The Paths Of Life

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“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps. 16:11 ESV)

A number of years ago, my wife and I went on our first cruise- a Bible Study cruise with Charles Stanley and Adrian Rogers, two of my all-time favorite preachers. After purchasing one of Dr. Stanley’s books, we stood in line for his signature and a photo. Above his signature, he inscribed Psalm 16:11, as cited above.

As my spiritual journey has continued since that day, this verse has reminded me that as a follower of Christ, I need to seek His direction daily. It informs me not only of the pleasures that are mine as I recognize His presence day by day, but also the eternal pleasures that are awaiting me when this earthly life is over. Hearing of the passing of a high-school friend last week was a sobering reminder that at the age of 65, I have many more years behind me than lie ahead of me in this world.

When I look back on my life and reflect on all the ways God has directed my paths in the past, it motivates me all the more to seek divine direction as I move forward. Pondering those times that I have sensed and followed God’s clear direction, at least nine significantly memorable occasions come to mind- the most recent being a call to establish this blog. From time to time, when appropriate, I will share some of the details of those encounters.

One that stands out prominently with me is my call to move to Denver, Colorado at the end of my career. At the time, I was serving in a staff position with the Bureau of Prisons in Washington, DC. Nearing retirement eligibility, and having moved a number of times throughout my career, I intended that Washington would be my last duty station. But as someone once said, “If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans!”

Out of the blue one day, in a quiet time, just minding my own business, a verse of Scripture invaded my mind along with an image of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains that border the city of Denver. The verse was Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

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At the time, we were considering a change in the management of our Denver operation which was under my supervision, but I had never considered myself as the replacement. And I suppose God started to chuckle just a bit. After discussing the possibility with my wife and receiving several divine confirmations in the days that followed, I made no other moves regarding the filling of the Denver position, leaving it entirely in God’s hands.

A couple of months later in my personal Bible study before catching the carpool for my daily commute into DC, I came to Jeremiah 29:11. As those words seemed to leap off the page, I knew in my heart that the day had come. Within an hour after arriving at the office, though we had never discussed the possibility of moving my position to Denver, my boss called me in and opened the conversation with words I’ll never forget – “What would you think about moving to Denver?”

Denver would be my last duty station, and it could not have been a better place to close out my career. We met folks there who would become lifelong cherished friends. Though it was so far from home and family, Denver was a fantastic place to live- in fact, our favorite of all the duty stations we called home through my 25 years with the Prison System. The work was so rewarding that I stayed almost two years beyond my retirement eligibility date.

The Lord led us to Riverside Baptist Church (which is a testimony I’ll share at another time) and we sat under the preaching of Pastor Rick Ferguson, who continues to rank as my all-time favorite pastor. Adding to God’s plans to prosper us, the real estate market conditions allowed us to build more equity in a home than ever before, providing a much needed down payment toward our retirement home.

Since that experience, I have had several other occasions of clear divine direction, but I’ve learned that it is not something I can force God’s hand about, no matter how urgent and fervent my prayers. It always comes in God’s perfect timing and for his purposes rather than my own anxious inclinations. All I can do is create the environment for divine direction to take place by maintaining a strong intimate relationship with The Lord through the spiritual disciplines of Biblical prayer, personal Bible Study, regular worship, and exercising the spiritual gifts the Lord has granted me.

Through these 65 years, I have made my share of poor decisions. I can certainly relate to the song I’ve linked at the end of this post. But I have never regretted obeying the clear directions of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has led me down many rejuvenating, fulfilling, and purposeful paths. And those paths have taken me to a much deeper faith and a more intimate relationship with Him. In fact, this post was a divine redirection from my plans to begin a series of posts from the Gospel of John. I’ll start that on my next post, unless of course, the Boss has other plans. (Are you laughing, Lord?)

Perhaps you are at a point in your own life where you need divine direction. Perhaps God changed my plans for this post to speak through me to you. If so, I encourage you to listen for his voice. Make those spiritual disciplines I identified above a part of your daily routine. It is time well invested. And when He clearly speaks to your heart, ask for divine confirmation, and obey that still small voice. And He will fill you with the gladness of His presence, and perhaps he just might direct your paths. And if he does, just step out on faith and enjoy the journey!

Until next time,

“Trust in The Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov. 3:5-6 KJV)

Enjoy ” Through All Of It” by Colton Dixon.

 

Walk, Walk, Walk

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A Guest Post by Hale Meserow

image(Note: The following testimonial is written by a member of my Sunday School class, Hale Meserow, who suffered a heart attack last week after being diagnosed with diabetes eight years ago. As many of you know, my brother, Ronnie, suffered from diabetes for many years before his death last year. Many of your lives have been impacted by either diabetes or heart disease – or perhaps both, as turned out to be the case for Hale. I found his account very informative and trust that his words might help you should you encounter some of the symptoms he either ignored or explained away as his attack was occurring. Or perhaps you might need to start the exercise program that likely saved his life and walk, walk, walk!)

Hello, Friend…

As you probably know, I am recovering from a heart attack. Here is the series of events that I’ve experienced in the last couple of months.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about eight years ago. Incidentally, as a warning for others, it came about because I was experiencing terrible leg cramps, especially at night. That was a result of dehydration in my muscles, which was caused by the body expelling water to dump excess sugar into the bloodstream. That and intense and pervasive thirst are classic symptoms of diabetes.

For the most part, I have been fortunate to keep my diabetes well within control over the years via a combination of medication, good meal choices, and reasonably diligent diet control. However, I began to notice an escalation in my blood sugar count beginning in July. I more or less shrugged it off and vowed to maintain a better diet. But due to poor self-control, my diet did not improve; on the contrary, from about November on, my sugar intake increased (holidays and all that). Whereas my blood sugar numbers should have been 110-120, I was experiencing regular 200+ readings and could not bring them down.

Finally, on December 31, having experienced massive chest pains four days before and an extraordinarily high blood sugar reading that morning, I walked into the emergency room at the local hospital here in Hendersonville, NC and asked for help controlling my blood sugar. They put me in a bed and took all the normal readings. The emergency room physician questioned me carefully and soon discovered the chest pain event I’d had, which led him to do a specific test measuring an enzyme that the heart produces when it has experienced an attack. Sure enough, my reading came back 25 times normal. “You’ve had a heart attack, my friend,” he said. “Why didn’t you come to the hospital when it was occurring, especially since it lasted all day?” I replied that I’d had none of the other classic symptoms of a heart attack and just considered it to be a bad muscle pull or perhaps a tear caused by my dog who loves to jerk on the leash when I walk her. As a warning to you, ANY sharp and lasting chest pain is dangerous and should result in a trip to the hospital as soon as possible.

I was taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville, about 25 miles north, which fortunately is one of the finest heart hospitals in the country. There, over the next three days, I was examined, poked, prodded, given this medication and that EKG and ultrasound and so forth. They withdrew blood from my veins virtually every three hours around the clock for heart testing plus a smaller sample from a finger at the same interval for sugar testing. At one point my sugar count was 414, which is quite dangerous, and at another it was 60, which left me shaky, weak, and mind-fogged. Finally the staff got me stabilized and I was allowed to leave the hospital yesterday afternoon, January 3rd.

The upshot is now a highly regulated lifestyle, with careful sugar and carbohydrate counting, specified food combinations and the exclusion of others (goodbye pizza, ice cream, pasta, bread, rice, cookies, chips, etc.), blood sugar testing and self-injection of one of two types of insulin four times daily, and ingestion of copious types of pills for heart health. It’s not a pleasant routine, but it’s absolutely necessary for the preservation of my heart, life, and health going forward.

One fact is very important here. The cardiologist who performed a catheterization in the hospital told me that I have 100% blockage in one of the two main arterials which feeds the heart and 30% blockage in the other. Normally I would have been immediately taken to the operating table and undergone a double bypass operation. That’s a very difficult and precise procedure which involves at least a six-month recovery and can produce quite dangerous after-effects, some of them fatal. But because of a workout habit and the fact that my wife Sue and I have regularly walked 2-3 miles, 3-4 times a week up and down the hills of the Hendersonville area from April until the end of November, followed by daily walks of 1.2 to 1.5 miles (depending on the track we chose) with our new dog Mandy, my heart developed a number of “collaterals.” These are mini-arterials which bypass the bypass and enable the heart to receive the oxygen and nutrients it requires to function. In essence, the walking saved my life. It certainly saved me from a massive operation. Instead of surgery, my heart-healthy therapy going forward consists of the medications and regular (even increased) daily walking.

Clearly my blockage was caused by diabetes. The doctors have confirmed that. But whatever the cause, the walking and a reasonably healthy diet overcame the danger caused by the blockage and kept me ticking. The undeniable lesson here is WALK! Walk at least a mile every day, even if that means a trip to the indoor mall in bad weather. A brisk pace is better than a stroll, but a stroll is far better than being sedentary. You just never know what’s going on with your heart; my cholesterol numbers were always very good even while the blockage was building. Walk, walk, walk! Under any circumstances your heart will thank you, and under the most extreme circumstances (like mine) it may well save your life.

I am grateful to my Lord Jesus for being with me all through this and for sending me the warning signs that led me to the hospital. He is always faithful, just as He promises.

May God bless you and your health in this next year and beyond.

Hale Meserow
January 4, 2016

(Hale is an accomplished author. I have just downloaded his book, “Minnesota: The Great State”. If interested, you may check out the books he has written by clicking this link and typing Meserow in the search line. I can testify personally to the benefits of a regular walking routine. Last year, I walked 500 miles and am shooting for 600 this year. Keep walking, my friends. And if you don’t have a walking routine and have no plans to start one, maybe you should read this account again! It just might save your life.)

 

Reflections On 2015

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“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24)

I have never been a big fan of New Years resolutions. After many failures through the years, I have come to view them as a waste of time and energy. I also came to question why anyone would wait until the start of a new year to make a change they desire to make. As that great philosopher Bono once sang, “Nothing changes on New Years Day”.

I’m often reminded of one of the most memorable sermons I have ever heard. It was preached by Brother Bob Melvin at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I remember few of the details of the message, but I’ll never forget the title – “Why Spend Another Night With The Frogs?”. It was based on the Exodus account of the plagues that God sent to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites. After the plague of frogs, Pharaoh agreed to release the Israelites if Moses would pray that The Lord would take the frogs away. When Moses offered to allow Pharaoh to set the time when he would offer that prayer, Pharaoh replied, “Tomorrow”. (Ex. 8:10)  When you stop to reflect on that response, it begs the unspoken question, “Why spend another night with the frogs?”

That expresses how I feel about New Years resolutions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for setting goals, whether they be physical, educational, spiritual, or otherwise. But if there are frogs keeping you from reaching those goals, why wait until January 1 to address them? Why spend another night with the frogs?

By the way, my wife apparently understands that principle better than I do. I informed her last week that I planned to start the new year off by following the Atkins diet regimen for several weeks to shed a few pounds. She started me on it this past Monday. I guess she took Brother Bob’s sermon to heart! Either that, or she is really anxious for me to lose that weight.

In keeping with the implication of the title, I planned to make this my last post of 2015, but then a frog jammed up those plans. The frog that interfered is best known as the BCS College Football playoffs. So this will be my first post of 2016. I’m nothing if I’m not flexible.

In case you’re concerned, I have no intention of recounting all the details of my 2015 like some of those letters we sometimes receive with Christmas cards this time of the year. But I would like to reflect on my blogging experience which began in February.

First of all, my heartfelt thanks to all of you who felt my posts were worthy of your time. For the year, I published 16 posts on Ridgetop Reflections and those posts received over 1500 views. I don’t know if that would be considered a good first year or not, but it was very encouraging to me.

My most popular post was “A Tribute To Mama“, which was taken from the eulogy I imagedelivered at my mother’s funeral in 2004. More of you shared that post on Facebook than any other – no doubt a leading factor in the number of views it received. Mama could have never imagined that people would be reading about her life on something called the internet eleven years after her passing. Knowing her humble spirit, she would have been more embarrassed about that than proud.

The second most viewed post was “Lessons From The Treehouse” which was taken from my brother Ronnie’s eulogy earlier this year. Knowing him, he would have been both amazed and proud of that and pleased that the post about him did not surpass “A Tribute To Mama” in popularity.

Blogging is more challenging than I anticipated. I have been writing Bible Study lessons word-for-word for years and expected blogging to be not so different. But I quickly discovered that when you write for public distribution, proof reading for proper grammar, punctuation, and narrative flow adds a whole new dynamic to the process.

Mountains of doubt entered my mind every time I pressed that intimidating “Publish” button staring at me on the screen. Is this worthy of publishing? Do my words convey the message I’m trying to communicate? Will anyone read it? Why should anyone care what I have to say? Those frogs of doubt plagued me so much at one point that I didn’t publish anything for three months.

But your encouragement, a guilty conscience, and a divine nudge helped me shake those doubts long enough to get back on the blogging horse. Many thanks to all of you who have served as my Barnabas with your encouraging comments on the blog as well as Facebook. I’m especially grateful to those of you who have shared my posts with your own Facebook friends and retweeted my posts on Twitter. (For those of you scratching your head wondering what retweet means, just ask your Grandkids.)

I hope that moving forward in 2016 you will continue to find my posts worthy of your reading time and worthy of sharing and commenting on. Your feedback and contributions to the dialog are always welcomed and appreciated.

My plan this year is to publish more often. Many ideas for future posts are in various stages of development, but I’m contemplating focusing most of my writing this year on the Gospel of John. As I mentioned in The Word Became Flesh, none of the disciples had a better understanding of the person of Jesus Christ than John. No one knew Christ more intimately than John. No one had a deeper insight regarding the purpose of His coming than John. And no one can help us know Christ better ourselves than John.

Like the Apostle Paul, I want to better know Christ and the power of His resurrection in my own life and make Him better known with my writing. While nothing I have to say should ever take the place of your own study of God’s Word, I hope that my words may deepen your hunger for and enhance your understanding of the Holy Scriptures.

Happy New Year to you all. I pray that 2016 will be prosperous for you in all the ways that would be pleasing to our Lord and that every day, in some small way, your spirit will be refreshed and your faith renewed.

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“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16)

Note: All Scripture references from the New International Version (NIV)

 

 

The Word Became Flesh

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“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

It is always challenging as a teacher, preacher, or a blogger this time of year to approach the account of our Savior’s birth from a fresh perspective. The story from Luke’s gospel is so familiar to us all. One of the ways that I did that as a teacher was to explore some unique perspective of the Christmas story through whatever book of the Bible we were studying at the time. That was especially challenging the year we were studying Ezekiel. But even in Ezekiel, I found it not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. Because the Christmas story- God’s plan for mankind’s redemption- is woven throughout Scripture.

Of course, the most familiar Christmas accounts are found in the pages of Matthew and imageLuke. But in recent years I have been drawn more to John’s account. You might argue that John did not write of the birth of Christ in his gospel, but you would be mistaken. As was his style, John just presented it in a different way because John had a different agenda or purpose for his gospel than the synoptic gospel writers. Those other gospels focused heavily on presenting the detailed events of Jesus’ life- John focused on capturing the person of Jesus Christ.

John’s account of Jesus’ birth was very plainly spoken- it can be easily memorized- but it speaks volumes theologically. It is found in John 1:14 which says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” We sometimes miss the awesome impact of that simple truth in our own Christmas traditions. We are thrilled each year by the thought of the spectacle of that night. We imagine the majesty of the angel and the heavenly host that appeared to the shepherds; the simple, yet touching manger scene with the precious little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. We gaze in awe and wonder as skilled actors, musicians, and singers attempt to recreate the majesty of that night in drama and song.

All of that is part of the Christmas experience as we celebrate it each year – the Christmas traditions that connect us with other Christmases going all the way back to our childhood. It is all part of our effort to keep Christ in Christmas. And it is all good and pleasing and very much needed in this increasingly secular world we live in. But sometimes we let even that focus on keeping Christ in Christmas cause us to miss the most important truth about Christmas – that when Christ was born in that manger in Bethlehem that night, God himself left the splendor of heaven, humbled himself by taking on flesh, and made his dwelling among us.

I love what Luke says concerning Mary’s reaction to all the events of that night. While the shepherds gazed in awe and wonder at the spectacle and all who heard their story “were amazed at what the shepherds said to them”, Luke says Mary “treasured” them up and “pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) At Christmas, we need to spend less time hustling and bustling and more time just treasuring and pondering … treasuring and pondering the person of Jesus Christ – who He is and why He came. And nobody answers those questions better than John in the pages of his gospel. Nobody makes a stronger case for the deity of Christ than John. Nobody knew Christ more intimately than John. And nobody moves us to know Christ more intimately ourselves than John.

My wife and I have a grandson who has Asperger’s Syndrome. After his initial diagnosis, I sought out much information about this particular form of autism spectrum disorder which can be highly functioning but characterized by difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication. One of the most interesting books I read was “The Journal Of Best Practices” by David Finch. This book was unique because it was actually written by someone with Asperger’s. Prior to his diagnosis after his marriage, Finch’s condition caused tremendous conflict in his relationship with his wife. He recorded this journal to help him remember basic rules for social interactions and problem solving that most of us learned from an early age through everyday life experiences, but which never registered with him because his brain processes information so differently.

As I read his account, I was struck by how well the author describes his thought processes as he deals with situations most of us never even think about. After his diagnosis, many of the conflicts with his wife began to resolve themselves as she learned more about Asperger’s and began to understand why he responds differently to things than she does and as he began to understand why the things that seemed perfectly normal to him were so upsetting to her. He began the journal to train himself to act more in line with her expectations.

Finch was able to articulate his thought processes in a way my grandson cannot. When I read books about autism and Asperger’s, I know more about my grandson. But there’s a big difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing someone. After reading this very personal account from someone who actually has Asperger’s, I felt as though I truly knew my grandson more intimately and personally.

I thought of that as I reflected on this simple passage from John. “God became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Jesus came to show us the Father; To speak to us the very words of God so that we can better know the Father more intimately and personally. He told Phillip, “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10) Jesus walked in our shoes; He faced the same temptations that we face; and yet was without sin- thus qualifying Himself to make atonement for ours.

That is the unparalleled message of Christmas- a message so well articulated by John with those memorable words, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” I pray that this Christmas you will ponder those words, treasure them in your heart, and reflect upon their implication for your life. El Shaddai, The Almighty God, is also Immanuel, God with us. God Most High is also God Most Nigh. May you experience the reality and the power of His presence this Christmas as never before. And the Gospel of John would be an excellent place to start!

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

Note: All Scripture references from the New International Version (NIV)

 

Hope In The Face Of Adversity

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

After much speculation, Mark Richt was officially named today as the next head football coach of the Miami imageHurricanes. Even though he coached my team’s arch rival for the last 15 years, I have always had the utmost admiration and respect for Coach Richt, both as a football coach and as a life coach for his players, most of whom will not go on to play professional football, but will need other life skills, knowledge, and character to succeed in life after their playing days are over. Coach Richt understands that better than most coaches at the college level.

It amazes me that a coach of his caliber and abilities, the fifth winningest active coach in Division I football, whose team was 9-3 this season, averaged 9.6 wins/season over 15 years in arguably the toughest conference in college football, who won two SEC championships, led his team to 14 straight bowl appearances, was 9-5 in those bowls, was 13-2 against his team’s state rival, finished the season ranked in the top 10 seven times (most recently 9th last year), and came within five yards of a national title game just three years ago, was fired this past Sunday.

This action adds to my increasing disillusionment with what college football has become- big money and win championships at all costs, no matter the impact on those who are putting their health on the line to fill the stadium. Coach Richt never bought into that philosophy and I applaud him for it. Meeting with his team for the last time Thursday, he reportedly told them “Life is about people, not rings.” Amen, Coach Richt!

The greater lesson in all this is a spiritual one. Coach Richt’s response to his unwarranted dismissal last week has been both encouraging and inspiring. His calm professionalism, grace, and unshakeable faith in his Lord has been on display for the world to see. In interviews following his dismissal he made it clear that he answers to a higher authority than athletic directors when it comes to the direction of his life. I’m glad that direction will keep him coaching college football where he will continue to have a positive impact on young men’s lives and the Kingdom of God.

He is a living example of a truth I have emphasized for years as a teacher of God’s Word – that our responses to the inevitable adversities we encounter in life are our greatest opportunities to witness to others about the reason for the hope they see in us. (1 Peter 3:15)

One of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey says that “Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” Coach Richt clearly has that kind of faith and I firmly believe when he looks back on this week in five years, he will see that things worked out much better for him than for the Georgia Bulldogs. And as a lifelong Georgia Tech fan, that would please me very much!

By the way, Coach Richt is from Boca Raton, Florida and played his college football for the University of Miami. That’s right- he is returning to his Alma Mater. And unlike the Georgia fan base, Miami fans appear to be extremely united in their approval of his return. This story just gets better and better. Congratulations, Coach Richt and Go Hurricanes! You have a new fan in me. (Unless, of course, you’re playing the Yellow Jackets or the Tarheels!)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect ..” (1 Peter 3:15)

Note: All Scripture references taken from the New International Version (NIV)