Life Has Accelerated

I hear this from many people I encounter each day. Time is going by more quickly than ever before. Days are crammed with a zillion tasks. A man tries to juggle 2 jobs and single parenting. A woman tries to complete errands before work and on her lunch hour, in order to have evenings and weekends for her family. What about quality time for extended family. and friends, and pets, where and how does it all fit?

Does this sound familiar? Do things feel like they are spinning out of control? Is there a way off the merry-go-round? Yes.

No one knows the structure of your own daily life better than you do, so I can't presume to advise you on time management, although there are many good books out there on the topic.

Instead I would direct you to The Book, and some reflections on living a devotional life, regardless of how busy it becomes. After all, you are in charge of that schedule, that list of tasks, so maybe it's time to kick some to the curb, delegate others, ask for help, and just downsize the busy-ness.

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Here., we could perceive "evil" as that which distracts us from devotion to God. Pave your way, each day, by arising 15 minutes earlier and using that time for Bible study or prayer.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Knowing this in our hearts, how could we ever manufacture false anxiety over anything not accomplished "on time"? Have you ever had a delay, that later, proved to be more beneficial? I can recall a time or two, when a delay was actually a blessing in disguise. With faith, we embrace the unfolding of our days, knowing that the good Lord has our back.

Faith is cultivated, just like exercising muscles. So is being present – have you noticed that most anxieties are about future things that have not even happened yet, and most sadness is about things that are in the past? Be Here Now, is good advice. In this moment, God is with you, are you with Him?

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made". (Genesis 2:2). Yes, there are still meals to be made, and preparations for the work week to come, and, if you intend it, devotional time can be set aside, not only for church services, but also for personal reflection. I often use this time, which I intentionally set aside, to marvel with appreciation and gratitude, at all the blessings in my life.

A simple time management exercise, is to write down what you do and the time you are doing it, all day long, for a week. A pattern will show up. Your personal pattern. Then you evaluate, and choose some small beneficial changes: Could I go over the bills 1 hour later in the evening after the kids are asleep, and spend some evening time with them? If I reduced my television time by half an hour, and took a brisk evening walk, or phoned one family member, wouldn't that feel better? If I cut back on the things I think "relax me", like video games and social media, I would have a bit - it needn't be much - of extra time to devote to prayer, or to “live”, pleasant interactions with my family and pets, or some hobby.

And finally, in the midst of all the hectic rush of our days, our workplaces, our momentary encounters with grocery store clerks, our driving behaviors, everything – treat this as your ministry. Bring a little kindness for yourself and others, into the equation. Do your best to live God’s Word and go through each moment as His child, for “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31).

References:

http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-time-management.html#ixzz3P4s9KNs0

http://www.jollynotes.com/inspirational-verses/bible-verses-about-time-inspirational-scriptures-quotes/

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-2-2/

http://www.openbible.info/topics/do_unto_others

The Wonders of the Season

As winter becomes established, I notice a different kind of beauty that God has provided.  The clear, cold, crisp nights with twinkling stars and a glorious glowing moon, seem almost close enough to reach and to touch.

I savor the satisfaction of bringing in the firewood, and laying a fire, the sharp smell of the wood smoke, and the beauty of the dancing flames at our hearth.

I am blessed to have the strength and energy to clear the walkways of our recent snowfall.  That snow looked like angel kisses as it fell.

The sharp, icy winds sweep tree branches and the yard free of leaves, making way for the new.  The bare branches are an interesting abstract pattern, and will be the framework for the green beauty of springtime.  Ice sometimes coats the twigs, and in the sunrise they appear coated in glass.  The ice encases the buds that will survive and spring forth in bloom, within a few short months.

In a broader perspective, I see the season as one of rest, for the earth, before the springtime bursts forth with vibrant greenery once again.  Behind the scenes, so to speak, the trees and plants and seeds are preparing themselves. There's a feeling of eternity, dependability, in these endless cycles of nature.

Traditionally, on the farm, winter was a time of repair and renewal as well.  Livestock still needed care, but with fewer hours spent tending the fields, more time was focused on mending this or that, planning and preparing for the next growing season, making sure the family was safe and secure.

In today's hectic world, we sometimes lose sight of God's seasons and their rhythms, forget to appreciate His gifts - not for how we can use them, but simply as they are.  I invite you today, and every day, to dress for the weather, step outside, and notice God's handiwork in all the miracles that surround you.

A Poem from Ruby Baker

Here is a beautiful poem from my wife, Ruby, to be read thoughtfully and with the heart.

We hope you enjoy it.

What is the Real Meaning of Christmas?

Jesus came as a lowly babe in a manger.

No commercialism there in the manger.

No bright lights flashing.

No one even cared where He was born.

There were no Christmas trees.

There was no booze parties conducted.

He came for others.

He came for the world, who had rejected Him.

He came for the harlot that sells her body.

He came for the homosexual who shames his/her body.

He came for the drunk lying in the gutter.

He came for the business man that has no time for God or the real meaning of Christmas.

He came for the housewife who busies herself with the shopping and cooking.

He came for the little boy who wants a bicycle under the tree.

He came for the broken hearted.

He came for the wealthy.

He came for you.

Why don’t you give yourself to Him?

Some people still look at Him as being in a manger.

The birth of Christ was not a mere crib scene.

The birth of Christ is not a picture that we paste in a scrap book to look at on rainy days.

If you leave Him in the manger, you eliminate His deity and His purpose.

The birth of Christ was step one in the redemptive plan for fallen man.

Don’t leave Him in the Manger.

“Good tidings of Great Joy to all people:  A Savior is born.”

The angel’s announcement wasn’t just that Christ, a babe, was born, but rather God’s delivering promise had begun.

God gave His Son with no regard to expectations.

The “good tidings of great joy”, was the death of Christ on Calvary’s cross and the resurrection of a living Savior for all people.

What could be of greater joy than being free from the bondage of sin?

The death, burial, and resurrection, was the emphasis of the announcement. 

That’s what the Christmas story is.

Walking in the Cornfield

Walking in the Cornfield (excerpted from Angel In The Fire, copyright 2010 by Robert C. Baker, and rewritten in the 3rd person)

After being home almost a year, Robert started leaving the house early in the morning. Still wrapped in lots of bandages, he would leave at 6:00 a.m. and return by 10:00 a.m. to attend to the work. This was his time to be alone, especially in the time of hot weather. He would go wandering through the cornfields trying to avoid the sun so he would not irritate his wounds and cause them to itch, or the bandages to stick from perspiration. It was so freeing to be able to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors and all it had to offer after being indoors for all of that time.

                Walking through the fields reminded Robert of when he had worked those fields with his father, watching for the harvest. He remembered how the different crops rose to maintain the family. He brought the index cards with me that Sam Lanham had shown him how to write. They had scripture on them that he would use to pray with, and he would read them to learn the Word of God.

                After several months, I began to notice construction companies building houses. He watched carefully as they laid out lines for the foundation and put out markers for plumbing and electric lines. He would watch for hours. He watched as the crew grew in size and took note of what their jobs were. Within several weeks, a new house would be completed, and Robert would be amazed that where an old house once stood, now a beautiful new one stood. He had been thinking to himself, too: I can do that, too. He began to pray to God, asking Him to help him because he needed a job, and he knew God would help him.

                In the second year after the accident, while on my way to a baseball game, Robert met Ruby May Jewell. What a double jewel she was. Ruby was a slender young woman who had long, dark hair. The bells went off for him. He knew immediately that she was the one he wanted to marry. To him, she hung the moon. When he got home that evening, he told his mother about her. Virginia knew Ruby’s parents, Roy and Virgie Jewell, who lived on John Willis’ Farm in Culpeper. Roy Jewell was a supervisor of a large tomato operation at the farm. Virginia took Robert to visit the Jewell family. The Jewell family fell in love with Robert. They were so open to Robert, and were eager to receive him even though he was still going through the healing process and felt very insecure about his appearance. That night, Robert struggled with sleep. He tossed and turned, wondering why Ruby would want someone like him. He didn’t want to be deceitful about how marred his body still was. Even his hands were still the colors of a rainbow, and he was still wearing bandages. He really wanted her to care for him. She was so beautiful, he wasn’t sure of how this could ever happen.

                Robert visited the cornfield again and came upon a very large rock with a large piece missing out of it. It was sandy, and it became his favorite place to be alone with God. He went there morning after morning to pray. He would cry out to God and ask Him about what to do next with his life. He would read the Word and seek God there. He’d pray for his burns to go away, and always leave filled with faith that God had heard him, just as Gerdie Printz had once told him, and continued to believe with him.

Robert and Virginia made a second visit to the Jewell family home. Ruby smiled at Robert and talked to him, making him feel so much more comfortable. This time, Robert asked Mrs. Jewell if he could date Ruby, still not knowing if she would even want to or if her family would allow it. To his amazement, Mrs. Jewell said, “yes,” even though he called her Mrs. Blakenbaker because he was so nervous.  Robert went to talk to Ruby immediately.  Shaking in his shoes, I asked Ruby if he could take her on a date. She asked, “When?”  He said, “Tonight.”  She said, “Yes.”

                That night, Robert and Ruby were on their first date. They went to see the movie The Hank Williams Story. They had popcorn, a Coke and a hot dog, and enjoyed being together very much. Arriving back promptly at the doorstep at 9:00 pm, Robert walked Ruby to the door as a perfect gentleman would. Climbing back in his car, enthralled about his perfect date, he sang, “I Saw the Light” all the way home. He knew that she was it for him. It was real love.

                Robert went to the rock to pray to God, and then he started drawing on paper the fields he had walked through that morning. He drew the layout of the land and the house that was on that parcel. He began to pray, and told God that the paper just wasn’t big enough for what he was trying to draw. He tried to draw smaller, but then just prayed again to God, telling Him, “I don’t understand why I am doing this, but I hope you can use this drawing of the land somehow.”

                Then, he looked up and saw a man getting out of his truck at the construction site below. This man had a large roll of big blue paper. It caught Robert’s attention. He told the Lord, “Well, if I had that big roll, boy! I could draw him the whole picture of the land!” This continued several days as he watched a crew plan the next site. Then, one morning, Robert walked down and began talking with the men on the construction site.  He told them he liked their large roll of paper and that he could really do some drawing with it. One of the men explained that the paper was called a blueprint and that it told them what to build. Robert was so excited. He had learned something about the paper, but he still didn’t know what it was.

                Ruby and Robert became very close, but Gerdie Printz, Robert’s own spiritual mother and mentor, still wasn’t sure they should be dating. It was time to introduce Ruby and Gerdie. This is when the rubber met the road. Mrs. Printz didn’t wait a minute. She began to ask Ruby questions right away.  “Ruby, why would you want to date Robert with the way he looks? Does it bother you?”  Ruby answered quickly, “It doesn’t bother me. I love him.”     “Well, if you marry him how are you going to live since he’s not working?” Mrs. Printz asked.  “Mrs. Printz,” Ruby responded, “I’m going to believe that God will provide for us, and we are going to put our faith and trust in Him.”   “Ruby, you have said the right words. I am still surprised, though. You are young, beautiful, and very smart, and yet you love Robert.”    “Yes, Mrs. Printz, I love him, and we will be together the rest of our lives,” Ruby once again responded.  “Well, I am going to help you both.” And Mrs. Printz kept her word and she did.

                

               A few weeks went by and Robert visited the construction site again, but this time the guys asked him, “Son, would you like to have a copy of that big roll of paper?” They were asking Robert about the blueprints.  His eyes got huge.  He was overjoyed when he got them, yet when he looked at them, disappointment flooded over him. The blueprints were already full of drawings. He still kept them, however.  He took them down to the rock with him, and he would start to draw on them and believe that he was the construction boss giving the orders to a crew of his own. He also continued to pray to God, just as he had been.

                Robert continued to date Ruby, and their relationship became very close. True love really blossomed. Their love for the Lord did, too.  Robert led Ruby’s parents to a deep understanding of who God was, and they, too, started serving God, as Robert became part of their family.

                Then, one morning, as Robert took his walk in the cornfield, he began to pray. “Lord, show me what I can do in life for myself. I love Ruby and I know you have given her to me to be my wife. I want to take care of her. I love her so much. I even take yarn and tie it on my finger as if it is my wedding ring. I am ready to get married. I know she’s ready to get married, and she loves me because she sings to me, ‘Jesus Loves You Don’t You Know’, and so do I.  God, if I only had a job.”  Before long, on another morning, he went back to the cornfield to pray again when a sudden peace came over him and God began to speak to him.  “Robert, I am going to bless you.” Robert looked around, yet he didn’t see anyone in the field.

                Later that same day, Mrs. Printz’ husband, Luther, came by to see Robert. He said, “Robert, I have a few hours a week I want to use to teach you a few things, and you can go to work with me some. This would help you get work later on.”  Robert could hardly believe what he was hearing. “I will pick you up Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. and will start you for just a few hours at a time.”  As his father used to do, Robert sealed it with a handshake, and he ran back to the rock in the cornfield.  He couldn’t wait to give thanks to his Heavenly Father for making this possible. He cried out to God, “I know this is from You, Lord, This is all from You. I am going to marry Ruby Jewell. I know You have a plan for me.”

                As Robert began to walk away, his bandages loosened and began to fall off. It was different than ever before. It was almost terrifying.  In the cornfield, he saw himself as the bandages fell off.  His skin was all rainbow-colored.  He wasn’t bleeding anymore. The skin had grown back miraculously on its own.  It wasn’t marred or scarred. It was all rainbows just like his hands were. He began walking home declaring scriptures. “By His stripes I am healed. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  When he got home, he told his mother what had happened and that he wasn’t wearing the bandages anymore. As she cried, she told him, “Robert, you are going to be all right.”

                Monday morning came and Luther Printz was there at 7:30 as he’d promised. When Robert got in Luther’s car, he was shocked. There were three rolls of blueprints in the back seat. Robert started crying. He couldn’t speak.  Luther asked, “Robert what’s wrong?” Are you alright?”  Robert couldn’t talk for five minutes.  He began, “Oh God, You are faithful. I know now what I was doing was all from You.”  He looked at Luther. Luther was scared white.  He began to explain to Luther what he had experienced in the cornfield with the blueprints.  Then he asked, “Are you going to teach me about blueprints?”Luther replied, “My boss, Gerdie Printz, told me that I was, and the Lord showed her I was supposed to.”  Such joy and peace came over Robert.  His new life was starting, just as he had prayed for. That evening, he went and picked up Ruby and they went walking through the cornfield to begin their new life with God. The corn was so tall, and the adventure stretched so high before them. Yet, Robert knew he was faithful, and that he always would be.

Paul and Silas in Prison

Today I thought I would share one of my radio ministry programs.  Here it is in its entirety.

Paul and Silas in Prison

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”  She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.  They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.  The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.  At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

(I added here, Romans 10:9-13)  Romans 10:9-13  New International Version (NIV)

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

From: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+10%3A9-13&version=NIV

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.  They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

From: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016%3A16-40

And then I continued, to my listening radio audience:

1. Do you have His assurance? If not, you can gain this assurance right now. How? The Bible says, speaking of Christ, “To all who have received him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

2. Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, ansd he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. “I write these things to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

4. Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and unable to save myself. But I do believe You love me, and that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. Right here and now, I ask You to forgive my every sin and give me the gift of eternal life. Thank You dear God, for hearing and answering my prayer, and for giving me eternal life as You promised You would. Amen.

Our Mission

Our Mission:

What will our occupation be, as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, while we watch for and wait for his return? It is not enough that we have a personal experience of repentance, faith, forgiveness, adoption and sanctification. It is not enough to study the word and to search out the deep things of providence and prophecy alone. We must join heart and hand in the practical work of World evangelism.
Our Mandate:
“Go Ye in to ALL the WORLD and PREACH THE GOSPEL to every creature” - Matthew 28:19
“This GOSPEL of the Kingdom shall be preached in ALL the World, for a witness to all nations and then shall the end come." - Matthew 24:14

While the Church as we know it remains on the earth, it is certainly the agent to accomplish this purpose. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 and Luke 24:47-48 that we should be witness to the uttermost parts of the earth. So let us engage with all our might in this work. Let us give of our means, prayers, time, and talents to do as God leads in this great commission. Romans 10:15 says “How shall they preach unless they are sent?”. The Day of the Lord is soon approaching (2 Peter 3:10-12).

Progress on the Missionary Front is already taking place, yet we need to make a greater effort. We are belted with centers of evangelism from Greenland to Patagonia, from Norway to Good Hope, Siberia to Tasmainia. Throughout the islands of the seas, multitudes of missionaries are proclaiming the Word of Life. There only a few strongholds left without the Gospel. Right now Nepal and Tibet are awaiting missionaries and even Central Africa unbars their millennial fastness to the Truth of God’s Word. We need to become Active Soldiers for the cause of Christ. Will you hear “Well Done, GOOD and FAITHFUL Servant!” when we are called home?