Sundae School

Have you ever tried NOT to think of something? Aggravating how it just keeps popping into your head, isn't it? Today for some reason, hot fudge sundaes popped into my head. (And yes, I'm on a diet, but I'm ALWAYS on a diet and haven't had ice cream in years.)

No matter how I tried, I found myself thinking about ice cream - vanilla ice cream - bathed in warm chocolate syrup and filling a cup to almost overflowing. My aunt and uncle used to own a Dairy Queen, so I'm no stranger to them. But in order to divert attention from the need for a sundae, I decided to see how they came to be.

What I found was that they were developed to break the law.

Around the turn of the century, "Blue Laws" were in place across much of the US. These were laws that governed what a person could not do on Sunday. They ranged from inconvenient to onerous. In some places, children's swings had to be tied up. In others, only books of a religious nature could be read. And in Virginia, soda drinks could not be consumed on the Sabbath.

One store owner grew weary of lost sales and decided to do something about it. He could serve ice cream, but not sodas, so he developed the idea of pouring hot fudge over ice cream. He was so tickled with himself and his creation, he named it the "Sunday", but changed the name when locals claimed it sacrilegious - so he changed it - to Sundae.

It reminded me again about when Jesus was confronted about Sabbath breaking.

Matthew 12:7 (Msg)
If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this.

Friends, following Jesus on the Journey is a lot less about following rules and a lot more about following Jesus closely. Just give God your heart, mind and soul, and dedicate everyday to making Him smile.

Now about that sundae......... :)

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Feedback

What do you think of when you hear the word "feedback"?

If you're a musician, you immediately relate to that high pitched and annoying squeal that results from the sound recording or playing device being placed too near the speakers.

If you are in marketing, or some other discipline that involves activities and responses, you'd relate that feedback is what you need to know if you are hitting your goals.

If you're an Ebay'er, you think of the comments given by sellers and buyers after a transaction has concluded.

I recently purchased an item on Ebay, and after the sale, the buyer sent me details about the shipment and then he wrote " I leave feedback for people who leave feedback for me."

That was more like feedback in the first sense to me. It sort of annoyed me - he did - then the fact that I got annoyed - annoyed me again. It made me stop, and prayerfully consider.

Is that the way we should act? Should we return in kind what we receive, and get what we want before we give what others need? While I was stewing over his self-serving comment, a verse popped into my head.

Luke 6:35 (Msg)
"Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst."

God loves me today - even though I got up ornery.

God loves me today - even though I rushed past Him on my way to work.

God loves me today - even though I'm struggling just to glimpse what I'm supposed to be.

God loves me - just as I am, even at my worst - generously and graciously.

So what I've got to do, is to give everyone some feedback, through my everyday, walking around worship of God through my life - through my interaction with people.

God's always right, we all know that. How many times have you ever really regretted a kind act to an unkind person?

And how many times have you regretted __being__ that unkind person?

Break the feedback cycle. Stop the squeal of battered lives and broken people.

Love. Because He first loved us.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Who Knew?

If you ever went to Sunday School and didn't learn the song about the "wee little man", you missed one of the catchiest tunes ever. Funny how you can forget everything you ever learned about quadratic equations, but remember tune and verse of that song about Zacchaeus.

When I read the story, I am always amazed at what an "out of the box" effort Zacchaeus made. I mean who is the last person you'd expect to want to meet Jesus? No, I'm serious. Think of that person you know who you think would never seek out Jesus. Zacchaeus was like that. He was completely outside God's will. But God loves people like that too and hasn't given up - just like he didn't with that "wee little man".

Zacchaeus. Rich, powerful, successful, well connected, self-sufficient. But missing something, and aware of it. So aware, that when a life-changing possibility happens, he won't miss it, even if it means looking and acting foolish. A grown man, climbing a tree? But in order to see Jesus, he was willing to do whatever it took.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.

People like Zacchaeus sit in their beautiful homes, surrounded by everything that they thought was their heart's desire. They make it a practice not to care what people think about them, and live in a way to let everyone know it.

But some know the truth - that it is all meaningless without a purpose for living. And so they look for one. I've been at yard sales in wealthier areas down here and seen every type of book on religion, mysticism, and spirituality for sale for a buck, stacked in a cardboard box.

I wonder if they've ever been willing to push past their preconceived notions about the claims of Jesus Christ? If they'd only listen. God's calling their name.

He'll exchange their trash for His treasures. He'll replace their doubts and fears with His Truth and courage. He'll help them understand what really matters in this life isn't money, or success, but knowing God and being loved by Him.

I can just hear Zacchaeus saying, "Who knew life could be this good?"

Jesus knew. It's why He came, and why He's still calling the lost to come home to God's love.

And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."
Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)

Listen! He's calling your name!

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Whatever

Col. 3:17 (Msg)
Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

"Whatever"

Thought there was some wiggle room there, didn't you? No, if you weren't pinned to the mat by "every detail", then you were body slammed by "whatever." God really intends for His children to live ever conscious of whose they are.

That means not only restraint in speech, or in actions, but in what you hear and see.

“The ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow or require our minds to dwell upon.” Dallas Willard

We have freedom to watch, to listen, to eat and drink whatever we choose. And it's by those choices that we can evaluate just how far along the journey to Christ-like character we have come. The person who wants to please God will measure everything by what God has said. And they will fill their lives with things that remind them of a higher way.

Toward the end of his life, Albert Einstein removed the portraits of two scientists (Isaac Newton and James Maxwell) from his wall. He replaced them with portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer. Einstein explained that it was time to replace the image of success with the image of service.

Have you reached the point where you care more about what God thinks than anyone else? What images are you placing in front of you?

1 Cor. 10:31 (GW)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God.

"Whatever"

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Family Matters

To get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.Mark Twain

One boy has his eyes crossed. Another sticks out his tongue. Little girls pose demurely, a father seems to stand on tiptoes to be seen behind his daughters. It's picture time at New Hope.

Our friend Doug Fannon is collecting and taking pictures for a project we have underway here at New Hope - a pictorial directory. So he's been taking pictures for weeks now of families and individuals. He's also taken pictures of events here like baptisms and our choir and worship teams singing.

Bunny and I had a chance to look at those pictures today and we really came away with a good feeling. Five years ago this week, I met with a member of the search committee from a church in a town I had never heard of. Valparaiso.

The story she told wasn't a pretty one. Pastoral failure never is. I can remember the three of us walking back to our car in shock. But something about the church began to grab at my heart, and five years later, it still does.

Looking at those pictures, it was wonderful to see how the kids have grown. It was also great to see pictures of families that have been here forever alongside those who have more recently come. Doug said he'll take pictures as long as we need him to, and I hope we keep growing so he'll need to revise the directory several times a year.

Our study in the Purpose Driven Life (the basis for the 40 Days of Purpose) this week is all about family - God's family. If you are tracing your family tree, you look for lineage ties that bind people together through surnames. If you are looking at what holds the church family together...

Ephes. 4:16 (Msg)
He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

It's all God.

He keeps us in step by giving us His unchanging Word to guide our path.
He gives us life through His Holy Spirit's presence.
He sees that we grow by putting us together with other believers to share our heartaches and our joys.

Then just like Bunny and I did when we saw how much the New Hope kids and family have grown, God stands back and grins with a heart full of love.

Friend, your church family matters. Don't miss a moment of family time.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Train Up A Dog....

Ephes. 4:32 (Msg)
Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

If you haven't guessed by now dear reader, New Hope is a special place. It's a different place, and very special. We're not trying to raise up "church people", instead we are trying to raise up people who are comfortable "being church".

We want to connect people, and hardwire into them the idea that their church family should be the place they feel most at home.

We're turning over a page in our 40 Days of Purpose this weekend and beginning to look at the fact that we all were formed for God's family. Within the family, when you have a great experience, you share it.

So it shouldn't have been surprising that immediately after Bible Study Wednesday night, I was summoned by Katie Shermer and Michelle Poremba to see "Angel Face". She's a dog. A dachshund to be precise, and she's a cutie. But she doesn't get by on her good looks, she has talent too. The girls were having "dog night" last Wednesday, where they can bring their dogs to church to show everyone else how special they are. (This was preceded by "cat night" the week before, so please no emails from cat lovers. :)

Yes, Angel Face is quite the master thespian. When Michelle points at Angel Face and says "Bang", she plays dead. Everyone who saw her performances Wednesday night raved about her.

She's been trained well.

But she wouldn't do it for me. Too many new people, too many little hands on her.

What was neat to me though, was to see how she was treated when she failed.

She got a hug and a "That's okay." So Angel Face gave her back a big dog kiss for her effort.

I loved it! That's Christlike love in action. And it is exactly the type of love we are trying to teach our kids to give and receive. So Angel Face failed - big deal - she's still loved just for who she is.

It's the same for anyone else who will accept God's offer of forgiveness and everlasting love. It's not about our "performance", it is and always will be about God's great and abiding love for us.

Have a great and God filled weekend!

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Juliet's World

Matthew 11:29-30 (The Message)
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. [30] Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Juliet's world is growing all the time. She came to New Hope with her mom, her brother Romeo, and little sister Celeste and immediately brightened our days. Her mom's a single mother, who does a great job teaching her kids how to grow up into wonderful adults. They are kind, respectful, and a blessing to be around. I've watched her as she "mothers" them. It explained a lot to me of how the kids are. She's kind, she's loving, and when she corrects them, it's in a way that though firm, never ever gives a hint of anything but their best at her heart.

That kind of love has produced a bright, loving young girl name Juliet who's a joy to be around. So what could be better than that?

Having her around forever!

Just recently, Juliet trusted Christ as Savior. She'll be baptized Sunday afternoon. And she's already showing the marks of a true disciple - reading her Bible, and thanking others who helped her along the journey's first steps.

As the kids come here, we love them and try to show them Who loves us all best - Jesus. We try to be good examples of His disciples, and try to lead the kids to understand just Who God is and just how much He loves them.

There's no timetable for them to become believers, just a group of people who love and pray for them to one day realize Christ's loving gift. Some take a while to grasp His outstretched hands. Others, like Juliet, begin to ask questions, and with an open heart and mind, find that in Christ, all things become new. They walk from their mother's or father's arms, into the arms of Jesus Christ.

That's Juliet's world.

It's as beautiful as a young girl's smile. As free as those "unforced rhythms of grace". And forever and ever, it's a world filled with the unchanging love of God.

It's no guilt trip, and there's nothing heavy about it - just the opposite - it's pure freedom to walk along the journey with Christ.

Is that where you are? There's room for a lot more people in Juliet's world.

Come and see..

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Carrisa's World

Psalm 89:15-16 (Msg)
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
[16] Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
who you are, what you do—they can't keep it quiet!

Carissa comes with friends to New Hope. A lot of times we'll see children come quite a bit before their parents will. Our job then is to love the kids and share Jesus with them. There are times when our folks working with them come out shell-shocked. Imagine getting a bunch of boys to calm down long enough to tell them a Bible story. Or just try getting a group of little girls to focus for an hour.. for 30 minutes... just try.

High energy? You betcha!

Harnessing all that energy and redirecting it into an understanding of God's love and an expression of it in worship is what the goal is. And there are times when it happens, and we catch a glimpse of God at work.

A couple of weeks ago, the girl's praise team combined with our choir to present a special song for worship. You should have seen it! The whole front row of the choir was filled with little girls, the whole back row with adults. Carissa took up her position on the far left-hand side.

It was a great song, that really moved people toward God - His character, His nature - His love. Most of the adults were concentrating on getting the notes just right, and had their heads in their songbooks, with occasional glances toward the director. The girls had memorized their parts, and were free to worship.

No one was more free that day than Carissa.

When they reached the chorus, her face broke into a dazzling smile, and she began to boogie! She just got carried away. I know by Who. For a few moments, Carissa stepped across into communion with the Spirit of God, and left this world behind.

You can go there too.

The password is "Thank You!". It's your entrance into the world of worship.

Psalm 100:4-5 (Msg)
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

[5] For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

Forget about yourself, and focus on the God Who wants to meet with you. See His beauty, His grace, His love for you. You'll quickly forget about everything except pleasing Him, and rejoicing in His arms.

Just be careful... in Carissa's world, you can't help but dance.

It's good practice for heaven.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

William's World

My friend William Hobbs walked into my office Sunday. At just past two, he is incredibly huggable, but he didn't come for one of those, he came to tell me something. So sermon preparation came to a halt, my chair swiveled around, and I gave over my attention to William's world.

And what a world it is!

For William, every event is a cause for celebration, even what he wanted to share with me Sunday. His little brow furrowed, and when he saw that I was paying attention, his pudgy little hand grabbed the fabric on his chest and he said "shirt", and grinned.

I had to grin back.

Was it a new shirt? Don't know. Was it his favorite shirt? Don't know. Does he just like shirts in general and wanted to see if he could make a convert to his revolutionary way of looking at life? Don't know.

But whatever reason he had behind his statement - it was followed by a grin - so it must be good.

Somehow I think it's always good in William's world.

What happened to the rest of us?

Romans 8:28 (GW)
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom He has called according to His plan.

Now folks, is that true or not?

Romans 8:31 (GW)
What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

And that one - are you saying that there's a someone, something, somehow type of problem in your life that's just too big for God to handle?

Romans 8:37 (GW)
The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties.

You see friends, it is true that a child's view of the world is limited. William doesn't know about war, and HIV, and poverty, or death. But he knows he's loved, and he knows he's cared for - and that's enough for him.

How about you?

I know your world is much bigger than William's, you've got a lot on your mind. But when you strip away everything except that which matters, you'll know this.

You are loved.

By God.

Now go tell.


Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Temporarily

Imagine if you will (if you can remember Rod Sterling's voice at the opening of the Twilight Zone.. you're old... but that's okay)... cause it will help set the scene...

... having to work with a constant hammer all around you, with the sound of heavy machinery moving forward and back - the incessant bleating of their back-up alarms...

and you'd be here at New Hope this morning.

We're no strangers to noise here, as the Armed Services provide jet and helicopter noise by the ton and we even have days when explosions as bombs are tested rock the homes around here. But all morning the noise has been hard to bear.

Across the street, they are building a child care center. From what I am told, it will be a wonderful place for kids, with many advantages for them. So I guess I'll just have to endure the noise for a little while. It's only temporary.

In our readings for the 40 Days of Purpose, we come to Day 6 today - LIFE IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT.

It struck me as I sat here and shook, that so much of the "noise" we worry, fret, gripe and complain over is temporary too. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the problems you have aren't real, but if they aren't about your eternal destiny, or that of another - they are temporary. And they will be vanquished.

Rev. 21:3-4 (Msg)
I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. [4] He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone."

Can you imagine?

Death - gone!
Tears - of want, of worry, of fear - Gone!
Pain - from loneliness, from heartache, from lack, from physical ailments

GONE! Just as Jesus said they would be.

John 16:33 (Msg)
In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."

One day we'll see those troubles disappear, and our lives become what we've always dreamed of. Until then, practice following Jesus, and don't get to attached to this world, or too aggravated by the "noise." We are only here temporarily.

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Standing Out

Do you have a "life verse"? Maybe some explanation is in order. A "Life verse" would be that snippet of Scripture that might speak to you about God's care, or frame your life. In the latter, you could even use it to say, "this is who I am", like an email signature could do.

Over the years I've been able to hear many people recite their life verses to me, and I enjoy learning about how God uses His Word with different people.

Last night, we watched a video produced by the Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com) that let people hear and see from those who have suffered for their faith - their continuing and steadfast faith - in Jesus Christ. All sorts of questions rushed to me - "How could anyone do that to another?" "How could anyone endure...?"

And into my head popped a passage of Scripture that talks about people like that:

Hebrews 11:13-16 (Msg)
Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing.

How did they do it?

They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.

People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home... But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country.

You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.

In a world where life is cheap, they raise the value of it - by living it not for today, or tomorrow, but for eternity. In the days when the book of Hebrews was written, the days before, and the days after, people who understand that this earth is not our home stand out.

How? They make their choices on what they value in light of what really is lasting.

Where do you stand on that?

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Living Among the Immortals

There are no ordinary people.

You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.

And our love must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. (quote from The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis)

Do you ever think about that?

That the person alongside you at the ballgame, or in front of you in the checkout line - is immortal - will live forever?

"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart..." Eccl. 3:11 NLT

So can we afford to ignore that fact? That person who you cannot stand to be around, and take great pains to avoid, either will be with you in heaven forever or apart from everything good, away from God's presence, and forever paying for their sins?

No wonder Lewis wrote that our love must be "real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners."

Real and costly...

That's exactly the kind of love Jesus showed us.

Some people are trapped in their sins. It's up to us to rescue them before this life is over. Take a risk. Make a difference for eternity.

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

What Drives You?

We're three days into our 40 Days of Purpose here at New Hope, and today's selection in "The Purpose Driven Life" deals with what drives a person's life.

A young seminary student was sent to do a summer project in rural Pennsylvania. The idea was to get some understanding of the people who lived there, and so the pollster designed a questionnaire that included such queries as "What is your favorite TV show?", "How much did you spend at the mall last year?", and then the spiritual question, "Are you a Christian?"

Arriving at the door, the student asked the man who greeted him if he could ask some questions. "Certainly," said his host. So he asked "What's your favorite TV show?" In reply, the man said, "we do not own a TV." In answer to the second question, he answered, "nothing, we don't go to the mall." Then he realized that the man was Amish.

So he was about to write the whole visit off, but he asked the last question. In response, the man went and got a pad, and proceeded to write the names of all his neighbors and directions to their homes. When he finished, he handed it to the young man.

"I asked you if you are a Christian", the young man said, "What's this?"

"Your answer. But ask them if I am."

When I was processing the question, "What drives your life?", I wondered if a lot of times people are too close to it to really be objective. For example a man might work 100 hours a week and tell you "I'm doing this for my family." In most cases, he's doing it for greed.

What if you asked those who know you best, "What do you think it is that drives me?"

Would you be happy with their answers?

The Bible tells us that
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Make sure your relationship with God is at the core of who you are, and He'll give you direction and peace.

Grace!

David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Absence and the Heart
Psalm 34:18 (Msg)
If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;
if you're kicked in the gut, He'll help you catch your breath.

It's been two years today.

And right now my mind is flooded with might have beens. So many things are obvious blessings in my life - my wife, my boys, what God has called me to do, that I can get busy, and some of the hurt goes away. But today it's two years, and all I can think of is what we've missed - of what is absent that we had hoped would be here.

She would have had her father's eyes.

There were times when he was a little boy that we'd go off alone - to the store, to the Krystal, to Grandmother's, that I could look over in the seat next to me and see him looking at me. He'd ask questions, I'd try to answer, and the openness - the trust - the love in those eyes just melted me.

Yep. She would have had her father's eyes.

Her smile would have lit up a room, just like her mother's does. There are a lot of ways to measure people. My own personal preference is to look at their impact on others. Some people enter a room and suck all the joy out of it. When they smile it just doesn't look right, like cow horns on a Mercedes. They put it on to try to give the right response, but it isn't who they are.

Her mother is tiny. But when she smiles - she's huge.

I can see tiny feet beating the earth, little white tennis shoes slapping it as they come, bearing a smile so brilliant it warms this cold earth. She grins from ear to ear, and all you feel is joy.

She'd have her mother's smile.

By now, we'd have covered all the important things. Who loves you best, why Grandaddy's hair is gray, the funniest cartoons, how to eat Krystals and Nuways, and how come Grandmother hugs so hard. We'd have begun noticing new words, and she'd almost be reading. She'd have impacted my wallet and stolen my heart. Again.

Heart. She'd have had her grandmother's.

I have known literally thousands of people over 50 years. Some were self-contained, others - self-absorbed. A few seemed to enjoy this life, and others endured it. Many were bright, even brilliant. Others caught the eye, or in some other way made it through the clutter of a life's experiences to my heart.

But none have loved me like Bunny has. For no one I've ever known loves that deeply.

Two years ago, as we rolled up calendars toward April 29th, the expected day of joy, our home was filled with baby clothing, baby toys, baby... stuff. People around us shared in that and we added our own items. I remember visiting Target with Bunny and hearing her say a dozen times, "won't that look so pretty on Ana?" The only girl in a string of boys, the only girl in her own home full of men - young and older - the possibility to hold, to love, to care, to dress!!! a baby girl was excitement personified.

And when the days stopped for Ana, her Grandmother didn't stop loving. She found a way to love beyond the pain in helping her daughter-in-love deliver her baby. As I watched Bunny hold that small and delicate baby in her arms, weeping and talking to her as if she could hear... it was the greatest expression of love I've ever seen - through the deepest heartache.

She'd have had her Grandmother's heart.

For me, I don't know what I could have given her. It certainly wouldn't be material things, and her mom and dad would certainly taught her the A, B, C's and enlightened her on them 'Dawgs and Georgia politics.

So I guess she'd have had my prayers each day from infancy to adulthood, my lap to sit in, my knees to ride, and later my shoulder to cry on and my ears to hear.

It's been two years today. Two long years. Her absence hurts our hearts. But one day...

We will see her.

And that thrills my heart.

Grace, mercy, and peace,

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Certainties

We're preparing for our study of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren for the next 40 days here at New Hope, and in my reading I came across this quote from Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman.

I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I'm not absolutely sure of anything, and many things I don't know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we're here, and what the question might mean. I might think about it a little bit, but if I can't figure it out, then I go on to something else. But I don't have to know an answer... I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn't frighten me.

A brilliant man who when faced with the question of "What On Earth Am I Here For" reacted as the woman in Kansas had a few years back when she went out on the front porch, saw a tornado coming dead for her. She went back inside, closed the door and locked it.

Who was she fooling? She wasn't secure. Who was Feynman fooling? He was frightened.

Friends, here's the great certainty. Write it down. Impress it upon your children.

It's not about you.

Col. 1:16 (Msg)
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible...
— everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.

It's about God.

Until you grapple with God, you'll never really grip life.

Until your life is in His hands - it will never be secure.

Until you know God, though you may be brilliant in all matter of earthly things, you'll never have true understanding.

It's not about you. It's about Him. And I've got great news.

It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as He says, the door is open. Acts 10:35 (Msg)

That is up to you. Unending love awaits if you'll walk through that door.

Of that I am certain.

Grace!


David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Knowing and Loving
Carol Stoy came by my office yesterday with a watering can in one hand and a flower flat in the other. Carol is a lover of plants. When we were talking about the church's grounds, her own home, and other yards and gardens here, her eyes sparkled and it was so obvious to me that she not only knew a lot about plants - but she loved them.

My son Sean and I were talking guitars the other night while we were in our computer room at home. He was just sitting on the floor playing my old acoustic in a way its owner never could. I asked him about a particular type of guitar, and his voice lifted as he told me about the differences in the shapes of the necks, the pickups, and even the wood the guitar was made of. Pretty obvious he's got encyclopedic knowledge of guitars - and loves them.

Since I hang around churches a lot, pretty frequently I bump into people who really know the Bible. In conversation, they will bring up certain issues that fascinate them, and drop tons of references as to why this point couldn't be this way, or how this issue has to turn out that way. They get excited over their love for the Bible.

But sometimes..

Unlike Carol, whose love of plants and knowledge of them translates into care for them. And unlike Sean whose love of guitars and knowledge of them is shown by the music he plays with them.

Sometimes those who know the most about the Bible, live it the least.

How can that happen?

Because it's not about what - it's about Who. The Bible - the Word - is living.

In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and He was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that He didn't make.
4 Life itself was in Him, and this life gives light to everyone.
John 1:2-4 (NLT)

If you love the Bible, know the Bible, but never translate it through your life into love for God - wholehearted, give Him everything love - and love for people - light for everyone...

Then you missed the point. It's not about what. It's always about Who.

Oh, and it's never about you.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

A Handful of Feathers and a Heartful of Hope

1 Follow God's example in everything you do, because you are His dear children.
2 Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave Himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. Eph 5:1-2 (NLT)

Last week I wrote about the efforts of a group of mockingbirds to save one of their own. The next day when I came to church, I was still smiling over how good had triumphed. Then I saw them. in the corner of our walkway, I saw a handful of feathers streaked with blood. They weren't full size. My heart sank when I realized that clearly, one of the fledglings didn't make it.

It bothered me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.

Oh I know that's the way the world works. I'm not so naive as to believe that the Italian Sausage I ate with my spaghetti tonight was picked off a bush. Animals die, some as a result of other creature's needs.

But I thought I had made a difference, and it didn't seem like I had.

Sunday though, one of our members did. Seeing another fledgling in trouble, lying on its side on the concrete outside our buildings, she scooped it up and took it to an emergency vet. After an unfortunate incident with another patient (a cat), I can report that at least one of the fledglings will make it to adulthood.

Friends, that made me smile. If enough people do enough acts of simple kindness, we can change things. Yes, this world is tough - hard - cruel. But hearing about how the Edwards family saved that little bird replaced the image of a handful of feathers with a heart full of hope. They made a difference.

You may be wondering right now if you've done anything right. People you've poured your life out for just haven't turned out as well as you've hoped. You tried, and failure seems to be staring back at you like a handful of feathers.

Well friend, I am here to tell you that no act of kindness is ever wasted - regardless of whether the person you give it to returns it in kind. If Christ had not had the attitude of loving sacrifice for the undeserving, and the potentially rejecting people we are - where would we be?

But He did love the unlovely, even knowing many would fail to love Him back. And for me, He's made all the difference in this world - and the next. :) That gives me a heartful of hope. And a reason to keep trying to help as many as I can.

Make a difference! Follow Christ's example and live a life of love.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

To Kill A Mockingbird
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 (NIV)
Today when I came to church I had a visitor. A fledgling mockingbird was just outside my door. Possessing all the parts needed for full mockingbird status, he is still too young to fly, so he was hopping around in the yard outside.

Later this morning, I got to thinking about his eating prospects and laid down some birdseed for him. Didn't think any more about it, until a minute ago when I looked up and saw him out front, being assaulted by a crow easily four times his size.

I jumped up and prepared to take care of the crow, but suddenly mockingbirds appeared - from everywhere. They began flying at the crow - wave upon wave of them until he flew off with some of them still in pursuit - pecking at his feathers. I must have seen ten almost instantly appear.

Others took up position around the fledgling, casting a wary eye on me. I'm praying the little guy makes it off the ground soon. But if he does, it will be as a direct result of his fellow's actions on his behalf.

You know we're not any different in that way.

What we are - what we become - is so often a result of what others have done and continue to do for us. The love they show throughout, helps us grow until we can make it on our own, and when we fall, that same love helps us recover.

Those mockingbirds were willing to be hurt, to be injured, even to die in order to save one who needed help. They might have failed, but they were going to make it hard to kill a mockingbird.

When people act with the same Christ-like love toward others, we may not see everyone come to faith in Jesus, but we've done everything we can do.

My question today is - When is the last time you laid your life down for another?

When a group of people do that - it's called a church.

And it helps everyone in it find a place of security, of peace, and room to spread their wings and fly within God's purpose for their lives.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

The Journey
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Prov 16:9 (NLT)

A young boy headed out to tryouts for his school play. It was the first time he'd ever stretched his fragile self-confidence so far, and his Mother was a little worried about how he'd handle it if he didn't get the part he wanted. When he came home all smiles, she was surprised to hear that the tryout didn't reward him with his dream part, yet he wasn't upset at all, just the opposite.

"What happened, son? I thought you'd be upset that you didn't get the part you wanted."

"I was for a minute Mom. But then they told me I was chosen to clap and cheer."

Grabbing a coke off the counter, he ran outside to play.

Mom just smiled.

Imagine growing up with a dream - a passionate desire that occupies almost every moment of free time. It could be a sport, like baseball, basketball, or soccer. Or it could be an activity like flying or acting. Then think about what you'd do (or what you did) when that dream died.

Growing up, I had two great passions - baseball, and airplanes. When I wasn't outside playing baseball, I was inside reading about airplanes, putting together models, and dreaming about flying.

As I grew, and the years went by, reality interfered with my dreams. By the spring of my 10th grade of high school, my name on a list left tacked to a cork bulletin board after practice meant I'd never be a major leaguer. And by the end of the 11th grade, my eyesight, and a letter from the Air Force Academy, told me I'd never become a fighter pilot.

But life is lived forward, isn't it. My plans didn't work out quite the way I thought they would. So many other joys, so many other dreams that have been fulfilled make it hard to even feel sad about the earlier ones that were ended. And God has His ways of making it up.

Now I'm a pastor of a church.

Every day, I see not just airplanes but fighters. Just two weeks ago, I got to see the Thunderbirds perform four times in one week, since our church is right under the flight path. And I get to know pilots. One of my friends flew F-16's, another I know flew F-4's. I see an average of 30-40 planes a day, and rarely does a day go by when I don't give one a thumbs up.

From where I sit, I'm across from a Little League field. So I see a lot of baseball. Even wander over to give the 9-10 year old kids support every now and then.

So I guess I was chosen to clap and cheer.

Friend maybe where you are, you're feeling a little depressed about what you haven't been able to accomplish that you thought you would. But take a minute and think about all those blessings that have been yours, some of which would have never happened if you'd had your way.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to thank God today for where He's led me, and look forward to where we are headed tomorrow. Another day on the Journey.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Remember?

He was an old man by now, the weight of years upon him. Carrying a metal bucket full of fresh shrimp, every Sunday without fail, Captain Eddie made his way down to Crandon park in his Key Biscayne home. While others fished, he fed the gulls. As he walked down the pier, it was almost as if they knew he was coming.

Hundreds flew all around him, screeching loudly, causing some to wish Captain Eddie would quit. But he fed them every Sunday until just before he passed away.

He remembered.

I hadn't thought about Eddie Rickenbacker for a long time until today. He was a WW1 ace for America, who went back into the service to help anyway he could during WW2. On a last minute hop via B-17 from one island to another, his plane went down. Though the Navy searched a wide area, the men weren't found and currents pushed their rafts outside the search area.

Days went by with no food, and the men, by now hundreds of miles from land, began to wonder if they'd be rescued in time. So they conserved their energy, caught rainwater in their clothing, and prayed. Captain Eddie had covered his head with his aviator's cap and dozed off, but was awakened by a strong whisper from his friends. "There's a bird on your head!"

Quickly, Eddie caught the seagull, and giving thanks to God, the men killed it and ate, and used the leftovers to catch enough fish to survive until they were rescued. A day or two later, another gull landed and was caught. Captain Eddie asked, "Don't we have enough bait?" And in an amazing act of faith, they let it go.

Two days later they were rescued. Their lives were saved by God through a gull. Captain Eddie never forgot to say "thanks."

It's Good Friday 2004. I've draped the cross in front of the church in black, stripped the color away from the sanctuary's walls, and begun the process of remembering.

Most days, I live leaning forward. Can't get to the future fast enough.

But today, I'm looking back - way back.

Past 15 years ago when God called me into the ministry.
Past 30 years ago when I surrendered to His will and trusted His Son's love.

Back to when a man hung suspended between heaven and earth, on a cross streaked with His blood. And they call it - Good Friday.

My friend Scooter Noland, in Costa Rica learning Spanish before heading to Venezuela with his family as missionaries wondered in an email to me about whether we here in the US have some things backwards. I'm quoting him below:

Living in another culture (Costa Rica) has really opened my eyes as to how other see the USA. Other than the headlines of the USA and gay marriages, it is interesting in a land of 98% Roman Catholicism, lost by most standards, that they celebrate the life and death of Jesus in such a HUGE way.

Today life is lifeless as ALL of the businesses have closed and everybody has gone to mass to watch dramatic presentations and take part in processionals which include scripture, prayer, fasting, and the like. These days are so significant to the people here that $$ is nothing compared to thinking about the life and death of Jesus for a solid week.

In the land of "In God we Trust" we celebrate the holidays of dead presidents and liberators and think very little of the Greatest Liberator and King ever. - end quote

Have you paused today to remember Jesus Christ?

Have you taken time to remember what He did for you? On this day when He died?

When He saved your life?

Remember?

Then stop, and do something that reminds others of Christ's love. Stop and thank God for His Son's sacrifice. Stop living and remember what our life cost.

Remember?

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Bring Your Crash Helmet !

I can remember bits and pieces of childhood. Great times with family, different toys that I loved, pets I grew up with, and times of terror.

That's right - terror.

You see the child's world and their understanding of it is full of holes. There's so much that they do not know, imagination has to fill in the blanks. So you get monsters under the bed, fixations about flying monkeys (okay, maybe that was just me), and all manner of fears.

But you know, I never feared God.

God, in the person of His Son Jesus, loved me. I knew that because the people who I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt loved me - told me so. We sang "Jesus loves the little children" with all our hearts in Bible School, because He did. When we sang, we were sitting under pictures of Jesus with children in His lap and hanging all over Him. Most adults I knew would freak out if that many kids were that close, so I figured Jesus must be real special.

Later, I realized just how special He is. He is God! All powerful God!

None of us can put a box around just how powerful God is, really.

Annie Dillard writes, "Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews."

It sounds dangerous.

And yet... there is Jesus. Is He dangerous?

Well, in a way, yes. Friday we'll stop and remember His death by the hands of people who were so afraid of His power to change people's hearts they had Him crucified.

Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn't admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.
43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
John 12:42-43 (NLT)

Something changed in a lot of my friends growing up, maybe in yours too. Growing up in church, believing in Jesus and loving Him as children, even trusting Him as Savior and Lord, but later - in their teens or young adulthood, they drift away. Why?

Because getting too close to Jesus can be dangerous. He'll change your life.

Jesus is in the life-changing business, and if you don't want your life changed - if you still want control of your life - don't get too close. As a child, you loved Him without reservations. He loved you the same way.

He still does. Do you?

Do this - take a vacation from running your life. Come to a Good Friday service somewhere and see how much God thinks you are worth. (Hint: John 3:16)

Then come to church Easter Sunday seeking to get as close to God in worship as you can. Oh and get ready for earth-shaking news. In fact, better bring your crash helmet!

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

I Want To
How many prayers? How many times had he begged God to heal him? Add to that the prayers of his family and friends who saw a man lose it all, through no fault of his own. It was a disease - leprosy - that changed everything.

He had lost the companionship of his wife and children, as he had to be shut out of the village and to live among others like him.

He could no longer choose what to wear, being required to wear the lepers black, torn clothing.

He could no longer look people in the eye, having to cover his face and call out "Leper, Unclean" upon a chance meeting and even then he might be stoned.

And bit by bit, day by day, he was losing his ability to function - to live. That loss brought with it two new companions that seemed to never leave - fear and hopelessness.

But he had heard about a man who could heal.

If he could only get close enough, and if the man only would - could - maybe...

1 Large crowds followed Jesus as He came down the mountainside.
2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. "Lord," the man said, "if you want to, you can make me well again." Matt 8:1-2 (NLT)

How he got close enough, I don't know. Maybe he hid in some bushes and sprang out as Jesus passed. The shouts of Leper! filled his ears. He knew he only had a moment before they would find the stones that would end his life. Running to Jesus and falling before Him in worship, he cried - he prayed "if you want to" - as simple a prayer as ever was spoken.

Jesus did the unthinkable - more than the man could have dreamed. In front of the crowds who had been amazed at His teaching, who had hung on every word..

He touched him, lifting him to his feet and then said..

"I want to. Be healed!"

Everything changed in an instant - all traces of the disease were gone. The man was whole, clean, cured!

Because Jesus wanted to.

I'm sitting here this morning trying to fathom what Jesus went through this week. And even before He came to earth, the conversation in heaven when God saw Adam and Eve fall into sin in the garden, and just how much pain all of mankind would suffer through sin.

"Who will go and make it right? Who will pay the price for their sins?"

And Jesus said, "I want to."

Friend, whatever you are facing this week, the clear message of Jesus can be summed up this way - "If you give me your life, I'll give you mine. I want to."

Do you want that? Do you want His love? Do you want freedom, wholeness, real life?

Then do whatever it takes to get to Him and fall before His feet asking Him to take over your life and make you whole.

He will. It's what He wants to do.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

The Plane! The Plane!

Well, it finally happened. After almost five years of preaching in a church with a side wall of glass, underneath the approaches of Eglin Air Force base, having to compete almost weekly for the congregation's attention with all manners of high performance and commercial aircraft - I lost it - right in the middle of a sermon.

"Whoa - cool!" I believe were my exact words. (I'm not sure about what that is in Greek or Hebrew)

It was a stealth fighter coming low over the sanctuary that finally got me to notice. Of course everyone else already had. The movement of such a unique airplane did it.

Reflecting on that this morning got made me think - how can you tell when a church is moving forward? And how does the world outside notice?

With the planes, when they turn and cut against the air, their speed creates a "ripping" sound that lets you know that they are pushing through the opposition on their way.

With the church, what catches my eye is people.

When people of various backgrounds and places in life are coming to worship, and staying after to share - that's movement.

When families grow stronger and when those families grow closer to others, that's movement.

When individuals grow in the reality of their commitment to Christ, and then display that commitment by going against the culture - staying faithful in marriage, true in their words and actions in every situation to what they say they believe - that's movement.

But when will the world notice?

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35 (NLT)

This week, that love might take the form of invitation - asking a friend or neighbor to share the Easter experience with you. From Good Friday's gloom to Sunday's exhilaration - it is a weekend to be with those you love. Bring them all - that surely will be noticed.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

When the Cheering Stopped

We are on the cusp of a very special week as I write this. Sunday will begin Holy Week in Christian churches all around the globe. In thousands of languages and dialects, the story of Jesus' Passion will be told. Don't miss it.

John 12:17-19 (Msg) The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. [18] It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. [19] The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him."
If Gallop, Barna, or Harris had taken a poll, Jesus would have been proclaimed king in a landslide that Palm Sunday, as even his enemies admitted that His popularity was at an all time high. People thronged to see Him enter Jerusalem.

But within a few days, people in Jerusalem were crying for Him to be executed as a criminal. And so He was. How did Jesus handle not just a change in popularity, but intense rejection? How can we learn from what He did?

No, we'll never enter Jerusalem at the head of thousands of our followers. But we enjoy being praised, and we like being liked. What happens to our convictions when we aren't? What principle can we look at to guide our way?

What did Jesus do?

John 12:27-28 (Msg)
"Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? 'Father, get me out of this'? No, this is why I came in the first place. [28] I'll say, 'Father, put your glory on display.' "

Knowing that this celebration would end, and that the week would find Him bruised, battered, and crucified, Jesus looked not to His circumstances for direction, but to God. It was God's will that He used like a homing beacon. It was His passion to please God and glorify His name that kept Him going.

What are you here for?

Glorifying God. That's why you were placed here in the first place.

Is God in first place within your life?

Take the next week and use it to redirect your focus off the things of this life. Use the lens of Jesus' Passion to help you push toward deeper things - toward God. People aren't going to always be cheering your efforts you know.

But God will. The cheering may stop here, but heaven will raise a ruckus when you come home.

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Aim High

Well, all work here came to a stop for a few minutes today as the USAF aerial demonstration team - the Thunderbirds - did their practice for this weekend's air show. With 5 F-16's roaring overhead, you couldn't hear yourself think anyway, so under NW Florida's impossibly blue skies, people pulled off the road, others even in our church parking lot - to look up.

I am not sure how often we do that unless we're drawn to by the extraordinary.

But we ought to always. Excellence in what we do, as demonstrated so well today overhead by the Thunderbirds, should be the norm, not the exception. Paul wrote about that when he wrote:

1 Cor. 9:24-26 (Msg)
You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. [25] All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally.
[26] I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me!

When we look at those who have trained well and perform at such a high level, we should take a moment and ask ourselves "Am I giving it everything I've got?"

As believers, we can train for each day by praying to God, reading His Word, and by meeting with Him in worship. And unlike a performance an athlete does, we can exercise the benefits of that training in our everyday lives. The fruits of the Spirit are our medals.

Galatians 5:22 (Msg)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments.

So don't be satisfied with where you are - aim high!

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Can You See Past It?

Karen Watson was after more.

As a pre-Christian, she lived her life in search of the next thrill - out of her passion for life. Once she became a Christian she didn't slow down - just changed her direction. Her friends commented on how she lived life "flat out" and how she only had one speed "100 mph."

She was hard after God's attention when she died, the victim of terrorist's bullets in Iraq. Working as a Southern Baptist missionary among the poor in Jordan and Iraq, she had given and given without any thought for herself. "I know there are Jordanians and Iraqis today who are weeping," said a fellow aid worker. "She is a woman who is going to be remembered as Iraqis and Jordanians hold up the things she did and say: 'Look what she did for us.'"

Her brother stood at the gravesite the other day, and looked over Karen's coffin remembering easier days, when his sister used to spend her time as lots of little girls do, collecting trinkets in what she called her "hope chest."

"What we have here before us today is a hope chest," he said, "something of value, not a coffin or a casket."

How could he possibly say that?

He believes in Christ.

Romans 6:8 (Msg)
What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.

We get included in Christ's victory when we believe in His role as God's Son, admit our sins are separating us from God, and embracing His forgiveness, commit our lives to following Him.

Though Karen died that day in Iraq, because of her faith in Jesus Christ, she was included in the company of those who though they die, will live forever in heaven with Christ.

That is the sure and certain hope we have through the example of Jesus' resurrection.

That's why Karen's brother could see past the grave - he could see the future through the frame of an empty tomb's opening.

How do you view this world? What frame do you use? The fact is, we all will die.

Don't you want more than this life can give? Friends, Karen was one among millions who have followed the footsteps of Jesus Christ. They lead to the grave - and past it. Can you see that?

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

The Words Change - The Story Never Does

Today the phrase "cutting red tape" implies that a person is blasting through needless regulations to get things done. It's pretty amazing how the phrase has changed in a pretty short period of time.

Thomas Edison's laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey was the world's first great R&D facility. In six years, the invention factory at Menlo Park secured more than 400 patents. The U.S. Patent Office watched and waited for
packages that were wrapped in a certain kind of red tape. They knew these came from Edison's lab, and they cut these first.

So red tape was a good thing, and cutting it was something you did out of eagerness to see something new and of value. Not any more. Think of the words "bad," "gay," "issues," "awesome," "cool" and "hip." In my lifetime, the meaning of these words in general usage has changed drastically.

And what of those words that are tied to particular culture? Try explaining what "lilies of the field" means to natives of Somalia, a land where no lilies grow.

But the story doesn't change.

I stood in front of some kids in VBS last year and told the story of Christ's crucifixion. Using nails and a crown of thorns from Israel, I did my best to make it understood. One child asked to touch the thorns and when he did, he looked directly at me and said, "He must have really loved us."

Yes He did.

1 John 5:11 (Msg)
This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in His Son.

That friends hasn't changed. We can haggle over translations, denominations, signs and wonders, and the like, but through Jesus, God's Son, born of a virgin, crucified under Pontius Pilate, laid dead in a tomb, risen on the
third day - through placing our faith in Him - we have life.

Words change - the story never will. Tell somebody!

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

In No Time

Last week I was given a daisy in a basket by the group of littlest Girl Scouts that meet here at New Hope. They are called "daisies", and earn "petals" to place on their uniform smocks as they learn Girl Scout stuff. So I really enjoyed receiving something that will remind me of them as they take the summer off. (Is it that time already?)

I took the flower home since I have a well deserved reputation as a plant-killer, and turned it over to Bunny. She's cared for it faithfully, and it has lasted a week longer than it would have with me. But a couple of days ago she noticed it was drooping, so she watered it. Yesterday it was back in the same shape, and she told me it needed to be planted in soil that would hold the moisture around it, and give it time to drink it up.

Made sense to me.

I've been spending this morning praying and reading the Bible. Last week, I printed out a book out of it off the computer, and have been reading it off and on during the days, trying to let it soak in. You see folks so much of what I do here is specific to teaching and preaching, that at times even though I'm handling God's Word, full of nourishment for my soul and life for my spirit, it can rush through without making a difference in me.

So I deliberately printed some out in Eugene Peterson's wonderful paraphrase, The Message. For those of you who don't have a copy, well, it's raw, and rough around the edges. Full of emotion - of power - of force. Today's snippet:

James 4:7-8 (Msg)
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. [8] Say a quiet yes to God and He'll be there in no time.

The only way I can possibly stand before a group of people week in and week out, when I'm weak, week in and week out, trying to break open God's Word in such a way they hear it - is to drop every idea that I'm worthy to do that outside my study door.

Saying that quiet "Yes, I need you Lord" brings Him here in no time, and the sermon I thought would never get off the ground is lifted up, as am I.

Where before I couldn't hold His wisdom long enough to place it onto paper, suddenly I'm able to express His Truth. It's a God thing.

Friends, the only way up - out of that rut, out of that hole, out of that dry place you might find yourself help in today - is to say "yes" to God and let Him take you by the hand and heart. He'll lift your spirits and give you a bright new perspective on life.

In no time.

Grace!


David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

The Way Home

We had company at our house last week. Completely unexpected, though not unwelcome. As Sean was headed out the door to go to school, he called back to me saying, "Daddy, there's a black Great Dane in the park across the street." After checking to see whether our own black Great Dane, Henley, was still in the house, I went outside and sure enough, a black Great Dane was there - now in our front yard.

Henley followed me to the door, and when he saw him, he jumped up on the glass. Some of the workers from the business across the street were trying to catch the dog, thinking it was ours. When they saw Henley, they were quite surprised. We tried to catch our visitor, but he wouldn't let us - until I brought Henley outside.

Then he came right up and rubbed noses.

We caught him and got him into our giant Dane cage. A few hours later his owner came and retrieved him.

It's funny how he had eluded all our efforts to catch him - to even come close - but when another dog that looked like him showed up, there he came. It's also funny that he crossed the busiest road in all the area, then went another half mile down the road and showed up at apparently just the right place, at just the right time, to find help - to find people who not only love dogs, but who absolutely love Great Danes - and who have one the same color, with the same markings as his.

And he found the way home.

You know friend, God may have placed you right where you are, given you the interests and talents you have - to help someone else find the way home. The Bible tells us that believers are part of a "Body". If you've ever had a broken bone, or even a toothache, you know how one part can get the rest's attention.

So as part of God's family, you can help others find their way to Him. You are uniquely qualified!Will you help someone else find the way home?

No, you don't have to know volumes of theology.

You just have to be able to tell what Christ has done for you.

Will you?

Philip. 2:15 (Msg)
Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night ...

In other words, show them the way home.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Extras

Our highest assurance of the goodness of God rests in the flowers.
All other things - our powers, our desires,our food - are necessary for our existence,
but the rose is an extra.
Its smell and color are an embellishment of life,
not a condition of it.
It is only goodness which gives extras,
and so we have much to hope for from the flowers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

As I sit typing this missive today, the cherry tree directly in front of my window is bursting with blooms. It sits in the middle of a sidewalk, causing everyone who walks to my office to have to defer to its beauty.

It's an extra.

In countless yards and fields around my home, there are azaleas blooming by the dozens in white, in pink, in red - even lavender. Most of the year they serve little purpose except to separate one yard from another, but now they, and the wisteria just now beginning to bloom, bless all who behold them. Even weeds around here are beautiful - in purple, pale yellow and white.

They are extras.

There's a message here somewhere, I think.

Luke 12:27-29 (Msg)
Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. [28] If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
[29] "What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving.

and a little later on..

Luke 12:31-32 (Msg)
Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. [32] Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

If we are honest, we can recognize the fact that we are blessed - too blessed to stress out over things that ultimately do not matter.

Take time today and notice all the beauty God has placed around you. It's just the over and above extra of His love. He really does love you.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Always

Maybe the young mother knew she wasn't going to be able to care for her baby girl, so she made sure that throughout her life, people would have to ask about the unusual name - Rilya. Homeless and addicted to cocaine, the baby wouldn't get what she needed from mom, so the state of Florida stepped in and took the five week old into their care.

Bunny and I have known some kids like Rilya, one of which was only 4 days old when taken. There are many children like her, in Florida and elsewhere, whose mothers just aren't able to care for them. Someone has to. So the state, or another group steps in and takes custody. Many times they succeed in making a difference. Other times even though they pour money, support, and time into the lives of the families that they children come from, the kids suffer.

But nothing prepared me for Rilya. How could you lose a child? Everyone's busy right now pointing fingers. I hope at least a few are cupping hands together and calling her name, nailing flyers to telephone poles, getting
her picture on milk cartons - something, anything productive. Lord, help someone find Rilya. Pray folks - pray without ceasing.

In the Bible there is a story about a shepherd. He was well off. Had great flocks of sheep - 100 total. But as night fell, and he counted each one as they entered the sheep fold, one was missing. He could have said, "well,
I've still got 99. Maybe it will turn up. I'll look at first light." Here's what Jesus related to the disciples.

"If a shepherd has one hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? 13 And if he finds it, he will surely rejoice
over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Matt 18:13-14 (NLT)

I don't know where little Rilya is right now. But I know this - God loves her. Her mom might have named her after what her heart said "Rilya - remember I love you always", but always with her lasted until the next fix,
and the state stepped in. Always with the state lasted until an employee got tired of making visits to check on Rilya's welfare.

When God says always - it means always.

To Rilya - and to you.

When Jesus went to the cross for our sins, He was saying "remember I love you." When He rose from the dead, He was emphatically saying once and for all - "Always."

If you know Jesus as Savior and Lord today - you will know Him as advocate and friend, always.

Grace, mercy, and peace,

David Wilson
A Glimpse of New Hope is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Valparaiso, FL. If you have received this in error,or no longer wish to receive it, please email me at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net. I'll be sure
to remove your address.If you know of others who would like to receive it, please forward their names and they will be added. May God bless each of you. Copyright 2002, David A. Wilson Visit New Hope Baptist Church in person or our website at www.newhopevalp.org

He Had Help (You Do Too!)

I was talking with someone this weekend about the movie, the Passion of the Christ. He remarked, "I don't know how anyone could survive the beating we saw, let alone carry a cross that far. It just doesn't seem humanly possible."

As I've thought about that, I have noticed a couple of things.

The first was a story about a mother lifting a car off her son last week after an accident left him pinned underneath it. Filed last week by the Associated Press from California, that wasn't the first I had heard of such a superhuman feat.

The second was this:

7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.
Isaiah 50:7 (NLT)


Jesus never lost sight of what really mattered. Just like that Mom, who lifted the car off her little one, Jesus lifted our sins off of us. He did it because of His love for us.

How did he endure the pain and suffering?

The same way we can - with God's help.

Friend, it might be real hard where you live right now. Describing what you're in as "being in a bind" might be the height of understatement - more like a vise.

But you are not alone. The same God who gave Jesus the strength to endure the pain of the cross stands ready to help you right now. In fact, Jesus Himself has asked you to throw your cares upon Him.

Will you do it? Will you accept God's help?

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Measuring Up

A small town Doctor was famous in the area for always catching really large fish. Time after time he'd come home with whoppers that weighed more than anyone else in the county was catching.

One day while he was on one of his frequent fishing trips he got a call on his cell phone that a woman at a neighboring farm was giving birth. He jumped into his truck, rushed to her aid and delivered a healthy baby boy.

The farmer had nothing to weigh the baby with so the Doctor went out to the truck, and brought in his fishing scales.

The baby weighed 22 lbs. 10 oz

Hmm..

Seems as if the Doctor was using a flawed set of scales. You know you and I sometimes do the same thing. We look around at people and mentally compare ourselves and them. Maybe we think about heritage - what family they came from, or their racial or ethnic background. Or maybe we measure by degrees - how far they progressed educationally. There again we could just observe how they live. If we see ourselves as kinder, more honest, better people, then I guess we are measuring up.

Friends, that's not the way Jesus wants us to measure up. Here's what He said.

John 13:15 (Msg)
I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.

Ouch! Jesus said a lot in those few words.

That would mean loving everyone, living a life focused on what would please God, always being in touch with the Father, always doing His will. And since we are not Jesus, asking for the Holy Spirit's power to enable us to follow His pattern.

The great thing is that Jesus not only left us a pattern, He gives us in the person of the Holy Spirit's presence everything we need to follow it.

Just make sure you're using the right standard of measurement for your life.

Grace!

David

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.

Scars

Little Jesse Smith came up to me Wednesday and I thought he had already had his face painted for Halloween. He had several of what I thought were painted freckles on his face. But they weren't painted.

They were the imprints of a piece of a magnolia tree that impacted on his cheek when propelled by another little boy's strong right arm. Having been involved in several sub-nuclear exchanges like that myself as a boy, I smiled and hoped the "freckles" would fade away, and not leave a scar.

I carry on my body similar imprints, maybe we all do to a certain extent or another. The scar from a minibike fall, those from softball, the one from my Christmas pocketknife (didn't get to keep that long).

They even served as identification for my draft card. If you wanted to identify David Wilson, if you knew the scars, you could pick me out of a crowd.

I came across this verse in my devotional reading today.

For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. Gal. 6:17
I thought about what Paul must have meant. Then I found these:

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit.9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Cor 4:8-10 (NLT)

Paul was beaten, stoned, whipped, shipwrecked, and his body showed it. People could tell what he had endured for the cause of Christ.

I sat in a room with several pastors yesterday. No one had any visible scars, unless you count my brother from Shalimar who fell off a roof and is still wearing a back and shoulder brace. But if you were an intimate party within their lives, you'd know the scars are there. Comes with the job.

If you have been faithful in following Christ, you have them too. Scars

I want to thank you today, Pastors and lay people alike who have given their lives to Christ and are serving Him in ministry. Volunteer or salaried, male or female, young or old, I am so thankful for you.

Thank you for giving of your time to God's purposes when there were things undone at home.

Thank you for enduring discouragement and criticism and pressing on in God's work.

Thank you for placing your trust in those of us who serve God through His church and His people.

Thank you for giving to God's work when there were needs and wants you chose not to fill.

Thank you for those times you were giving all you had and no one noticed.

Thank you for loving Christ more than you love anything or anyone else.

We might not recognize you by your scars, but the Lord knows you have them. Great will be your reward in heaven one day. Until then, let the life of the Lord Jesus Christ be seen through your lives. That's the best advertisement for Christ there is.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.