Never cease to fight!  You must fight to live—an’ so make that fight equally for your mind an’ your soul!  Remember—the secret is never to forget your hold on the past—your memories—an’ through thinkin’ of them to save your mind an’ apply it to all that faces you out there.”
                  –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

       “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.”
                  –2 Corinthians 7:4 (NKJV)
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People who knew me when I was younger knew that I played a little baseball.  No, I played a lot of baseball.  It wasn’t until I was eleven years old that the passion in me grew.  From that time until I was in my twenties most of my focus went to playing ball.  After practice, where I often stayed late for the coach to hit more ground balls to me, I would go to my house where we had a rock foundation.  I would throw almost any kind of ball I could find against those rocks (I preferred a handball, but a tennis ball would suffice).  Over the years I encountered many players better than me, but only a few were as intense as I was.  My playing style would be similar to that of Pete Rose.
    That intensity toward the sport continued on into college where I played four years.  Too bad that I didn’t have the same intensity toward my school work in high school and college.  After graduation I continued to play ball, but since I was in the Air Force it turned to fast pitch softball, and alternative to baseball.  Back in my day there was softball and there was hardball.  I preferred hardball (baseball) but I would accept the substitute.
    Things began to change, and I can point to the spot.  I was working on one of the fields at the Air Force Academy where I was stationed.  There was a voice, it sounded audible to me, and I looked around.  There was no one, but the “voice” asked a question of me:  “Who are you working for?  The Air Force, your sergeant, or Me?”  My life turned around as I read the Scriptures from Colossians.

         “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…  And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
                   –Colossians 3:17,23 (NKJV)

From that point my intensity turned.  It turned to all aspects of my life.  No longer did I strive only for baseball, in fact, it was several years that I was able to pick up a ball again and play.
    Over the years students and administrators have mentioned how intense I was in my classroom.  My focus was on the lesson and the students.  When I went to grad school, I was intense and I graduated with a 4.00; quite a jump from a 2.60 in undergrad.  One time during a lull in practice I had a player ask, “What is the fun in being so intense?”  I stared at them, and said, “That is the fun!”  I was intense, whether as a player, a coach, a teacher in the classroom, or a teacher in Sunday school.
    What I finally saw beginning to happen was that I could only give the idea of being intense over to a few.  Times/students have changed.  My final few years of coaching what I began to see was a glorified intramural team.  They wanted to play, to win, but without the effort of practice; the same was true in the classroom.  I wanted to win for them to succeed more than they did.
    Life–it should be intense.  It is not a time of continual pleasure and entertainment.  There is practice, study, failure, pulling yourself back up and continuing on.  The intensity should be the same in our lives as a Christian.  We do not tip-toe through the tulips of life, but we walk through a garden of thorns and need to be wary.
    Maybe you can feel it, but I am very intense as I write this.  I try to watch the World Series, but I get too intense.  My poor old heart begins to pump, I watch, but can do nothing about it.  Poor old me.
    Have a passion for life, not for fun.  Live for the Lord Jesus Christ!  Be intense for Him!  Read through the Book of Acts, and the writings of Paul and you will clearly see those who were intense for the Lord.

I suppose I’ll always do what I can in my own way to make this a better place to live.  If it means putting myself on the spot from time to time, then I’ll probably do it.”
                –Lou Bradshaw  (Blue)

       “Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.”
                –Isaiah 61:7 (NKJV)
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It’s time we get back into the Psalms.  Vacation is over and I want to thank you for your prayers as we traveled.  Let me tell you that I have missed the Psalms.  We think of David as the giant-killer or a king, but he spent much of his life in the outdoors.  He was a shepherd and a soldier.  At times he was forced to run for his life.  He had to rely upon his own skill, but in the direst of times he went to the Lord.  Today, we look at the first part of Psalm 31 (HCSB).

    1 – Lord, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced.  Save me by Your righteousness.
    2 – Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.  Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.
    3 – For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me because of Your name.
    4 – You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for You are my refuge.
    5 – Into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.

    Have you ever done something downright stupid?  Something that made you hang your head; something where you wanted to find a deep cave and hide?  In those times when we have brought shame down upon ourselves it is sure nice to feel the love of God as He reaches down and puts His arms around us.
    Since we have traveled a few thousand miles I look back at the trip and wonder how the Lord may have been involved.  How many times did He rescue me?  I have asked that question countless times in my life and I believe there will be a day where He shows me the times He has intervened in my life.  That includes the times that I have gotten myself into a mess.  Those times when I’ve cried, “Get me out of this mess,” and the Lord does it.  If you find yourself in that situation turn to Him and begin to honor His name.  He will not let His child, one who bears His name, go down to the pit.
    Run to Him, that in itself shows faith and trust.  Our life should be one of trust, trust, and more trust.  We need to trust Him, not only in times of adversity, but in every aspect of our life.  Guess what?  He knows what He is doing!  Our life should be one of continual trust from the time we first recognize Him until the time of the final trust when we enter eternity.
    Life can be unpleasant.  Life may not seem fair.  Life, because of our poor decisions or the decisions of others, may seem to be a mess.  Don’t despair–God is working.  Things by themselves may not be pleasant, but mixed together the final outcome and process may be good.  Trust!

         “My God!  I love you, not to gain the bliss of your eternal reign,
          Nor to escape the fiery lot reserved for those who love you not.
          But you, my Jesus, on the tree did in your arms encompass me.
          Most loving Jesus, God and King, you are my Source of everything.”
                    –Francis Xavier

    Take time to read these verses then turn to Luke 23:46 and Acts 7:59.

Twilight fell.  The stars came out white and clear.  Night cloaked the valley with dark shadows and the hills with its obscurity.  The blue vault overhead deepened and darkened.  The hunter patrolled his beat, and hours were moments to him.  He heard the low hum of the insects, the murmur of running water, the rustle of the wind.  A coyote cut the keen air with high-keyed, staccato cry.  The owls hooted, with dismal and weird plaint, one to the other.  Then a wolf mourned.  But these sounds only accentuated the loneliness and wildness of the silent night.”
              –Zane Grey  (The Mysterious Rider)

    “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
              –Psalm 23:2-3 (NKJV)
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I was laying on the bed, listening to some of my favorite type of music.  I call it “bordertown,” it is not quite so classy as flamenco and not quite mariachi.  It is a mixture of the two.  Now, I’m talking just the instrumental, no singing.  The same is with blues; I like a good blues guitar, but don’t add singing to it.  
    Then my mind began to stray.  Commotion, loudness, bombastic music – what is it all about?  Go to a restaurant today, the noise and distractions are constant.  There is constant noise, televisions are on throughout the place, music is playing and mostly not the kind I enjoy, especially around a nice dinner.  Why it gets my innards all riled up; hmmm, is it to help the food digest better?  The food may be good, but the atmosphere is surely lacking.  A person can’t hear himself think, much less hear the person across the table. A person has to go to one of those high class, upscale places to have a quiet dinner, but then the explosion comes when you look at the prices.
    Perhaps all the commotion, loudness, and distractions are there to keep us distracted.  The media employs the same tactic.  Cause a fuss, and then the people will forget about the real issues.  What’s the old saying, the squeakiest joints get the grease?  I think many churches employ the same tactic.  Jump, scream, loudness, lights swirling–employ the tactics of the world.  With enough commotion and distraction the people will not realize that they are not being fed properly.  The Word given is a watered down Gospel; it is not filling.  
    I guess it is what the people want:  fast food, plenty of calories but not really healthy, cheap, noisy, and there may even be a place for the kids to play.  Hmmmm, not much different from many churches.  God said that He would send a famine; a famine of not hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11).  People don’t want to hear the Word of God spoken in the churches or in the public square.  That is one reason for us to hide the Word of the Lord in our hearts.  That is a reason why we must study the Bible for ourselves, not just to wait for the preacher of a Sunday morning.
    Let me sit back, by the campfire–some coffee, a piece of bacon, and a biscuit in hand.  Let me reflect on the truth of God’s Word and partake of the nutritious meal He provides for His people.  Let me get still, get quiet before the Lord so I can hear Him speak to me.  
         “Blessed quietness, holy quietness,
          Blest assurance in my soul!
          On the stormy sea, He speaks peace to me,
          And the billows cease to roll.”
                   –Manie P. Ferguson

What turned good men into monsters?”
              –C.J. Petit  (Doc Holt)

    “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.”
              –Jude 10 (NKJV)
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Last Sunday I heard an excellent doctrinal message preached about prayer.  It was part of a series on prayer that the pastor of the church was presented and this one was titled:  “Watch and Pray.”  In the message, he proceeded to tell us that we are not to be ignorant of Satan.

    “No believer will ever be any stronger spiritually than his knowledge and personal assimilation of God’s Word into his head and heart.  The more you know, understand, and obey the Word, the more Christ-like and less world-like you become.”
                   –H. Maurice Lednicky

It’s amazing how that old serpent strikes at the believers, often leaving his mark without us even knowing.  He can be subtle and we can easily be duped by his craftiness.  We must, and I keep saying that over and over, we must be in the Word of God.  There can be no substitute!  You are either of the kingdom of God or you are in the world; there is not this/and, it is either/or.  
    I think it is important that we continually check our worldview and make sure that it is biblical.  Always, we should do that to an extent at communion, but really we should be aware of what is taking place all the time.  For example, Barna reports that of church attending, so-called Christians, that 60% do not believe in Satan as an actual being.  It is only a symbol of evil.  That is totally against what the Bible teaches.  Remember, his main practice is that of deceiving.

    “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD…”
                   –Revelation 12:9 (NKJV, emphasis added)

    Have you ever picked up what looked like a nice, red, juicy apple?  Your mouth is watering as your are ready to chomp down on it.  When you do, you find that there is not sweetness, that it grainy and mushy inside, and upon closer observation a half a worm is discovered.  You have been totally fooled–looks are deceiving.  Satan will lead you astray.  He will tell you a lie, and many times you will grasp hold of it.  Those especially who do not even believe that he exists.
    Look at yourself–world or Bible?  Believe a lie or believe the truth?  Don’t pass it off, where you spend eternity depends on how these questions are answered.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, “If your doctrine is wrong, your life will be wrong.”  That is absolutely true.  People want this and that, but they do not have doctrine to back it up.  Wrong doctrine equals wrong belief and wrong practice.  Know the Word of God–do not be deceived.