Month: October 2026

 “Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?” Proverbs 6:27-28

I should have been more careful.  I should have known better. I have a long history of cutting firewood and being around the woods.  For the better part of 17 or 18 years, wood was our primary, and sometimes only, source of heat.  It all started back in LaMonte, Missouri and continued when we moved to Cobden, Illinois…in fact, that is where it really became a part of our lives.  We lived in a large Victorian home and our heat was whatever was piled in the driveway.  So, with the help of a very good friend named Gerry, virtually every Saturday we would go and “cut wood.”

As the years went by, I learned a lot about safety in the woods.  I remember the first time I used a chain saw back in LaMonte.  The guys told me to be careful and never pull the saw toward you.  Yeah, well, one of the first things I did was pull the saw toward me (call me a slow learner) and nick my leg.  I learned about how to notch a tree, sharpen a chain and how to load and stack wood.  I learned a lot.  But one thing that I never paid much attention too was poison ivy.  While I never intentionally rolled in it, it seemed for the most part I was one of those lucky people who it didn’t affect.  Well, that all changed one day…not in the woods but in my backyard at 217.

It turns out, I guess, that I was indeed lucky but not in the way that I thought.  I was lucky that it never “got me” and somehow, someway, recently it did.  We were sitting around the other day, and I was wearing shorts.  I noticed on my left leg several (five to be exact) small red dots.  I told Judy, “Look at these bites on my leg.”  They were in random places, and I thought that a mosquito or two had decided to have lunch.  Well, again, I was wrong.

In a very short time it became evident I had somehow, someway, gotten into some poison ivy.  Those five small dots grew into narrow strips of angry, red, raised, skin and it was very apparent that what I thought couldn’t get me…did.  Now as outbreaks go, this one wasn’t very bad but for a guy who never had it, for a guy who thought it wouldn’t, couldn’t get him, it was bad enough. It itched, then itched some more, and then just for fun…itched some more.  I was very glad when this was in the rearview mirror.

The crazy thing is I really don’t know when or where it happened.  We have a little bit in our yard but even though I didn’t think I was allergic, I was also pretty careful.  I hadn’t been in the real woods, but one thing is for sure…I got too close somehow, somewhere. And, because of that I have some pretty unpleasant circumstances.  Maybe I wasn’t careful enough.  Maybe I thought it might get you but not me.  Maybe I didn’t look close enough in the flowerbeds around our yard.  All that really doesn’t matter I suppose.  What does matter is that it got me.  It.Got.Me.

Did you know that sin, those things that God and culture both warn us about, can and will get us?  Did you know that even though we think it will happen to someone else and not us…it can…it will?  Did you know that regardless of how “innocent” we think we might be…the consequences are the same?  Judy always told me about poison ivy.  Being a garden person, she told me, “Leaves of three…let it be.”  I clearly heard her but frankly, since it seemed I couldn’t get it, I just didn’t pay close attention.  Now, oh yes now, I know differently.  We would do well to treat sin the same way.

The Bible, in the Old Testament part, asks a really good question.  In the Book of Proverbs, it asks if a man can hug fire to his chest and not be burned?  Of course, the obvious answer is no, you can’t.  But it turns out the writer isn’t talking about fire…he is talking about sin.  Mess with sin and you are going to get burned and with the burn comes the consequences and with the consequences come misery.  It is true with poison ivy, and it is true with sin.

Well, the bottom line is regardless of my long history with not getting poison ivy, I now have a new history and trust me I am going to be a lot more careful around my three-leaf adversary.  Green and lush or not…it is not my friend…and neither is that thing we often run to…sin.  By the way, if you stumble into poison ivy there are a few things that can help with the itch.  And, if you stumble into sin, well, His grace is more than enough.  Just ask the Heavenly Father and He will be more than willing to help.  You might say, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

 “God has listened; He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God! He has not turned away my prayer or turned His faithful love from me.” Psalm 66:19-20

Hearing ain’t necessarily listening. On one of our post-retirement adventures, my wife Judy and I decided to head over to Branson, Missouri to see the Sights and Sounds production of the Biblical story of Esther. It was amazing—both the story and the production. It was amazing how the production company was able to make it all come alive right before our eyes. It was even more amazing to see how God orchestrated this masterful plan to save His children from certain annihilation. Needless to say, we enjoyed the show very much.

While we were in Branson, Judy wanted to do some shopping, which was quite the mystery since she is not much of a shopper. But the truth was she was a woman on a mission. One of our grandson’s 13th birthday was coming fast and she wanted to get just the right thing for him. We went to a place called Branson Landing which is a great place to look for birthday presents. As it turns out it was also a great place to get lunch. Now that is always something I can get into.

The restaurant we chose was called the Brickyard and offered a great variety of good old comfort food.  But it also offered something else—a great view of the bluffs and river that flowed right outside their building. When the hostess was going to seat us, Judy asked if we could sit by a window.  She heard Judy and sat us right by a window.  The only problem was she sat us in a booth that was taller than her or me (which isn’t saying a lot) so even though the river was right there, and the window was right there—we couldn’t see a thing. Bummer.

Well, I said to Judy what I knew she was thinking—that didn’t work out exactly how we planned it. The hostess heard her, but she didn’t listen to the intent—Judy wanted a see what was outside. “Oh well,” I said, “at least she tried.” End of story—and end of the view.  But then something happened.  The manager of the restaurant came over and asked us, “Would you rather sit at this table in front of the window so you can see the river?” Bingo. You see (no pun intended) he was standing there when she made her request.  He heard it but he also listened and understood what was important.

So, we moved to the table with a view and enjoyed a great meal with a great view and it all happened because someone not only heard but listened.  So how about you? Are you a good listener? Do you only hear words or do you listen to the heart of the message?  It isn’t always easy, but it is always doable. It often means putting aside what you want to say or do next to grasp what is truly being said and trust me—that is a valuable thing—especially to the one speaking.

I’m glad to let you know that God is great at hearing but more importantly He is great at listening. He not only hears the words we speak but He listens to our heart to get the heart of the message. So, let me encourage you to hear, but even more importantly to listen. And, more importantly, let me encourage you to trust that your Heavenly Father is listening and understanding.  And because of that—He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

 “I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” Philippians 4:12-13

 I was content…almost.  Contentment is one of the most allusive things.  One minute you are fat and happy and the next minute you are just fat.  Some small, insignificant thing happens that seems to change everything.  It probably has a lot to do with most of us living in the best country in the world—the United States.  We have more than we need and that is a problem, and that is the problem.  Andy Stanley, a pastor in Atlanta, talks about the fact that most of us have houses with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms and get ready, there is even a house for our car attached to the deal. Amazing.

We once went on a mission trip to the Philippines. We were there to repair some damage caused by an earthquake. Two things amazed me—how beautiful it was and how kind and polite the people were.  On a couple of levels, it did indeed seem like paradise.  You see the island we were on was a vacation destination for many.  It was simply beautiful.  The only problem was we didn’t get to see it.  There simply wasn’t time for a lot of sightseeing because there was a mission to accomplish–a job to finish.

Now I know that probably sounds noble–maybe even spiritual, but the truth is even on the mission field it is hard not to think about–ME.  The “resort” we stayed at really was quite nice–particularly when compared to let’s say sleeping in the sand in Mali, West Africa or on the ground in Uganda, East Africa.  I guess I should have been content–and I was–almost.

When we arrived at the resort, we were given our room assignment.  Judy and I were assigned a single unit.  I must admit I did have the best roommate.  We went to our room, and it was nice–small–but nice. There wasn’t a lot of room to walk and have the luggage on the floor, but it was nice. We pushed the twin beds together and it was just like home–just smaller–a lot smaller.  Then we went to check out the other room assignments.

Well, their rooms were also quite nice.  Each person had two twins pushed together to make a double bed and the room was bigger–a lot bigger.  There was even room for their suitcases to be on the floor and still walk around the bed.  Suddenly, my room (well, our room) felt even smaller.  Suddenly, it didn’t seem quite right.

Now I was content until I saw how the rest fared.  I was content until I saw what big was like and then I wasn’t. Just like that I went from contentment to discontentment. I went from feeling blessed to feeling cheated—all in about two seconds flat. Isn’t it amazing how one minute you can be satisfied and the next you’re not?  There’s a word for that and I think it is close to sin. And the crazy part is it doesn’t just happen on a mission trip to the Philippines–it happens to a lot of folks on any given day.  We are content until we see how the other half lives. I think it is something like the grass is always greener somewhere else.

Paul said something quite amazing in Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Oh, and by the way, when Paul wrote those words, he was sitting in a dark, dank, stinking Roman prison.  Ouch.

I think all of us need to learn Paul’s secret to joy–just be content!  The truth is most of us have it a lot better than 90% of the world! The truth is if we look around, we will find that our Heavenly Father has filled our world with “love notes” that simply yet profoundly say, “Just to say, I love you.”

Whether our world has a healthy dose of bumps or if the sun shines consistently, if it is corona crazy or as smooth as a lake at sunset, we have so many reasons to be thankful…to be content.  Why not take the time today to look around and be thankful for what you have rather than rattled about what you don’t?  After all, hasn’t the Giver proven Himself over and again?  Hasn’t He “shown off” time and again in His lavish grace and love.  Sure, He has.  So, settle back and take a rest.  After all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

 “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:15-16

The thief is striking again.  Without anyone noticing a thief has been stealing from us all.  It happens every day and no one does anything to stop it because they can’t.  Slowly and almost without notice the thief takes from us.  Who is this thief?  It is time itself…the calendar.

The day of the year with the most daylight hours is around June 21st.  It is known as the summer equinox.  On that day the tilt of the earth allows the northern hemisphere to be closest to the sun allowing the maximum number of daylight hours.  On June 21st sunrise occurs at around 5:32 am in our town.  Fourteen hours and forty-six minutes later it sets at 8:19 pm.  From that time forward, slowly, and surely the amount of daylight hours began to recede.

You ask, “How much?”  Well, today the sun will rise at 7:00 am and will set at 6:19 pm.  If you do the math, you will discover that will give us 11 hours and 19 minutes of daylight.  Amazingly you will find that the thief has taken over three hours of daylight from us.  And each passing day he will take another few minutes.  Finally, someday in the near future, we will get up and wonder why it is still dark or why the sun is setting so early.  The answer is the daylight thief. Like sand through an hourglass, he steals away the amount of light we have each day.

I find all this pretty fascinating.  As the days and weeks march by, it reminds us that fall is here.  Before long the leaves will be changing colors and falling to the ground.  Soon our thoughts will turn to cooler temperatures, beautiful mums, and Thanksgiving.  On December 21 the process will all reverse.  We will begin to gain back those precious minutes of daylight, and it will remind us of the promise that spring is on its way.

The amazing part of all of this is how subtly it all happens. It is true of the calendar and the hours of daylight we experience, and it is true of so many small things in our lives.  We take in a few too many calories and before long we wonder why our clothes are tighter.  Humidity?  I mean they do call it the air you can wear.  We miss a few days of exercise and wonder why our energy level suddenly drops.  We miss a few days talking with our Dearest Father and wonder why He feels like a stranger. We miss our time with the Book and find ourselves bumbling our way through life. Sigh.  It is all too familiar and all too predictable.

The secret, I believe, is to be aware.  I have an Apple watch that tells me more than I need or want to know.  One of the things it tells me is the time of sunrise and sunset.  A few days ago, the sun was setting at 7:45 pm and I knew that meant before long it would be setting at 7:00 pm.  Sure enough, it is.  Whether it is exercise or calories or prayer or reading the Book, if we pay attention, we will have fewer surprises and consequences.  I like what Moses said.  He wrote, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”  You know, wisdom to watch what we eat and how much we exercise.  Wisdom to stop and talk to God and read His Book.  Yup…good, good advice.

Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, put it another way in Ephesians 5.  He said we should make the most of every day, not living as someone who is foolish but as someone who is wise.  He goes on to say we should do this because the days are evil—or full of difficulties and challenges.

The fact is if God grants us a full day of life we all get 1440 minutes—no more, no less. The hours of daylight may change, but time has been set for eternity.  1440 opportunities to make the most of life, to get it right.  And, because we are imperfect humans, we can use some of those minutes to talk to our Dearest Father about our warts and failures.  We can snuggle up close as He whispers assurances of love and forgiveness.  We can just rest and know…that He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

 “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

They sliced through the air—four as one.  I was raised in Jacksonville, Florida.  My Daddy worked as a jet engine mechanic at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. It was there by example that he taught me to work hard, to be loyal, and to love America. You see, Jacksonville was the home of three Naval bases, so the military was a big part of our lives. We were raised surrounded by men and women who were serving their country and that played a big part of who I am today. It also partly explains today’s story.

Because Jacksonville was the home to several Naval bases, it probably isn’t a surprise that we regularly had the Navy’s precision flying team, The Blue Angels, when the base where my daddy worked had an open house—which was once a year.  My Daddy made sure we went—and that we learned. One of the things I learned was to love the Blue Angels. Now as an Air Force veteran I love the Thunderbirds, but I have to admit the Blue Angels are my firs love. The speed, power and precision that they fly their massive machines just amazes me. Flying mere inches apart, they are the perfect example of teamwork. But the amazing part is it is not just the pilots who fly the planes—it is every member of the team.  They clearly let it be known that everyone matters—everyone counts. They know and understand that the mission can’t be done without everyone.

On a Saturday and Sunday a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to see the Blue Angels do “their thing” and I was more than amazed. I love aviation, I love airplanes, and I love to see them working together. But do you know what? There is something else that I love more—and that is the family of God. I realize that my pastoring days are in the rearview mirror but that doesn’t taint my love for this thing called the church. Like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, it is amazing what people, and especially God’s people, can do when they come together. 

It is no accident that God calls His kids the “body of Christ.” It is no accident that when Paul wrote about believers coming together, he wrote about, “the body.” It is an amazing thing when we come together not for our glory but His.  It is then that the impossible becomes possible. But I also know and believe this—when we don’t—the impossible remains exactly that. Satan knows this and we had better not forget it. We must not let anything—generations, race, religion, politics or a few dozen other things—come between us. If we do—things will crash.

You see, the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds know this. Unity brings power and success—disunity brings disaster—failure and loss. So, children of God…followers of Christ, let’s lay aside our petty differences and come together and stay together. This is the only way we can see revival in our land. There is nothing more graceful than to see those planes streaking through the sky—four like one—committed to the task at hand—the mission. They have trained for that, and it works.  We must do the same. Let’s trust the Prince of Peace to bring His peace on us as we follow Him. It is there, it is then, that we know, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

 “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.” Ephesians 1:4

I was as surprised as she was.  One of the wonderful things about Key Colony and the Continental Inn happens every day about twelve hours apart. The place where we stayed has a small private sand beach.  Now that doesn’t sound too impressive until you realize that sandy beaches aren’t that common in the Florida Keys.  Most often when you make it to the shore, you find it covered with large rocks.  In fact, that was our first experience many years ago.  The kids were young, and we drove down from Naples where we were staying.  When we arrived, we rushed to the “beach” only to find it covered with large rocks.  Bummer.

At the Inn there is glorious sand and an abundance of clear water.  Both are amazing.  But here is the special part.  The beach faces the east which means every morning there is a beautiful sunrise.  Every day I would go out with a cup of coffee while the water was like glass, and it was still dark.  The fingernail moon would be there offering little light but plenty of beauty and the stars glimmered in the dark night sky.  And slowly, God gave birth to a new and beautiful day.  Every morning, I would say, “This is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.” At that point it was a blank canvas, but I knew the Maker of masterpieces would be painting that day and He works wonders…always.

So, the sun would rise and about twelve hours later it would take its bow and night, a time of rest, would come.  Everything is beautiful in its time.  Now here is the part you must love.  Every evening Judy and I would walk out of the front parking lot, go about 100 yards and there was Sunset Park.  It was a small peninsula where the community had set up benches and built a small pier, and folks gather there to watch the sunset.  Imagine that.   A place where you can watch the sunrise over the water in the morning then walk a short distance and see the sun set…again over water.  It was amazing.

On our second night, something magical happened.  Again, people gather at Sunset Park every evening to watch the sunset. This night however, I noticed, actually almost bumped into, a group of four young people.  I nodded and smiled, and they did the same.  Judy and I found our favorite bench and the group of four chose to stand about fifteen feet from us. They were smiling…as were we.  It was a moment to enjoy…and then it got better.

About that time, I heard laughter of joy and looked over as one of the young men slipped an engagement ring on the left hand of the “one” he had chosen.  It was a total surprise for her and for us.  I don’t know if I have ever experienced this event as a stranger looking on and in, but it was a beautiful moment.  She was laughing and jumping, and they were hugging and celebrating.  Their friends, who were in on the surprise, were beaming from ear to ear.  And all this is happening in a beautiful waterfront setting as God puts His seal of approval on another day.  It was glorious.

When it was time to go, Judy and I walked over and congratulated the young couple and told them it was their lucky day since I was a pastor, and we could seal the deal right then.  I shared about five lines from the traditional ceremony I use, and we all laughed together.  What a wonderful moment.  I think the joy of it all might be summed up in one word…chosen.  You see, the young man chose her to be his.  Out of all the girls in his world…he chose this one to spend his life with.  And…she chose him by saying, “Yes.” 

It is a wonderful thing to be chosen and never is it more beautiful than when we realize that God chose to love us…He chose us to be His bride. In the New Testament letter called Ephesians, we read, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”  How incredible is that?  If we are willing to accept His invitation to be His, like her, our lives will never be the same.  To be loved like that is the greatest of all gifts. God didn’t have to love us…He chose to love us.  We were scarred by sin and brokenness and yet He saw in us beauty.  We weren’t worthy of His love and yet He still extended it and to Him each of us is as beautiful as a bride on her wedding day.

Being chosen is a glorious thing and I hope you have accepted God’s invitation to be His beloved.  Remember, no matter how scarred your life may seem you will always be beautiful in His eyes.  And this marriage, well, it can never go south.  Sadly, many marriages don’t end well, but He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  He will be yours and you will be His…forever.  If you haven’t already, why not accept His proposal today?  He is patiently waiting for you to say, “Yes.”  And, when you do, you will find Someone who will walk by your side no matter what…One who believes in you, One who loves you, and who will whisper security and assurance with six simple words…I’ve got you and no matter what, I’ve got this.  Bro. Dewayne