Invisible shield

Uzziel was a goldsmith by trade but he, too, worked on the wall. Rephaiah, the mayor of half of Jerusalem was next down the wall from them. Shallum and his daughters repaired the next section. He was the mayor of the other half of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 3: 8, 9, 12

I admit I’m often guilty of speed reading through certain parts of the Old Testament. So and so begat so and so who was the father of so and so. I can cover a lot of ground in a hurry when I come to some of those passages.

But if you slow down a little you’ll run across some real gems.  

In today’s passage, Nehemiah and his fellow countrymen have been released from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. I’m intrigued by the fact that everyone from the top down rolled up their sleeves and went to work. There may be lessons we can teach our family.

Here was a goldsmith, a guy accustomed to spending his days in a jewelry store selling diamond rings and Rolex watches. He packs his lunch bucket, puts on a hardhat and goes to work with the blue collar guys. And the two mayors of Jerusalem working side by side, sun up to sun down.

Now I don’t know why Jerusalem had two mayors but if we had two here in Honolulu, they wouldn’t work side by side. They would not want to share the same photo op.

Even the girls got into the act. They weren’t afraid of getting a little dirt under their fingernails, or breaking a nail, for that matter.

Work goes faster when everyone pitches in. It’s a lesson I’ve tried to teach my children. I learned it from my mom and dad.

My parents never gave me an allowance per se but they would reward me for doing chores. Helping in the yard, drying dishes, keeping my room orderly. The more I did, the more change I had jingling in my pockets.

Children need spending money but instead of just giving an allowance, why not tie it to certain tasks. You may not want to call them chores – it has sort of a negative connotation. Call them financial opportunities. “Son, I have a financial opportunity for you. I need the car washed.” Wouldn’t you rather pay your boy than to drive it through a car wash?

I love verse 23 farther down in the chapter - the visual imagery kills me. Nehemiah and his fellow workers were under constant danger of attack and he makes a statement that paints such a vivid word picture.

“During this period, none of us – I, nor my brothers, nor the servants, nor the guards who were with me – ever took off our clothes. And we carried our weapons with us at all times.”

Dude, you don’t need your weapons. The enemy isn’t coming near ’til you grab a shower! Trust me on this one! 

 

What happened to the pepper?

Was it last Christmas or the year before? My kids were home from the Mainland and we spent an evening looking at old family photos.

“Here’s one of me in my twenties, before you kids were born. Notice the nice full head of dark brown hair. Now, here I am in my thirties, three children later - the hair is salt and pepper. And this one is in my forties when you were teenagers. It’s almost all salt!”

At that, one of my kids piped up, “Look, Dad, here you are in your fifties. It looks like the old salt shaker is nearly empty!”

It’s true. The new hairs on my brush each day remind me I’m not getting any younger.

After thirty-something years in Christian radio, I took an early retirement due to post-polio syndrome, a malady that sometimes strikes polio victims thirty to forty years after the initial encounter.

I had polio as a youngster. Got along fairly well growing up. I could do most of what the other kids did. Maybe not quite as fast.

But in recent years, this post-polio thing has set in and it’s sort of knocked me on my wallet. I’ve had to cut back on a lot of activities.

But God is good and He has awakened a new interest in my life – writing. In a way it is similar to broadcasting. It’s still communications. Just using a word processor instead of a microphone. 

The best discipline I have developed is to spend time daily in devotions and then journal the thoughts and insights God gives me. Started doing it about three years ago. Wish it was thirty.

I have stacks of journals everywhere – they are invaluable to me. If my house caught fire in the middle of the night, I would shove my wife and kids and my journals out the bedroom window, and not necessarily in that order.

Recently I have begun praying about taking some of those musings and scribblings and publishing a devotional book. When I wrote them, I thought they were only for myself but if they can help someone else who is struggling, as I have, then maybe that’s what it’s all about.

Don’t want to wait too long though. I’m not getting any younger.

They say God has the hairs of our head numbered.

So do I!

 

Delbert! Stick out your hand!

For it was through reading the scripture that I came to realize that I could never find God’s favor by trying and failing to obey the laws. I came to realize that acceptance with God comes by believing in Christ. Galatians 2:19

I think it is ingrained in us from the time we were kids to try to please others by doing good deeds. We tried to please our parents by obeying them, doing our chores, keeping our room clean. If we did, life was good. If not, well, let’s just say, parents have ways of showing their displeasure.

Same with teachers. Good behavior meant privileges. Bad behavior meant time-outs. Whacks on the back of the hand with a ruler. Yep, they actually did that back in my day. In fact, my fourth grade teacher once made all the boys line up and bend over against the chalkboard, then she took a tennis shoe and gave us a whack on the okole (look that one up in your Hawaiian dictionary – oh-koh’-lay. Hint – it’s not the back of your hand!).

So it is only natural that we try to please God with our good works. Maybe we’ll get extra privileges. Definitely don’t want Him whacking our okole with a tenny runner!

Well, nothing against good works. He appreciates our acts of kindness. But they will never get us into heaven. We cannot buy our salvation. It is only through faith in Christ that we have eternal life.

More and more, I am convinced that my time in the Word each day, jotting down the thoughts he shares with me, is the best discipline I have ever developed. Paul is saying that as we read the scripture, we come to understand the things that are important to God. The things that enable us to gain his acceptance.

It’s not about works. Not about good deeds. It’s all about faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Hey there, Cuz!

Had a visit from my cousin, Bob Curtis, not long ago. Hadn’t seen him since High School days, almost forty years ago.

“Bobby, you’re looking great!” I said, fingers crossed behind my back.

“Del, you haven’t changed a bit since the last time I saw you,” he said, lying through his teeth.

I’m thinking to myself, I sure hope I didn’t look like this when I was seventeen. Of course, that would explain why it was so hard to get a date for the prom.

Bob has battled cancer off and on the past few years. Seems to be doing well now, but like he said, you never know with cancer. You just never know. All you can do is take one day at a time.

Funny thing, I was reading James just a couple days ago. He says,

“Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” James 4:14

As we in Hawaii say, “Here today. Gone to Maui.”

I told my cousin we’re all terminal. None of us are getting out of here alive. Not unless the trumpet sounds.

But I’m not so worried about what will happen tomorrow. I’m more concerned about how I’m living today. Being the best husband I can be. Setting the right example for my children to follow. Living my life in a manner pleasing to God.

These are among the priorities in my life. I hope you have taken time to define priorities for yours.

Yep. Like Cousin Bob says, it’s one day at a time.

Aren’t you glad we don’t have to take ‘em two at a time?!

 

Dad’s praying chair

Living in Hawaii, we get calls at three in the morning from telemarketers trying to sell time shares in Florida. They have no clue we’re six hours behind. One actually thought Hawaii was in the Caribbean. 

Sleep is a personal thing with me. I love my pillow. My futon is my favorite friend. So anything that gets me up at night better be important.  

Having said that, today I found a verse in my Bible I highlighted years ago:

Rise in the night and cry to your God. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord; lift up your hands to Him; plead for your children… Lamentations 2:19

I discovered that verse while going through some deep waters with one of my children. I had underlined, rise in the night, and plead for your children. Dated it September 9, 1999.

This passage speaks to me of someone who is desperate for an answer. Desperate to the point of sacrificing personal comfort in order to be heard by God.

“Rise in the night…plead for your children…”

The sin that grips our children and their generation is strong. Unrelenting! It attaches itself like a nut rusted to a bolt. They become inseparable.

Prayer, serious, sleep depriving prayer, is the only thing that will break the grip. It is the penetrating oil that will dissolve the corrosion and loosen the threads and cause it to become functional once again.

I actually went to Sears and bought a chair back in 1999. A big, overstuffed chair for the living room. And I would get up at night, sit in the chair and pray. The kids started calling it, “Dad’s praying chair.”

God heard the prayers of that heavy-hearted dad and proved Himself faithful once again. Not that everything is perfect. But when I think of the way it was then and the way it is today, I can only thank Him for His mercy and grace!

What is it that makes you toss and turn at night? Is there something going on in your world that keeps you awake? If so, let me suggest you get yourself a praying chair.

 

Sand on the carpet

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Got in the car today and saw something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Sand on the carpet. My youngest daughter, Becca, is home from college!

When the kids were growing up, I would complain. Every time they’d go to the beach, they would leave sand all over the floor of the car, on the upholstery, in the trunk. And guess who would end up vacuuming it. Yep! You got it.

Needless to say, the gas tank was always empty. They’d drive the car ’til it was running on fumes then they’d give me the keys just long enough to fill ’er up again.

Well, the house has been empty the past few months. The car has stayed clean. The tank is full. But it sure has been lonely around here.

But Becca had a five day break and she found a cheap ticket so she took money from her own savings and flew home. And now, there’s sand on the carpet, the tank is empty… but who’s complaining? It’s great to have her back!

Children are a gift from the Lord. And every gift He gives is good!

 

I’ll pray for anyone but him

Then when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his wealth and happiness. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before. Job 42:10

I find it intriguing that God turned Job’s fortunes around when Job prayed for his “friends.” For the past forty or so chapters, these so-called friends have been badmouthing him, telling him what a scumbag he is, what a worthless excuse he is for a human being. Talk about being kicked when you’re already down. They not only kick him, they get in the SUV and back over him a couple times.

Why is it we can be so brutal when it comes to letting others know their faults and failures? I’m speaking of people we love. Our spouse. Our children. It’s so easy to hurl insults at each other not realizing that each time we do, we erode the foundation of our relationship. Each stinging critique chips away at the mortar that holds the structure together.

The message I am getting today is to pray for those who despitefully use you, as Jesus once said. I’ve done that in the past, but only halfheartedly. I cannot say I have prayed sincerely for those who have hurt me. Why? Because I really don’t want God to bless them. They don’t deserve it.

But Job prayed for his friends and when he did, God restored his wealth and happiness. It makes no mention of whether God blessed the friends, but He definitely blessed Job.

Hmmm?

 

Please encourage me

Sitting here at Starbucks, it’s interesting the conversations you can eavesdrop on. There’s a young married couple two tables down. They have the cutest little girl. Blond wavy hair. Three or four years old.

The husband has been on his wife’s case from the moment they walked in. The only time he isn’t criticizing her is when he’s yelling at the girl. She’s full of energy. Can’t sit still. It annoys him.

The wife is unhappy. You can see it in the empty look in her eyes. Can’t  blame her. I would be too, if this guy was in my grill all day.

Someday, she’ll have an affair. Someone will come along who treats her with kindness, tells her how nice she looks, makes her feel good about herself. Words of encouragement she longs to hear. And she’ll fall head over heels. You can bet the farm.

Her husband will be viewed as the victim. After all, she is the one who had the affair. She’s the one who was unfaithful, not him. And she will live with the shame.

I’d like to grab the guy by the throat and shake him. “Stick a sock in your mouth, Dude. Wake up! Look what you’re doing to your family.”

I am convinced, one of the biggest needs we have is the need for encouragement. Life has a way of beating up on you. Hitting you below the belt. And you’re left crying out, “Encourage me! Say something that will make me feel good about myself. Because right now, I’m feeling really cruddy.”

A couple years ago, I promised myself I would encourage my wife every day. I would encourage my children every opportunity I got. No more cutting remarks. No backhanded verbal jabs. And I won’t complain about other things. My job, my health, my finances. No one needs to hear how bad the president is doing. They don’t need me complaining about the price of gas. It just isn’t necessary.

Heed the words of Paul from 1 Thessalonians 5:11: Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I challenge you to make that commitment, as I did. Encourage your wife and children. Build them up every day. They are crying out for it.

 

Put me out of my misery

Then knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian, nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience. Hebrews 6:12

In college, there was nothing worse than having to take some ridiculous class because it was the only course open that met a prerequisite. Like ”Men’s Wear in the Mid to Late 19th Century.” Someone please shoot me and put me out of my pain!

If the course had no relevance, I would die, or at least dream of dying!

A lot of young people feel that way about Christianity. Church is a big drag. Borrrrrring! They see no relevance and many will drop out first chance they get.

But Christianity is relevant and we must help them to understand. It is about developing strength of character that will carry them through life with all its pressures. It is about becoming an exemplary human being, one who will cause others to stop and take notice. It’s about developing qualities that will bring promotion, success, leadership, recognition.

And how does all this happen? It happens as we take on more and more of the character qualities of God Himself. As God’s children, we begin to look more like Him each day. Paul put it best; we’re being conformed into His image.

Christianity is a life of excitement. It is not a life of boredom. It is filled with challenge and adventure. Not all fun and games – it can be tough. But when you live a life of faith as it was intended, there is never a dull moment.

 

Get rich, er… Get ripped off quick!

Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. Eph. 4:28 (LB)

One lesson I learned from my dad was the importance of good, honest work. I learned it more from watching his example than from anything he said. Dad would get up early – before five – put in a full day, then come home and help my mother in her drapery business. He would be out late helping her with installations.

A couple of get-rich-quick schemes came through that were tempting. One had to do with a new innovation in car oil filters. On the outside it looked like any other filter but inside, you insert a roll of toilet paper. Then every 3,000 miles, simply change the roll. Pretty ingenious. You never have to buy a filter again. Just keep changing the toilet paper. They tried to get Dad to sell those things. Said it was a ground level opportunity – he was sure to make a fortune. But Dad declined, and lucky he did. Before long, guys were bringing their cars into the shop for major repairs. Seems their valves were clogged up with clumps of Charmin.

Paul understood the importance of good, honest, labor. He made tents to put bread and butter on his table. He believed you do an honest day’s labor, you get an honest wage. No shortcuts. No “get-rich-quick” schemes. He rolled up his sleeves and put in his eight hours like everyone else.

We’ve all seen the late-night TV shows. Heard how you can make millions buying and selling real estate with no money down. And software that lets you make a fortune in options trading – sounds tempting – just buy when the arrow is green and sell when it’s red. Then order another Bentley for your ten car garage.

But for every person who gets rich quick, there are a thousand who get ripped off quick and those odds are not worth taking.

There is a way to gain wealth, and the first step is actually quite easy. It simply depends which side of the bed you sleep on. If you sleep on the right side, you swing your right leg out. If you sleep on the left, swing out your left leg. Then get up, go to work, and for the next eight hours, give your boss a hundred and ten percent. Do your work with excellence. Do it “heartily as for the Lord and not unto men” (Col. 3:23), as if Jesus Christ was your immediate supervisor.

Good, honest work will bring promotion. It will bring excellent performance evaluations. You will receive recommendations and strong references, and in time, it will lead to bigger and better opportunities. It worked for me. My first radio job was midnight to six in Havre, Montana, population 12,000, of which only about twelve were still up after midnight. But I treated that shift as if I were doing the morning drive-time slot in a major city. And before long, I was. In Honolulu. Doesn’t get any better than that!

Good honest work brings its own rewards. More importantly, it develops strength of character which is of far more value than earthly wealth. And that is a lesson every father needs to teach his children.