REACH OUT, I'LL BE THERE

The year was 1967 - I parked my car on Third Street in Harrisburg and started the long walk to my apartment. I had just spent $2 dollars on gas, and even though a gallon of gas was thirty-five cents back then, my 1963 Dodge always seemed to be on empty.

And during this time my life was on empty too. I had no idea why I was on this earth or what in the world I was going to do with my life. My rent was due and my car payment was late. As strange as it sounds, a Motown song played a role in turning my life around on that day.

In the late '60's I carried a transistor radio wherever I went and during my walk a popular song called "Reach Out, I'll Be There" started to play. The song seemed eerily spiritual, almost like it was a message, not from a guy to a girl, but from God directly to me. It remains one of the times in my life when I categorically claim a special moment with God. Here are some of the words I remember..... 

"Now, if you feel that you can't go on, and all your hope is gone. Your life is filled with much confusion, and happiness is just an illusion. And your world is tumblin' down. When you feel lost and about to give up, And your best just ain't good enough - I'll be there, to love and shelter you, I'll be there, Reach out to me."  

Well, on that day I reached out and made some important decisions about my relationship with God. And in a matter of months things started to make sense. I chose to be re-united with the church and met a special girl that I ended up marrying.

Now you could say that I'm making more of the song than I should, but almost 60 years have passed since that day, and I am more convinced than ever that it was a critical, pivotal point in my life. 

I call it my "MOTOWN MOMENT"

INFORMATION, INTIMACY, TRUST

   

Interesting how the message connects in these books .....

BRIAN HARDIN "In a court of law you can't testify to the character of a person based on things you heard other people say. That's called hearsay. You can only testify to the things you know firsthand. Through some really intimate soul-searching, I've began to realize I formulated much of my relationship with God based on hearsay - what I'd heard other people say about him, which resulted in some massive assumptions and misgivings".

"How much of your relationship with God is based on your first hand knowledge of him? What do you actually know about God for yourself - because of your intimacy with him? What cherished memories and experiences do you have that only you and He share? These are questions worth spending some time on".

ERWIN MCMANUS "Somehow Christianity has become a non-mystical religion. It's about a reasonable faith. If we believe the right things, then we are Orthodox. In some religious circles, whether we ever actually connect to God or experience His undeniable presence has become incidental, if not irrelevant. We have become believers rather than experiencers.

To know God in the Scriptures always went beyond information to intimacy. We may find ourselves uncomfortable with this reality, but the faith of the scripture is a mystical faith. It leads us beyond the material world into an invisible reality. We become connected to the God of eternity. Who you are at the core is spirit. God is Spirit. To walk with God is to journey in the spiritual realm."

HENRI NOUWEN  "But now you are being asked to walk with God in a spiritual journey and simply trust that God is enough. Stop wandering around. Instead, come home and trust that God will bring you what you need. Somewhere along the way, your relationship will grow into unquestionable trust. And when we learn to live in a continual state of trust, our confidence in the future will blossom."

LIFE'S NOT FAIR

Roosevelt Avenue and Route 30 in York, PA 

"But, I was following a huge tractor trailer"

The traffic light was hidden from my view as I traveled through the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Route 30 in York, PA. When I finally saw it, the light was solid red but it was too late to stop. No problem though, the other cars hadn't moved and I made it through safely. Could have happened to anyone, right? 

The cop car came out of nowhere. And even after my lengthy defense, I got a ticket. That was bad; but since then, every time I get near that light someone goes right through red; not by accident, but intentionally. And more than once, while sitting in my truck waiting for the light to turn green I've thought, "Life's Not Fair". 

Joni Eareckson Tada is one of our favorite people and she often helps to put things in perspective. I just watched a video that Joni produced about her friend Vicky Olivas. Over 30 years ago, Vicky was searching for an address given her by by an employment agency. The search took her to an alley, where during an attempted rape she was shot in the neck. This terrifying event left her permanently paralyzed. Vicky's assailant got three years in jail, while Vickie got the rest of her life in a wheelchair. 

After learning about Vicky, my ticket didn't seem all that important.

LOTS OF CREATIVITY IN PLAY ONE YEAR AGO TODAY

  CREATIVE SERMON    

Our pastor kicked off an interesting sermon series this morning.

DUDE PERFECT

4 Million Subscribers, 480 Million Views. Interesting site. Click HERE.

RUMORS OF ANOTHER WORLD

WYCLIFFE MINISTRIES

Some of our family is volunteering for six weeks at Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando Florida. We are impressed that they are giving their time and talents to this worthwhile ministry. 

I'm told their week is busy, but get the impression they make up for lost time during evenings and weekends. Looks like they are enjoying the fantastic weather and outdoor activities. 

My sister and 92 year old Mom (the one with the halo)

PRAY TO KNOW GOD IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT

In Job, when God begins to respond out of the whirlwind, God shatters human explanations with stunning poetry. We are invited to meet God in a storm, a whirlwind beyond our control.

NOTHING ELSE MAKES MUCH SENSE

Comments from the book "What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women"

AMAZING FINGERPRINT

Every fruit and vegetable resembles a body organ to signal its benefit to us..

PERSONAL REFLECTION

PERSONAL REFLECTION after 67 years of life

MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY - Life often gets messy but over the years I've observed that the single most tragic decision that anyone can make is to ignore God; that is, to cut Him out of their life. 

MY WIFE - Every successful guy I know illustrates by his life that the key to his success has been a good wife.  I don't deserve my wife of 45 years, but it isn't lost on me that I am beyond blessed.  For a picture of when we got married, click HERE.

OUR KIDS - Where has the time gone?  Our oldest daughter has been married 22 years and has 7 kids, our son has been married 12 years with 4 kids.  Our youngest daughter just graduated college and landed a job. Their spiritual journey has been totally different than ours but we appreciate and respect their unique search for truth.  We wouldn't trade our kids for anything. To see their picture click HERE.

OUR GRANDKIDS - Words that come to my mind when I look at our 11 grandkids each week are Masterpieces....Legacy....Heritage....Potential...

MY MOM is 91 years old and she is the glue that holds our family together.  Her love for God and refusal to say anything bad about anyone has set the bar high. She has 26 grandkids and 64 great grandkids, plus 3 more coming (currently in the oven).  For a picture of my mom click HERE and scroll down to the end of the page.

OUR CHURCH - Frankly, it's confusing to hear people say they are following God but have no interest in the church. As I look back over my life I see that our best friends, best memories and invaluable support have come from people in the church.  (see yesterday's post)

Have no idea what the future holds, but so far I have no complaints.  For now, I am finishing a life plan for the rest of my story. Click HERE.   My motivation?  Click HERE.