There are quite a few people throughout my life who have made a big impact on who I am – teachers, pastors, friends, family – people far wise than me. I believe all of these wonderful folks were put in my life by God.

This includes the only pastor who ever physically assaulted me. (At least so far.)

Larry Hodge was part of our lives for only a few months, when we attended his church in Aurora IL. This was a particularly difficult time in my life.

I remember Larry as a gentle, loving soul. But he also knew when and how to be tough. One Wednesday night at church (remember Wednesday night church services?), he was giving a message on Philippians 4.

And, honestly, I was in no mood to hear a message about being joyful. I was way too busy wallowing in self-pity and doubt to take in any words of hope. The message simply bounced off my hard head.

My face must have resembled the above grumpy lump of sourdough.

As he continued to teach about rejoicing, he stepped away from the podium and made his way to the pew where I was sitting. When he got to me, he smiled, exclaimed “Be ye glad!”

And poked me in the chest with two fingers.

Hard.

As in “left a mark” hard.

Without skipping a beat, the pastor strolled back to the podium.

This moment – now 26+ years ago – made an impact on me (both spiritually and literally). His message was loud and clear.

Be glad regardless.

Be glad because you have Jesus, a gift greater than any earthly thing.

Refuse to let the world get you down.

Refuse to take the bait of anxiety and self-pity.

Latch onto God Who transcends our circumstances.

The only reason we left Pastor Hodge’s church is because we moved to Minnesota. The 6-hour one-way trek to church was simply unsustainable.

He was in our lives for such a short time. But he made such a difference in my life. When Larry Hodge left this earth five years later, the world lost a wonderful man of God. I can only hope he knows the impact for Christ he made on people. He certainly impacted me.

Are you ready to impact those around you for Jesus? Are you set to love others with grace and truth? Are there any Sourdough Pew Fillers in your life who need the love of Jesus? Today I want to encourage you to encourage those around you with the love of the Lord.

No judgement.

No division.

No preconceived notions.

No assumptions.

Just love in Christ. Just encouragement to keep trusting and following Jesus Christ.

Just that simple.

Thank you Larry Hodge, and all of you who have been – and continue to be – such a blessing to me and my family. Moreover, thanks be to God for putting all of you in my life.

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus – Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

Living in the past. A great title for a toe-tapping, flute driven 1969 hit for the band Jethro Tull.

But not a great way to walk through life.

For some, the past holds accomplishments and glories from much younger years. Successes outgrown. Trophies now irrelevant.

Some hold on tight to nostalgia and sentimentality, lost in the misty fog of bygone days, memories of people and places long gone, never to return, yet yearned for.

For others , the past is painful. It’s filled with painful memories, scars from past traumas, shame and guilt and regret from events or circumstances or mistakes that you just cannot shake. Awful tragedies entirely out of control.

Living in the past is a problem.

It can keep us trapped in a longing for the “good old days”that robs of the joy Jesus offers us today.

It can keep us imprisoned by unforgiveness, regret, anxiety and fear.

Our past can easily rob us of living a full life in Jesus.

This isn’t to say we should never look back on the good things from back then: memories of childhood or family and friends etc. that warm our souls and put a smile on our faces.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be mindful of the lessons learned from mistakes.

What it means is you can’t stay there. The past is gone. As the Grass Roots once sang: sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la live for today.

Be present.

Be here now.

Love those the Lord put in your life now.

If you’ve repented from past sins to God and asked His forgiveness , quit beating yourself up. God’s forgiveness means, in His eyes, your record of sin has been expunged. You are forgiven and free!

If you can’t seem to let go of past hurts, seek help. Don’t continue to believe the lies you tell yourself. Your worth in God’s eyes is so great that His Son Jesus lived and died on the cross for you.

As God said to Isaiah,:

¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.” – Isaiah 43:18 (ESV)

God is in the business of restoration. It is important that we let go of the things that have gone so we can grab hold of Him, moving forward and upward for the prize of Jesus!

Seek first God’s kingdom. Don’t stare at the past. God has an amazing plan for you!

You are loved to an unfathomable depth by God.

Throughout his gospel, the apostle John never refers to himself by name. When he uses the name “John” the reference is to John the Baptist, not John the Apostle.

The apostle refers to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved.” This is not a statement of pride, as it to say the Lord loves him more than the others.

Being the one whom Jesus loved is a declaration of identity. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that, as followers of Christ, we are no longer our own, for we were bought for the price of Jesus shed blood on the cross.

How do you identify? Do you see yourself as all the accusations others make of you? Are the judgements of others the litmus test for you as to your worth? Are you managing to keep up with the Joneses? Do you measure up to others expectations?

John didn’t care about any of that. He knew who he was: a child of the One True God through Jesus Christ.

He knew Who truly loved him.

He trusted and followed Jesus through his long life.

As a follower of Jesus, we are enslaved to sin. We are not trapped in hopelessness. We are not all the things others judge us to be.

Our circumstances do not define us.

God does.

And God says you are loved. He says there is forgiveness and restoration and redemption and grace and mercy available to all who will come to Him in faith.

Our Father wants us to know nothing – NOTHING – can separate us from His love. You cannot fall too far to be out of His reach.

The enemy is a thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy. And he would love to steal our identities and feed us full of lies filled with condemnation and hopelessness and uselessness.

Don’t let him forge your identity. Find the real you in the One Who is Truth – God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grab your Bible and read.

Take a knee and pray.

Trust the Lord and take Him at His Word.

You are loved so far beyond comprehension.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

Consider this: you are the beloved creation of our Heavenly Father God Almighty!

The exclamation point at the end of that sentence is intentional. It isn’t just some religious platitude to say we are God’s children. It is an absolute fact. Psalm 139:13 reminds us that God personally formed each us in our mother’s womb.

None of us is an accident. Nobody is here without reason. Whether we recognize it or not, we are each created with a God ordained purpose, a role in His grand scheme of things.

We have an enemy who wants us distracted. He’d prefer we don’t see ourselves as God does.

He’d rather we were focused on entertainment or career or finances or health.

He wants us too busy for Jesus.

He wants us too wired to rest in the Lord,

He wants too worried to see and trust God.

Anxiety and worry and fear all sprout from the seeds of doubt.

And we know that unwelcome sower all too well.

This enemy is the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the one who comes only to steal, kill and destroy.

Instead of hand wringing, we should hand raising!

Instead of worrying about the cares of this world we should be seeking first God and His kingdom.

Will we have troubles in this world? Oh yes. But God takes our troubles and uses them for our good and His glory. God is not a man that He should lie,. So when He says “Fear not”, then fear not!

When He says “ do not worry”, do not worry!

When He says to cast our cares on Him, cast them!

Notice Philippians 4:5. Rejoicing in the Lord and keeping Him at the center of our lives, giving Him our troubles and being filled with His peace, isn’t extraordinary. It isn’t impossible.

It’s reasonable.

It’s how we should live if we are seeking God in faith and resting in His love. After all, perfect love casts out all fear.

The enemy doesn’t want you to know that. He wants you distracted and tied up in knots.

Just remember: that’s not God’s will for His children. His will is for us to put all our trust, hope and focus in Him.

Fear is just a distraction. Seek God always and don’t buy the lies of the enemy.

You are loved! Again, the exclamation point is intentional.

¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)

It’s easy to view God in abstract terms, trying to drag Him down to our level, thinking we can figure Him out. In he process of attempting to contain and explain the Lord God, we reduce Him to some theological abstraction or uncaring great entity in the sky.

God is not some impersonal deity who could care less about his creation.

Nor was Jesus merely a teacher or example of high moral values.

Do you want to know God? I mean really know Him? He reveals Himself to us in Scripture. Everything we need to know is found in this collection of God-inspired writings.

The Bible is no ordinary religious text. It is living and active, a collection of ancient writings that are as relevant today as they were centuries ago.

This collection contains:

• 66 books
• Written over the span of roughly 1400 years.
• Written down by a variety of people from many walks of life: shepherds, fishermen, military leaders, kings, commoners, wanderers, sinners, prophets, young men, old men, wise men, murderers, a tax collector, a former Pharisee Christian hunter turned believer, a physician, prisoners, prophets, bold teachers, reluctant leaders…
• Written in three ancient languages (Hebrew, Koine Greek and Aramaic).
• These books were written in several different genres, including history, eyewitness testimonies, poetic, prophetic, wisdom literature, letters, biography…
• Carefully curated and preserved to survive to modern day as the most trustworthy and accurate of ancient writings . Consider this from the Institute for Creation Studies:

There is more evidence for the Bible’s authenticity than for any literature of antiquity. Textual analysis begins with historical investigation, beginning with the latest documents and working backward. As evidence develops, the data is evaluated against other sources. The record is then checked for consistency of information, and the claims are analyzed as if it were a legal case, looking for credible testimony with cross-examination. There is an enormous amount of evidence for authenticity of the biblical manuscripts.

The New Testament was written in first century A.D. There are some 25,000 early manuscripts in existence, almost 6,000 of which (many being only recognizable fragments) are Greek texts and the others being early translations of the Greek New Testament. The earliest textual evidence we have was copied not long after the original. In contrast:

• Caesar’s Gallic Wars was written in the first century B.C. There are only 10 manuscripts in existence. The earliest textual evidence we have was copied 1,000 years after the original.
• Aristotle’s Poetics was written in the fourth century B.C. There are only 5 manuscripts in existence. The earliest textual evidence we have was copied 1,400 years after the original.

There are many more writings of the Church Fathers quoting sections of Scripture; we could reconstruct the entire New Testament from their writings alone. There were millions of man-hours spent in cross-checking the manuscripts. There remains only 1 percent of all New Testament words about which questions still exist; no questionable passage contradicts any Bible teaching.

The Old Testament has been more accurately transmitted to us than any other ancient writing of comparable age. The textual evidence is greater for both the Old and New Testaments than any other historically reliable ancient document. The ancient scribes were very meticulous. There were only 1,200 variant readings in A.D. 500.

The Masorites produced an official text in A.D. 500. There are other versions that confirm the accuracy of the Masoritic Text.

• Samaritan Pentateuch: 400 B.C.
• Septuagint Greek: 280 B.C.
• Dead Sea Scrolls: 0 A.D.
• Latin Vulgate: 400 A.D.

The quotations from pre-Christian writing confirm the text. The New Testament accepts the Old Testament as authentic, confirming the traditional authors, quoting from at least 320 different passages, and confirming the supernatural events cited in the Old Testament.

Despite all this, the Bible is an incredibly cohesive whole without contradiction.

That’s an awful lot of work for a disinterested supreme being.

When you examine these facts and read Scripture for what it is – when you notice the writers don’t paint rosey pictures of themselves but rather go to great lengths to reveal their flawed humanity, or that Jesus lived and died in a manner most difficult, most brutal, most unjust, and most unselfishly – it becomes obvious Who God is.

And that He is to be trusted.

Which brings us back to Hebrews 4:14-16. God sent His Son Jesus to restore the relationship we destroyed in the garden.

God loves us. He understands us. And Jesus experienced all that we experience. He understands. He cares. He is approachable. You can go to Him anytime and talk to Him and He will listen.

Trust God. Take Him at His Word.

Just trust Him.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12 [ESV]

mallet [noun] – mal·let ˈmal-ət 

: a hammer usually with a barrel-shaped head: as

a: one with a large head used for driving a tool (as a chisel) or for striking a surface without damaging it. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mallet

A mallet can be a very useful tool.

When tent camping, the right mallet is ideal for driving stakes into the ground:

When preparing a particularly tough cut of beef or pork for cooking, a meat mallet can work wonders to tenderize your steaks or chops:

When trying to get something through my thick-head, God may use a mallet to get my attention.

Now, you may well ask at this point, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

The answer is a simple but firm “Yes”.

It hurts a lot.

The pain is especially sharp when I fight Him, insisting on doing things my own way and refusing the Lord’s direction and correction.

Here’s how I see it:

1. God is sovereign.
2. God is love.
3. God’s intentions for me are for my good.
4. God will leave the rest of the flock behind to pursue me when I stray away.
5. God will do what he has to do to get my attention.

Jonah tried to sail away from the Lord. God let him intimately experience the digestive system of a large fish.

Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He chose the high life of royalty and made some tragically poor life choices. Read Ecclesiastes to see how that all worked for him.

Adam and Eve started the whole sin-and-death ball rolling with one forbidden bite.

Thanks a lot, you two.

Understand this: when God wields a mallet, He knows what He’s doing. He isn’t the one who hurts us. Any wounds I incur are self-inflicted, the result of my bad behavior. However, much like the prodigal son, I can stop, turn, and run back to my Father, with the full confidence that I can seek and receive His full forgiveness, healing and restoration.

Understand this, too: we have an enemy who also wields a mallet (see the meat tenderizing mallet above). But, while God works to draw us back, our enemy – “the accuser of the bretheren” – uses his mallet to malign, confuse, misguide, injure and potentially destroy us. Know the difference. Know whose voice you’re listening to. (Hint: the voice of our Shepherd isn’t filled with hatred or hopelessness.)

When we’re facing troubles, we have two choices:

1. We can trust God through them, growing in our faith and looking for God at work in our lives and the lives of others, or…
2. Wallow in it, hopeless, helpless, beaten and bloodied and bludgeoned by the wrong mallet.

It’s never too late to start seeking GOD above all things. He will get you through your trials in His way and His time. And, as we go through each and every day, we can confidently keep our focused fixed on Jesus, knowing God is in control and works out all things for the good of those who love Him.

¹⁶ As for me, I will call out to God,
and the Lord will deliver me.
¹⁷ During the evening, morning, and noontime
I will lament and moan,
and he will hear me.
¹⁸ He will rescue me and protect me from those who attack me,
even though they greatly outnumber me.
¹⁹ God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them. (Selah)

• Psalm 55:16-19 (ESV)

Good night, dear friends. I pray for you a restful, peaceful night’s sleep. My hope is that you shake off your shackles of fear, of worry, of weakness, of bitterness, of pain, of confusion, of distress, of heartbreak, of lack, of mourning…

I pray you recognize the sovereignty of God our Heavenly Father. I hope you see your worth in God’s eyes – God Who gave His Son as a Perfect Sacrifice to pay for our sin and create a way back to Him.

We can – indeed we are expected to – give the LORD all our troubles.

²² Throw your burden upon the Lord,
and he will sustain you.
He will never allow the godly to be shaken.
²³ But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit.
Violent and deceitful people will not live even half a normal lifespan.
But as for me, I trust in you. – Psalm 55:22-23 (ESV)

Stop for a moment. Consider what’s troubling you. Take that issue and throw it to God.

Then thank the Lord for taking care of you.

Rest in knowledge that He can be trusted to take care of you.

And, when your troubles begin to rear their ugly head again, exclaim aloud, “No! This burden is longer mine. I gave it to the Lord and He will resolve it in His way and His time.”

Then keep on keeping on down God’s path, praising the Lord! Keep your eyes, ears and heart focused upward!

He is great and greatly to be praised!

Jennie and I have been talking lately about our current season of life. I call it a season of fog because it feels like we’re walking through life but we can’t see very far in front of us because of the heavy fog that blankets our view.

The simple truth is we don’t know what lies ahead of us. We don’t know what tomorrow has in store. And it can be very frustrating.

Very frustrating

Especially when we face irrational situations.

Painful situations.

Frightening situations

Unfair situations.

This is why we need to see through eyes of faith in Jesus.

Faith in God our Father.

Faith in our Lord who is sovereign over all.

Who loves us beyond measure.

In Mark 4, Jesus teaches about the different soils where seed is sown. It leapt out at me tonight that the thorny soil, choked by the troubles and cares of this world, is robbed of its ability to take root and grow.

Indeed, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” ( John 10:10 ESV).

If you find yourself walking through a season of fog, take heart! Go to the Lord with your troubles. Trust Him to take care of you. Even when your situation seems confusing.

Painful.

Impossible.

Irrational.

Trust God and walk with trust through the fog.

⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge. – Psalm 62:5-8 (ESV)

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock. – Psalm 27:4-5 (ESV)

David was a man who today would be celebrated by the media as an amazing success story.

He was the lowly slingshot-yielding shepherd boy who slayed the mighty Goliath.

He was the military leader who was forced into hiding by the paranoid King Saul, ascending to the throne after Saul’s death.

He had the hot wife, the royal life… the ultimate rags-to-riches success story.

But David’s legacy isn’t so cut and dry. His story is riddled with troublesome details: poor choices, lust, lies, a murder plot, family dysfunction that these days would make for popular reality or trash talk show TV.

And failure. The crowning achievement of his life should have been building the temple. After all, it was David who brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He designed the temple, chose its location, ran to the hardware store to get the building materials needed.

Yet God wouldn’t allow David to actually build His holy palace. He had shed too much blood.

Despite all his flaws and failures, God never abandoned David. Instead, the Lord corrected him, redeemed him, restored him. Like Moses, who God allowed to see – but not enter – the Promised Land, the Lord prohibited David from building the temple.

But David learned the true worth of this life. He may have been the Eric Clapton of harpists, the ultimate slingshot sharpshooter, the poetic ruler who could have any beautiful roof bathing woman he wanted…

David learned that only one thing matters. None of the trappings of this life satisfy. All we need – all David came to desire – was God.

God is everything. Without Him we have nothing.

We are nothing.

Without God we are consumed by our wants, our lusts, our ambition, our troubles. Life has no true meaning or satisfaction apart from God.

It was true 3000 years ago.

It’s still true today.

Paul was truly correct when he told his protege Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Here’s some Jesus math for all of us.

Your circumstances < the reality of your life.

God > your situation.

You = who your Heavenly Father says you are.

God = sovereignty over everything

God = purpose

God = truth

God = forgiveness

God = restoration

God = hope

God = love

Never mistake condemnation (from others or yourself) as reality

Never believe you have no hope

Never feel no one loves you

Never see yourself as beyond Jesus’ grasp

None of us can fully comprehend the astonishing love of God for each of us. We have to accept it by faith.

Don’t fall for the lie that you are hopeless or unforgivable or unloveable.

Trust God. Take Him at His Word. Rest in Him and know He is your shelter, your redeemer, your source, your hope, your peace.