When One Person Cares

All the pieces for a disastrous fourth grade experience were there for me.

My appearance - only a Mother could love (since she pretty much decided how I'd look) that geeky boy with glasses, wierd wavy hair and hand me down clothes.

My point of origin - we were new in the community, just having moved out from the city into a rural area.

My timing - it's better to be new when everyone else is too. We didn't move until a month into the 4th grade. So everyone had picked their friends and the new had worn off everyone - except me.

My personality - didn't have one. I did though have horrible allergies that would cause me to break out into hives that made my skin look like a 3-D map of the world, swell my lip up until it turned inside out, and cause my eyes to close.

So if you were looking for someone to pick on, I was your huckleberry.

All those factors were crushed by one person's care. My home room teacher, Mrs. Pyles cared about me.

Somehow, without ever raising her voice, or making me a teacher's pet, she helped me find a place there, helped me when my allergies took hold, just helped me. She was only one person. But she was more than enough.

Later, much later, I was stuck in a dead end job, having thrown away my chance to get a college degree. I had bills, a young family, and a crushing need to do better. But it had been so long since I was in high school, I knew there was no way I could pass Math.

That was before I met Hazel Struby. She was a math teacher who would not allow me to fail. Shoot - she wouldn't allow me to make a B.

On the eve of back to school frenzy across the street at Valparaiso Elementary tomorrow, I think about those teachers God placed in my life at just the right time and just the right place to do for me what no one else could have done.

Friend, you'll never convince me God doesn't care.

Thing is, He works best through people.

You might be the one He's chosen for someone.

Or someone you know might have been placed within your circle of people just for you.

I'll never be able to repay everyone who has helped me.

But I know Who to thank. When I look back, I feel like this:

2 Samuel 22:24 (Msg)
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Do this for me today - open the book of your heart to God's eyes. Maybe there's a secret hurt, an unfulfilled longing that you've suffered for too long. If you give it to your loving Father, He'll take the fragments of your life story and rewrite it into His masterpiece.

When one person cares, it makes a difference. When that person is God, He makes all the difference - forever.

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.

It Matters, Because You Matter

It was a cold December afternoon many years ago, when a group of parents stood in the lobby of a nursery school waiting to pick up their children after the last pre-Christmas session. As the kids ran from their lockers, each one carried in his hands a surprise wrapped in bright Christmas paper - a gift for their parents each child in the class had spent weeks crafting with their own hands .

One small boy was so excited he could hardly slow down. He opened the locker, reached in and then was trying to run, put on his coat, and wave to his parents all at the same time. So he lost his balance, slipped and fell. The surprise flew from his grasp and before anyone could move, landed on the tile floor with an obvious ceramic crash.

The little boy just stared in shock. He raced over to the package and shook it, and could hear the pieces clash against each other. Tears began to flow, then a whimper, and finally he cried out loud in big sobs, each followed by a gasp for air.

His father, not really knowing what to do, but thinking he could lessen the hurt, patted his son's head and murmured "It's okay. It really doesn't matter, son. It doesn't matter at all."

But the child's mother rushed over, dropped to her knees on the floor, swept the boy into her arms and said "I know it was beautiful. I am so sorry." And she wept with her son.

Mom was a lot more in tune with the way God works.

You may think no one cares.

Someone may have told you that what you are going through shouldn't bother you so much. After all, it happens to people all the time.

Friend, it matters to God. Because you matter. The writer of Proverbs lets us know God is aware.

Psalm 56:8 (Msg)
You've kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.

Not only is He aware, but He's taking the things that hurt, that wound, and not just patting us on the head and telling us that "Life's tough, you'll get over it", but He's entering into our pain, and working it all together for good. He won't waste one experience, or forget one tear.

Wherever you are today and whatever faces you - call on God. Because you matter.

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.

Any Way You Can

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon in Valparaiso. Many are taking advantage of the afternoon to practice what one preacher called "the third Baptist ordinance" - the Sunday afternoon nap. This morning I think I helped spread that practice into the morning service.

Not every sermon hits a home run. When a pastor leaves his study, doing everything he knows to do - praying for guidance, seeking God's wisdom, using their training and their skill - he hopes that God will take what will be delivered and make it an event in heaven.

An event? Well really, a party.

Luke 15:10 (Msg)
Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."

That's why we preach.

But you never really know what will happen, and many times you don't actually know what happened once you finish. Except for the snores.

It's been almost three years ago now, that I was involved in a revival at Orianna Baptist in Middle Georgia. The pastor there and I went visiting people during the afternoons before the evening services. He had a real way with those people, as honest and as sincere a desire to see them saved as I have ever seen. I wondered after the first stop, "What in the world does he need with me?"

We pulled up near a modest home, walked around back and onto a deck. Welcomed into that home, I was introduced to an elderly man named Calvin Logan. The pastor had spent a lot of time with him over the last year, but Calvin had never decided to become a disciple of Jesus. His family was worried because Calvin had a lot of health problems, and they were afraid his time might come before he knew God. So we talked for a while, and I tried to help him across the bridge from unbelief to grace. Though he was receptive to a point, we started out the door after a few minutes a little down, a little discouraged. I think both of us felt we had missed a chance.

Before we had cleared the corner of the house a voice called out to the pastor, "Brother Rigdill, he wants to talk to you and the preacher again." We flew up the steps.

In a moment, Calvin was a child of God. He came to the revival that night and made his decision public. For the rest of his life he followed through on the commitment he made that day.

Calvin Logan went home this past week.

Friends, anytime you have a chance to tell someone about the love of Jesus - do it. Any way you can make people understand just how free a gift it is - do it.

There will be times when you'll get to see God at work, and times when you won't. But don't despair - just share His love any way you can, for as long as you can.

On a lazy afternoon, knowing you were used by God makes a big difference.

Any other time too. :)

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.

Wanted - People Who Follow the Rules

Let me set the context for you.

There's a mailing list I'm on locally, that does a great service in letting people share their blessings and needs with one another. If you need an item, you post that need. If you have an item to give away, you post that.

Great idea. Very loving and caring.

But far too loose for some.

I got this email today and I had to share it immediately.

By the way, she wrote the subject in big capital letters, the internet equivalent of shouting at the top of your lungs.

Pay close attention to her email signature.

Please put either WANTED OFFER TAKEN etc. in the subject header.

It is frustrating for those of us on individual e-mails to have to read each one because the title is not written correctly! PLEASE!

Love,
xxxxx (name withheld)
Just another person on this list!

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
~Mother Teresa~

Uh huh. Anyone else notice the irony creep in when we weren't looking?

Matthew 15:1-3 (Msg)
After that, Pharisees and religion scholars came to Jesus all the way from Jerusalem, criticizing, [2] "Why do your disciples play fast and loose with the rules?"
[3] But Jesus put it right back on them. "Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands?

That's why the person with a living relationship with Christ won't be remembered as one who keeps the rules, but as one who cares.

Faith is love in action. Now go and practice. :)

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.

The Wait

Frank and his wife were cleaning out the attic one day when he came across a ticket from the local shoe repair shop. The date stamped on the ticket showed that it was over eleven years old. They both laughed and tried to remember which of them might have forgotten to pick up a pair of shoes over a decade ago.

"Do you think the shoes will still be in the shop?" Frank asked.

"Not very likely," his wife said.

"It's worth a try," Frank said, pocketing the ticket. He went downstairs,hopped into the car, and drove to the store.

With a straight face, he handed the ticket to the man behind the counter. With a face just as straight, the man said, "Just a minute. I'll have to look for these." He disappeared into a dark corner at the back of the shop.

Two minutes later, the man called out, "Here they are!"

"No kidding?" Frank called back. "That's terrific! Who would have thought they'd still be here after all this time."

The man came back to the counter, empty-handed.

"They'll be ready Thursday," he said calmly.

Do you think Frank was happy with that? I'm guessing not. I'm fairly sure he was expecting the shoes to be ready if they were there at all. The show repairman found a way to turn an amazing discovery into a doubled discouragement. Some people just have a knack for that. They've been known to turn up at church on occasion. :)

Once when I was teaching a group of 1st graders on Sunday nights, I was trying to explain about the people who didn't like what Jesus was doing. No sooner had the word Sadducee come out of my mouth when one little girl shouted (my class control skills weren't the best) "I know one!"

"You know one?"

"I sure do. Mr. Hank* is a Sadducee. He never smiles." *(not his real name)

I did.

Hank was a man who accepted Christ and was serious about his faith, and everything else. Though he was blessed, you'd never have known it. There were times I thought I saw a little black cloud following him around.

Friends, if you're alive when you read this, you've been blessed. If you are eating on a regular basis, you've been blessed. If you have family and friends, you've been blessed. I'd go on but you're saying "I know that."

Great. Now tell your face!

Proverbs 17:22 (Msg)
A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

If you are finding it hard to make it these days, maybe you are in need of an attitude adjustment. Paul wrote to the Corinthians (and Lord knows they were a mess) and said:

2 Cor. 13:11 (Msg)
And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure.

There's a lot to be said for counting your blessings. It always makes me feel better to remember you as I write these devotionals. You are a blessing, now be one! Don't wait.

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.

 
No, But I Saw His Tracks

Sunday was our big VBS celebration extravaganza here, and it was something else! Picture if you will bunches of grinning, hopping, spinning, singing kids, aided and abetted by lots of New Hope's adults. Watch as confetti is shot into the air. Be spellbound as the youth do a skit that was both funny and serious at the same time. And pay careful attention to that guy at the end in the Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes, after all, he's the pastor.

We had quite a few visitors here, and one pair took all the happenings in and replied in answer to a question of "How did you like New Hope?" with "It sure is different. I can see why our granddaughter loves to come here."

It was different.

You could look at the service and point out that we didn't sing a hymn until the very end, when an extended invitation that began with "Grace Flows Down" morphed into "Amazing Grace."

You could point out that the offering wasn't collected, but placed into a box.

You could say that the style was too exuberant, too casual, that you couldn't see Jesus doing that. Granted, I'd have a hard time picturing Jesus singing the "Na, na, na, na" song, but that doesn't mean He wasn't present.

I saw His tracks.

First, there was the chalk outlines of little hands and feet on the sidewalk, with a drawing of a rainbow. I knew someone had told little ones about God's grace.

Then as I was walking to the office this morning, I saw a scrap of paper. That's normal, with the amount of kids we have, I sometimes find scraps of paper out front. Unfolding it though, I saw scribbling words like a little boy or girl would write. It said "Jesus Loves Me!" and had a heart beside it.

Yes, He does, and yes, He was here - I saw His tracks.

Tonight as we cleaned up the glitter, and removed the last traces of VBS 2004, I had to pop in and remind you of how God furnishes His house.

Matthew 21:16 (Msg)      "Do you hear what these children are saying?"    Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"
 
New Hope was a place of praise on Sunday, as Jesus saw His children celebrate His name. Did I see Him? No, but I saw His tracks.

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.

Playing Marbles With Diamonds

Luke 12:34 (Msg)      It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. 

High up among the mountains of western Brazil sits the city of Ouro Preto. When the Portuguese first came to Brazil, the town mushroomed because of the gold ore found nearby. Once that played out, it went back to its sleepy small town existence.

One day a man from Lisbon, a mining engineer, came into town.  Stepping off his horse in the town square, he allowed the animal to drink his fill of water from the central plaza's fountain, a remnant of the earlier glory days.

He happened to notice some children playing nearby, and wandered over to ask where to get a bite to eat. The kids were playing a spirited game of marbles and as he walked up, one flew out of the circle and rolled to a stop at his feet.

Picking it up, he thought he saw something in the smooth stone. He rubbed it against his clothing for a moment or two, and what he saw changed his life. The children, poor and ragged like the town they lived in, were playing marbles with diamonds.

We're in America, not Brazil. Our children for the most part aren't ragged, or poor, and neither are we. Our access to almost everything that we could want is unparalleled in the history of man.

Freedom? We have more of that precious commodity than anyone who has ever lived. But what's happened is we've taken all the precious gifts given us and used them for our own selfish pleasure. In our own way we're playing marbles with diamonds too.

Friend, look at the indicators of where your life's priorities are - your checkbook, your calendar, your relationships with people, your relationship with God.

I've spent some time in our VBS "town square" this week, and too many of the richest kids in the world are poor in the things of the Spirit. We're doing everything we can as a church to help them understand what a priceless gift God's love through Jesus Christ is, but nothing would make more of an impact than a mommy or daddy, aunt or uncle, grandmother or granddaddy, teacher, librarian, fireman or friend in love with Jesus Christ.

Make a decision. Live the 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.

Misplaced Boundaries
 
It was the last day of my summer job before I was off to college. Let's be kind and say I was in a frivolous mood. (we could turn hard and say I was a jerk)
 
Having spent the morning unloading bags of concrete, the early afternoon cutting concrete pipe with a pick, and now having finished digging a ditch with a shovel, I was tired too. Then my eyes saw them - stakes with brightly colored ribbons on them, where the surveyors had just finished laying out the confines of another building's foundation.
 
Something within me saw that as an opportunity to thumb my nose at my bosses, and have some fun too. So I went over and carefully moved each stake. Not a whole lot, maybe a foot here or there. And I was careful to not leave evidence of what had happened.
 
I went off to school, came back the next summer to the same construction area. But this time I didn't get a job with the construction crew. No, this time I was hired by Gostin Surveying.
 
Yep. Same folks.
 
As the summer went by, I learned a lot about the science of surveying. How precise it had to be, how trusted the surveyor was, and how everything depended on his ability to trust old, sometimes in the eyes of an 18 year old, ancient, boundary markers.
 
You could say my perspective changed.
 
The last day of the summer, I summoned up enough courage to tell Mr. Lester what I had done. To my great relief, he laughed for a good minute and finally told me "we spotted it the next day. Once you know what's right, where the boundaries are, you just know."
 
Folks, the next time you meet someone whose not a believer in Jesus, think about this story.
 
They've heard so many times, seen so many times - the "Christians" around them not living up to their Master's standards that they sometimes break those standards too, just because they want to prove no one will ever lay down a boundary around their life. 

Then love breaks through.

Acts 3:26 (Msg)   But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, \nfrom your evil ways."

As they become believers, meet Jesus and understand how His love and sacrifice didn't draw those lines until He first laid His life on the line for them, and everything changes.

They live to please God, to obey His Word, not because they are afraid of Him, but because they see life - their life, through His eyes. Friends, the best way you can help your neighbor home is by being true in your own walk with Jesus. Earn the right to be heard by your actions, and once the door opens, tell them about Jesus.

Grace!

David

The Church of Perpetual VBS
 
Okay, so everyone whose currently working in our VBS has just suffered a massive coronary... but those of you who have completed yours a while ago ought to be over it enough by now to at least smile. And those of you who haven't been in VBS for years need to hear this too.
 
Church should always be like VBS.
 
Philip. 4:4 (Msg)      Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
 
VBS is when the church is more biblical than any other time of the year. Why?
 
Everybody's welcome.
Dress doesn't matter.
You're expected to have fun - if you don't, we failed.
You're expected to learn things about God you'll remember forever.
You'll have an opportunity to sing songs that make you move - in heart and body.
 
Psalm 32:11 (Msg)      Celebrate God.        Sing together—everyone!        All you honest hearts, raise the roof! 

And everyone you meet that's serving as a host, teacher, cook, or leader is there doing whatever they do for one reason - to help you find God, learn about God, and love God just like they do.
 
2 Cor. 13:9 (Msg)      We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.

VBS is when people go the extra mile, do the silly dances, sing the new songs, give the hugs, laugh the loudest, enjoying being Jesus' arms around the children He so loves.
 
That's why kids love it, and why VBS is the single biggest way they begin their walk with Christ.
 
Church should always be like VBS. It can be - come and see!
 
 
Grace!
 
David
(BTW, our VBS continues Wed. night and finishes with an explosion Sunday morning!)
 
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.

Follow The Moose Tracks

I may be on a continuous effort to stay fairly slim and trim, but that doesn't mean I don't keep up with the latest advances in the food industry. It seems as if on almost a weekly basis, new products pop up that I never thought of. They're mostly convenience foods now, but desserts also have really expanded in recent years.

Moose tracks ice cream is one of those expanded offerings that will expand you too if you don't limit your intake of it. It's great, and the story of who invented them and what they've done with their success might lead you straight to God.

Wally and June Blume have been Christians most of their lives. They served their God in their local church, giving of their time, talents and money to help God's kingdom grow. But when Wally came up with the unique ice cream called Moose Tracks, everything accelerated. For some people, when success comes, their attention and dedication to God's business declines. Not for Wally and June - just the opposite, for they are convinced it is just their faithfulness that God rewarded with their successful business growth.

You might say they are living a dream, but what they are really living out is obedience.

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.

That's exactly what Wally and June have done, and what we each can do, regardless of what work we find ourselves doing, or what people we find ourselves with.

So live for God and pass the moose tracks folks. :)

Grace!

David

PS - Oh and look out for two new flavors in the freezer case - Tootsie Roll and Tootsie Pop ice cream. Wally's been busy. :)

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.

And another thing...

A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.

"Oh, we'll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship," the wife explained.

"He was a communications major in college and I majored in theater arts."

"He communicates real well and I just act like I'm listening."

Go ahead and smile, it'll do you good.

Too many times people treat each other badly, in a misguided attempt to exercise control over the other. Perhaps the ultimate is the "last word syndrome." Counselors will tell of people who left their offices trying to get in the very last word. Reminds me of the "did not", "did too" of childhood.

That's supposed to die out as you mature. But now, it doesn't have to. You can have the last word, even if you are dead. Or can you?

A California man has come up with a new device that will allow people to record digital video messages which may be viewed by visitors to their gravesite. The playback would either be via remote control through infrared or sonic triggers, or with the use of a swipe card affixed to the device. That way a person could let people know what they wanted to say but couldn't, or they could add something else as in "and another thing I always wanted to tell you was..."

Uh huh.

Proverbs 16:1 (Msg)
Mortals make elaborate plans,
but God has the last word.

Whatever you've done here with the time God has given you is what will really be remembered as what mattered.

Have you loved God with everything you've got?
Have you loved your neighbor as much and as well as you've loved yourself?
Have you lived up to what Jesus has done for you by seeking to obey His principles for life?

Those acts, multiplied over a lifetime, far surpass any recording you could do. And those you minister to will pass that love along. Folks, that message will be heard in all the right places.

Start living for eternity today.

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.

The Worst Book

While I was at our local library yesterday, I picked up a book filled with the worst. The idea behind it was to prepare people for the worst thing that can happen to them. Now that I've read it, I no longer have to worry about what I'll do if:

- I have to jump from a bridge into a river.
- I have to deal with army ants
- I'm in a car dangling over a cliff and need to escape.
- I've decided to jump from a building into a dumpster
- I need to jump from a moving train.
- I'm attacked by leeches, or sharks, or killer bees, or alligators
- I fall into quicksand, or a cesspool, or frigid water
- I need to bribe a foreign official, deal with UFOs or charging bulls

These are just a few of the worst case scenarios the book tries to prepare you for. But even though they have given the reader an exhaustive list of what to do if your life may be in danger, they left out the biggest dangers and the best way out.

The biggest danger anyone can ever face is life without God, followed by death without God.

Job 27:1 (Msg) ".... What hope do people without God have when life is cut short?
when God puts an end to life?....

They don't have any hope. But God has provided for everything. The best way out?

1 John 4:9 (Msg)
This is how God showed His love for us: God sent His only Son into the world so we might live through Him.

All anyone needs to do is embrace God's love through Jesus Christ, His Son.

The writers of the "Worst Case Scenario" must have spent days thinking up the worst things that could happen to someone. You've got your own list I'm pretty sure. Just know this friends, in the words of the song, "Can't nobody love you like Jesus."

Open the book filled with the best love ever today. Let His love flow into your heart and through you to others.

Ephes. 5:2 (Msg)
Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

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.

"Know It All's"

Our friendly neighborhood UPS man just brought me a present from a book publisher. Looking at the cover, I can see that it has a foreword by Dr. Charles F. Stanley, an attempted depiction of Michaelangelo's Sistine chapel painting of God and man reaching for each other, and a blurb promising great things. "The 40 Day health experience that will change your life forever!"

I don't think I'll read it.

After all, I know diets. I've personally lost enough weight to equal that of a 3rd grader - at least a couple of times.

And I've seen Charles Stanley on TV. He doesn't need to lose any weight. So how would he know anything about it?

Then there's that picture. I think God's arm was bigger in the real one, and Adam's was much rougher looking.

If they had just come to me before they made all these errors. Nope. No need to read that book. Oh, but wait - didn't I just read something about people who think that way?

Proverbs 28:26 (Msg)
If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure;
real survivors learn wisdom from others.

Oops....

Obviously, there is a danger in assuming that our own personal experience is the standard by which all truth should be measured. Just because we've had some exposure to what an author has written on, doesn't give us the ability or discernment to decide it is worthless and unworthy.

We all need to learn, to grow, to change. We all have varied experiences. Don't let your prideful tendency to value what you have experienced rob you of something that might literally change your life. I don't know whether this book will or not, until I read it.

And you won't know whether God's Word can change your life either, unless you read its Truth and apply it to your life. To place your experience over the Bible's Truth isn't only foolish, it's a sin. Don't make that mistake.

Make today one to remember. Learn more about God. Then apply that knowledge to 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.

America and me

America and me go way back.

My first memory of real pride in being an American was our seventh grade graduation ceremony, at Union Elementary in Macon, Georgia. It was a small school on the then outskirts of a growing city, with two seventh grade classes totaling maybe 40 children.

We had practiced our parts for weeks. One girl was to lead everyone in the pledge of allegiance, another boy recited the declaration of independence from memory. My part was to recite the preamble to the Constitution. Once I got through that, I could breathe.

I remember vividly to this day singing with my fellow graduates,

"This is my country, land of my birth.
This is my country, greatest on earth.
I pledge thee my allegiance, America, the bold.
For this is my country, to have and to hold."
This is my country.

We sang a part of that song when I graduated that might not be sung today, as our nation struggles with what to do about God. It went like this:

With hand upon heart I thank the Lord For this my native land,
For all I love is here within her gates.
My soul is rooted deeply in the soil on which I stand,
For these are my own United States.

It was a different nation then. Some things were wrong, and needed to be changed. Others were right, and needed to be preserved. We've finally lived up to our "created equal" boast, but left our Creator behind. The Bible points us to truth when it says:

Proverbs 14:34 (Msg)
God-devotion makes a country strong;
God-avoidance leaves people weak.

This 4th of July, we are going to celebrate America. But if we fail to worship the One Who gave us our real freedom - everyday - we will have missed more than the point of this devotional.

May God bless the United States of America.

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.

Where Would Jesus Eat?

My friend and fellow preacher-creature Arnold Hendrix was back in town for his home church's 50th anniversary celebration this weekend. We went to the local diner at lunch to enjoy each other's company and some good food.

As we left, Arnold (an actual native Floridian) asked the proprietor about someone. "Does ___ still come in every morning?" "Oh yes, she said, about 8."

"Well what about _____?"

"He's a little later, about nine. You know we have two waves - the early one, mostly retirees, and the late one."

Arnold thought of another person and asked, "What about old ___.? He's been coming here 20 years and still thinks he's one of the new kids."

She turned and looked over her shoulder, "he was right there today. We were teasing him about coming here so often. He gave it right back though, said he might stop coming here, since he could get that sort of aggravation at home."

Her smile wasn't that of a businessperson who's running a money-making enterprise. It was that of a friend. Her customers were her friends and family, and unfortunately if nothing changes, in about a month Doris' Diner will close to make way for a wider highway. They call that progress, but I'm not convinced.

Years from now, people will ask, wasn't that where Doris' place used to be? And they'll remember fondly for a while - not the food (though it's excellent), but the fellowship. People knew each other there. It's exactly the kind of place Jesus would have loved.

Friends, that's a lot like a place Jesus does love - and how that place, His church, should be.

Like the diner, people come from everywhere, all walks of life to be fed the Word of God. They receive nourishment for their souls, and are strengthened. But more than that, they become family, adopted by God, and embraced by His people - in a place where people matter - where everybody knows your name.

Some think a successful church has great programs.
Some think a successful church has great music.
Some think great preaching carries the day.
Some think a successful church has the right denominational banner on its masthead.

But Jesus said that the world would spot the church right away - it would the one that had followed His plan.

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

It's a shame Doris' has to close. If we could get some good preaching and some praise and worship in there, they'd have a head start on a bunch of churches. It's for sure they'd win the covered dish Olympics hands down.

But their claim to fame as far as I'm concerned is relationships, and those last, even if the diner won't. We know the church will endure to the last, but it ought not take endurance to keep it together.

Make sure yours is working hard on loving each other. That's the Jesus way.

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.

Who Cares?

Someone once wrote that a preacher should study with the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. I'm sure the idea behind that is to not lose touch with the world, but so many times when I read of the critical needs certain people are in, and the lack of a willingness of anyone to do something about it, I'm moved to ask, "Who cares?"

Today's paper carried a story of a woman who was offering one child for sale in order that she might feed the rest of her children. Such things ought not be. In ancient Israel, God wrote into His laws protection for the poor, the widowed and the fatherless. Pundits point out, when such laws are brought up, that there is no record of Israel actually keeping the laws of Jubilee.

In my readings of the Old Testament, I don't see them doing a very good job keeping a lot of the others either.

People are hurting all around us. Mothers and children are in need. Who cares? God does.

James 5:11 (Msg)
...God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

He cares about that child who'll go to bed hungry in a land of plenty.

He cares about the woman who'll cry herself to sleep.

He cares about the man who fears he'll lose his job of 20 years.

He cares about you... right down to the last detail.

God cares. And you and I can help Him. Find someone you can be God's instrument of compassion or care to. Answer the question with, "God cares, and so do I."

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.

Time Is Running Out

Upon receipt of an email from a government official today, I was informed that time was running out for me. You see I got this email from Swaziland that said:

"We have a consignment in our custody valued at $15,000,000.00 USD (Fifteen Million United States Dollars) which was deposited by one of our customers from France. For the past six years it is been recorded in our computer system that the beneficiary of the deposited consignment is dead and up till date we have not received any word from his relatives concerning claims of the deposited consignment.Unless you act immediately, your claim will be forfeit."

How was I supposed to know that my rich and unknown relative had died and left me $15M dollars? Frankly, I am a wee bit skeptical of this since: tracing Wilsons is very difficult (just ask anyone who's done family tree work) and two, all my family together wouldn't have a fraction of that. But if I don't act immediately, my treasure will vanish.

Or will it? No, because it cannot.

2 Cor. 4:7 (Msg)
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.

Granted, looking at the wrapper, you'd see just another guy named Wilson, trying to please God, take care of His family, and love people.

2 Cor. 4:16 (Msg)
... Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.
You see, I have this treasure.

The love of Christ.

And with Him, I will spend eternity. Oh and not one day goes by without His generous love for me giving me more treasure to share. Time isn't running out. I've got all the time in this world and the next one too.

I hope you do too. If I can help you understand how God could love you just as you are, or help you take another step along the way toward Him, write me.

Because unless you have that Christ-treasure, time is running out.

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.

Pray

Walking up the path to my office this morning, seeing the grounds so well kept by one member, I give thanks to God for his work, and ask God to guard and guide him as he walks along the Journey with Christ.

Glancing to my right, I see the hanging baskets another has given and which bless everyone here with their beauty. She and her husband work here together. He's a real role model for the boys he leads in RA's, and she's a blessing in whatever she places her hand on. They're off on a vacation trip, so I breathe a prayer of intercession for their safe return.

Arriving at my office, yesterday's contacts are still on the monitor before me. One family is coping with the devastation of cancer's onslaught. I stop and pray, asking God to comfort, strengthen, and heal. Another deals daily with the prolonged separation from each other, with the wife in a nursing home, and the husband of decades going home each night to an empty house. Hard work that, after decades as a loving couple together. So I pray.

Oswald Chambers wrote, "the purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God."

After thinking through some of the problems that our church family members are dealing with, I'm sure looking for Him.

In reading through the Psalms, two things stand out. First, the writers sure did have a lot of problems. Second, they never lost their focus on God. In the 150 Psalms, the names "Lord" and "God" are mentioned more than 1200 times. Even though some of the Psalms were written during times of great distress, they were able to look past those to God.

So I pray. There's a lot of things a pastor does, but two activities top the list.

Acts 6:4 (Msg)
Meanwhile, we'll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God's Word."

I don't have to get to my office to begin. Neither do you.

Pray.

Don't wait.

Pray.

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.

We've Found the Weapons of Mass Destruction!

It would be safe I think to say that authors William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway were good at their craft. While they vary in style, the books and short stories that they penned have enlivened the reading of millions of people. Yet I found out today that the two men didn't always value each other's work. Here's a couple of quotes from each.

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." -William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

The weapons of mass destruction? Words.

Proverbs 15:4 (Msg)
Kind words heal and help;
cutting words wound and maim.

We can choose what to say, how to respond, whether to build people up with our speech or cut them down. That old rhyme about sticks and stones breaking bones and words never harming us just wasn't true. Who among us doesn't remember someone who hurt us deeply with their words?

For the believer in Jesus, words are part of our example of a changed life.

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.
Every detail - every word. You'll be amazed at the positive impact you can have on people if you'll become a person who encourages others and who speaks words of grace.

You'll be happy to know that Faulkner and Hemingway, though they never became close friends, through a series of letters and meetings, did grow to respect and value one another. Here's what Faulkner said upon hearing of Hemingway's tragic death.

"He is not dead. Generations not yet born of young men and women who want to write will refute that word as applied to him."

Let's use our weapons to build, not destroy.

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.

When Scuffed Up Is Just Right

When I first came to New Hope, as we pulled into the parking lot two things caught my eye and my imagination - just down the street sat Valparaiso Elementary, and just across the street sat the Little League field.

I love baseball. From time to time I find baseballs here at New Hope that have been fouled off across the street and have found their way into our shrubbery. Since many of the games are played at night, finding them apparently is difficult then. So I have a drawer full. :)

Holding one of those takes me back. To my Little League days as a scatter armed pitcher with more speed than control. Particularly if the umpire had given me a new baseball. They were just too perfect, too slippery to use. So you'd try to rub some mud on them, or try to keep one with a couple of scuffs in the game.

Turns out they do that in the big leagues too. A company out of New Jersey supplies river mud (just where from is a closely guarded secret) to every major and minor league time, and has since 1945. Without it, the baseballs are too perfect to use.

Think about that.

Every stitch is in place. The horsehide cover is blemish free. The classic red stitching and white cover - perfect. But it's useless until rubbed in the mud - scuffed up.

Too many of us are wishing and hoping for lives of pure perfection too. Plenty of money, perfect health, successful job, never a care or worry, no grief nor pain. We think if everything were perfect, we'd be happy. Maybe we would be, but we wouldn't be useful.

There was a man once who was perfect. God sent Him here for us.

Hebrews 2:14-18 (Msg)
Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death [15] and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.
[16] It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. [17] That's why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins, [18] he would have already experienced it all himself all the pain, all the testing and would be able to help where help was needed.

And because he experienced all the grief, the pain, the sufferings that you and I do, he was able to help right where help was needed.

You can too.

Take that pain you have and use it to draw others to God. Share that heartache as you care for another who hurts too. Walk through that valley of suffering and show others how God is faithful. Don't live your life lamenting your imperfections, and don't expect perfection.

Just be available to be used by God as a bridge to your fellow man, just as you are. Scuffed up is just right.

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.

Just the right place to be wrong

On a morning that dawned, or rather clouded and rained, I spent some time waiting for a friend to undergo a procedure. As I watched the people come and go, it dawned on me that there were way too many people with problems in that place. It seemed like every person that came to the sign in desk had something wrong with them and needed help.

And as I watched the staff try to help them, I wondered just how much all this was costing someone - the person, or their insurance, or the taxpayers. The place was real nice. Did they have to spend all that on TV's for the waiting room? That coffee maker over there - it must have cost a bunch. All those machines in the back, those tests, the professionals - my head was swimming just thinking about it.

About that time a young woman came by in a wheelchair, surrounded by family. She was carrying in her arms a newborn baby. On a dark and rainy day, her smile and of all those around her, brightened us all.

Then followed an older woman, also being wheeled outside, whose husband walked beside her in pride and happiness, as if he were escorting a queen. From the looks they shared, he was.

It made me stop and consider just what that place was all about. Even though everyone entering had something that needed care, or something that was wrong with them, it was okay, because they were in just the right place to be wrong.

Reminded me of church.

Romans 3:12 (Msg)
They've all taken the wrong turn;
they've all wandered down blind alleys.
No one's living right;
I can't find a single one.

Everyone that comes through the doors of a church has one thing in common with everyone else. There's something wrong with them. Oh, the maladies may be wildly different, but in the end they are the same. The one who just got there to the one whose been there 50 years. The one who stands up front and preaches, to the one who sits on the back row and sleeps. Lots of time, energy and money are used to create and maintain a place for the sole use of people who cannot seem to ever be cured - they still do things wrong.

That's okay, because all of them are in just the right place to be wrong, if they want to get better. God has whispered a diagnosis, prescribed a treatment, and in order to really get cured, they need to get close enough, regularly enough to be exposed to His love, until it becomes theirs.

Hypocrites? Sure. But trying to get better. Will they take other wrong turns? Absolutely. But they've stopped by to get directions. And every now and then, I get to watch as God finds them and a new child comes into the kingdom. Or I get to see it when someone who was broken is restored through God's amazing grace.

Church is just the right place to be wrong.

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.

You Can Learn A Lot Here

As the nation pauses to remember our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, things are slow in this military town. Many are off from work, observing a day of mourning.

What I'm remembering today is a phrase full of hope though, that I'll always associate with President Reagan, "It's morning in America." The great communicator was bullish on the future of his beloved nation.

I'm that way about the local church. On days like this, when I can pray and think about what God has done and is doing here, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that He's given me a role in what He does. And during the day to day life of a church, you can discover moment after moment of pure joy.

For example: Wednesday night, the girls who sing in our "New Hope Girl's Worship Team" were having their devotional time. Part of that is to remember the central truth of the Bible lesson they learned the Sunday before. The idea being that if they can remember it three days later, it will stay with them long enough to become a principle.

So last week they learned about Jesus healing ten lepers. Remember?

12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance,
13 crying out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
14 He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God, I'm healed!"
16 He fell face down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?
18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?"
19 And Jesus said to the man, "Stand up and go. Your faith has made you well."
Luke 17:12-19 (NLT)

So when the girls were asked to tell the story, the responses were all over the board, but most did remember the central truth... with some modifications in one case.

One girl wrote: "The ten people had "lepotitus.""

And Jesus healed them... anyway.

No matter what you call the need, Jesus can meet it if we go to Him in faith.

Yes, you can learn a lot here. And seeing children grow into mature believers gives me hope for a new morning in America.

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.

Vacations and Vocations

Mark 6:30-31 (Msg)
The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. [31] Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat.

Ever been that way? So busy that you didn't even have time to take a break to eat? That's not the Jesus way folks. On a regular basis, Jesus withdrew from the crush of His vocation and rested and renewed.

The late Vance Havner said, "If you do not come apart, you'll come apart."

It's still true today. During these hot summer months, take time to look at all the activities you've stuffed into a day, and make sure that you're not missing those times of renewal and restoration. Worship regularly, and make time for God in your personal devotions. Come apart from the world, or you will come apart.

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.

For Best Results, Keep Free from Interference

We have a DSL connection here at the church, and normally it works pretty well. The ability to go through large amounts of information in a hurry really helps me in researching sermons, and the speed it gives us in downloading means Bible studies and other resources are a snap to receive.

Except when it isn't working well. Like this week. I'd be hard at work trying to find more information on a passage of scripture's context, or illustrative material to help shed light on what that scripture means for today, when suddenly the internet just would stop working.

When that occurred, I'd have to go to the church office where all the electronics reside, and reset all the devices. After a few times, I decided it was time to get help. So I emailed our provider to ask what I could do to fix it. I gave them all the situational details, info about our system and waited to hear their response.

When it came, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Please ensure that your modem is not near any of the following devices: your PC, printers, scanners, fluorescent lights, copiers, telephones, cell phones, hubs and switches, or any other electrical device that might cause interference."

Hmm... It was two feet from a printer, sitting on a hub, three feet from a copier, four from a telephone, three from a PC, a foot from a router, and I had my cell phone in my pocket. Oh and the lights? Fluorescent.

Guess we'll have to build a room on the roof just to house the modem.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it.

There's no way a perfect place for that can be found, and still do what we need to do with it. No way to be completely free of interference, and still be in a working office. That's unrealistic.

Yet when you think about it, there are people even within our churches who want exactly that complete freedom from interference before they will serve, before they will commit their lives to following Christ in helping their churches live out His purposes. Talking to several pastors over the last few weeks produced a chorus of examples of interference.

- One pastor said, "The music has to please them. Could be hymns, could be choruses. Could be solos, could be choir. But know this, if it isn't what they like, you'll get interference, and they won't "worship"."

- Another pointed out, "The preaching has to please them. Wrong version of Scripture. Too long. Too short. Too many illustrations. Not enough. Whatever the reason, if it isn't delivered the way they like it, don't expect them to listen."

- And another said, "The people have to please them. Too many old people. Not enough. Too many young people. Not enough. Too formal. Too casual. Too friendly. Not enough. If the atmosphere that surrounds them isn't just right, how can you expect them to "worship"?"

Not with all that -- Interference.

Sounds to me as though a lot of that interference could be cleared up with a simple movement of the receiver to their knees.

Pride and self-preference, or getting our way. That's the real interference, and we've got to ruthlessly eliminate it from our lives. Anytime the spirit of this age tempts us to seek our way, our preferences instead of just desperately seeking God and the fulfillment of His purpose - reaching people, we've got to fall to our knees and seek to see, hear, and feel nothing except the presence of God.

It's past time.

John 4:23 (Msg)
But the time is coming it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.

"Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth."

For best results in that pursuit, keep yourself free from interference. Stay humble and flexible and willing to meet God wherever He is moving.

Remember. It's not 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.

Swords, Shovels, and Bridal Gowns

Watching TV last night, I saw an account of the D-Day invasion. During those fateful days, American paratroopers dropped into French towns and hoped to liberate them from the Nazi invaders. In some cases they were immediately successful, but in others, they were not. One French town cared for many of the Americans. When the Germans counterattacked, the GI's were forced to leave almost everything behind and flee for safety.

After the war, times were hard for the French people. Food was scarce, but they wanted to return to a normal life. One couple wanted to get married, but couldn't afford a wedding dress. Then they remembered the parachute one GI had stuffed into a corner of their home.

Voila!.

That reminded me...

Isaiah 2:4 (Msg)
He'll settle things fairly between nations.
He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
they won't play war anymore.

What a great scrap of Scripture that is! Don't you long for that day, when God will finally bring peace to our world? When that happens, the instruments of war will be changed into tools for peace.

Maybe even wedding gowns.

Pray for that day's soon coming.

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.

Tremors

At first I wasn't sure what it was. It felt like a big truck going by, but then I realized I was no where near the highway, in fact I was in our company's corporate HQ. Then the books started falling off the shelf above my head, and I had to get up. When I did, for a moment it felt like I was surfing. All the people who made the SF Bay area their home looked at me kind of funny. None of them had even moved.

"Did you feel that?", I asked.

"Yeah, but you get used to it," one replied.

Right then and there, I thanked Almighty God for placing me in Middle Georgia, and asked Him to please, please, please see me safely back home. He did.

I was thinking about that event today when I read this verse..

Jeremiah 5:3 (Msg)
But you, God,
you have an eye for truth, don't you?
You hit them hard, but it didn't faze them.
You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
Hardheaded, harder than rock,
they wouldn't change.

Have you felt a tremor lately?

Has something within you seemed not quite right? The things that used to bring you joy, do them still have that effect? Or are they lifeless?

It could just be that you need to examine your faith and practice. Maybe there is a disconnect between what you say you believe and how you really live. Oh, it probably wasn't something you decided to do one day, just the result of a series of little compromises. And now, you haven't felt God move in your heart in a long, long, time.

Friend, draw near to God and He'll draw near to you. Go to Him in prayer, and ask Him to soften your heart, and wash it clean, giving you a new desire to follow Him. It's never too late.

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's That?

Had a conversation with my buddy William Hobbs the other night. It's always fun to talk to William, because at just past two, he's still working out this whole communication deal. You have to listen really intently, and be aware of what he's trying to tell you, and then just maybe you'll get it.

But friends, William doesn't miss a thing. He wanted to see inside the water meter Wednesday night, so naturally I had to make that happen. When he saw the dial for the meter he said "What's that?" Trying to explain what the meter was and how it works was beyond my ability. So I handed him a baseball. (My sales training kicked in- don't know the answer? Distract them!)

He looked at me, grinned his biggest William smile, and said "Ball!"

You'd think we didn't do this every week. :)

I was reading today and came across this verse.

Psalm 118:23-25 (Msg)
This is God's work.
We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
[24] This is the very day God acted—
let's celebrate and be festive!
[25] Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

If you stop, really stop, and consider all God's blessings in your life, you'll have trouble believing it too. Take a minute and remember what it was like to be a child - full of wonder and amazement at the world God created.

Now listen...

What's that?

Another heartbeat, another testimony of God's love for 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.

Do You Have Any Identification?

As I grew from boy to man on 40 acres of undeveloped land, I enjoyed the finest in entertainment activities.

I could ride a bike, climb trees, have nuclear war with my brother (using the approved weapons of course - the dirt clod, the chinaberry or plum, and the dreaded hickory nut), shoot BB guns, play baseball and football, and just have a good time. Later on when we were older, we rode motorcycles, played church softball and basketball, and went hunting and fishing.

We have few if any pictures to look at and reflect on those times we had. We had school pictures, Easter and Christmas pictures, but none of the two of us just living.

But I do have a physical way of remembering many of the things that happened in my life through the years. They are always with me. During the time of the Vietnam war draft, they served as my identification - what made me different than any of the other 18 year old boys worried about going off to war. Of course I've added new ones since then, life goes on after all. Now every now and then I happen to rub or scrape one and I'm brought back to the day it happened - to exactly what I was doing, just how it felt, what others did to help me, and how it all turned out. What were they?

My scars.

If the draft board had come looking for me, they'd have picked me out of a crowd by my scars.

We're looking at ministry this week as we study the Purpose Driven Life, and so I picked up on Paul's reluctance to be drawn off into side issues - issues of practice, not of faith. People had come to the church in Galatia saying that faith in Christ wasn't enough. You needed a "badge" to let the world know.

Paul let them know how they could tell he followed Christ.

Galatians 6:17 (Msg)
Quite frankly, I don't want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do—the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.

Scars.

Jesus had said, "They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another." But loving one another is risky business. Even in ministry, people can hurt one another so deeply it leaves scars. Someone once told me "I've never been hurt as badly or as often than at church."

Friends, I've been there and done that. I could dwell on those, keep rubbing those scars, and get nothing done. Or I could thank God that He counted me worthy to be His ambassador for Christ and stay in the game.

I won't be called on to write any New Testament books, but in the serious living of this faith, I'm with Paul. If you've been hurt, wounded, even scarred while trying to serve Christ, just count your scars as a measure of identification.

When the Master comes looking for His disciples, you'll be easy to spot.

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.

Take Over!

Weak. I'm feeling pretty weak today. Maybe I should have gotten a hint of what was ahead when as I walked down the road away from our home this morning, a dryer sheet fell out of my pant's leg. Then later, the sinus infection that plagued me the day before reacquainted itself, and a recurring kidney problem reminded me it still knew my name.

Yep, I'm feeling pretty weak.

I sort of feel like the young lady on her first solo after winning her driver's license. She came around a corner and was immediately confronted by a mass of spinning and smoking cars all across the road ahead of her. Being a Christian, she knew she had to rely on God to take care of her, so she took her hands off the wheel and said out loud, "You take it Lord!"

Never did hear how that turned out.

But since I have work to do, I did ask God to take over. To use my weakness today to teach me about Him - about His mercy and His grace. And He lead me to this passage.

2 Cor. 12:9 (Msg)
...He told me,

"My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness."

Paul had a physical problem that wouldn't go away, no matter how much he begged God to remove it. Finally, He realized that the ailment was the least of his problems. Paul understood that he couldn't let himself focus on what was wrong with him. Instead, he had to focus on what was right with God.

He just let God take over.

It's the end of the day here, and everything except the dryer sheet is still with me. But you know, it's been especially good to be with God today in the study of His Word.

What about you? Are you spending all your energies focusing on what is wrong? Why not take a minute right now and begin thanking God for all the things that are right in your life? Go as deep as you need to. But don't stop until your focus has shifted to Him. Then let Him take over.

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.

Letters that touch the heart

Just a routine visit to the post office this morning really made me think.

As I parked my car, I pulled into the space beside a pickup. In it, there was a man whose white hair and wrinkled face told of many years of toil. Getting out and passing by him, I noticed that he held some notebook papers in his hands, and the folds that creased the pages were full of blue inked script. On the dashboard lay the envelope, with the familiar APO postmark telling of a trip from a person in military service somewhere.

He looked up, and though we never exchanged a word, I could tell that if I'd have offered him the riches of Midas for that letter, it wouldn't have been enough. I made my way to the PO Box and back, and when I got back in my car, that letter was still in his hands.

What did it say?

I don't know. But one thing it did say was obvious. I'm still alive, I still remember you, and you matter enough for me to take the time to write. It reminded me of a letter, written by an aged man to people he loved as his children, telling them about the One who first loved.

1 John 5:13-15 (Msg)
My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. [14] And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. [15] And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.

Please know this - if you are a believer, then the Spirit of the Living God is alive within you.

1 John 4:16-17 (Msg)
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. [17] This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's.

God wants to lead you away from a life of fear and into a life of love's full freedom. You may not be there yet - don't give up! Keep learning about God - keep asking Him for more of His presence in your life. It will happen.

1 John 4:18 (Msg)
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

Do this - commit yourself to writing a letter each day to God. Call it a journal, call it a diary, whatever you want, but in it, write God your heart's desires, fears, and tell Him where you are and what you want your relationship with Him to be.

When you are that real, that open and honest with God - you'll touch His heart. Picture Him in heaven, reading your letter. Can you see the look on His face?

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.

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.