THOSE HANDS

 

They were hard and calloused....
Years of work and labor defined and created every crack and wrinkle in those hands.
They had held plows.....
They had held rifles and shotguns....
Not for sport, but to put food on a table.
They had mended broken bicycles so that sons could be mobile once again.
They repaired more cars than I care to count.

They were tender enough to care for dogs that got caught up in barbed wire and had limped back home bleeding and almost to the point of death.
Those hands made basketball goals for the backyard...
They clapped at Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline when they came on the radio.
They slapped knees when a good yarn was spun or joke told.
Those hands never really rested, not till the end.

Those hands rubbed my head or rested on my shoulder when I had done something big.
Those same hands spanked me and put me back on the straight and narrow when I got to big for my britches.
They wiped sweat from the brow when the summer heat flooded a new plowed field. Those hands staked tomatoes and shucked corn. picked blackberries and baled hay. To a young boy, there wasn't anything those hands couldn't do. Those hands have cranked many a turn making home made ice cream. Those hands always deserved the first bowl when it was ready to eat.

Those hands held me and carried me from the car when we would come home late at night after being on a trip. Strong hands......safe hands....
Those hands were quick to help neighbors when something was needed to be done. The hands toted lumber and nailed nails to repair roofs and build back porches. I loved those hands.

Those were the hands of my father..........H.B. Bynum.
Blue collar to the core...
Worked hard all his life. That's just what a man did to support his family.
If my Dad had lived, I'm not sure he'd understand much of what is happening in this world today. He wasn't one to sit around and whine and cry about his lot in life or his lack of money. He worked. His advice to me..."Son, a man does what a man has to do to keep food on the table and a roof over his family." Those wouldn't be very popular words today...but that was my Dad. I watched (more times than I can remember) my dad being sick. Sick to the point that he really needed to stay home and take care of himself. What did my Dad do?  Got up and went to work. Never complained. Never talked about life being fair. He did what he needed to do to take care of his family. This was the legacy that was passed on to me.

Mom died in 1981 and Dad never seemed to recover from it. After they both retired, they reconnected as husband and wife. There seem to be more joy and peace as they shared time and life together. There were trips to the Smokey Mountains and visits with friends and family. I am grateful for the peace and love they found at the end.

Dad died in 1985, and not a day goes by that I don't think of him.
And on this day, of all days, one that honors fathers, I want to honor him.
For the love he showed me and the huge impact and influence he had on me.
I pray that in some small way, I have been half the man and father he was.
Thank you Lord for giving Father's to us....

Happy Father's Day, Dad.....
I love you....
I miss you.....

mb

HOPE AGAINST ALL HOPE

 

Romans 4:18 (Message Bible) -  When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said He would do.

There are times when I wonder if I truly am a follower of Christ. I find that my faith if fragile and on the verge of being broken when really dark times come. Sometimes it seems that fear and doubt are my closest neighbors, knocking on my door, trying to gain entrance to my thoughts and mind. But when it seems the darkest, I always turn to the promises of God. In those, I know there is no wavering or doubt. God's promises are "yes and amen".  A stable place on which I regain my footing.

I love the way the NIV describes Abraham's mindset.  "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed..." When the world told Abraham there was no way God was going to keep His word....Abraham latched onto as greater hope. Maybe that is the message for this day....reject the world's hope, and find the one true eternal hope that never fails. Hope that has a name, and that name is Jesus.

Fox and CNN are not the owners of hope....

CBS, ABC, NBC are not the carriers of hope...You want the news....here let me give you some good news...."My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." That simple phrase is something you can stake your life to when times are hard and days are dark.  "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.....all other ground is sinking sand."

Don't let the messengers of this world steal your hope, joy and peace. All these are found in Christ. You can believe it....or you can reject it. I choose to believe.

God on you...

michael b

ONE RIGHTEOUSNESS DUDE

 

Genesis 6:9

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

From time to time, I find myself whining and complaining about how "dark" spiritually our nation has become. The Government is corrupt. People are self-centered. Some churches only tickle the ears with smooth words and false promises. Where is God?
Yet every time I act this way, I am reminded of Noah.
Think about this.
He was the only righteous and blameless man on the face of the planet. Everyone else was corrupt. Imagine the pressure that came from neighbors and so-called friends. I don't think Mr. Noah got invited to too many parties and get together, do you?

I love the last part of this verse. He Walked With God!
Noah wasn't guided or lead by the call and dictates of this world. His mind, heart, spirit and soul were set on following God. He did not have access to a Bible. He didn't have Christian radio and television. He simply had a relationship. In our day and time, we feel like we have to have all the trappings..........the worship Cd's, the latest DVD from the latest conference. The hottest, greatest new word from the Christian author of the month. Funny...........Noah just had God.
Maybe simpler is better.

Noah simply did everything God told him to do.
He trusted that God knew best.
God gave him a plan to survive. Build an ark,leave everything else to God.
Noah carried out the plan.
Day after day. Year after year...building that ark.
Do you think there were day's that Noah wanted to quit? I do.
It would be hot. Sun beating down. Neighbor's walking by where the ark was being built. "Hey Noah! You want to go fishing? Oh yeah, that's right....you've got to build a boat and we don't even live near any body of water large enough to float it........bwahhhhhh!"
Noah kept on.

Why?
Because God told him to....

Walking with God, such as Mr. Noah did, often involves doing some things that don't really balance the ledgers, so to speak.
We don't always understand the "whys" of God. We are called to "do".

I will go as far as even saying that it isn't we don't understand, as much as it is we don't see.
We don't see what God is accomplishing.
We don't see the greater purpose for the events and situations we are currently in...
God does.

And if He does, then it might be to my benefit to simply carry out the instructions and disciplines I am being shown today.
Noah, during the most corrupt time the world has ever known, walked with God...was blameless among his generation. God used this man to save humanity.
Not a bad way to be remembered.

God on you....
mb

GET ON BOARD....OR GET OFF THE BUS

Found myself in Luke 1 yesterday.

All the angelic activity that burst on the scene after 400 years of silence from heaven, must have left people thinking to themselves, "What in the wide world of sports is going on?"
Zechariah finally gets his turn to serve in the temple, not only that but he get the sweet job of going into the holy place and burning incense on the altar. Dressed in his temple finest, ol' Zach is moving around enjoying every moment when suddenly......BLAMMO! the angel Gabriel shows up with a message. "Hey Zach, don't be afraid but you and your wife's prayers have been heard and Father God is going to answer them. Your going to have a baby boy!" Zachariah found this a little hard to swallow since he and Elizabeth were way beyond child bearing years. I love it, in that God's plans are not based on whether we swallow or not. God simply carries them out. Of course when God shows up to work in someone, that "someone" always feels inadequate or not able to carry out the task. That is human nature. God is not surprised in that.

I remember when I accepted the call to pastor. I had been running from it for 30+ years.
When I finally said "YES" and turned my will over to God, the first thing that came to my mind scared me to death. I mean it petrified me. It was my "I can't do this" moment. What was it? The thought that I had to come up with a message each week. Something new....something amazing....something stupendous. When in fact it was none of those things. All I had to do was study, pray, listen and then talk. Sure some weeks are harder than others. I've even prepared lessons and teaching that I had to lay aside the moment I stood before a congregation to give them. Now that is scary! But through it all, God has been faithful to give me what I needed to say for that moment.

I guess what I think we are to pick up on from this posting is that God is only looking for people who will say yes. Once we have made the commitment, He will take care of the rest. If you look at what the angel told Mary (the Virgin) you will see the truth of what I have written.
V31 -  You are going to have a baby so you need to name him Jesus. (that's her part)
V32 - He will be very great
          He will be called SON OF THE MOST HIGH
          He will receive the throne of David
V33 - He will reign over Israel forever
          His kingdom will never end

All Mary had to do was surrender and allow God to work. God did the rest. IT is no different today. We surrender ourselves to God's will and then allow Him to birth from us the works and deeds that He desires to bring out for His Kingdom work here on this earth. Cool huh?

make today a "I-will-cooperate-with-God-day", then see what happens.

God on you...
mb

DAVID'S TO-DO LIST

 

Seems like, when it comes to God, we have a tendency to think we get to do all the receiving from Him. After all, we can't "earn" our salvation, or "work" for our salvation. All that's left is for us to sit back and rake in the blessings. 

I think maybe there are some maintenance steps that we need to be aware of that will aid us in not drifting away (see Hebrews 2:1 and 3). i have found that when I get lax in my daily walk, I tend to get off the road and into the weeds. At first the weeds are not any trouble to  navigate. But the farther I get away from the road, the higher and deeper the weeds get until I can't tell which way is up. Then I find myself doing a lot of "Oh God...Oh God....Oh God" praying.

I love Psalm 37. To me it is a check list of things I need to do and be aware of in my daily life. The very first verse knocks the ball out of the park, so to speak. David begins the chapter by saying three little words that plague us all....Do Not Fret. Do not worry. Do not let your focus be drawn away from God. O.k....we're off with a roar as we move through the next few verses.

Oh yeah...just a matter of reminding you, why would we be told "not to fret" unless God knows that we will. So it's not so much the fact that we find ourselves in a place of worry or fretting as it is taking captive the worry and giving it to God.

The very next verse, after telling us not to worry, David writes, "Trust in the Lord." Isn't that the remedy for worrying? I think maybe yes. Trusting God that no matter what we may face, He has it. He is in control. 

After we begin trusting God, David writes that we are to "do good." Kind of an open ended statement and doesn't give a lot of direction, but as I see it, doing good means that you get outside yourself and point your efforts to others.

Next we read where David wrote "Dwell in the land." Of course this is a reference to the place that God had provided for Israel to live. Now we are not called to a promised land, but we are called to a promised life. Here is where we are to dwell, and not allow ourselves to be drawn away and enticed by the world.

Feed on His faithfulness is the next directive. Take the faithfulness of God into your Spirit as you read Scripture. In fact, the entire Bible is about a God who is always faithful to His word, and a people who aren't. Let the thought of His promises and blessings fill your thoughts.....flood your heart....and take root in your mind. Give no room for the things of this world. I know...easy to say, hard to do. Maybe the reason it is so hard is that we keep trying in our own flesh, strength, ability and effort instead of resting in God.

Gotta run...I'll try and finish the rest of Ps. 37 tomorrow.

God on you.....

Michael b.

I AM AN OLD WINESKIN

 

I'm an old wineskin.

When we read the passage from Luke 5, where Jesus talks about old patches and old wineskin's, we tend to discard the old. Jesus even says that the New and Old cannot mingle. It doesn't work. But no where does he say that the Old is not fit for consumption.
Now before you go all theological on me, I do understand that the passage in Luke is talking about the New covenant coming to replace the old one.

But this morning, I think God will give me liberty to apply it in a different way. Apply it to something that is relevant in my life today.

The wine or call on my life has been born from two different movements that affected me tremendously.

The Jesus people movement that took place in the late 60's....

and the renewal that happened back in the early 90's.

Both of these visitations by God's Holy Spirit had a tremendous impact on my life and shaped it so that who I am today is a by product of those times.

When I say "impact" that is truly what I mean.

It shaped my view of God and His Holy Spirit.
It introduced me to the works of Christ and that I was called to "do the stuff" as John Wimber use to say.

My wine has been aging for a number of years.
Anyone who knows anything about wine knows that aged wine is richer and fuller.

Does that mean we should ignore or discount what God is doing today?
Never.

Recognize God at work and bless it.

Recognize that others are having the wineskin's filled with the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit.

But it doesn't mean that your wineskin has lost it viability or importance.

It doesn't mean that you need to discard what God has filled you with to run after something new.

Here's the tricky part.
If God so leads you to be filled with this "NEW" wine, then go drink it up.

But only if God is leading.
Don't let your taste or your own desire be the motivating factor that would cause you to chase this.

If you have been called to drink this new wine, this fresh move of His Spirit, then do so in humility.

Don't lash out at those who have come before you as being of no relevance.

A great price was paid by a lot of people so that you could, in fact, drink this new wine.
Honor those who have come before you for their sacrifice and diligence in keeping the wine and not wasting it.

Pay homage to those who are filled with the old wine.

They haven't carried it for this much time and not grown in wisdom and maturity.

Yes sir! I'm an old wineskin and proud of it.
My wineskin still bulges with the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in me.
I continue to pour from my wineskin on those who are broken and hurting.
I pour liberally not afraid of running out or being selfish with it.

Yes sir! I'm an old wineskin.

God on you....

mb

IS YOUR TRUST DETERMINED BY YOUR CIRCUMSTACES

 

O.k......Now I am going to include myself in this one because it is such a sneaky idea that seems to invade every human heart. What is this heinous idea?

The idea that if things are going good in our life (money in bank, cars are not breaking down, no one sick in the family) then we have God's favor resting on us. But let things go South, and we automatically put the blame on our enemy, the devil.

Well, what if we weren't listening and obeying God like we should have, and He put roadblocks, stumbling blocks, and all manner of blocks in our way to keep us from heading in the wrong direction? Does God really move in this manner?

Reading in Scripture, I see where Paul had a desire to go to Macedonia. God had other plans and would not let Paul go. "But Lord, we could do such good work for you there!," I could hear Paul reply. Could Paul have gotten up and headed on off to Macedonia? Probably. But the trip would not have been under the grace and direction of God.

I hear a lot of folks proudly proclaim, "I believe in God." But you don't hear too many shout out, "I believe God!". In other words, no matter what God may say (especially when it goes against the grain of what we want) I will believe Him. I will follow His direction. I will give no place for my flesh. I will not compromise with those dark voices that try to entice me to seek my own way, rather than follow God.

very familiar passage: Proverbs 3:5-6:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. Trust in!! Trust in the Lord. First off, Jesus has to be Lord of your life. Your life has to be submitted to Him and His good plans for you. There are two words that can never go together.....NO LORD!" The moment you say "No" is the moment He is no longer Lord. You have pushed Him aside to become Lord of your own life.

Trust in the Lord.........Trust in what He says to you.....Trust in what you read in Scripture.....Trust in His plans for your life. Trust when everything in your life is going great.....and trust when it seems like the wheels are coming off of your life. In the dark times, trust and hold His hand a little tighter.

Thanks for stopping by and reading the Greene Street Letters: Until nex time....God on you!

Michael b.