Category Archives: Life

How long before you start

Family, Life

There is a pastor I know that I respect greatly, and he told the story about a counseling session he had with someone. The person was dealing with an issue that was a decision issue. Let me explain, there are issues you can’t just make a decision to move on from, and then there are issues that you will deal with daily until you decide in your heart that enough is enough.

This person was dealing with the latter kind of issue that they still wanted to cling on to, worry about, and let that issue determine their joy.

Well, the pastor I am speaking of listened to the whole story…what he/she said, did, etc. and how wrong they had been treated. The person was expecting the pastor to say some kind words, hold their hand, hug them and tell them how much God loved them and basically tell them they had every right to feel hurt, etc.

The pastor decided it was time to get real with this person and actually help them get past the issue rather that mumble some sweet words. He looked at the person asked them when did they want to move on and how much longer were they planning to keep the pity party going. He asked the person if they were going to feel sorry for themselves for ten more days, two more weeks, or six more months. When exactly were they going to “decide” to end the pity party.

You would have thought the pastor had reached over and slapped them in the face. Ha. The person got mad at the pastor and said how uncaring he was and how he should be gentler. He was about to storm out of the office. Then, the audacious thing the pastor said began to sink in and the person realized he/she could in fact choose when they were going to stop feeling sorry for themselves.

Long story short, that person decided in the pastor’s office that enough was enough and left his office with a freedom that can only be experienced when you forgive and move on. Sometimes we just need to choose how long we will let a slight or bad word from someone control our life and say enough is enough. KT

George Muller “The Life of Trust”

Family, Life

There was a period of time in my life when we owned four restaurants, and I was so in debt I really could not see my way out of the financial situation. It was fall of the year 1990. Our financial situation had literally brought us to the point of filing for bankruptcy. My attorney and CPA both said that it was the only choice we had because we were out of resources, out of money, and heavily in debt.

As a side note- If anyone ever wants to open their own restaurant, I have 3 words of advice: “Don’t do it.”

It was Thanksgiving that year, and we were at my mom and dad’s house in Virginia for the holiday weekend. My mom was  working at the time for the Fredericksburg Bible Institute in Fredericksburg, Virginia. There was a gentleman that had passed away and left his book collection to the Bible Institute. My mom was looking through the collection and saw a very old book by George Muller printed in the 1870s. She wanted to look at the book a little closer and happened to bring it home the weekend we were there.

Listen to me here, God always has a plan for your life if you will just ask him and then trust him.

I was at the bottom and knew when we got back home, I had some terribly difficult decisions to make that would decide the financial future of my family. To say I was a little stressed would be an understatement. Financial devastation was more like it.

So Elaine, Lanie, Leslie, and I were in Virginia with my parents for that Thanksgiving weekend, and Mom shows me this old book she brought home. I had never heard of George Muller and knew nothing about his life, but I opened that book and was just going to skim a few pages and look it over. When I started reading, I understood the book was his story and also his daily and sometimes weekly memoirs. George Muller was called by God to open children’s homes for the homeless children and provide education for the children. As he tells his story, he didn’t want to do it and in fact, he told God he wasn’t going to do it. Finally, he agreed to do it with one stipulation.

Imagine right here, having a prayer life so strong that it is like having a dialogue or conversation with God. That is the way it was with George Muller.

The stipulation was that he would do his part if God provided all the resources and expenses for the children’s homes. Think of the audacity George Muller had to actually call God on his promise and put God to the test. He told God he would never borrow money for the children’s home and never put any amount on credit. He told God he would literally trust him to provide every dollar because he never wanted to have any individual or banks get the credit instead of God. The book was his periodic diary of how much money they had and what they needed for that day or that week to survive. How much he called on God to provide down to the dollars and cents. Without fail, God did his part in George’s life. By the time George Muller died, he founded many children’s homes that looked like college campuses. The homes served as an example to a country ravished by poverty of what God could do though one man.

The book literally changed my life.

I went back home and began to imitate what George did; I wrote a daily diary of the debts, payments due, and how much money I needed for that day, that week or that month. My deal with God was that I would title every dollar he allowed me to make, and I would always point to him as the source and the reason why we got out of debt and salvaged our financial life without filing for bankruptcy. Long story short, I began to sell hotels and pay back the debts. We did not file for bankruptcy, but rather we chose to pay all the money back. I met with all the creditors and told them my plan; it took us eight years, but we paid it all back. God saved us from financial disaster.

Every situation is different and every cause is different. It was that decision that I believed God wanted me to make at that time.

Many years have passed since this period in my life, but even today, I can pick up that diary I wrote during that period and I cannot read it without crying because it takes me right back to those moments when I didn’t know how we would survive. When I read it, the emotions rise within me, and I know it was God that did it all.

Mom got the Bible Institute to sell her that book and she gave it to me. I still have that book today in a very safe place. Should our home ever catch fire, after all the ones I love are safely out of the house, I will be going back into the house to get that book. KT

Drop Zone

Life

What do the Marines, Army Rangers and Navy Seals do when they are in the drop zone in enemy territory? Answer…they do exactly what they had decided and trained to do before they got there.

In life, some of the greatest decisions you will make in your life need be made long before you have to make them.

What does this mean?  Ok, let’s start with an easy one. Let’s just say the opportunity to rob a bank comes up.  Silly example, right?  I would like to think we knew before we got to the bank lobby what we would do if ever tempted. Now, for the hard examples of temptations and their impact they have on our life…well, you already know the temptations I am talking about so enough said.

What am I driving at? Think of all the temptations to sin and the opportunities to do the wrong thing we see every day. If you haven’t decided before you get there, you could possibly make the wrong decision.

As many of you know, I was in the Navy, and because the Marine Corp needed to train people with my specialty (trust me, it wasn’t impressive), I was basically given over to the Marine Corp for five years. I  had to drill, march, shoot, sleep, eat, run, and basically do everything the Marines did while wearing Navy insignias on a Marine uniform.  One very very important fact that was drilled into our heads literally all day every day was to “be prepared.”

The Marine way of life is pretty good advice for some of life’s challenges and opportunities, but make no mistake, they always knew before they arrived what they would do when they arrived.

So for us, some decisions need to be made well in advance before the temptation that could have a lifelong effect. KT

Now

Life

I was at a gathering yesterday, and it was one of those moments when I was fully aware of the fact that this moment would never happen again.  Let me explain. I realized there may be similar moments in my future, but there would never be a moment just exactly like this one again.

Sometimes we need to really notice places, people, events and actually be in the moment. So many times our mind is somewhere else, and we miss the memory that moment would be.

Yesterday, Elaine was looking through “The” drawer/cabinet we all have. You know the one where the old pictures and keepsakes are kept. Well, we started looking through old photographs and pictures of our lives from an early age, high school, young and married, etc. You know what came to my mind and why I am writing this blog today? You have no control over how long you will live. The moments today and the memory of those moments you will never have again.

So, forgive people often, give more and give more often, tell the ones you love how much you love them, kiss your daughters and sons (whether they want to be kissed or not) and be in the moments of your life. You will never have another day exactly like today. KT

The 23rd Psalm

Life

The 23rd Psalm is the most recognized and most quoted passage of scripture of all time. I wanted to share some things about this common passage of scripture. The New International Version/ Kings James Version of the passage is as follows:

1 – The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing/ I shall not want

2 – He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.

3 – He refreshes/restores my soul. He leads me along right paths for his name’s sake.

4 – Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

5 – You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 – Surely your goodness and love/mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

My Interpretation

1 – Sheep only have one master, and it’s the shepherd. They know the sound of that shepherd’s voice among all other voices. In the old days, many shepherds would gather their flocks together at night and put all the different flocks of sheep in the same place. To an outsider, all the sheep looked the same. In the morning, each shepherd would call his flock and amazingly the sheep that belong to that shepherd would emerge from all the other sheep and come together. The sheep never lacked anything, and the shepherd guarded over them. The sheep knew he had everything under control.

Wouldn’t it be great to not want or need anything? That is the image of pure peace in this passage of scripture. The Lord is saying, let me lead and just follow me.

2 – The image of green pastures and quiet waters illustrate the safest places for sheep. Their coats are wool and absorb water; sheep will not drink water from a fast-flowing stream because their coats absorb the water and they could sink to the bottom and drown. Therefore, the image of the quiet water is the only place sheep can drink from; the green pasture is a place of comfort and out of harm’s way.

3 – If we let him, he will restore and refresh our soul, and he will lead us on the right paths. To have your soul restored, you need a period to get your relationship with God back in order. You need a new revelation from God on what the next steps in your life are.

4 – I will fear no evil. Rather, I choose to fear no evil because you are with me. A shepherd uses his rod and staff for many things, like fighting off wild animals or nudging a sheep back on the right path. I find it interesting that we sometimes want to shepherd our own lives without him. If you are in front of the shepherd, you can’t see the rod and staff because they are behind you. The only way to be safe and live without fear is if he is allowed to be in front so you can see him, his rod, and his staff.

5 – Are your enemies in heaven? No, they are here on earth. This passage says: he will see to it that your enemies see you being taken care of by the living God and your cup of life will literally overflow. However, if you want to take this into your own hands and say bad things on Facebook about someone and talk about others behind their back, you are on your own. If you let him lead, he will handle everything. Today, my cup is overflowing because God has been so good to me and my family.

6 – This verse is a confession of faith that God will give you his goodness and mercy every day of your life. As with much of life, it’s a decision and a choice. I choose him, and I choose to dwell with the Lord. KT