When I was young, I had the privilege of working the north Maine woods with some seasoned woodsmen.  At noon a fire would be constructed so the different crews could meet around it and have lunch together. Stories told as the fire smoldered could choke a horse, but what a privilege to be part of the logging industry in that time period.

Inevitably, a flock of Canadian jays would join us for lunch, never bringing their own food. Woodsmen, campfires, Canadian jays and food just seemed to provide the right chemistry. Many a myth has been shared in the coniferous forest over the origin and purpose of that strange bird.

My only knowledge of those fine-feathered friends is that God created them for such a time as this. Someday, I’m going to go into the deep woods with some sandwiches and make a little fire just to see if they still remember me.

Genesis 1:20

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Yes, I really know who made them to fly in like that and whose image I’m made in.

Think about it.

Gary

Over 1600 years ago, one of the church fathers made a tremendous statement: (No, I wasn’t there.)

• “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us” – Augustine

There’s nothing wrong with that statement because it was extrapolated from the Scriptures.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 86:15

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

No human being can truthfully make the statement that no one loves him or her because God’s love is eternal and unconditional.

Think about it.

Gary

There was a song that came out in 1970 with the title “Indiana Wants Me.” It’s about a man who committed a crime and the law from Indiana had him cornered. You can hear the sirens in the background as he thinks about his desperate situation.

The first stanza goes like this:

Indiana wants me
Lord, I can’t go back there
Indiana wants me
Lord, I can’t go back there
I wish I had you, To talk to

No, he’s not calling out to God, acknowledging him or asking for his presence. He is thinking about his wife who can do absolutely nothing for him. His decisions led him to this moment in time when bad choices caught up to him.

Trials and temptations are woven into the fabric of life. Sometimes we are responsible for the difficulties we’re in and sometimes others are involved; however, we are called upon by God to face them.

James 1:2

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

The best course of action sometimes is to surrender and face the consequences.

Think about it.

Gary

Having boundaries was kind of foreign to me as the youngest of eight kids. I was like a free-range chicken going in and out of everyone’s life. Then, suddenly, something changed all of that and it was called school.

You see, in those days whatever happened at school stayed at school. Teachers had latitude in correcting students. They could tape your mouth, hit you with rulers or yardsticks, pull your ears, or throw you against the wall if they so desired. I’m not just making this up; they could even hold you back until you got too big for the seats.

I’ll never forget it. I can’t tell you what that kid did to deserve such punishment. The teacher firmly clutched his shirt, lifted him off the floor, and deposited his feet on his desktop.  Mucus ran down the little guy’s nose and he now stood eyeball to eyeball with the teacher.

I felt like I was the only witness to this event, but there had to be twenty others. No one had to testify because there would be no trial.  I’ll tell you, I learned something about boundaries that day. I said to myself, “Don’t do what that kid did.”

The Bible has a lot to say about boundaries:

Proverbs 22:28

Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set.

Knowing where you belong and where you don’t is important in the life that God has given to us.

Think about it.

Gary

When I was growing up, I had a friend who was so gifted that he could build his own sled for sliding. We had a huge hill not far from home, and we would pull that sled to the top, get on and have a merry ride to the bottom.  However, more often than not, we never made it to the bottom and somewhere along the route would be a crash scene. It didn’t seem to bother him because he would return to his house and build another sled.

Don’t you like individuals like that? They just never give up, and their attitude towards life’s setbacks is seemingly always positive. They are focused.

The Bible describes a man like that.

2 Samuel 23:20

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

Discouraging odds, lions, pits and snow wouldn’t stop him from getting the job done.

What’s your excuse for not getting the job done?

Think about it.

Gary

She was only a year old when I found her incarcerated at the police department pound. I claimed her and sometime later she claimed me. Her fur was bright red and she was a chow-retriever mix. We named her Lady. Every man past middle-age in my town has a dog and pick up to go to the dump with on Saturdays.

Thirteen years later we were taking our final truck ride together to see the vet. We both knew this was the way it had to be. The vet was very understanding and the procedure was carried out in the front seat of my Tacoma with my hand petting her.

King David made this heart-wrenching statement in:

1 Kings 2:2

I go the way of all the earth;

We can’t go through life without the experience of “the way of all the earth,” and some day we will experience it for ourselves. The question is: Are we ready for that event?

Think about it.

Gary

As kids, when we were not in school, our days were spent playing outside. One activity was sliding down the embankment and out unto the river ice. We would make a fire on the ice and take a break once in a while and stand around the fire.

On this particular trip, with me at the front of the sled and my buddy behind, we sped down to the river. Something went wrong with our trajectory, and we landed in the fire that had melted about a six-inch hole in the ice.

My ankle was sprained quite badly, and I was somewhat incapacitated and dazed; however, my faithful companion pulled me out of the hole which still had live coals. As you know by reading this, I survived.

In life, things go wrong and plans made can have snafus. It is a good thing to have a friend who will watch your back when you get in trouble.

Proverbs 17:17

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

God provides such friends to care and protect us; however, man’s greatest friend is our Lord and Savior.

Proverbs 18:24

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

If your journey involves speed and ice or other hazards, don’t go it alone.

Think about it.

Gary