Praying...for Safety...and for Cemeteries

I pretty much always pray for physical safety before driving anywhere. If with others I pray out loud (or, if with family, one of the family members prays).

A few weeks ago a deeply spiritual passenger didn't quite reprimand me, but said something like, "I don't find anyone praying for safety in the Bible."

I blew it off, though my first thought was "cast ALL your cares upon Him..."

Later I thought his premise was sort of like those who try to justify homosexuality by saying "Jesus never directly referred to it." The response to an idiotic statement like that is, of course, Jesus never referred to a lot of things that we know are wrong.

The "argument from silence" is not valid.

Re homosexuality, or re prayer.

In fact, yesterday Jane, Jacob, and I and Jacob's buddy Nick were coming home from a minivacation. We planned to stop at any antique/flea market thing we saw. I enjoy them, but I prayed, specifically that we would be led to a nice antique shop adjacent to a cemetery (I have a "thing" for old cemeteries).

As providence would have it (or, for the cynic, coincidence) the last place we stopped was...yeah, an antique store right across the street from the Ash Grove (Mo) cemetery.

So my aforementioned passenger can continue to pray, I suppose, only prayers he finds recorded in the Word; I'll just ask our loving Father to bless His undeserving child.

Paying the Piper

After typing the title, I realize I have no idea where that saying came from. Oh well.

After four consecutive weeks of teen camp speaking, in three states, I got home a week ago. 

It was obviously wondrous to be reunited with my wife and son Jacob. It's nice to sleep in my own bed in my own home.

But then I had to go to the office...accumulated snail mail, incoming books, emails pushed aside for answer "later"...those things and more clobbered the reality of paying the price for being gone for a month.

But what a joy to "pay" the price.

After all these years (since 1978) I'm still amazed I get to speak to teens around the country. A few years ago I reached the point where younger campers were...yikes...children of former teens who had camped with me! What is such a young guy like me doing in such an old body???

Like you, the "current events" are not encouraging. From the Bruce Jenner award for "courage," to the tragic death of four Marines, the Iran "deal" (good one for them!), and individual stories of people we know...concentrating on the "news" can be deadly.

So instead we "fix our eyes on Jesus." 

Some would say that's too simplistic.

Color me simple.

He is the only stability in my life. He is the only rock. He has blessed me with life,  a wonderful wife and family, precious friends, and allows me to serve Him as a home missionary.

He is good, all the time; and all the time, He is good.

And He sings to me a song by the Beatles...because, amazingly, He wants to hold my hand!

"For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41.13

Maybe I'm not the only one who needs that reminder?

Speaking of reminders, let's go back to 1964:

You can't just say, "The Bible says..."

Don't you hate it when someone says, "You gotta read this!"

Well.

I'm doing it.

For over a decade I've said homosexuality will be THE issue that God uses to cleanse His church.

I'm not a prophet, nor a son of a prophet, but I just returned from speaking four weeks of teen camp in three states.

From Missouri to Wisconsin to Colorado, I tell you..obviously fueled by the "supreme" court decision; teens and others are baffled, confused, and struggling.

Often they struggle because they have a close friend or relative who is "out." They struggle because some big name "christians" are waffling on the issue. They struggle because their parents are saying, "hey, times change." Some struggle because they struggle with homosexuality themselves.

When and if they ask, "What does the Bible say?" We need to answer authoritatively, bathed in love.

This book will help you do that. Yes, I'll make a penny or so off it if you buy it on the link; and it comes with the Hager guarantee..if you buy it and don't like it, I'll purchase it back from you.

For me it is the best resource out there, and a lot of "big guns" say the same thing.

Buy it. Buy one for your pastor, youth pastor, friend.

It's that good, and it is definitely that important. And it is not going away.