He prayed for me

He Prayed for Me

In the garden of Gethsemane He prayed. He prayed with such intensity that blood dripped from his forehead,. He prayed that our Father would ‘take the cup’ from him. It was not to be. In order for Kenton to be saved from evil and sure eternal damnation Jesus had to suffer greatly at the hands of evil. He would not be allowed to fight back. Jesus would have to submit to the punishment of demon controlled people. Jesus would have to go to the cross for me willingly to remove satan’s power over humanity. Jesus had the power to destroy all his enemies, but to regain the power over death and Hell that Adam had given away so freely…. to silence the accuser, He had to submit Himself as a spotless sacrifice. He even healed one of the men that came to take Him back to the Sanhedrin for the destruction of His flesh, so that they could so that they could spill the blood that would have the power to wash away my sins.

          How can we crucify Jesus over and over in our selfish lives by choosing the ways of the world of death instead of walking in the light. How can someone choose to satisfy a fleshly desire instead of the love of their family and God? Why does the greedy man hold on to things when so many are starving and suffering? Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to live in us to guide our spirit and our flesh to God’s will. He created us for Himself.

          There is an old song that says, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.” Jesus suffered, died a sinners death, and was resurrected so that I can face tomorrow.  Because He lives, I can live in the light of his Truth, in the knowledge that I am one with Him and on some tomorrow He will present me blameless before my creator. Not because I lived a blameless life, but because His blood washes me clean and makes me righteous. I refuse to recrucify Jesus by following the the world, my flesh. I choose to follow Him, to love Him, no matter how narrow the path gets or steep the grade. God has blessed me so much. I pray that somehow I may be a blessing to Him. I love you and I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful walk. If you aren’t, then maybe you should check your heart and ask Jesus to wash all the filth from it that can accumulate  from this life.

Romans 12:2

Granddaddy Doss' teaching on love

Granddaddy Doss’ teaching on Love

          The greatest sermons are the ones that we "see" lived out by someone important in our life. As a teenage boy, I was spending the summer at my mother's parents. The Grandfather clock chimed its news that it had for us as I turned down the hallway toward the bathroom.  I saw the bathroom door swing open and was about to turn my eyes away when I realized that both of them were in their pajamas. Bath time, I would soon realize, was an ordeal as my Grandmother Doss was stricken with osteoporosis and the disease had nearly immobilized her. I saw my Grandfather lean his seventy  plus year old body over and scoop the little lady up in his arms before I could offer to help. He had her night gown on her, and Frances, although small in stature, was delivering her bedtime orders as usual. She was chattering away, “now Bonnie, you make sure those apple fritters get covered up and set in the oven and wipe that table good and see to it that ……” He winked at me as they came through the doorway. He laughed his funny sideways laugh, “Yes, yes, yes, Frances, I will take care of it.” He had a way of picking at her and she would just shake her finger and out would come his sideways laugh again. That laugh of his would really ‘stir her soup’ and they would go back and forth talking until he got the covers pulled up just like she wanted. Then she would send him to tidy her kitchen. Then, regular as the sun setting, he would sit at the table in the middle of the little kitchen and have a glass of buttermilk and cornbread stirred to just the right consistency. Grandma would call him to come to bed and he would only stop to brush his teeth on the way. I could hear his prayers drifting through the house. I pictured him in my mind, on his knees, beside his bed as I had witnessed many times.  

          To this day, seeing my elderly grandfather carry his bride out of that bathroom was and is the greatest act of love I had ever witnessed. It spoke volumes of the commitment and unwavering dedication that he demonstrated daily. He labored with a smile because he was glad to serve as his Lord and his circumstances required. I never heard him complain about anything, save possibly the crooked politician or a weak preacher who wouldn’t stand up for God's Word. He studied his bible daily. Pastors and Sunday school teachers could be found occasionally in their living room testing the soundness of their doctrine with Brother Doss. He planted a bigger garden than we thought he should, every spring with a push plow. Grapevines, chickens, cows and horse apple trees made their homes there too. On the back porch there were mason jars and old cans full of all kinds of things from leather shoe laces to straightened nails. Nothing was wasted and everything had its place. Be careful, because there is not a rail around the back porch. If you make your way down to the root cellar you would find lots of sweet potatoes laid on the cool red clay steps that were hand cut out of the earth and mason jars filled with wonderfully tasty fruits and vegetables.

          As a teenager, I thought he was crazy for not selling his little 9 acre farm in the middle of bustling Lawrenceville, Georgia. The fancily attired real estate agents would dramatically set the grand figures in front of him and I would dream about all the boats and lake houses and toys that I could buy. Grandma would refill the tea glasses as he politely said “no thank you” for the umpteenth time. What I realize now, that I was blind to at the time, is that you can’t buy that kind of life with money. The kind of life they had has to be sweated out and prayed for and worked through to the finish, in love.

          It took many years to sink in, but in watching their life I have come to realize a few things about love. Love does not sell itself short to the world nor can it be exchanged for currency. Love does not allow you to put your own wants in front of another's needs. Love does not flatter with empty compliments that make you think too much of yourself. Love never accepts disobedience, but disciplines in kindness and truth to circumcise the uncircumcised heart. Love finishes the job no matter how hot it is. Love will carry you through to the end. Love of Jesus is the most important thing that there is. I saw my grandparents walk out all of these principles and many more. I did not appreciate the fullness of their faith and love at the time, but now I see what a privilege it was to have such Godly people guiding my heart through the way they lived.
      I surely do miss standing on Granddaddy’s back porch listening to the chickens fuss and the cow’s lowing. I can smell the fresh cut grass and see the red clay patches here and there in the drive that swung around the house. I’d give anything to draw a bucket of that cool clear water out of the old well. I look forward to seeing my grandparents again when the Lord calls me home. I now appreciate who they were and would love to sit down with them and just talk a while at that little kitchen table. Maybe Grandma would make us a batch of apple fritters to give our hands something to hold while we talked. I will call my cousins in from all around and just listen to the funny things they did to get through the "depression" or watch again as Grandaddy dares my poor cousin to take one bite as he himself chews on a home grown hot pepper. I can still hear my cousin squealing as he lunged for the sink faucet and Grandaddy smiling, "What's the matter with you?" Yes David, I still enjoy laughing at that precious memory still so real for all of us.

God bless us all. Kenton

Baseball baseball baseball

         It really stinks to get older. That is how I feel about it.....STINKS. After being at the ballfield all evening watching my nine year old play ball, I realize that my hips hurt from sitting in an ill designed walmart chair. You know the kind, when you sit down the sides of the seat fold up against your booty and squeeze the blood out of your hips while the front of the seat feels like it has cut into the bottom of my legs to the point that I may require a physician.
       So... our team lost the game and my nine year old is blubbering ... sobbing about the call at first base on his last hit..... "His foot was NOT on the bag when he caught the ball!" More blubbering and sobbing... Yadda yadda yaddda. "Man up, Bigboy" I said, as I limped to my truck because the circulation in my legs wasn't circulating. I'm telling him to "man up" while I'm thinking about a cushy $100 folding chair that I saw a while back at a sports store... at the time I thought,"That's an old man chair". Now I am thinking I want to be more comfortable as I WATCH him play hard. What's next....Preparation H, Dentures, blood pressure meds, some whippersnapper yelling at me to watch where I am going?
        I guess things could be worse... some new ballpark friends from Louisville told my wife they found a dead body six miles from their house... black woman that had beaten to death with a brick. Now that is bad day. I've never been rich, but you must be mighty poor when your only choice of weapon is a brick. That has to be a lot of work..... horrible to think about. How do you pray for someone who would bludgeon someone to death with a brick? We have to love everybody... I just wish it was easier to like most of them. I gotta quit this whining... maybe I need some testosterone... what am i thinking? Of course I need some ..... I'm blogging for heaven's sake!!

Say your prayers... love Jesus and bless your enemies so they won't be enemies anymore

Dunamis ... True Power

True Power

          What is power? Merriam-Webster defines power as the ability or right to control people or things. Kings, presidents, generals, industry moguls, dictators are among the people brought to mind when we speak of power. These are people who control money, fame, and have influence over masses of people. What we often don't realize, is that power in the physical world is temporary. A presidents term of office expires, industry moguls often lose their wealth or are displaced by another. Kings and dictators being overthrown and destroyed are commonplace in history. A thug with a gun has temporary power over his or her victim. An entertainer has whatever power his or her fans give them at a given moment in time.

          Many people chase after some form of power their entire lives only to realize when they have attained the position or power they sought, that they are holding nothing more than an empty cup. How many actors or musicians have overdosed trying to numb the pain of realizing how empty their lives are. How many people who put their trust in money have taken their own lives after a stock market crash? How many thugs are killed on the street or spend their life in prison chasing after easy money.

          True power is not temporary, but is everlasting. There is only one true power, and that power created the world as we know it. True power is setting the sun to bed at night or making a tiny seed into a giant tree. True power is parting the sea so that your loved ones have safe passage. True power uses a little shepherd boy to bring down a mighty warrior using only a sling simultaneously bringing a nation of people to its knees. True power commands lightning with only a word. True power brings ordinary men out of a furnace of fire to change the heart of a King forever. True power directs the butterflies on their migration and feeds the sparrow on its way. True power heals the scrape on a child's knee. True power is available to you.

          It is really quite simple. To obtain true power you join forces with the one who yields true power. Why would the one who has this “true power”, want to join forces with you? That is the simple part. The one who created this earth, who makes the wind blow and babies smell new, is the same one that created you. He is the great I am, the God of Abraham, He is Jehovah. God loves his creation, you, so much that He sent His son in the form of a man to suffer and die as a sacrifice for your sins and the sins of your fathers and mothers. Why would this great God want to share anything with you? He desires a relationship with you and He wants to live in you, to put his spirit in you so that you may experience His love and know His mercy for eternity.

          We don't live long, do we? The power of healing, creativity, mercy, love, wealth and great strength is available to anyone who accepts Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice that washes away sin. That person becomes new with Him as lord of their life.

          Every choice you make affects your life. How do you truly feel about the choices you have made? Are you sure of your future tomorrow,,, next week.... next year... twenty years from now, eternity? How would you feel if you knew that your future was in the loving and protecting hands of God? How would you like to have God's Holy Spirit in you, guiding you? How would you like to have a hedge of protection around you and your loved ones?

          We rely on the Word of God to reveal God's plan and promises for our life. The Holy spirit in us guides us using God's Word. We seek God and Jesus through the Word. How can you claim to love Jesus or the Father and rarely read your Bible? The Word of God is complete for instruction and just to become familiar with our God by discovering who he is by how he reacts to people's actions and how He responds in different situations. If you were in love with a person and considering them for marriage then you would certainly want to know them intimately by discovering their likes and dislikes. Do they keep their promises? Can I trust this person? What makes my new love happy? If you truly love God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit then you will seek them in the Word, the Holy Bible and prayer.

         

          God's Power: He created all. He can do more than we can even imagine. Through faith you can have the power that is God's made available to you.

 

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 8 helpful votes

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV / 3 helpful votes

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

          Jesus is the Way: The early church referred to itself as 'The Way' which meant that the only way to God and his gifts was through accepting Jesus as Lord of your life and recognizing His shed blood as the final sacrifice for your sins through His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb.

John 14

New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

          Faith: For the Spirit of God to manifest as physical power and healing in your life the you must believe in Him and not doubt.

James 1:6-7

New International Version (NIV)

6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Matthew 8:5-10

New International Version (NIV)

The Faith of the Centurion

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

          Love: God is love. The word Christian means “Christ-like”. He calls us to do all things in love. If you have not love then you will have nothing.

          Matthew 22:35-41

New International Version (NIV)

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have  loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you  love one another.”

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

          Power for the Believer: Because of God's Word we now know that through the love of God and living a life of faith we have the power of God available to us through Jesus. You must first ask Jesus to save you from your sinful nature. Then you must retrain your mind and body to the nature of Christ. That is to love and encourage.

 Romans 12:2

Amplified Bible (AMP)

2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]

Mark 11:24

New King James Version (NKJV)

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

          Salvation:  The act of being saved from sin or evil. Evil brings curses into your life and robs you of joy, peace and power. Even saved Christians often leave a door open into their life for satan and his demons by not following the will of God, by negative talk or behavior. By returning to their “old ways” of the flesh and not pursuing Christ's way, we leave a place for satan to regain a  stronghold for evil in our life. Romans 12:2 We are in spiritual battle!

          Romans 10

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]

What do you want from life?

What do you want from life?

What do you want from life? That was the question I asked my daughter who was trying to decide what her college major should be. An immediate answer is not necessary, but it will affect the rest of her life. That simple question weighed heavy in my spirit. I realized after all these years as an introverted woodworker, dreamer and artist, I had never asked myself that simple question.

          So, what do I want from life? My mind at first goes to travel and riches..... but that would be in the end, an empty life. Oh, there would be pictures and keepsakes to jog the mind to recall a place or time where a good time was had, but in the end it would seem fairly fruitless. Power and wealth ....no,no,no.... that conjures images of cruel and heartless persons that no one really wants to be around but we are because of their status and connections.

          I began seriously contemplating what is important to me. You see, after over four decades on this revolving ball, I realized life had unfolded over the years and in a way it feels like I have just been along for the ride, despite that I have been self employed and seemingly, in control,  most of my adult life. If I had a go at life again from the age of the bright eyed girl in front of me, what would I want from life? What is important to me?

           Is money important to me? I truly have never had a love of money. For me money is an object. I have to have it to live and provide for my family. I've never held a desire to accumulate it, although I often have wished that I was more determined in that area. Power is distasteful to me. I picture a politician or corporate big shot making deals by talking out of both sides of their mouths with empty promises that play on some persons weak dreams and then laughing about it over golf and  exspensive whiskey. What do I desire?

          What do I desire? I love to be loved. I want to be appreciated. I want to be told that I did a good job. I want my wife to still have a desire to “make out” with me in the car when we are fifty. I want my children to think I am Superman, at least for a while. I want to make a positive difference in a fatherless child's life. I want to be wise. I want to be a good best friend. I want to be funny. I want my God to smile when He comes across my name in His Book of Life. I want people to enjoy the things I make. I truly love to make things. I enjoy building furniture, pottery, oil painting, making useful things from junk, chicken coops, glass casting; just about anything that you do with your hands that you pour all of one's self into.....that is what I love to do.

          Before I pass from this world I want to learn how to surf. I don't have to be in an exotic place, but I hear Costa Rica is a great place to learn! I want to go to Italy and put my hands on Michelangelo's statue of Moses. I want to see and run the tips of my fingers across the chisel marks that I'm almost sure that I will find in out of the way places. At least I hope I will find them and be assured that even one of the greatest of artists was human too. Surely he tired of polishing and had deadlines to meet and bills to pay as I have. I want to stroll along two thousand year old streets and see some Roman architecture. I want to see Mt. Zion where Jesus ascended into heaven in front of his closest friends. I want to stand in front of Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' for hours. I want to go to Amsterdam and laugh away a week of afternoons in the cafes with good friends.

          As wonderful as all that is, I wouldn't miss my seeing my son pitch a middle school baseball game to experience it. I wouldn't miss my daughter cheering or dancing to walk that ancient cobblestone road. I coached my youngest son in his first football game in real pads today. I wouldn't trade seeing that competitive sneer and afterwards that smile on his face for anything. So it seems that for all my wants, in the end, I want to be with the people I love, that love me. I wonder if that is how God feels? After all, we are his children. I believe that God loves to walk with us every day, cheering us on in our struggles and even giving us a little help to climb that mountain or finish that report. I know I enjoy Him.

Peachey

Peachey

          I didn’t remember Peachey very well. My elderly friend recounted the event for me. “You remember,” he insisted, “when Phil (my father in law) fell on the river bank and cut his arm, she helped you with him!” While I remembered that accident and frying fish afterwards with our small group, I couldn’t remember Peachey. That was the name he used for the apparently sixty something lady that helped us up that river bank several years ago. Peachey had noticed my bad case of psoriasis and my friend said that she regularly asked about me. I was almost in tears when he told me that Peachey prayed for me regularly and wanted to know how my condition was!

Caring is a gift from God that has to be nurtured. It is a selfless act that considers others needs before your own. I found myself ashamed that I do not recall Ms. Peachey, but I thank God for all those like her who He has put in my life. I thank God for those who pray for me, for those who God sends ahead of me to prepare the path he has for me. I pray that God will teach me to remember others needs and that He will give me the strength to be a loving servant.

I told my friend that my skin condition was much better. God had given me a wonderful physician who was able to find a medicine that worked for me. But I earnestly requested that Peachey never remove me from her prayer list and that I would add her to mine. I still don’t know or remember Peachey’s face but I do look forward to one day hugging her neck and enjoying the company of a true sister in Christ and a friend that I didn’t even know that I had.

Kenton