Ever since we started the renovations at our place in the country, it has always been a treat to go sit on the back porch and soak in the beauty of the Texas countryside. I can sit out there in the morning and listen to the birds awakening with the dawn and then enjoy the croaking of what must be ten thousand frogs and crickets in the evening. It is peaceful, quiet, and still – the way I long for my heart to be in the midst of the chaos of life. And it is in those quiet moments – when I am "still and know that He is God" – that God speaks to me and calms the storm within. That is what I want to share with you in these posts. I want to share my view from the back porch. Some of my posts will reflect a few of the things I have learned in my journey through life. Some will simply be statements of what I see in our culture and how we as Christians should respond. I teach a Bible study class each week to an extremely eclectic group of adults and some of the posts and videos I share will be taken from those lessons. I have no delusions of profundity but rather I hope to cause you to think, to laugh, to ponder anew your life as Christ would have you live it. Furthermore, I hope this will be a conversation and not just a monologue. I would love to hear your thoughts, hopes, fears and anything else you would feel comfortable sharing with me. It's wonderful to relax here on the back porch enjoying the view, so pour yourself some coffee (or the beverage of your choosing) and let's talk.
Jesus sends us as Christians into the world to be salt and light and ambassadors for the Kingdom. However, He never promised us that our mission would be easy. In fact, He promised us that in this world we will face troubling times. In Matthew 14:22-36 (also Mark 6:43-56 & John 6:16-24) we discover that Jesus sent the disciples into a troubling situation, but He knew where they were and what they were dealing with. If you have ever faced troubling times – times when the waves were beating against your ship of life – times when your legs and feet seemed to give way beneath you – times when your best life-preserving skills simply didn’t help – then you know what it means to truly need the One Who can walk on the troubled waters and the One Who can calm the angry wind and waves. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
In this study we learn that:
We must go where Jesus sends us and do as He commands us knowing that it may be be a bumpy ride.
When we face the storms of life we should know that it may be the obstructionism of Satan or the teaching and testing of God.
We must realize that Jesus sees us in the storm and is waiting for us to see Him – and call to Him.
We must worship Him and respond to Him as the omnipotent ruler of this world.
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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In John, Chapter 6, we find John’s account of the feeding of the 5,000. This is the only of Jesus’ miracles to be recorded in all four gospels. Many have tried to explain it away, but it is most definitely a miracle. All four gospels proclaim it as such and it was accepted as such when it happened.
In the study of this miracle we find the following applications for the living of our lives:
1. Don’t be surprised when God interrupts your plans. 2. If Jesus says, “Do It,” then do it. 3. When you are tested, focus on Jesus, not on the circumstances or details. 4. Look for and join in the opportunity to be involved in something miraculous. 5. Meet the physical needs of people, but always remember that their greatest need is the salvation found only in the Bread of Life.
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
There is so much fear controlling our thoughts, actions, and relationships. And perhaps the greatest nexus of that fear is the corona virus. People run from one pundit to another, from one politician to another, and from one fact-checker to another hoping to find something that will put their minds at ease. Then, when people arrive at a perceived solution, they respond in fear to those who have arrived at a different solution. For example, consider the vaxxers and the anti-vaxxers. One group is fearful that the other group will help sustain the pandemic causing more people to die while one group is fearful that the other group will kill them with masks full of germs or the vaccines themselves. However, it doesn’t ultimately matter what the talking points of each group may be, because the ultimate issue is death.
The central focus of the COVID-19 story has been death. Death rates and daily death counts have been on every news station and the totals of cases and hospitalizations are given as precursors to death. Haven’t you heard the reports that death statistics lag behind case and hospitalization statistics? The only reason for making such a statement is to say, “Death is coming and coming soon.” Well, here’s some news – if you don’t die from COVID, you’re going to die from something else. Ain’t none of us getting out of this thing alive.
Taking precautions against the things that can sicken us or even kill us are good – no one wants to get sick, much less get sick and then die. No argument there. Even God instituted many laws for the Israelites that pertained only to their health and physical well being. We should be mindful to care for the bodies God has given us so that we can serve Him and honor Him more completely. My thoughts here are not about health practices, but perspective.
So whether you choose to vax or not vax, mask or not mask, distance yourself or crowd up at a sporting event, you need to consider this. How you die is not nearly as important as what happens after you die. God has established hell as a place for Satan and his followers. (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4) It’s real. Jesus talked about hell (yes, He believed in hell) in Matthew 10:28. Often we like to refer to “fear” in the Bible as reverence or respect, but here Jesus is saying, “Be afraid – be very afraid.” He goes on to talk about God’s love and care, but the point is made. We need to be afraid of what is truly fearful and trust God for our very lives both now and when we die. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. And for those who would say that He hasn’t done anything yet, I would encourage you to consider 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (NLT) Failure to trust Him should fill us with a sense of impending doom because that is what our future holds without Christ.
I respect your decisions concerning how you will respond to the corona virus. Furthermore, I understand your desire to convince those you love of what you have found to be the best response. But while we’re at it, we should wake up to the real life or death question that we all face. There is a point in time when each of us will die. (Hebrews 9:27) We should take this opportunity to look honestly at that which we fear – death – in order to find peace. And peace can only be found in Jesus. “While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.” (2 Corinthians 5:4 NLT) “ For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (2 Corinthians 15:53-55 NLT) As excited as we were when the hope of a vaccine was declared on the news, how much more should we be excited when the scripture declares that Jesus offers the hope of eternal life? Jesus Himself said, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 HCS)
Is death a reality? Yes. Can we experience victory over death? Yes – in Jesus.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 NAS)
I had a doctors appointment this morning. On October 16 it will have been one year since my prostate cancer surgery. This was to be my one-year appointment. As I walked through the kitchen I saw out of the corner of my eye the glowing colors of dawn. I stepped out on the back porch and watched as the sun slowly crept over the horizon. That is the picture that you see here.
I was filled with a sense of God‘s presence and God’s protection as I prepared to face the doctors report. At all of my three month appointments I received good news – there was no PSA detected and hence, no cancer. Still, there is something unique about that one-year mark. But as ominous as the event itself may have been, I left the house with peace of mind; peace that only God can give and peace confirmed by the striking sunrise He had provided.
The doctor had good news. Still no detectable PSA, still no cancer. Cancer-free is a sweet, sweet phrase. However, a sweeter phrase than that is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Corrie ten Boom once said, “No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.” After today’s experience I can truly say that, even in our darkest moments, He is the light that breaks through the night – the sunrise in the midst of the darkness.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) Sheep need a shepherd. Left on their own they can get into all sorts of problems. Left on their own they are vulnerable to attack. Left on their own they can become hopelessly lost. We are sheep and because God loved us even while we were sinners, he sent us a Shepherd – a Shepherd who was willing to give up His life for His sheep. In this lesson, we will look at our Shepherd, Jesus, who loves us and cares for us and offers us an abundant life. We’ve wandered long enough – now it’s time to return to the fold.
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, September 19, 2021. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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As I was reading Psalm 46 this morning I was reminded of all disasters around the world which appear on my daily newsfeed – floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, droughts – and the list goes on and on. I do not wish to engage in any arguments over what is man-made and what is natural when it comes to disasters. What I saw this morning in Psalm 46 is simply that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, whatever the cause.
We tend to fret and worry over the disasters that may or may not come our way when what we should do is trust God no matter what lies on the horizon. We can perhaps do some things to mitigate the effects of nature’s force but ultimately we must trust God before, during, and after the storm. Verse 10 of Psalm 46 tells us to be still and know that He is God and that He will be exalted in all the earth. If nothing else, surely the magnitude of a hurricane the size of the Gulf of Mexico or an earthquake that rocks the very ground of several states should remind us of how big God is and how small we are in comparison.
So while we in our human impotence try to determine what we should do in the face of disaster, we should first and foremost seek God in his omnipotence and trust him over and above anything that our finite minds can conceive.
1God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. 6The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
11The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 46 (NKJV)
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Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34) In Luke 12:13-34 Jesus teaches those who were following Him about the need to trust Him for everything we need. If we treasure material things, then our full love and attention will be focused there and eventually those things will let us down. If we treasure Him, we will have the material things we need – perhaps not all that we want, but definitely all that we need. And He will never let us down. As Paul says in Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
WHAT DO YOU TREASURE?
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, September 12, 2021. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
It seems that with all the noise going on it’s hard to tell who to believe, who to trust, and what to do with what little knowledge they seem to bring. One health expert gives their opinion based on their experience in their research, but another health expert says just the opposite. One politician tell us what he believes and what his constituents believe is the best course of action and another politician says just the opposite. One scientist gives a report on what is happening and another scientist says just the opposite. One mental health expert explains why people act the way they do and another mental health expert says just the opposite. One sociologist says why people act the way they do and another sociologist says just the opposite.
So who do we believe? Why, the one(s) we agree with the most, of course. No need to balance and reconcile opposing views of others. Quite frankly, we don’t need to even entertain their thoughts. Ridicule them? Yes, but we need not carefully consider them or what they say. After all, their ideas don’t align with what we want to hear.
“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT) When Paul gave this admonition to Timothy he was warning him about false doctrine coming into the church. My concern is that false information is guiding Christians because many believers choose to act relying solely on the knowledge provided by humans (even experts and/or authorities) while ignoring the wisdom of God. There is nothing wrong with seeking advice. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” However, there is something wrong – disastrously wrong – with seeking advice and not seeking God. Psalm 118:8-9 says it this way:
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
May we, as believers, always take refuge in the Lord; always trust His wisdom: always rely on Him for our safety, understanding, and peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3
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