Father Knows Best

You know those times in life when you want something so bad that you can’t think of anything else? Recently that happened to me and a lesson learned long ago, was not only proven but reinforced. There have been many times in life when I have wanted something and went against reason at times to get what I wanted only to find out in the end that it either wasn’t worth it or it wasn’t meant to be. This happens to everyone from time to time but I have a recent event that might be able to teach something.

As a child I always wanted a dog and every time I asked for one, my parents said no. So I ended up with a goldfish that didn’t really satisfy the desire for a dog, but it was something to love and it helped, but I was always mad at my parents thinking they were just terrible parents. I don’t know many people that haven’t been there and done that.

Looking back I can’t put my finger on the reason why I wanted a dog, I just did. I ended up getting my first one when I was 18 years old. The dog was a Pug and I named it Penni. She had been found by an animal control officer abandoned by its owner and she had just had pups, so it was evident they just used Penni to get a litter of puppies to make money on. I loved that dog and spent every moment I could with her, she even slept in my bed.

God was in control and I had no idea at the time because I did not have any form of relationship with him. I had no idea know God was in control. You see, originally I had purchased a Chihuahua from a kennel and while waiting for it to be old enough to take, something went wrong and I couldn’t buy it... So I asked what else they had for dogs and the girl asked me to wait a second. Out came Penni from the back room. I had never seen a Pug. My first thought was she is so ugly she’s cute. I ended up with a dog that needed me as much as needed her and she gave back the love she received two fold. So God provided for both me and the dog.

During the time I had Penni I found my way to the Lord and asked Jesus into my heart. When I did that I asked him to guide every step in my life and take over. “More of you God and less of me” was my cry. Well I got what I asked for and I am so thankful for that, but there are still times where my own desires get in the way of God’s will being done. His way will win out but sometimes you have to go through the process of doing it the hard way to see that...

Every month this year, there have been discussions between myself and Rosalie about getting a dog, partly for the children and partly for me. Rosalie didn’t want a dog and all of the responsibilities that went with it but I did. I kept selling the idea to her like a like a used car salesman and being the wonderful wife that she is, she didn’t give in, but she did to put her feelings aside so that we could get a dog. I didn’t realize even then what a sacrifice she was making for me. I do now though.

We went through a breeder and knew exactly what we wanted and got it. This past Saturday we brought home a Chocolate Labrador Retriever. She was a beautiful seven week old puppy. The pup had never been separated from the litter until we took her home. Neither of us ever thought for a second that this dog would keep the entire house awake while it cried and barked all night long. The poor thing was inconsolable. On Sunday I knew that this puppy was much more than we could handle and we had to return it. Of course this was a very emotional time and even Rosalie who hadn’t wanted a dog was sad to see the dog go, but she knew it was the right thing.

I am convinced that God gave me this experience so that I would see his will through it. I know that we did the best thing for that puppy and for ourselves. After a stress filled week of preparing for a dog and then getting one and having to return it, I have learned a valuable lesson. I need to be a better husband and father. My own desires got the best of me and to some extent blinded my sensibilities. I was no longer Mr. Commonsense, I was using little sense. Had I listened to my wife more and respected that she didn’t really want a dog, this hard lesson could have been avoided, but I didn’t listen and even through my ignorance, God is glorified. I had prayed about getting a dog, asking for provision, and guidance, but when I didn’t get answer to that prayer I got impatient. Again because of my own desires.

Here is what the Lord did and what I learned. He allowed me to get the dog in order to find out for myself that I had made a mistake and He left opportunity for me to return the pup and suffer minimal loss but enough to sting a bit. I had caused my family unnecessary stress do to arguing about getting a dog. The day after returning the dog, God has restored peace in my home and other areas of my life that were suffering. I think in the end it has made Rosalie and me even closer because I have a different respect for her today than just a few days’ ago. God is in the business of healing hearts, minds, bodies and spirits. He has done that for me and my family, but I had to learn the hard way. If I had only listened to all of the warning signs and been obedient, I would have ended up in the same place with the same peace but without the pain I had to go through to get here.

Thank You God for seeing past my faults and forgiving me. You do know best and we all need to cry out, “More of You God and less of us”.

I invite you to pray this with me.

Father God, you are so faithful. You see past our arrogance and ignorance and you even step aside to let us have our way even when it’s wrong. You know best Lord God and you show us through your gentleness and forgiveness when we completely mess things up, that you are there and that you care. You take bad situations and make them turn out ok so that we can see that our way does not work and we have to live a life of “Your will be done”. Lord God, I pray that would give me the ability to sacrifice the way you want me to and the way my wife did. Show us the way God.

I ask this in Jesus name

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”

The Healing Powers Of Laughter

Whenever an opportunity presents itself for you to bring light into someone else's life, don't ever pass that opportunity up. It is one of the most important things that a Christian can do. It is also a very fulfilling experience. It edifies the spirit of both giver and receiver. You can't ask for much more than that. When I think of bringing light into someone else's life, I use light two ways. I use light to bring positive messages to people that need to hear them and I also use lite. Lite to me is humor. For me one of the greatest gifts the lord has given to me is the ability to laugh and to make others laugh whether it is at me or with me, as long as they laugh.

We've all heard that laughter is great medicine and it's very true. Research has shown that after exposure to humor, there is a general increase in activity within the immune system, including: An increase in the number and activity level of natural killer cells that attack viral infected cells and some types of cancer and tumor cells. Laughter Decreases "Stress" Hormones that constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity.

The ability to laugh at a situation or problem gives us a feeling of superiority and power over it. Humor and laughter can foster a positive and hopeful attitude. We are less likely to succumb to feelings of depression and helplessness if we are able to laugh at what is troubling us. Humor gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. Laughter provides an opportunity for the release of those uncomfortable emotions which, if held inside, may create biochemical changes that are harmful to the body. The emotions and moods we experience directly affect our immune system. A sense of humor allows us to perceive and appreciate the ridiculousness of life and provides moments of joy and delight. These positive emotions can create neurochemical changes that will buffer the immunosuppressive effects of diseases and stress.

It's been proven that the power contained in a laugh can have a healing effect on people. I pray constantly "Lord use me to bring laughter into somebody's life and let it heal their hurts or illnesses in Jesus name." I have seen what laughter can do. It's natural Novocain. Have you ever noticed that even if you have a broken bone that when you laugh, for that time that you’re laughing, you have zero pain. The endorphins that are released when we laugh totally erase that pain. Imagine how much of a healing effect it can have on illness and disease.

Sickness comes from the devil! There are many Bible texts that denote the connection between illnesses and the satanic world. A mute possessed person was brought in the presence of the Messiah. Jesus drove the evil spirits out and Matthew 9:33 "when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke." Who was responsible for this sickness? The devil himself! This is why we are told to seek out the elders of the church when we are sick and let them pray over us. It's a spiritual thing. So when we are sick in any way and we are able to laugh, that's huge. I believe God heals through laughter and here's an example. Most of us have heard of "Holy Laughter", not everyone receives Holy Laughter but those that do; I believe get some form of healing from it.

Laughter is a healing balm in the body of Christ. If you cannot occasionally laugh together with a friend, spouse or coworker, you will find it hard to stay together with those people. In the same way, because of the stress and the many things involved in doing God's work, we need that healing balm to come upon our lives on a regular basis.

This is a wonderful time for you to stop and think about how much life has maybe stopped you from laughing. The fact that we can laugh is a blessing, and we need to treat our laughter as a blessing and remember to use it as often as we can. When you do, it does something to your joy. It kind of brings the child out in you again.

Somebody gave me a statistic that is hard to believe: Adults laugh 15 times a day; children, 400 times a day. Isn’t that outrageous? I heard recently about a little boy who was standing at an escalator in the mall, just watching it as it went around. One concerned lady in the mall walked over and said, "Son, are you lost?" He said, "No ma'am." Never took his eyes off the handrail. "You're not lost?" "No, ma'am, I'm just waiting for my gum to come back." Isn't that a great line? The boy didn’t have a care in the world

But it isn't just young kids that have a joyful attitude. I meet older people that have a joyful attitude. My mother’s side of the family has a great sense of humor. My aunt’s have the greatest laughs. Just hearing them laughing gets me started and I don’t even know why I’m laughing. You know your having a great day when that happens. Your guard is totally down and your heart is open and full of joy. My grandmother had a great sense of humor. Her name was Lulu, so I guess having a sense of humor was a requirement. The big joke in the family is that her maiden name was Mann, so we say that nana was a man until she got married. Isn’t that great? How can you not laugh at something like that? I thank them for my sense of humor and my ability to look at life and laugh it off when some others might scream.

We need to keep the child alive within us. You feel so much better when you do. Proverbs 17:22 say’s that "A joyful heart is good medicine". Is laughter coming into your home? Are you the source of the laughter that comes around you, or does it take somebody else to bring it? Laughter is the best medicine. Better than pain relievers, Doctors, Chiropractors and mom’s chicken soup. Laugh hard and live long. It will cure whatever ails you.

Please pray this with me.

Father I thank you for the gift of laughter. Your word say’s that a joyful heart is good medicine and I pray God that you would restore the laughter in the lives of those who seem to have lost their ability to laugh. In this broken world it is so easy to misplace our smile or worse yet, let someone else take it from us. Show us how to guard the joy in our hearts God in such a way that nobody could ever steal it from us again. Flood us with your Holy Laughter Lord God and through laughter help us to understand even further its healing properties. I pray that our laughter would become contagious and though laughter we could change this world one heart at a time.

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen

God Bless You All








“The Sharpshooter”