Words from Colorado

               For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father! (Romans 8:15).         Braving the mall at Christmas is a necessary task if you’re to find just the right gift for a certain someone.  Close parking spots are at a premium. Long lines and lingering customers await your arrival.  Have you noticed how people tend to linger in the place that you want to linger?  A fundamental axiom of physics is that no two masses can occupy the same space at the same time! Meaning that the certain gizmo you’re thinking about buying for your Uncle Sylvester can’t be observed, if someone won’t move out of your way!  The Mall at Christmas time is…an obstacle course, only to be braved, by courageous souls, who are compelled by love, to endure… to purchase! Just today (Tuesday) I ventured into th...

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success! - Henry Ford         The recent success of the Denver Broncos has become a national sensation.   Come back victories last second heroics, heart   stopping finishes and a humble Christ honoring quarterback, Tim Tebow.... have made these winter months, warmer for me, and for millions who are enjoying the ride!  Last night the game against the Chicago Bears for all stated purposes was over…it wasn’t!  A veteran Chicago running back ran out of bounds, (That kind of mistake almost never happens at this level) giving the Broncos precious time to mount a comeback.  That same running back, in overtime inexplicably fumbled, on the way for perhaps a touchdown, or for sure, incredible field position and an easy field goal for the Chicago Bear win.  That error gave the Broncos the ball back in overtime for a chance to win which they did ...

        I am blessed to live in a relatively small town of around 12,000.  We have six traffic lights; one however is so long (our minister of youth calls it the light of eternity) that it makes up for others we don’t have. We are limited in restaurant choices, and other options found in larger towns. We have one post office and this time of year it’s a busy place.  A few days ago I was standing in a slow moving line at the post office. My phone rang out loud clear and disruptive, breaking the relative silence of people waiting to take care of their postal needs.   Being an ardent Bonanza fan (Television Western that ran from 1959-1972) my ring tone is the musical theme (Provided for your listening pleasure at the end of this blog) from that show. Before answering my phone, I decided to poll everyone in the post office…and asked (In a loud kind of preacher voice) name that tune! It was a good question because almost everyone in that post...

                S leep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.     I have it! I believe I have it because I have become far too familiar with Baptist Potlucks over the last 25 years!  You may be surprised to know that 25% of those who have it are not overweight at all! I am, and I do:)  I wear a mask attached to a Cpap machine (Continuous pulmonary air pressure) that forces air down my gullet to ward off apnea. It took awhile to get used to it, and now the thought of not having it, and not being able to breathe is, as you can imagine spooky!  This brings me to the subject of this week’s article.  Arriving in Colorado Springs last week, for a family Thanksgiving feast, I discover...

     “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’   40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ( Matthew 25: 37-40).          Imagine for a moment you are riding a bicycle with a cushion less seat and a bald front tire.  You’re riding through Wyoming in November.  Your heading for Phoenix, Phoenix is… 13 hours 46 minutes, or 804.6 miles, from Green River, Wyoming.  That’s 13 hours 46 minutes by car, not bicycle! I know what you’re thinking, the song “By the time I get to Phoenix”, has new meaning  now…no your thinking, where did you get this scenario from Pastor ...

15 You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. (2 Timothy 1: 15-18). ESV Attitude someone said determines altitude! I like that, and I believe it. There is just something about people who have an optimistic outlook.  We all have choices in how we will treat the people, God puts into our lives! And ultimately we decide the kind of people we will be…the level of our service to the Lord Jesus Christ and to those who follow Him, and those who don’t. Paul reminds us, that in our lives as Christians,  we will meet two kinds of people. People who will turn away from you:      ...

         When you hear the word refuge, what immediately comes to mind? I think of a place of safety. Some isolated reinforced bunker like structure that one hopes to be near when say, an F-5 tornado is heading your way.  Refuge is a secure word; it offers a harbor when the seas are just too rough.   Life is often rough. Goals we set, seem at first attainable, then setbacks cause us to reassess just how reachable they really are.  We get weary.  Dreams I have often said,  are goals with deadlines. What do you do when the dream and the deadline can’t be found in the same calendar, or even year? Pray! Pray? Yes…Pray! To who? To the only one who can synchronize dreams and deadlines!  Let me explain.   I happen to Pastor a wonderful Church in Southwest Wyoming.   HillTop Baptist Church is a growing Church.   I will tell you why…loving Churches grow, and growing Churches love!  And HillTo...