Notes on Life

By William Hiltz

Up beat, would best describe this work. I was so tired of reading devotionals that made me feel more tired! I felt it was time to read something, that gave a person the feeling the writer was not depressed! Im not on anything, (probably should be!) and still enjoying the journey. This book is good if your not saved, a Christian, or pastor who is looking for a few fresh sermon illustrations. It is full of verses, short personal stories and Bible truths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 8, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462810222

William Hiltz

William Hiltz accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, at the age of twenty, and has spent the last thirty years serving God’s kingdom to help fulfill the Great Commission. He has a doctoral degree in Theology from International Seminary of Plymouth, Fla. Entering the ministry at age twenty-five, he and his wife have been pastors of churches in Maine, New York, Texas and Mexico. For the past tens years they have been pastors of the McAllen Church of God in McAllen, Texas. Drop by sometime!

Book preview

January 1

What In the World are You Doing

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth,

the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

—Eph 6:8

So you looked at the front cover, then glanced at the back, and now you have come to the first page. Listen closely: put the book back on the shelf, slowly back away, AND RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Hey, obviously you don’t listen very well and here you are, still looking and wondering why you should spend so much money on this book because it’s way too expensive! Me, I’d opt for the ice cream next door, but you, oh no! You have to think of what you would get out of this book and will it be interesting and la la la!

Okay, let’s see how you could get some good use out of this book. Being the nice guy that I am, I’ll help you out!

First, the book is a great deal! Why? The reason being is you can read it all year long and three days before December 25, read the rest, then wrap it up, and give it to Uncle George for Christmas!

Oh, by the way, put your own special note for him in the front so it looks like it’s been opened, it has! Yes, that’s what you could do with his book.

Secondly, what can you do with this book? Hey, use it to level your couch or coffee table. Aren’t you tired of watching TV from a tipped position or seeing your drink roll off the coffee table? Huh, huh, what ya think?

Thirdly, you could use it to kill the flies that get in the house. You keep getting blamed for letting them in anyways! Make it a part-time sport. Start by leaving it on the coffee table, friends think your cool and whack away! Yes, that’s a great thing to do with this book.

Let’s see, I really can’t think of any other good things to do with this book. Just reading it one day at a time for the next year is an option—huh? Naa!

I’ll tell you what; if you want to, you can call me right now from your cell phone and ask me what I think about this book. Of course, no text messages; I can’t figure out how to do that yet! No voice messages too. I’m not good understanding the garbled voice.

I’m just gonna be honest with you about my cell phone. I can’t find how to start it! I’ve looked and looked, and I can’t find the crank anywhere. So that idea is sunk! Well, I’m sorry, don’t try calling me, but remember, it’s the thought that counts! You’re welcome.

How about you? It’s January first, it’s a new year, what’s up? I’ m sick of hearing the word resolution, so let’s do a cut to the chase. I gave you some ideas about what you can do with this book. Now, all seriousness aside, I have a question for you.

Have you any idea with what you are going to DO with your life this year? Is this going to be another year that is king or queen of mediocrity? Someone please bring out the crown! Or—is this year going to be the greatest year you ever had? Let’s do it!

P.S. It’s January first, and whatever it is, make it count! It’s your life! Go and DO . . .

January 2

Hey, What Are Friends For?

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

—Gal 5:7

As a boy and young man, I grew up in rural Maine. I lived about an hour and a half from the coast, and during the summers, I worked there. I learned a lot about the coast, its smells, seagulls, boats, water, and such.

One of its sea creatures was the crab. It was unusual. You normally see them in commercials walking on the bottom of the ocean; however, they go along sideways and not straight ahead.

When you put a bunch of them in a bucket, they are constantly wiggling their legs and claws; pulling and pinching at things and one another. When you try to pick one of them out of the bucket (and you quickly learn where not to grab on to them), it’s hard to pull just one out because others will hook on to it and pull him back in.

When we talk of things, with their problems and we can’t seem to solve them or how one person keeps dragging down another, we say that it’s like crabs in a bucket! You don’t have to do a thing; they’ll keep pulling each other down!

Paul, writing to the Galatians, asked them what was it that was hindering them from following the truth. The truth that once upon a time they were following so well gave them liberty. Somewhere, they got sidetracked with false teaching. False teaching from someone, and false teaching always brings you down!

This scripture reminds me of the crabs in the bucket! Truth always is an uplift, even when it’s wrapped with conviction. False teaching is like crabs pulling you back in even when you try to free yourself. Watch out for crabs! They come in many different colored buckets!

Any crab can get out of a pail. The question is this: Who’s in there keeping you from getting out?

January 3

He Kicked The Bucket

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

—Rv 22:17

I have no idea how this phrase kicked the bucket came to be. I mean, I’ve kicked a bucket and it just makes a lot of racket. Somewhere in my upbringing of many days gone by, to kick the bucket means that you have died! That doesn’t sound too exciting, and I hope it doesn’t happen to me. However, one day, we’ll all kick the bucket. (You can tell I’m a country boy, can’t ya!)

Most of the time, our imagination can see someone out in the yard running up and kicking a bucket. It rattles, flies through the air, and someone has to go pick it up.

Is this what happens to us at the nearing end of life? We may not relate to others and the world of just how we feel about our soon departing from this world to another? If kicking the bucket is a description of death, we sure are lost for words!

Today is a great day, and yes, one day, you and I will kick the bucket.

Well, I have a plan: I’m already sharing the life to come with others. I’m telling them of the joys of knowing Jesus and being born again and how much God loves me. Why should I let a bucket dictate my departure from this world? I’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and a new name is written down in heaven. I’m not waiting to kick a bucket; I’m going to meet my Savior. Why don’t you come with me? Let’s pray—Dear Jesus, forgive me of my sin and save me today. In Jesus’s name, amen!

Oh, precious is the flow . . .

A flow so real and clean,

It changed my life and washed my soul,

Do you know what I mean?

January 4

If I Could Just Find That Church

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:

—1 Cor 1:28

The first church that I pastored was a small country church in upstate New York. I was fresh out of Bible school and ready to change the world. What the real truth was the world was going to change me!

The previous pastor was still there, and he sent me directions to find the place. It was the week before Christmas and it had been snowing a little, and after the eleven-hour ride, it was a little late and I was tired.

Go into the town of Cayuta, take a right at the four corners, drive approximately one mile, and you will see a little side road on the right. It is on the right corner just after the side road.

That was the directions, and they seemed easy enough to follow. Arriving in town after dark, I did all the turns and pulled into the yard of this old building. I looked and there was a sign. I thought this can’t be a church; the sign was not legible. The building has this telescopic shape coming out of the front of it with every addition getting smaller and smaller. This cannot be the place, I thought. This just can’t be it! No way! I looked again at the directions and then again at the building. It had this old-style shingle-looking siding. I thought, Who put the shingles on the wall? Why would anyone shingle the outside walls of a church? Again I thought, This cannot be a church! It’s some kind of old fellowship lodge for men or something. I turned my car around and drove back down to the corner.

I repeated the directions to myself. Maybe I’m reading the map upside down. I sat at the corner for a few minutes reading the directions again, thinking these will take me right back up that same way! Let’s try it one more time.

I drove back. Sure enough, I was staring at the telescopic-roof shingle-walled building. No way to tell what the sign read although I was about ten feet from it! I saw a house on the other side of it. I’ll walk over there and ask for directions, I thought. They will tell me how to find the church.

When I went to the house, it had those same ugly old grey roof style shingles on the outside. I knocked on the door, and a guy looked out and said, Come on in, brother, we’ve been waiting for you!

My heart sank, I mean it sank! I thought, What in the world have I got myself into! This was the church, and I was the new pastor! What have I gotten myself into?

Have you ever spent a big part of your life preparing and dreaming for the big event when your dreams and aspirations come true? I did, and the rug was pulled out from under me that moment standing in the doorway of that house. I saw total disappointment! But now, I see all the good that disappointment can bring. I am forever a better person because of that little church. The people there were wonderful to me.

Maybe you have been, or right now, in a very disappointing place. Dreams are crushed, hope has gone, faith is squashed. I ask you to hang in there and see it through. Calm seas don’t make sailors the masters of the seas. However, the storms do.

Aspirations, what a thought!

My dreams, yes, come true,

However, chance, brought down all hopes,

Yet God’s plan in me came through!

January 5

We See The Same Thing Differently

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather

where I have not strewed:

—Mt 25:24-26

This story told by Jesus amazingly brings out many truths. We often think of this unprofitable servant given the one coin and does about nothing to fulfill his obligation, which his lord knows he can accomplish (Matt. 25:15 several ability).We often think of how he buried his opportunity and possibly compared his one coin to the two or five given to the others. We often think of how he claimed that fear griped him to act so insolent. We may think of how the Lord had him thrown out into the other darkness where the gnashing of teeth was going on.

However, maybe the reason for the action or his misaction is found in the verses above. In verse 24, the servant describes the Lord’s character and then in verse 26 the Lord makes the same exact description of himself. Maybe the servant described correctly the character of the Lord, but did not really know the character of the Lord. If he did, he would surely not have buried that coin!

Too many times we claim to know God, how He acts, responds, etc. Maybe we need to take another look. Maybe in a little different way. Possibly how God is responding to us would change if we changed our understanding of Him.

They saw the same person—differently!

January 6

What About Tomorrow

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said,

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

—Gen 32:26

Some have said that we spend all our time on living in the past. We look back to find the things that comfort us and give us strength. Or we may look back into the past to remember the hurts and pains that keep us from going on or the crutch to lean on so we can remain frozen.

Well, Jacob surely had a past to think about. He ripped off his brother’s birthright, paraded in his brother’s shoes, and ran for his life with a death threat over his head. Yes, he had a good reason not to return.

However, God had spoken and used his uncle Laban to move him on. Is God using a Laban in your life to move you forward?

Now, it was showdown at the not-so OK Corral. God knew it and also how Jacob felt. Alone that night, God did not have any comforting words or visions to show Jacob how Esau may have changed. As a matter of fact, that night, the night before he was to face his older brother with a death pact, God took it up a notch and gave Jacob a sleepless night. Not only that, but a wrestling match to boot!

God knew it was not about how Esau had changed, but how Jacob had to change. His tomorrow was not to be the same. As his request was, I want a blessing, or I won’t let you go!

Now, that was more than a name change. He would limp the rest of his days. His physical features were altered as well as his inward character transformed. He walked differently from then on. His tomorrow would always be different—so will yours.

What about your tomorrow? Maybe it’s being changed—today!

January 7

Three Strikes and You’re Out

And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now

thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

—2 Kgs 13:18 -19

I would be the first to admit that I don’t understand all the prophecies and actions of prophets nor why they make unusual requests. Joash, the king of Israel, sought out Elisha before his death. He did not come with a request to be a greater leader; however, the prophet had a message for him. He was to shoot an arrow out a window and then take some of his arrows and hit them on the ground. He struck the ground three times. The prophet was upset with that and concluded that he would gain three wins over the Syrians. If he had smitten the ground five or six times, Syria would have been totally wiped out (verse 25 bears this out).

Was it the arrows he used causing him not to strike the ground more than three times? Was it the arrow he just shot through the window? Was it because he was distracted by a dying prophet? Maybe he had acquired the three strikes and you’re out syndrome! Whatever it was, it happened.

Often that’s what happens to us. Things occur and we are distracted by the moment and miss out on what God is trying to say. Can this be cured?

I think the real reason here was the king’s attitude. His heart was less than full earnest. A full earnest attitude doesn’t quit after the third strike. Oh, others may say, It’s over! but that’s up for debate (or better yet, action). Even in baseball, you are not out after the third strike, not until the ball is in the glove of the catcher and it stays there! If dropped, you are not out; you can run to first base, second, third, and back to home. A home run!

You say, That’s unlikely! Of course, but it can happen, and God specializes in the unlikelies of life!

Hold on, I think it’s your turn to bat!

January 8

You’ve Gotta Jump Through The Hoops

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

—Jas 2:10

I have been accused of a lot of things, and I must admit I have been guilty of some of them. (Of course, I’m not proud!) However, after many years of trying to do my best to satisfy everyone and what they believe, I will confess that I successfully satisfied no one!

I know these people who want to perfect us mean well and are trying to help people down the path, especially the straight and narrow one; however, I have never been able to jump through all the hoops they have. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Just about the time you have worked your little heart to death to qualify to be part of a group, church, fellowship, etc., more hoops show up. This time, you can’t just jump through them; now they must be done in a certain order or color code or shape. They can really keep you guessing.

So one day, I read the book of James and realized that all the hoops in the world cannot be jumped through! James says that if you offend in one point, you’re guilty of breaking them all. I realize my leaders, instructors, and hoop experts are no better at getting through the hoops than I am!

You see, they created their own standard for hoop jumping. The problem is that’s not God’s way or system or rules.

Instead of living failures, I chose living faith. Yeah, read the rest of the chapter, and that’s what it’s about—it’s no longer hoops for me, but helps from God.

The Hula-hoop days are gone, when are you going to move on!

January 9

Something Seems Fishy Here

Go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money:

that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

—Mt 17:27

Peter was questioned whether Jesus paid his fare share of tribute to run the temple. Peter believed so; however, Jesus himself reminded Peter that the children did not pay, but strangers. Jesus had a different spirit and did not want to offend, so He needed the tribute coin.

Off Peter is sent to go fishing! Usually when one fishes, he tries to catch fish. Well, he would not be let down. A fish he would catch.

Very possibly on his way to the lake, he wished this guy had never asked him about the tribute money. Now, his life was made more difficult being sent on this crazy errand and will now miss out on all the great teaching and miracles that Jesus was doing back in town.

Imagine him standing there fishing and someone asks, Hey, what you doing? Peter’s reply, Ah, I’m looking for some money (face turns red).

He probably could find no good reason to be there. Suddenly, his line pulls, the pole bends down, and a fish is on the hook. He pulls it in, and when he opens its mouth, there is a coin that the fish cannot swallow! Oh, happy day!

A coin in a fish’s mouth, no miracle you say? Okay, coin in the first fish he caught? Oh, that was chance! The right coin for him and Jesus? Luck you say? What was the miracle here? Peter willing to try something we all would call stupid!

A miracle a day keeps . . . the fish . . . out of the bay?

January 10

It’s Hard To Keep A Good Man Down

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

—Jon 1:17

Jonah was called to preach the Gospel. Preach the Gospel to a rebellious and wicked people, the people of Nineveh. What a job!

He wouldn’t do it and hightailed it to Tarshish (Spain). He went in the opposite direction, caused a boat to almost sink, and men were endangered. He was the kind of guy that you never would want to invite over. He was trouble. We still tell people that when you run from God—you’re a Jonah!

I thought he was a servant of God, trained in the spirit, called to obey, and could prophesy at the drop of a hat! What in the world was going through his mind! In the first several verses of the book, all he is, is going down! Down in a boat, down to Joppa—when you run from God, you go down, down, down!

Well, God prepared a fish. What? He could prepare a fish? How do you prepare a fish? Get it hungry by driving away the other food? Make sure it’s in the right locale by getting it under the boat? Ah, take fish off the menu and put Jonah a la ready to go on it?

The seemingly amazing thing to me is that God got this fish in the right place, did the timing, and was willing to eat a man! God could get a fish to obey him, but Jonah He couldn’t! How about you? Don’t let a fish make you the stinker! Have you taken the time to hear the voice of the Lord lately? Do you know God is still in the guiding business? Let’s not fear the leading of God; wherever He leads you, He will help you! Thought of how you want to get to your Nineveh?

You can take a boat, train, plane, bus, car, or . . . fish!

January 11

Just Answer The Question

He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel,

let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

—Mt 27:42

It still amazes me that after all these years, many things have not changed at all, especially when we are determined to see things a certain way. Jesus was on the cross, much to the dismay of his followers and joy for the religious leaders. Religious, yes! What religion? We may never know!

We do know that most all errors have some truth in them. It’s often hard to find a lie that is 100 percent off. These fellas walking by were full of just that. Full of part truth!

However, they said, He saved others, himself He cannot save, a question proposed by these religious people and is not going to answer the question.

To answer the question was to ask, How do you save yourself and others? They thought He had to come down. He had to remove Himself somehow from the cross and show that power. To them He had failed!

Well, let’s really answer the question. If Jesus was to save others and Himself, the one thing He could not do was come down from the cross. His death on the cross was the way He was to save others. To come down from the cross would be His failure; to stay would be His success.

Thank you, Jesus, for staying on the cross. How many of us have looked at things the way these people did? Let’s answer life God’s way!

I looked and saw what He would be . . . risen, and alive in me!

January 12

Knock, Knock Who’s There

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:

—Rv 3:20

When I was a child, we used to play the knock, knock’’ game where one would say, knock, knock and the other one would respond, Who’s there? and you never knew exactly what would be said, except the word or phrase used was used in a spin that tricked you in believing that what you heard was this in reality was that." Do you remember them?

Jesus said, I stand and knock, and I am beginning to wonder what kind of knock He would use. And when we ask, Who’s there? could we recognize His voice, or would we just get the spin?

Remember, it goes on to say that if anyone hears my voice and he that hath ears to hear.

I remember that when people came to our house, we never just opened the door because of the knock but would wait for the voice before we would open the door. The voice was always much more clueing to who it was than just the knock.

God today wants us to hear the knock. He knocks (His part), we respond, Who is it? (our part). He then speaks (His part) and we open (our part).

Knock, knock, . . . Who’s there?

That’s the question we must bear.

And if we hear, as hearing should be,

Eternal life will enter me!

January 13

When Right Is Wrong And Wrong Is Right

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

—Mt 10:39

Several years ago, a young boy was lost near a lake in Utah called Lily Bay. Getting lost can be easy when you’re young or even sometimes when you’re old. We can easily get disorientated.

Dogs were brought in, groups were organized, and the search was on. However, there could be one small problem. The lad was taught well by his parents. They taught him about stranger danger. This is a great idea used to teach children the dangers of strangers in order to lessen the kidnapping of children.

His right upbringing by his parents could put him in danger. For several days, they looked for him, and around the third day he was found. He could have been found sooner. He saw several people on four-wheelers and hid from them, reminding himself of stranger danger! His right teaching became the wrong thing to do, and his wrong teaching became the right thing to do.

Yes, weary, tired, and hungry, he did the wrong thing and stepped out onto a trail, revealing himself to rescuers as they came by.

Do we think the same? Today, the one who finds his life is better off and more happier; or at least this is what the world seems to teach. The one who loses his life is at the loss. Yet Jesus taught the loser life was the winner life. It seems Jesus taught that what’s wrong (surrender) is right and what’s right (self-centered) is wrong!

The way up is still down, although it seems a miss,

To find the center of my life, a cross, it must exist!

January 14

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.

—Jo 22:12

Joshua just rehearsed to the tribes to go home, enjoy the land, and practice loving the Lord. However, the Gadites, Ruebenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a stone replica of the altar to remind all of Israel that in years to come, no one on either side of the river would forget that they all were to be part of Jehovah’s plan and people.

Israel heard say that they built this altar, went into shock, assumed the worse, called all Israel together, and prepared for war!

War, that’s right, war, and boy, they got mad! How could these two and a half tribes so quickly leave God, forsake His ways, and practice such rebellion, was the words of the other tribes of Israel?

This, however, was the furthest from the truth. We later find out that the altar they built was to prevent this very thing, by being a witness to all of their commitment to God, especially in generations to come.

Funny how heard say without the d is hearsay. And wow, how can hearsay do its damage! They assumed they were rebelling; they assumed they were in evil.

They prepared for war, going to demand they change, repent, or at least move across the river.

All this chapter with its fears, hate, and accusation is built on the fact that someone simply failed to kindly ask them what they were doing. From there, they assumed them guilty, could see their evil, and played out in our heads how to fix it.

I think that if we demanded and commanded less and simply asked why, it would alleviate a lot of evil, hate, and distrust today! You notice heard say without the d? Makes you think that the d is the devil that got into heard say, doesn’t it.

I’m often fuming after I’m assuming!

January 15

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall . . .

Please Take A Picture

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

—Jer 29:11

Hey, Suzanne showed me how to make a montage! I can’t wait to make one, said my wife! My response was, Oh, that’s great, dear, that’s exciting. My only problem was I didn’t know what a montage was! Maybe it has something to do with clothing or maybe . . . oh, who knows. Whatever, at least we were going to have one.

That’s all that mattered and one thing for sure, I wasn’t going to let on that I didn’t know what it was!

Well, a montage is an arrangement on a computer program with songs and many other colorful designs to augment and beautify your home photos. It was so neat to see it played on the computer and e-mailed to our families. They love it and share it with others. It was our life, our story, our family.

God wants to do the same thing with our lives. His plan is to photograph our lives with color, song, experiences, and a million things more to share with the world of this wonderful and beautiful life we have. We are God’s montage, and He wants to share it with everyone. All for eternity.

Give God a chance. Realize what is happening is for a reason. Yes, maybe He is doing some cropping and cutting. He also is putting in some color, music, and so much more!

Your picture was taken today

And now it’s on God’s refrigerator!

January 16

Silly As It Seems, It Seems Silly To Me

And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he,

hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.

—Gen 41:51

Joseph had two sons in Egypt; one was called Ephraim, and the other was named Manasseh. Manasseh means cause to forget or to forget.

If you know the story, Joseph’s brothers sold him down into Egypt. He ended up as a slave and then in prison although he committed no crime. He was miraculously delivered by God and became second in command. Only in the throne, Pharaoh was greater.

He had made it to the top in spite of the memory of his past. He must have hurt greatly. He did not want to remember all his hard times (toil) nor his father’s house. To solve this, he named his oldest son To Forget.

I guess I don’t get it. I must be dumb. I mean, every time he says to his wife, Hey, where’s ‘To Forget’? Call him in, he’s late for supper. His wife Aseneth cries out the door, To Forget, where are you? To Forget cries out, Mom, I’m out by the tree playing with the dog. Well, To Forget, get in here, you’re late for supper!

Am I wrong, by naming your son To Forget (Manasseh) you only continually remind yourself that you need to forget?

If I want to forget something, let’s not constantly bring it up! What was his name for? I believe his name was therapy in Joseph’s heart. I think deep down inside he was wrestling to forget his family, but was looking for a glimmer of hope. Hope he would see them again, and things would be different.

How about you? Don’t lose hope! Don’t forget. He promised and use your faith of not forgetting, even if you have to name your parakeet To Forget!

Forgetting is not for me, so heal the wound, and let me see, the memory shaped for eternity!

January 17

Fishy, Fishy In The Brook,

Stay Away from My Shiny Hook

Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

—Pro 27:1

Directly behind my computer that I’m typing on is a betta fish. It was named Ghapetto by my wife who owns and cares for this fish. It’s a deep red and has beautiful fins.

If at first glance you entered the house, you may think that its fishbowl is just a flower vase. It has no bubbling water, pump, or any normal type of tank. It has this one plant that is in the water and hangs out of the glass.

The interesting thing is that its livelihood and total life expectancy is in the hands of my wife. Ghapetto is totally dependent on my wife. Without my wife, he would get to float on the top, not knowing what’s going on.

How about your life? Do you really think you are calling the shots? You really don’t believe you are running it, do you? Are you so sure you can decide what you will do tomorrow and where you live and all about your future?

I woke up one day and realized that God could take me out at the snap of a finger. I’m not running my life. If God wants to, I could fail to finish this sentence. I have absolutely no promise of tomorrow, and the next call my wife make would be 911!

Think about it! Every day and moment of my life like Ghapetto, I depend on someone (God) else to allow me to live. The truth is that I have never been really in control of my life. Only in my mind.

How about today; God is keeping you alive for a reason, and it’s not to fulfill your selfish desires which never can really make you happy. God wants to make your life complete. Letting your life to be dependent on God frees you from worrying about things you couldn’t do anything about anyways. Surely Ghapetto is not worrying tonight how he will live. He just lives. Jesus wants us to live. Live life!

Enter God’s ocean of love; you’re suffocating near the shoreline.

January 18

Here a Little, There a Little,

Everywhere a Little, Little

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

—Mt 5:16

In my house, you can find them everywhere; my wife collects them, and I think they are in every room of the house. If not, they’ll show up there before the year is out. They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes. She has them on blankets, pictures, mats, and who knows what else.

One time, her friend, Tiffany, came over and we had a discussion of how many of them were in the living room. I said about twenty-five to thirty, and my wife said, No way, stop exaggerating!

While we discussed our disagreement of how many, Tiffany started counting and it was well over fifty and was still counting when we realized neither my wife or I was close, and that’s just the living room!

What was this thing? Lighthouses! Yes, lighthouses and don’t ask me why. A stranger could walk through our house and quickly deduct that someone here has a love affair of some type with lighthouses.

Well, of course, I shouldn’t be so hard. I personally have made about four to six of them, from lighthouse paintings to lighthouse doorstops. I don’t mind; I think it’s kind of cute.

Doesn’t that make you wonder? If a person could relate something important to them, something they love by the objects around their house, how much more about God?

Could you leave your home and have a stranger enter it, and without a word from anyone, could they tell a Christian lives there?

You know the something you love and collect and share. That witness of what’s important to you. I’ve entered some homes, and it was obvious what was important to them. How about showing off a little of God; maybe some of His love and goodness?

There’s a lighthouse on the hillside . . .

January 19

And We Have Another First Down

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

—Phil 4:4

There’s a lady in our church who attended many of the local Friday night football games. She went because a son of her close friend played.

Her understanding of the game was limited, and she knew very few of the rules and how the game worked. For instance, when a team moved the ball at least ten yards, within four tries, they would get another four tries to get ten more yards. Whenever they got this ten-yard advance, it is called a first down.

As exciting as football can be, when the team achieved this ten-yard advance (first down) the announcer would say, Yes, we have a first down! Everyone would jump to their feet and cheer, Yes, first down! My friend also would jump to her feet with the same excitement and also say, First down! However, she thought first down was when the first player was to fall down!

We also have made similar mistakes about something. We want to believe something good has happened and we rejoice with the others even if we don’t understand all that has happened.

Our life with God and His kingdom at times is the same. We don’t always understand all God is doing, and even when a miraculous event occurs, maybe we should not try to understand it all, but by faith, rejoice anyways. God is working, and down the road, we’ll better understand God’s first downs of life.

Football, what a game,

Easy to watch, hard to explain,

So let me tell you what I know,

Foot with the ball,

Not as good as the throw!

January 20

Round and Round and Round We Go, and Where We Stop, Nobody Knows

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;

—Heb 12:2

Some years ago, on the way home from a family reunion in upstate New York, we stopped at an amusement park at Lake St. George. Our kids loved the rides, and we would accompany them on most of the rides.

We got on one ride that was a huge barrel-type thing that spun around real fast and when we were all pulled against the side, the bottom would drop out and we were left for a moment suspended to the sides. Not as young as I used to be, I got motion sickness from the spinning; and after leaving the ride, my wife noticed a slight whiteness to my face.

Of course, the kids ran us to the next ride. It was some bullet-shaped thing, which I should not have gotten on because I was living with the feeling that I was about to have seconds on my lunch. The only way I could cure myself from vomiting was by keeping my eyes concentrated on this big bolt that kept the ride in place. As long as I looked at the bolt and not the swinging movement, I was fine. I knew I could make it!

Life is often the same with living for God. We have these things that happen in our life that seems to spin us around and we have that upset feeling in our spirit and it’s not comfortable. Maybe we need to focus on God by keeping our eyes on Jesus which settle the moments in life that seem to try us. We need to be looking unto Jesus.

Spin, spin, it’s there I begin, but eyes on Jesus,

I know where I’ll end.

January 21

I Think I’m Cracking Up

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

—Heb 6:7

Presently we live in Deep South Texas, about ten miles north of the Mexican border. Living most of my life in the far north of the United States, I never realized how hot it can get here and how seldom it can rain. Just as years ago many of us would run to the window to see a car go by, I go outside to watch it rain. It seems such an unusual occurrence.

Well, when there is a great lack of rain, the earth here does something I’m not used to seeing and that is developing large cracks in the ground. Once I twisted my ankle in one!

It seems with a garden hose you can pour water for an hour and it would all disappear. It was so nice to see a good rain once in a great while to fill in the huge cracks and let the land turn green once again.

God wants to work the same way in our lives. We get these cracks of sin or attitudes of hate, disappointment, etc. These are caused by the hot barren sun of not being under the shadow of His care and especially by not letting the rain of His presence to fall on us.

The verse above in Hebrews says that the earth receives a blessing from God by this rain. If God wants to bless the earth, isn’t the writer trying to tell us how much more God wants to bless us?

We need once again to allow God to send His rain of mercy, forgiveness, and love upon the drought of our hearts. Prayer: Jesus, rain on me.

Jesus rain on me, I need it now, rain on me, oh rain, somehow!

January 22

If You Could See Me Now

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

—Jas 1:17

I’m going down to see Dan in North Creek, honey, I’ll be back in just a little bit. Those were the words of mine to my wife as I walked out the door to visit an old college friend.

Seeing him only once every several years, Dan was a great guy and good friend, and we had a lot of memories that we shared. His mom said he was at the airport hanging out with some friends.

Now, North Creek, New York, is a very small town and I didn’t even know there was an airport, but there was! It was small with a dirt runway, and there was Dan standing on the edge of it watching a friend land a small plane. He was so glad to see me; and before I knew it, he was waving to his friend who just landed, pointed at me, and he waved me to come out to his plane.

Dan said, Go on, Bill, go for a ride! (I later on found out that Dan had never gone up himself!) Well, being a little bit of an adventurer, I got in the plane, introduced myself, and the pilot says, Hey, let’s go for a ride.

In a moment we were in the air, and as we flew, we talked. He asked me where I was staying, and in a few moments, we flew several hundred feet over the house of my wife’s grandmother where she and our kids were. It was awesome! I never suspected when I left there earlier I would be flying right overhead. My wife said she heard the plane and wondered why it was so low.

This ride was like a gift from God, and I was so thankful that God knew how to make my day complete. I returned later with a great story of what I knew God had done for me, and I have another fond memory to share with Dan.

How about you, do you believe God can still do random acts of kindness to His kids or are you only a believer in luck? Forgive me if I differ; I’ve had a chance to soar in the sky to know His kindness and I’m a convert!

You never know what a day may bring.

January 23

He Did!

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn. 4:8

One of the more amazing things about living up north is the creatures. Yes, some do pack their bags and head south and a few folks rendezvous with them in Florida. Others like the Chick a Dee, a bird who puts on their long underwear, hangs around and sits out the cold.

The rabbit changes his attire to fit the climate with style; by going from a brown to white fur and even the bears throw on a couple layers of old fashion quilts and hit the sack for a season. It seems like all the critters are finding a comfortable spot.

I would like to mention a few of the creatures that just amaze me and those are the ones of the swamps and low lands. How a frog can freeze solid and come back to life is beyond me! What kind of heart circulatory system can stop and come springing back up again?

Also the turtle, he buries himself in the mud, and in four or five months he’s out and about, and it looks like he doesn’t even need a bath. Me, I can walk by dirt and get it all over my shirt! At least that’s what I’m telling my wife what happened, although the stain resembles cookie dough!

The point I like to make is sometimes I come across people who knew the Lord; but since have wondered away. Satan came along and made life difficult and now they have run from the One who could help them. Since God gave us a free will; He lets you decide.

Well, like the frogs of Maine who have been frozen, you too, may have let your heart get cold toward God. The devil would tell you that God won’t accept you back, but that’s a lie!

May I say this? If God can make a frozen frog come back to life, He can give you life again! Prodigal child, why don’t you come home and let the fire of God’s presence warm you again?

When no one cared, He did! When no one loved, He did!

When no one hoped, He did! When no one died, He did!

January 24

Add the Pickles, and Some Lettuce,

Special Order, Don’t Upset Us

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself