keep things in them and get them out when you need them. I have noticed over the years that Sunday morning church has evolved into a compartment. A lot of folks view Sunday services and maybe a Bible study during the week as their God and church compartment. The rest of the week is more for work and play and other things in life. Did you ever wonder how we would behave if there were no Sunday Church services? Where would all the God stuff go?

God on the other hand is much bigger than the notions contrived by man. We like to establish patterns that we can manage but that is not trusting God at all. If you look at the early church in the book of Acts you will not see any of this compartmentalization. Every day was God's day in the life of the believer. We have put people to sleep spiritually by giving them duties to fulfill as a substitute for walking daily with God and the leading of His Spirit. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us when he left this earth. He said that we wouldn't be alone. We can ignore that promise and teaching or we can embrace it as a loving commandment.

John 14:15

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans

The beauty of Jesus is that He is everywhere all the time in the person of the Holy Spirit. We may not be seeing Him in our everyday life because we have already placed him in a compartment somewhere. I've lived in both camps. I have lived a life of religion and compartmentalization and I have lived on the move and have experienced the leading of His Spirit. In many ways, not growing up in a church environment made it easier for me to trust God and His leading in the very beginning of my Christian life. I had never learned how to box God into a Sunday morning. I learned all that later.

It's a hard pill to swallow for a lot of folks but the x and y generations for the most part do not like or participate in our tradition. They are interested in knowing more about Jesus but they see traditional church as way too political and unfriendly. Most of us do not see it that way but that is the perception. Research has proven it statistically that the American church is losing ground. A good book to read on this matter is George Barna's Revolution.

There are shifts and changes in the church throughout history. There is one taking place in America right now. Some see it and some don't but it is happening. We need to break out of our compartment complex so that we can see our life with Jesus every day.

I walked away...

What was I thinking? I went home after the recording session and I felt like I was cut in two. I was so happy to see my family and friends and yet I had a heavy heart. Tubert wanted me to go home and see my family. He was a good guy. There was something about him that made me feel secure. He wanted me to have a good Nashville experience and he wanted me to share it with everbody back home. Little did he know that he would never see me again. I had a box full of demo records to hand out to everybody. My picture was on the cover and so it was a great autograph piece.

I was having so many second thoughts. Down deep inside I knew that I was never going back. Something else was stirring in me. I was restless and unsure of the music world. I never really saw myself as a solo artist. I loved my band and I missed them. I loved my girl back home and I wanted to be with her. A couple of months went by and everybody seemed a bit edgy on why I hadn't yet returned to Nashville. I couldn't hold back my feelings anymore and told them that I was not going back. There was a stunning silence from a few but for the most part nobody really said anymore about my decision. I kept getting letters in the mail from Mega records about scheduled appearances that I was to make to promote my record. I never replied and then the final letter came one day. They released me because of my breach of contract. I was done.

It was over and I was saddened by it some as well as relieved. I didn't know if I had made the right decision. The unrest in my heart still lingered. Something was unfinished. Something that I could not explain. Life was full of uncertainty now because I just walked away from a lifelong dream. I had many quiet moments and would sometimes sense a presence as if something or someone was trying to speak to me.

Next up......

A New Beginning

Surprise!

I had a wonderful day on Saturday. In the morning I did some writing and worked into mid-afternoon on Ebay. My wife had just cut me some fresh ice cold watermelon and brought it to my desk and so I obliged and ate every bit of it. About an hour later she called me down stairs and said that my neighbor Greg wanted to talk to me and that he was out on the back deck. I went out on the deck and made a quick turn towards my drive way and lo and behold it wasn't Greg at all. It was about 20 of my dearest friends and family. They were there to surprise me on my 60th birthday and they surely did that and more.

Most all of these folks had journeyed with me at some point in time over the last 30 years. They were there along side me and were my companions in pursuit of God's will. All of them are precious and I treasure the heritage that we share together. Time and circumstances have a way of interrupting those friendships but they will always remain.

One guest that came was named Glenn. He played bass guitar in my band many years ago and he brought his guitar along with him. That turned the party into a sing along of old rockin roll music and a whole lot of Beatle music. What I enjoyed most about the party was the opportunity it gave me to spend a little bit of time with everybody.

My wife, God love her, did all the planning and was a bit stressed out trying to make it all work. My birthday is really a week away and so doing the party the week before really came as a surprise. My daughter and son-law were there and helping out. My little girl has grown up to be a very beautiful, intelligent and passionate young woman. My son-in law is the best thing that ever happened to her because I know that he loves her and will take care of her. He is a terrific young man.

I guess that in closing here, I am going to state the obvious. I'm feeling grateful and so I'm going to end in gratitude. When I look at life I can see God's hand in everything. I see birthday parties as celebrations that God wants us to have. He created friendship. He knew what friends would mean to us. Friends are gifts of love from Him. It was a part of His design. He loves when we love each other and lay down our life for each other. He uses friendship as a vehicle of healing, restoring, and encouragement.

For one beautiful summer night, I was able to connect with many of the friends He gave me. I love Him for that and I know that many of you will challenge me on this but God gave me the best friends and family in the whole wide world.

Road Trip.......

It's hot in the Burgh! We are now in the dog days of summer. I just got back from a Sports Card convention in Cleveland and so I haven't posted for a couple of days. I sell sports cards on Ebay and so I had to make the trip to re-stock for the fall.

I was able to have some quiet time with the Lord while away. After my morning prayer time I had a very otherly kind of spirit. I felt like reaching out and embracing the world. The one thing that I purposed to do was enjoy the people at the convention. Sports Card buffs are a lot of fun. Their is usually some childhood reason that so many grown men are still collecting sports cards. I know that my Dad would spend time with me looking at baseball cards and so it's a hobby that often brings back memories.

I met a fellow named Craig from Knoxville, Tennessee. I met Sam from Vancouver, Canada. These two fellows had great stories about baseball and their Dads. When you look at life and see what we have been permitted to create and enjoy then you have to be grateful to our Lord. He is rarely acknowledged in the things we enjoy and yet He has given us complete freedom to grow and create whatever we choose. This liberty that we have is the greatest indicator of his vast love for mankind. He wants us to live un-inhibited and free yet He is ever longing for our love and acknowledgement.

His love for us has to be the sole reason that the world is still in existence. Our behavior before Him would more than justify the destruction of this planet. So yes, for God so loved the world. Why else would He permit us to go on?

Back at ya soon......

Identity Theft-Do you know who you are?

Identity theft is a growing problem in the states right now and it's an even bigger problem in the Body of Christ. Countless Christians are wandering around without knowing who they are. I have been in that situation before and it is puzzling to say the least. There are times in our walk with the Lord that we are clear on our role and purpose. There are other times that all of that becomes very fuzzy. We like to live the life of me and Jesus. It's private and manageable and we have control. That kind of life style suits us often but is a dangerous path.

We really don't know who we are all by ourself. We are clearly defined by the folks around us. If there are very few around you then your purpose and fulfillment in life can drop dramatically. Sometimes there is a desire to avoid people because they cause so many problems. I know this because I have been known to cause a few myself but that's what you get when you become family.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1. 1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

When we are saved we are "Baptized by one Spirit into one body". That means that you are saved into something much bigger than "me and Jesus". You are a part of a whole. You cannot function alone. A severed finger lying on the sidwalk is a pretty gruesome sight. Members of our physical body need to be connected and that also applies to the Body of Christ.

2. Revelations 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Some day the one who ridicules and blames us before God will be cast down but until then he and his army are out to steal our real identity. Many Christians don't acknowledge the battle and become easy pickins'. Our identity in Christ empowers us to do the things that Jesus does.