Oh Really...

Okay, it's "bills day" at the Ponder Home, you know - that time of the month when for some or most these days, there's too much month at the end of the money. For over 26 years, Tami and I have prayed over our bills and thanked Jesus for the privilege of having the funds in the bank to cover our expenses. Today was no different, I woke up early, I think anxiety, stress or too much caffeine the evening before & began to write checks, transfer money, etc. As I began the hour process, that feeling came over me again - an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and thankfulness that the Lord in His grace has allowed us to cover our bills. Now, I know this sounds a tad odd; however, hear me out. With so many folks out of work and life being a bear these days, it truly blesses us to be able to pay our bills, have food in the fridge, put some cash away for emergencies. This became really apparent when I went to buy stamps at the local store and the young gal said, "...stamps, what for?" My reply, "...oh, I'm paying bills!" Her comment, "...yuk, that's a bummer!" My come back, "...no, its a blessing. You see, God has blessed us with the ability to pay bills; most these days can't. So, no bummer for us, just gratefulness!" She looked at me with that teenage stare and said, "Dude, that's so cool...I've never looked at it that way." My closing thought to her, "Kiddo, go home and thank your father & mother for supporting you, they're raising a neat kid!" All to say, perspective is so important & key as we work through these difficult, economic times.
The application: yes, if you can pay your bills, be grateful. If you can't, know that God does care and seriously wants to meet your every need. A book in the Bible, Philippians, says, "...but my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory!" Take it easy and before you move away from this thought, look up and thank your Heavenly Father for His provision!

Why I Love Living on the The Central Coast

So glad to have the absolute blessing of walking on the beach with my wife, simply kicking back and saying, "God, Your creative genius is beyond words..."  Enjoy some of the pictures we just took on the northern part of Morro Bay!

Sunset in Morro Bay

Amazingly Beautiful

High Tide...

Don't you just love it?

The Famous Morro Rock on a lazy August evening!

What's up?

Sea Weed..are you hungry?

Hello Mr. Starfish!

Years and years of moss growth...

Simply enjoying life!

A Culture in Conflict

It's early again, Friday morning - my day of rest.  I'm sitting in my living room, sipping on a hot cup of coffee and watching the news.  It is interesting to me, somewhat puzzling, and all together grievous, that the tendency of the American culture to change opinion so rapidly and predictably is not only alarming, but equally saddening.  What am I referring too?  The tide of change in the acceptance of same sex marriage (Please hear my heart: I'm not against those who struggle or even are involved in same sex relationships; I love them and desire to be a conduit to help assist them into healthy, sexual Biblical relationships - confined to the marriage bed, between man & woman.).  A statistic just came across CNN that in 2004, the American culture was 52% against same sex marriage and 46% for this lifestyle.  In just 6 six years, the American culture now views the marriage bed as not only between man and woman, but now same sex is also embraced by the majority as a viable, acceptable lifestyle.  Further, not only has our former Vice President Mr. Cheney vocalized his support of this agenda, President Bush's wife has recently come public with her support gay marriage and President Bush's former campaign manager just came out of the proverbial closet.  Well...you may be asking? What's the big deal?  Isn't that what culture is suppose to do?  Seriously, let's just love and accept one another for the common good of humanity, right? 

Well...not really.  As a proponent of the Absolute Authority of Scripture, I cannot and will not placate or acquiesce to a cultural degradation.  You see, my father always told us the Word of God is to dictate culture, not the other way around: culture dictating the word of god.  As I review and meditate upon the prophetic Scripture, I am reminded that as in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of Man returns.  Yes, the Bible promised and predicted that these things would come to pass - we shouldn't be caught by surprise.  I guess what I'm trying to say, as I simply journal my thoughts here, is this should be a wake up call and a spring board to be all the more cognisant of the days in which we live and, all the more ready to love a culture in conflict.  Just the other day I met with a young man struggling with these very issues.  What an honor it was for me to hang out with this bold young man who desired Biblical help.  I thank the Lord for ministries like Exodus International that are actively loving this sub culture to the saving knowledge of a caring and compassionate God. 

Last thought: yes, I'm totally am against the agenda of the same sex world; however, I am not against the people.  In fact, we have a motto around our home and a motto at our fellowship: we will never condemn anyone to isolation, rather, we will love them to health.  And, if that means a long, arduous process - we're in!

Take it easy...

Grateful

What a day, seriously.  Couldn't sleep last night, so I got out of the sack at 2:03am.  My sister is in town, so I had to go to the sun room to hang out.  For the next three hours, I put together the outline for my message for this coming Sunday.  As I typed, prayed, checked through my Bible - I could hear the ocean singing, I could almost feel leaves clapping as the slight breeze moved through their branches, my cats were even snoring to their contentment...all to say, wow.  At 5:00, I put on my gym clothes, brushed the coffee stained teeth and went for a morning work out (16 miles in Doug's spin class: he's awesome...kind of guy that makes you feel good to be alive!).  A quick shower, coffee with my sister, staff meeting, computer work and Rotary.  Amazing day...after work, came home and took a 20 minute power nap and then, the highlight of my day: mowing the lawn.  Such therapy for a Pastor to be able to complete something, to look at it and say, "...oh, it looks so nice!"  Quick shower and now, about to sit on my porch with my babe.  What a life, so blessed and so grateful God allows me to live...

Taste and See...

Tami and I just returned from a Saturday afternoon drive. Yes, the weather is epic - 70 degrees, sunny and a slight on-shore breeze; we just love living on the Central Coast, so amazingly beautiful. Well, back to my thought, we were looking for a special hanging plant for our walk way at our house at the local nursery when we came across a young couple standing next to a sign that boldly stated, "Fresh Strawberries!" We abruptly stopped and bought six baskets of the most luscious, tasty and sweetest strawberries we come across in a long time. You know the gig; in fact, your mouth is probably watering right now as you look at what my wife Tami calls, "God's candy!" ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, no question about it.

As we chowed down most of the fruit, a verse came to my mind from the Old Testament in the Bible. Have you heard of it before? It's in Psalm 34:8 and it says, "Taste and see, for the Lord is good..." Here's the connection: when we as people, God's creation in His image, when we live life as He intended it to be lived - in constant communion and fellowship with Him - then we taste, Spiritually, and discover that He indeed is oh so GOOD. Whether life finds us on the top of the mountain and all is good; or, if we find ourselves in the valley of despair, we can still go to that place called relationship and experience the precious quieting love of a Savior madly in love with us.

In short, the next time you bite into a strawberry and enjoy the delicacies of this great fruit, allow your heart to venture a bit and Taste and See, Spiritually, that He is good! Seriously, your life will never be the same...have a great day!

The Word

Just like we need food for our physical nourishment, the Word of God is that very vehicle God uses to nourish our spirit. As the adage goes, "...what oxygen is to the lung - the Bible is to the spirit." Be careful to NOT allow a day to go by that you neglect reading God's love letter to you, written individually and personally, with intentionality and directive - you know, from His heart to yours. Seriously, when you open the Word, you can hear God in your spirit saying, "I love you; I am for you; and, I desire to write your life's story that brings you great meaning!" Friends, hang out with the Word this day and watch the pages of scripture literally change your life.