Wrong Plane

February 1

Just before takeoff I notice a friend, Edna, taking a seat up front. Once in the air she came back to visit. She asks me why I am going to New York? Surprised I said, "I'm not. This plane is going to Baltimore."
Edna is furious and confrnts and attendant. “We said Baltimore when each passenger boarded.” The flight attendant says sternly.
We can get going so fast that we don't hear the directions for our lives. For a long time I was headed for the wrong gate.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by it. (Matthew 7:13

Late Night Conversation

January 31

I ask my wife how her retreat went.
"Remember how you felt when you had a defining moment?" she said. "Just imagine feeling that for an entire weekend. I didn't want to go home. I didn't know how to leave."

"Were you afraid of leaving God behind?"

"Something like that," she whispers.

“Well you didn’t," I offer, "God is never far away. We just need to stay in touch."

"For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

An Angel Story

January 30

A young lady tells me “ I need to tell you my wheelchair story.” After a few weeks in Florida she sits in an emergency room scared and alone. “Praying softly I hear God say, ‘ I’m sending you an angel.”
She waits. She notices an older man in a wheelchair. They talk and after awhile her name is called to see a doctor. She realizes her fear is gone.. She thanks the man for talking with her and then adds; “I don’t even know your name. I’m Sherry.”
He says, “My name is Angel.”

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matt (21:22)

Ice Storm

January 27

Everything is glare ice. Branches are snapping off the trees like brittle spaghetti. It is still raining so I retreat from the yard and stand under the overhang. There is a large crack followed by a thud. A huge branch falls from the elm and is imbedded into the ground where I had been standing. I stare in disbelief.
Some would say 'thank your lucky stars.’ That is how I felt once, but now I say luck and stars has nothing to do with it.

“The very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:30-31)

Cranston

January 26

For three days, I clearly hear the word Cranston in my head. Why Cranston?

Today, I find behind other books, The Miracle of Lourdes by Ruth Cranston.
I guess I’m suppose to read this book.

The author goes beyond documenting several miracles at the healing pool at Lourdes. She writes, “The one way to peace and bliss, every great prophet has told us, is to give yourself away.” Am I ready to do that? Are you?

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." (Matthew 16:25)

My Nephews Van

January 25

My Nephew is driving alone along Route 20 in Charlton Ma. A tractor-trailer drifts over the centerline and hits his van behind the driver's seat pushing him off the road. The rig crashes head on into the car behind, killing the driver. My Nephew is unhurt. The truck driver is arrested.

In an instant, a life is taken, one spared.

"Watch therefore for you do not know when the master of the house is coming-in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, -lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. What I say to you I say to all, Watch!" (Mark 13:35-36)

City Slicker

January 24

I was a teenager from the city and had never ridden a horse. We walked the horses across a divided roadway onto a trail. After a gentle ride in the woods we turned toward home. My horse took off. I was hanging on for dear life. She bolted across Route 1A, horns blasted, breaks squealed and I screamed.

God's angel directed traffic that day and even provided the mud for a soft landing when I fell off in front of the barn.

"He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways."
(Psalm 91:11)

How does God Keep Tract?

January 22

How insignificant I feel when I think of the vastness of God's creation. How can God have time to care about me with all those stars and galaxies out there to be concerned about?

How does he know my needs and hear all my prayers along with the billions of others
being uttered at the same instant? Then I read Luke's gospel.

"The kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

Water Towers

January 21

Driving the rugged arid parts of Arizona and Colorado, I notice a single pile of rocks on top of a mesa. I learn that these are called "water towers." These rocks tell travelers below that from this point you can see water.

Those Native Americans and pioneers who erected these water towers were truly being neighborly, pointing the way to survival. The water towers are no longer needed but stand as monuments of brotherly love. I need to be a water tower to my neighbors.

" You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 23:39)

Consultant's Nightmare

January 20

The report is not coming together. I can’t find my notes. I pace. I slam draws. My wife softly urges prayer and sleep. At five I am at my desk. My mind is racing. I’m recalling missing details. By seven my bible class prays for God's hand over me. By ten I make my presentation.

The Spirit takes over the meeting. For every question raised an answer is given by a client. The hour ends with applause. Go God.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Some Lines to Ponder

January 19

“Nothing to excess.”(my dad’s line)

“Lust says get, get, get. Love says give, give, give.” (a retired pastor)

“An eye for an eye…and the entire world would be blind.” (Mahatma Gandi)

"When you are going through hell, don't stop there." ... (a businessman)

"If God is your co-pilot--switch seats (bumper sticker)

“God scorns the proud,but gives grace to the humble.”..(Proverbs 3:34)

Find the Right Key

January 18

Normally when my car is unlocked the trunk is unlocked but now the car is unlocked and I can’t get the trunk open, even with a key. The garage owner tries several times-no go. “Take it to a locksmith,” he says.

The next morning I notice a lone key at home. I try it. The trunk opens. For most of my life I was trying the wrong keys to open the meaning of my life. Then I found the one key that stands alone. Who holds the key to your life?

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

You have a Choice

January 17

“He is 18, on drugs, is unemployed and has been arrested for stealing. She is 17, pregnant by him and drinks heavily. Both are school drop outs.”

The speaker, a minister, lecturer, and author, is addressing a men’s retreat. He asks, "You are the parish priest and this couple comes before you wanting to get married. What do you tell them?

After the laughter fades, he says, “That couple was my wife and I twenty three years ago.” His point is we are in life exactly where we have chosen to be.

Life is a result of the choices we make. We can choose to believe or not. It is our choice.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already…”
(John 3:1

In Whose Image

January 16

Genesis says God created man in His image. My wife asks, “Do we see God in our image rather than seeing ourselves in His image?"

I'm sure my perspective is seeing God in my image. That means God has feelings, emotions, thoughts and memories. OK so far. However, holding God in my image would also mean God has limits. That's not good. That is not God.

So how do we see ourselves created in His image? It begins with belief! God created us in His image.

Isaiah. knew in whose image he was created.
"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31)

Amazing Grace

January 15

This is a night that stretches me to the breaking point. I am nodding off when I read:
"Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul." (Proverbs 6:32)
Wham! I lost my soul long ago. I'm doomed.

I read Luke 7. Jesus is eating at a Pharisee's house and an adulterous woman, washes His feet and dries them with her hair. The Pharisee is indignant. Jesus exposes his hypocrisy. Then he says to the woman "Your sins are forgiven."
In one reading I am convicted of the devastating severity of my sins against God. In the next reading I experience the wonders of His amazing grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Traffic Ticket

January 14

"Let me see your license please? You didn't stop for the traffic light back there."

"I was going right on red, no one was coming."

"You didn't come to a complete stop," he corrected.
I'm going to have to give you a citation."

When the Trooper returned he explained I could appeal the ticket, pay the fine or eliminate the points by attending driver improvement classes.
Driving home my wife broke the silence. "Are you going to pay the fine or go to driver improvement classes?" The way she said those last words did it
I took a deep breath and said; "Lord take away these ugly feelings." He did! I paid the fine.

"Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus." (Romans 15:5.)

Internship

January 13

The publisher came into the city room yelling "whose old Plymouth is that out front?" It was my second day as a student intern at the Westerly (RI) Sun. He escorted me downstairs to remove my car.

Later, Abe, the city editor, lead me to the rear of the building. “You park there,” he said; pointing to a large paved area behind the temple. “ If anybody says anything tell them Abe sent you." Abe was my neighbor that day.

A lawyer asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan and asks; "so which do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?
The lawyer says, "He who showed mercy on him.”

"Then Jesus says, 'Go and do likewise." (Luke 10: 36-37)

My Sister's Class

January 12

My sister, fresh from graduate school, began teaching in the high school where I was a senior. I was enrolled in her journalism class. One day she walked into the room just as I was throwing a pear at another student. She took one look at me and said sternly, "Get out!"

I reported to the assistant principle. Without looking up he asked, “Why are you here?”

“My sister threw me out of her class.”

He stopped writing. I was given two weeks detention and I was grounded at home. I gained new respect for all my teachers, including family ones and a greater appreciation for learning.

"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her for she is your life.”(Proverbs 4:13)

Stuck in a Rut

January 11

One night, when I was a boy, my mother told me a simple story. A little frog landed in the middle of a deep tire track in a muddy road. Jump as he might he couldn’t get out. The other frogs headed back to the pond leaving him for the night.

Splash- little frog was back in the pond.

"How did you get out,” the others demanded?

"I just jumped out," said the exuberant little frog, “you see a truck was coming.”

Deborah Deford writes in The Simpler Life, "We get into a rut and all of life takes on the color and texture of old mud. But staying in a rut is a choice.”
I was in a worldly rut for years. Then I saw the truck coming and made the choice to jump free.

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

A Dusty Dog

January 10

One weekend my sister and I took our dog Dusty to a park. Suddenly head down and nose to the ground he followed a trail down an incline. We watched from the top of the hill. A rabbit appeared and hopped up on a large flat rock. Dusty sniffed right by that rock and continued down the hill. When he was a safe distance away, the rabbit darted away.

There have been days and even years when I have been so focused on living my life that I haven't looked around me. Like Dusty, I was too busy with what I was doing at the time to look up and see the prize. I need to stop sniffing out what I seek and pay attention to what God wants for my life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Dinner Conversation

January 9

Joy and I are dining in the home of a minister friend and her guests. A marriage counselor says he worries about couples who say they never fight.

I pipe in with a brief version of a tiff that Joy and I had earlier at home. Joy wisely said for us to pray and God brought love and gentleness to both of us.

Driving home Joy says, "My heart soared when you had the courage to be vulnerable and say what you did at dinner. I love you all the more.”

She could have been embarrassed or angry. Instead she is filled with love and compassion. These are clearly God-given attributes!

"Let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:33)

Trusting the Pilot

January 8

A winter storm is howling at BWI Airport in Baltimore. My flight to Tampa is delayed as crews plow the runways.

Finally it is our turn to take-off. While I pray the plane roars down that snowy runway and up into the swirling storm clouds. The aircraft shutters and shakes until we climb above the storm. It is a smooth flight to Tampa.

When I entered that plane I had totally given up control and put my life in the hands of that pilot.

So why do I struggle giving the controls of my life to the Lord? Why can't I trust God to pilot my life’s journey? After all, who has had more experience?

"Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Homeless with a Bible

January 7

He said his name is Bill Young and he was looking for work and needed some money for breakfast. I handed him a couple of dollars and mentioned softly that he might have a better chance of getting a job if he didn't have alcohol on his breath.

I asked him if he knew Jesus. He took a small Bible from his sack. He turned to Luke 16-19," you read it," he said, handing me his Bible. It is about the rich man and poor Lazarus eating crumbs.

“ The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham." I stopped. "Read the next line," he urged. “The rich man also died, was buried and went to hell and was suffering terribly."

I stood convicted of my arrogance and smugness.

"Judge not that you be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)

Why I Quit Smoking

January 6

At age 14 I started smoking. I felt dizzy and was sick to my stomach but I continued to smoke.
When I was 30 the Government warned tobacco could be harmful to your health. I continued to smoke.
My dad finally quit when his doctor said he had emphysema. I continued to smoke. After some chest pains, I switched to a pipe and decaffeinated coffee. I continued to smoke.

One night, my son Rob, then seven, asked, " Dad can you get heart disease from smoking a pipe?"

I hadn't heeded the other warnings, but when God sent my son, I heard the message. I quit! For good.
Come to think of it, God sent His only son with an important message for all of us. Hear him!

“I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John12:47)

Latch Key Kid

January 5

This year my granddaughters became latch key children. Their mother joins their dad in the work force to make ends meet. A grandson is in day care.

The worry side of me goes wild thinking of what could happen during those few hours after school. Movies like "Home Alone" just add fuel to the what ifs? Their parents say, “The girls are eleven and twelve and they know what to do.”
Then I hear, “Remember when you were ten?” The world was at war and my Mom went to do peace work. After school I returned to an empty house.

I WAS A LATCHKEY CHILD.

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Full Moon

January 4

It is a full moon and a pleasant night to walk around the neighborhood. I muse how the ancients viewed this same moon, fearing it and even worshiping it.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit our planet and have a moon’s-eye- view of earth, took another trip 36 years later. Then 77, Glenn catches the world’s attention on his "flag lap" around earth. Walter Cronkite was back to report the event and the Australians lit up their country for Glenn, as they did in 1962.

From space Glenn says, " Looking at the Earth from this vantage point, looking at this kind of creation and to not believe in God, to me, is impossible."


"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

Leaving Home

January 3

On a walk around my neighborhood, I notice a small boy pulling a little red wagon with a suitcase in it. He starts down the street. As I near the house a man comes out, looks in the direction of the boy.

"Leaving home are we," I ask? The man nods.

That boy is testing his boundaries but what he really wants to know is that his parents still love him.

As a child of God, I have walked away from my heavenly Father. I didn’t get far and I desperately wanted to know that God still loves me.

God tells us all the time that He loves us. We just have to pay attention and listen.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!
His faithful love endures forever."
(Psalm 136:1 NLT)

Flight Delay

January 2

My flight from Hartford to Sarasota is canceled.
I call Joy and she says, "Look around and see who you can help. Go do the Lord's work."

As I hang up the phone I spot a man in a wheelchair looking at his ticket. I wheel him to the next gate.

The agent redoes his ticket and turns to me.

"Oh I'm not on his flight," I tell him, “I‘m going to Florida but my flight to Charlotte was canceled." click, click, click.

"I can get you to Tampa. Will that help?"
Tampa is only an hour away. I arrive home in time for dinner afterall.

" Lord when did I see you a stranger and take you in? Surely I say to you when you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to Me."
(Matthew 25:38-40

New Years Day

January 1

It isn’t a typical start to a New Year.

My wife Joy wants to let God orchestrate this New Year. At Christmas Joy asked that we give Jesus something on His birthday. We realized that meant giving something of ourselves. Lord, I thought, give me the opportunity to share this idea with others.

The day after Christmas the associate pastor of our church called saying,” I was praying for someone to talk on New Years resolutions and how they differ once you become a believer…and your name kept coming to mind.”

What a way to begin a year, in His will.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him.
And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)