Like Father Like Son

My buddy Mike Ellis is a great guy.  I did a cold weather shelter gig with him last night where he brings in these cats that don’t have a place to stay and when it is cold, Mike gets  them to his church and gets them fed, clothed, listens to some music, a message, then a movie.  Now, you may know Mike through his blog or twitter…..but I know the real Mike.  It is because we are buddies.  I know the real deal, flame shirt, got kicked out of a church for putting stuff in the men’s room, shorts, flip flops, bald head, big as a bouncer, knows every sly comment in the book sort of guy.  When he is in front of people, he is in his prime.  A man who loves life and people and his family.

Last night I saw his young son Devon serving homeless people.  He was so happy.  Just like his dad.  A chip off of the old block.  I saw something else.  As I was teaching these folks, about 40 of them and about 20 helpers from Mike’s church, I gave an invitation.  It was for salvation…..a gift just at Christmas ……. just like Jesus would have wanted.  I also asked for those that needed to get right with God….to do it…

I saw Mike raise his hand, with 17 other people who wanted to get right with God.  Mike wants to be closer to God…..just like me.  And I saw his son…looking up at Dad…..seeing dad want to be closer with the Lord…..and I saw Devon raise his hand too…… like father….like son. 

I could not help but think about how much Mike means to his son…..and how much his son means to Mike.  That is the way Jesus is with the Father……and with us.  As we share our lives with Jesus Christ….we become sons of God.  It is a gift.  Want to get right with God?  Just do it today.  Need help…email me and I will chat or call you…….just like my dad would do…and still does at 83….or so.   

louie

 

A Day Late And A Dollar Short

You ever been a day late and a dollar short…..Joseph, Mary and Jesus were! 

Joseph was headed to Bethlehem to register for one of those Roman head counts.  He had in tow….a young pregnant teenager, some historians put her at about 13.   He was not married to her, rather just “engaged” and he was looking for a place to stay.  He got into town and there was…. no room at the inn.    No Vacancy!  This is recorded in Luke 2.   He was a day late and a dollar short.  You ever been there?  Family, society or maybe even the church turn their back on you.  Happened here too!

A young family, not married, pregnant, having to stay in a stable.  Stables were usually hewn into rock and had cow crud, sheep crud …. maybe some pee in there too….. just a stinky place to be.  That is where Jesus was born.  That is where he wants to be today.  Stinky places. 

Jesus wants in the stinky places of our lives.  He wants to get into the places that…..well, no one else wants to get into.  I mean, we ask….how are you doing, how is it going….but we really do not want to know…..we want superficial, if we are honest…..we do not want to get into the dirty places….  But Jesus does.

Jesus wants in those dirty areas of our lives.  He wants to get in there and change things.   The real question is…..do you have room at your inn for Jesus?  You see,…he wants in our lives.  He desires to change our lives.  But…do we have room for him?  Any vacancy in our lives for Jesus?  He has room for us.  John 14 says that his father has a house with many rooms and that he goes to get it ready for us.  We do not have to be a day late and a dollar short.  Jesus has it covered for us.

louie

 

Life Is Like Coontie

Yes, Coontie.  It is a palm but my mom and dad always called them a coontie fern.  The plant is a wonderful hearty green plant.  Great for landscaping.  It has beautiful bright orange seeds that you can plant that produces the fern or palm……but they take so darn long to grow….. years to make a mature plant.

I had an opportunity to be with a really good old friend tonight.  Had not really sat and talked with him for many years.  We worked together for 20 years and sort of drifted apart.  He always was and still is a successful professional.  We shared for over 2 hours.  Just sweet.

He told me of a time, more than 15 years ago when I had bugged him to come to a bible study.  It never worked out for us to go together but he told me tonight that because of my planting the seed with him…sharing it with him so very long ago,…..that he reads his bible every day.  A coontie seed planted.

Scripture says that we plant and that God makes the changes.  (and this is a cool scripture..check out how it says it) 

Life is like coontie.  It is a process.  Maybe a long process that God is working out in our lives.  This relationship with God takes time.  Give it time.  Once it starts growing…..it is beautiful.  Coontie Life.  cool

louie

 

The Tide…It Is A Changing

I was at a children’s church play tonight with my friend George.  A guy that loves God and our country.  We lamented about how our country seems to be turning from God.  Just like the people of Israel did over and over.  Congress, politicians, right, left, black, white….it does not matter.  The tide is a changing. 

I get home tonight and see the article about a boy who drew a crucifix and got in trouble.  It is like when my young son took his plastic cowboy gun and holster, cowboy hat, boots, the whole 9….it was dress up day at preschool and he wanted to be a cowboy.  Clinical nurse there thought his parents must be violent and twisted.  Guess we are…..both pastors and my wife runs the school…  the tide is a changing.

So this boy gets in trouble and has to be evaluated because of such a heinous drawing.  Look. This is real.  We have got to pray for each other.  For our country.  For our leaders.  We are not doing so well.  OK, if the kid took a kitchen butcher knife or a 44 mag,…. ok…put him in the pad room and be careful.  But a drawing of Jesus on the cross at Christmas time?  God help us. 

this is the link if you want to read the story. 

louie

 

Santa Clause Can Now Come

I milked one of those artificial Walmart, have the lights already on it, Christmas trees for about 10 years.  My wife balked and it went out this year…in the trash.  I thought we could keep it for another year.  But, as usual, she wins.  However, we will be gone the bulk of the Christmas holiday.  So we decided that we could go without a tree, lights, all the decorations that go with it.  At least this year.  Now, this is fine for me and my wife,….really ok with the 12 and 15 year old.  They understand the rationale of being gone and not back until January 4….then having to take everything down, all the fuss…… Santa Clause is out of the bag……  But then my little 4 year old is not quite as understanding….  and he is still looking for Santa.

One of my co-workers found out about this and bought a tree,..ostensibly for my office….but she carried it out to my truck and had me take it home yesterday.  I went home early, set the tree up, plugged it in…..fiber optic, blinking lights…solid white, red balls on it….   Then my little boy came home.  He was blow the top off exuberant.  He said Santa Clause can now come to our house.  Santa Clause can now come to our house….because daddy put up a tree.

I could not help but think what things at my house ,….that my family saw,….not just a tree, that represented barriers to not just Santa Clause, but also,…well, Jesus, to love, to access to their dad, to belongingness, to self-worth….  I began to think about my attitudes, my words, my actions, my judgements, ….. my personality or demeanor…. that may….truthfully, at times, limit stuff in my life and my family’s life.

So, this tree is sort of helping me understand just how important I am in what I represent at our home.  Santa Clause can come now….hopefully a whole lot more too!

louie

 

Moving On

The neighbors across the street moved.  I know this because of the big U-Haul truck that has been in the driveway for a few days now.  And when I got home tonight….the house was vacant. 

I never really got to know them even though I have been here 4 years now.  They kept to themselves and sort of rebuffed several attempts by us to communicate.  Maybe you have someone like this too….  we would say hello and they would turn their heads and not speak.  So, after a while…we gave up.  (See how I sort of blame them for the lack of relationship?) 

Well, they are gone.  Husband, wife and 2 year old daughter.  I never got to really get to know them.  It is really my fault and not theirs.  I had been prompted by the Holy Spirit to invite them to come over to our pool during the summer and swim and do some hamburgers.  But I didn’t even though I saw them watching us swim and have a good time with other friends.  I had been prompted by the Holy Spirit to get something  for the newborn child 2 years ago, which would obviously melt any mom’s heart.  But I didn’t even though they mentioned to me they saw we adopted a young boy.  I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to just go over and introduce my family to them….but the longer I procrastinated…the easier it got to procrastinate. 

Now, they have moved on.  Bo and April….gone.  And I disobeyed urgings from the Holy Spirit.  Now I am not gripped with guilt about this…..just disappointed in myself for letting an obvious call from the Holy Spirit go to waste. 

So, tonight, I called a buddy of mine that the Holy Spirit had been saying to encourage.  I don’t know how much good it did or not.  That is not for me to judge.  So, the reason for this post?  Before someone is  “moving on” in your life….and if  you are like me in any way….maybe not jumping on it to share just  your life with them….maybe give it a try….before they….move on.

louie

 

Growing Up Too Soon

That is what I think of when I see a scene like this.  Growing up too soon.

Sometimes kids just are thrust into life too soon.  The loss is too deep, the pain to hard, the harsh reality of life just too much.  A young son without a dad is never a good thing.  Nothing can take the place of a dad. 

I have a great dad.  Ray Mercer.  Just as good as gold.  He taught me how to be a dad.  Humble, smart, loving, good husband, good person, solid christian, fun to be with, great cook.  Never saw someone who he would not help.  That is my dad.  I am still far from all of this….but in progress.

I have a picture of him in my office.  People come in and look at it.  Those that have served in the military are immediately drawn to the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge.   But we never knew about that.  These medals were found upstairs, in a sock  drawer by one of my siblings one day.  Dad got these in Germany.  He was…….. just a boy…. grew up too quick…. like many of those that made our country.

James 1:2 says to count it all joy when we fall into many trials (some versions say adversity)…..it brings maturity.   I never really thought about it this way.  The young boy in the photo above….he will mature…. my dad did in the trials/adversity in WWII in Germany.  I am proud of my dad.

louie

 

Refrigerator Magnets

We have these refrigerator magnets at our house that are little pieces of wood with a magnet on the back of them.  My wife is the director at the pre-school at our church.  She is always bringing home these things that kids can manipulate.  These specific ones are different colors and different shapes.  Yellow, red, green, orange and they are square, round, triangular, curved and rectangular.

I would come home each day and see these in a different shape on the refrigerator.  A different creation each day.  They are really near the floor and the shapes formed by this hodge podge of colors and different size blocks has been amazing.  I asked my wife ……..and she said she has not been doing them.  I asked my 15 and 12 year old daughters and they said they had not.  That left my 4 year old son.  But I just could not believe that he….that a little child, …. could be making these shapes with these odd blocks on the refrigerator.

So I asked  him……   I think he had been waiting for someone to notice.  He told me he had been making the “things” and offered to show me.  And show me he did.  I was awestruck at some little shapes and forms that he brought together as houses, men, animals, forts, buildings, …..  all from little blocks with magnets on them.  How could he have thought of all of this?  How could he ever visualize this in his little mind?

Or is it my little mind?

Isaiah 55:8 says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”  You see; it is my mind that could not comprehend all the different things that can be created with a little time and attention. 

So I thought…. if I limit what I think my son can do…. how much do I limit what God can actually do in my life?  The real answer is ….. I limit a lot of what God can do in my life.  Refrigerator magnets, a 4 year old and God.  Who would have ever thought.

louie

 

Can/Should You Forgive?

This is a video from my buddy Mike Ellis, he gives the appropriate credit to  Kevin Martineau and Desperate Pastor. 

I could say an awful lot about this but will save it for a teaching.  Few words are necessary.  Take a look.   This will  be an upcoming Swervechurch topic.  This is from the notebook of  the young woman that inspired the words at the end of the video.  Here is her story.   

louie

 

Stage 4 Melanoma…The Boogie Man

 

The Boogie Man…..that person under the bed…..that thing that will eat you alive….that bad thing that will dismember you……      I have never seen it but I am sure it is deadly.  That is what melanoma is and especially Stage 4…where it has spread from the skin, through the lymph nodes into organs.  The Boogie Man.

I have never seen melanoma……I was a motor cop for over 14 years  (22 years in the job total) and in the sun in Daytona Beach, on the beach on a motorcycle as well as all over the city in a short-sleeved shirt in my early life….before sun screen was known as necessary. 

A very close and good friend has stage 4 melanoma.  I do not know what it looks like but it looks in my mind….. like the boogie man.  This guy is one of the strongest men in the Lord I have ever met.  Full of faith, full of love and a prophet….so much so that when he speaks….I can actually see in my mind what he is saying. 

He told me today that God will heal him.  I was sick one time.  The doctors thought I had leukemia.  I just could not see myself as being dead.  My wife and I prayed about it,….they got into my bone marrow and my liver and ….. well, I did not have it.  My friend does have this advanced stage of melanoma.  He does not see himself as dead….nor does his wife….and I don’t either.

You want something today to be grateful about…..be glad you are not in my friend’s predicament…..  He said his steps are being ordered of the Lord.  I believe him.  On this Monday….curse melonama in my friend in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  Join us today in believing with him that he is healed through the stripes of Jesus. 

Oh,…. You are too by the way….  Saved, healed, delivered….Just complete. 

Tell me about it.

louie