Water is such a necessity to live our life upon the earth and it is one of our most precious resources in life. Without water countries experience famine and disease and even war. Acccording to “The Water Project” (a non profit organization that brings clean water to people around the world – http://thewaterproject.org/about_us.asp ) nearly 1 billion people in the world don’t have water. They also state that a child dies every 15 seconds from a lack of clean water. A child will often walk miles every day to collect dirty water to drink. Without water we would all die. Water is also vital to spiritual side of us also. The water of God’s Word causes our lives to be full and vibrant and alive. It’s not hard to tell whose life is saturated with the water of God’s spirit and who isn’t. People who arn’t watered by God in their life tend to have small heart, are very critical and are very negative. They don’t give out in life but they only take in. The promise given to us from Isaiah is that as long as we keep seeking Him – we will be a well-watered garden giving out and helping others. A good test of whether you are a well-watered garden is this – What is in you should be reproduced in your kids. Is your life full of God today? That fullness is contagious to others around you and to your children. Allow the water of God’s Spirit to pour into your life today. You will feel better and others will feel better for having been around you.

My first pastorate was a huge learning curve for me in regards to all types of situations and circumstances of life. Every day was filled with new lessons about people, life and God. One of my first lessons was about God’s ability to restore something out of nothing. It would be a lesson that has lived on in my heart for all these years. The church was small – around 30 people. It had a building but no pastor had ever worked at the church full time. My wife and I decided that we we’re going to step out in faith and give the church 100%. We had a little apartment and we made approximately $60.00 a week (if they had it). I found a room at the church that was used for storage and decided to use it for an office. There was no desk or chair so I began the journey of looking for inexpensive furniture. One of the men in my church let me know that he had an older desk at his house. What he didn’t tell me became the lesson that God wanted me to learn. As I went to his house to pick up the desk – he had me follow him to a storage area about 100 feet from the house in the wooded area surrounding his house. We walked into a chicken pen (that still had chickens) and took me over to the corner where a desk was sitting – and a few chickens we’re on top of it also. It was completely covered with chicken poop – 2-3 inches thick! He looked at me and said – “with a little clean up – this should be a great desk.” I didn’t see what he was seeing. With no options in front of me I took the desk and with the help of a friend began to clean it up and refinish it. As we cleared off the chicken poop and then the two or three layers of paint – we found the most beautiful oak that you can imagine. We sanded it down and put an new coat of stain and varnish on the desk. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful desks that I have ever seen. I have often thought about that desk in regards to dealing with people and their broken and torn down lives. People come to me in the most horrible messes you can imagine. My eyes tell me that there is not a lot of hope but my spirit always reminds me about that desk and how bad off it was. You might feel like you’ve been abandoned by God or you might feel like there is no hope today. The reality is this – God is a God who restores and cleans up our messes. He takes the most terrible things and can turn them into good. He can restore and bring you back to a place that is better then you’ve ever experienced. God loves you so much today!

In any other situation – to be compared to a wild bull or ox would be offensive to us.  But in this setting it is a great compliment and a direct reflection of the power of God in us.  On both sides of this verse – David talks about his enemies and the vicious attacks they made against him.  He spoke with confidence of what would happen to them because of the promises and power of God. David declares in this verse that God also made him strong (very strong) in order to stand up to those who opposed him.  When I think of a bull or an ox I think of stubbornness, strength and resoluteness.  You can feel the connection that David has with God as he states, “How refreshed I am by your power!”  His renewable strength was not from his own doing but from his connection to God almighty.  He was able to look his problems in the eye and stand there resolutely like a stubborn ox.  The harder it got – the stronger he became!  Whatever you might be going through today – stand strong in the power of God’s might.  He will make you like and ox and you will get through whatever situation you might be in.  God is in control all the time!

One of the blessings of getting older (I didn’t say old but older) is that I have the privilege of looking back over the course of my life.  Most of my dreams as a child or as a young man have been fulfilled.  I have traveled to 33 countries and have been friends with some of the most amazing people.  I pastored four wonderful churches that have helped formed and shaped the man I am today.  I am one of the fortunate ones who married the right woman and have watched our daughters marry their “right ones” also.  My grandkids are the delight of my eye and I enjoy spending time with them every week.  But more than that – I am so blessed to have a tight relationship with God.  We talk together every day and I look to Him for guidance upon every part of my life.  I can honestly say as I look back that God has never failed me and He has always been there for me.  Yes, my hair is turning a little gray now and I am slowing down a little but I am so thankful that I serve a God has never and will never forsake me.  I love God with all my heart and am so thankful for the journey that He has brought me on and has carried me through.

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.  Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.”  When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing.  Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.  That’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful, flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life’s work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life.  Remember, God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.  And He’ll always be there to love and guide you on to great things.

One of the most difficult experiences for me was when I had to give the first spanking to my daughter.  We had just moved from sunny California to the cold and damp climate of the Northwest.  The fireplace was an immediate attraction to our oldest daughter crawling around on the living room floor.  She was drawn to the brightness and the warmth of the flames.  At first I would just pick her up and move her to the other room.  It progressed to adding a firm “No” when picking her up.  Eventually I had to swat her hand to get the message across.  The look on her face just about tore me up as she looked up to me with those beautiful eyes as if to say, “How could you do that?”  Discipline is never easy – whether it be for your children or whether you are receiving it from God.  In Isaiah, the story is told of King Hezekiah who went through a certain sickness in his life.  As hard as it was to go through this trial – Hezekiah states that it caused him to walk humbly for the rest of his life and it rescued him from death (probably spiritually).  Perhaps you are going through some sort of trial in your life right now.  You might feel as if everyone has abandoned you and you might feel that God doesn’t love you.  The fact is – He has not left you and loves you very much.  He knows what is best for you and what will help you grow as a Christian.  The disciplines that we receive are all part of His plan to make us be the men and women that God wants us to be!

My first pastorate enabled me to put into practice the many lessons that I had been learning throughout my lifetime.  It is one thing to sit and watch lessons being learned by others – it is quite another to have to work them out in your own life.  As I began the journey of pastoring I soon learned that a church can be filled with all sorts of people from different places in life.  Some we’re easy to love and others, well let’s just say… they made loving very difficult.  Interestingly enough, those that we’re difficult to love have often become my dearest friends as we have had to work through our “issues” and put into the scriptural practice of loving one another.  The admonition in this scripture is that we would “love one another deeply, from the heart.”  This cannot be done in our own strength – it can only be done with the power and help of Jesus Christ who will help us to love others in a deep way.  Two nights ago, I was sitting with 6 men of whom I have made my life very accountable to.  Together, with these men, we make the decisions about the church finances.  While the meeting was going on – a thought came across my heart – “I deeply love and care for each of these men as they have made such an impression on my life.”  I am sure that they feel the same way about me also.  Over the years I have learned the importance of loving others “deeply.”  I have learned about trusting (even when others have proven untrustworthy).  I am still growing of my understanding of a lot of things but I am sure of one thing – I must get this loving thing right because it is the very heart of God.

A young family in our church has a little daughter who has been praying every night for her daddy to be able to work a day shift instead of a night shift.  She has done this night after night for a couple of years.  Last week she looked up at her mom and said, “Mom, why do we keep asking God about this?  He never answers our prayer.”  The mom gently told her that God does hear our prayers and that God, in His timing, would eventually answer their prayers.  So… they prayed again that their daddy would be able to work on the day shift.  Well – God did answer her little prayers last week as her dad was able to get the job she had been praying for.  She looked up at her mom and said, “Wow, God does answer our prayers.”  She will forever remember this moment in her life.  It is easy to forget this simple principle but it is so important to our day by day life.  God wants each of us to come to Him on a daily basis with all our needs – trusting Him to do what needs to be done.  He loves us and wants to hear our voice coming to Him and telling Him how much we love Him.  He wants us to come like a child simply asking Him to take care of us and our daily needs.  Don’t neglect prayer in your life.  It is your daily lifeline.  It is the source of power in your life.  It produces wonderful results.

Go into any bookstore and you will find shelves of self help books and books teaching you how to be successful. Many of these books are fine unto themselves and many offer some wise advice but if you really want advice on being successful – then open up God’s Word. Its advice is timely and its principles are proven. Within its pages are many passages that give insight and wisdom to living and walking on this earth and how to be successful. Hezekiah’s life is an example. To read about his life is to be amazed at the enormous success that he had as king in Israel. Cities we’re built, aqueducts we’re constructed, fortresses we’re established. The Bible even states “that there was much joy in the city” because of the type of king that Hezekiah was. Yes… Hezekiah was very successful but his success didn’t come from his own ingenuity or his own personality – it came from God. It came because Hezekiah sought the Lord “wholeheartedly.” He wasn’t a “Sunday Christian” but was living a life fully unto God. If you want to make your life count for God and want to be successful on this earth then look at Hezekiah’s life – he followed God with his whole heart.. He made God his first priority. He took Him to the office and he brought Him home to his family. He didn’t just talk about his walk with God but he lived it out in daily life and therein lies his success.

As a young boy (over 50 years ago) I was a rather ambitious child.  I got into everything and was more than a handful for my parents.  Left to my own – I would wander off in my own little world causing my parents to go into panic mode.  Back then – they didn’t have these nice child harnesses that I see parents with small children have.  My mom made her own by buying a dog leash and just hooked it to the belt loop on my pants.  One morning my mom came into the kitchen and found me sitting on the refrigerator (I had somehow managed to get out of my crib and somehow found a way to get my little body all the way to the top.)  I carried that energy into my youth and then into my adult years.  I was always going and going – doing and doing.  This went on until I finally hit a wall and had to stop.  I was done physically, spiritually and mentally.  I knew nothing about Sabbaths, sabbatical’s or just resting.  I was forced into a place where I had to retool myself and learn how to live God’s way and not mine.  I had to learn the meaning of “being still” and “resting.”  Perhaps that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do but it has been one of the most important.  I actually like the place where it has brought me – especially in my spiritual walk with God.  I enjoy just “being still” before Him and allowing Him to speak to my soul.  I enjoy not having to go everywhere and do everything.  It has been an adjustment for me but it has been the thing that has revived and saved my life.  I am excited about life again and I am excited about what God has in store for me.