Quote 10....

Quote 10.… “Houston we have a problem.”…….

Houston, LA, Seattle, New York, Miami…Hong Kong, London, Cairo…

New Boston, Foreman, DeKalb, Simms…

Every person in every city….we all have a problem.

“You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in…”(Romans 5:12 The Message)

Our problem is that we can not be perfect. No matter how bad we want to, no matter how hard we try.

"…….What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.

So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But I need something more!

For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!

I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it.

I decide to do good, but I don't really do it;

I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.

My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions.

Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. (Romans 7:14-21 The Message)

The apostle Paul had the problem, we all share it. And Houston can’t fix it….

So what to do?

“Who will save me from this sin that brings death to my body? I give thanks to God. He will do it through Jesus Christ our Lord…”(Romans 7:24-25)

“With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.”(Romans 8:1 The Message)


Hallelujah.

Quote 9....

Quote 9... “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”……

Paul Newman’s portrayal of a cool handed Luke demonstrated that Luke communicated quite well. He chose his own way, regardless of the personal cost.

Over and over he breaks the rules and pays the price for it… being imprisoned.

Over and over he challenges that prison. He managed to escape it, but it was a short-lived freedom…he would only be re-shackled, bound heavier and tighter.

At one point, after an escape, he finds himself in a church building and speaks to God, accusing Him, “You made me like I am.”

Our shortcomings are not God’s fault. He only allows us the freedom to choose poorly.


Luke’s communication was one sided. He communicated his will, but failed to understand the communication from the other side of that church house ceiling.

He insisted on his own way, refused to accept the consequences of his choices, and challenged the wrong in others while accepting, even excusing the faults in himself.

When caught up with yet again, he found himself with no way to escape. “…all you’ve got to do is give up.”, his friend told him.



I don’t claim complete understanding. I don’t claim to be able to communicate perfectly.

But how very thankful I am that my Lord’s message makes sense to me.

I am so grateful to understand what He has gone to such great length and cost to communicate to us.

I continue to learn to communicate…..in both hearing and listening to Him. I continue to learn to communicate with Him in prayer, doing my best to bring an open and honest heart, even though at times, it is not at all cool.

In fact, it’s pretty ugly sometimes…..

Quote 8....

Quote 8.… “I’ll be back….” I bet you read that with a certain accent.



The two looked human, but were not.

The two had different missions. To kill. To save.

When the character uttered the line in the movie, he usually came back in some vehicle, crashing thru walls or windows.

He demolished whatever was in the way of his mission….saving a young woman’s life.

As the movie progresses, she goes from not trusting him at all, to complete trust and following his direction.

Jesus was human, yet was not. He is unique in that….completely both. Completely human. Completely divine.

He too had a mission, and He has a foe that counters that mission, trying to thwart it in any way he can.

The enemy? “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

The Savior has “…come so they can have life….in the fullest possible way.” (John 10:10)

And He WILL be back.



“I will come back. And I will take you to be with Me. Then you will also be where I am.” (John 14:3)

Quotes 7....

Quote 7... “May the force be with you.”……..

I didn’t think much about that line back way back when…and I really don’t know now just what that meant.

But, it’s a line that most people recognize.

It is something found in most all my prayers of intercession.

It was something that Paul prayed in many of his letters. I consider those prayers to be prayers for ME.



“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus….equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)


“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)


“May the Lord be with your spirit. May God's grace be with you.”( 2 Tim. 4:22)

The force IS with me. Just as was promised to those early Christians, the power and Presence of Jesus Christ thru the Holy Spirit of God is with me.


“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Then you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem. You will be My witnesses in all Judea and Samaria. And you will be My witnesses from one end of the earth to the other." (Acts 1:8)

Is The Force with you?

There is no reason to live a defeated life, no reason to not have peace even in a storm of life.

If He is not with you, you can not know what you are missing….

Find out today. He is so good. He wants ONLY good, even better and best, for all of His creation. He WANTS to be with you. The God of the universe WANTS to be with and in you!

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD..”(Jer. 29:11-14)

Quote 6...

Quotes 6... “There’s no place like home.”….

The older I get, the more I find that to be true. Home, however, is not where ‘home’ once was. Foreman, Arkansas was ‘home’ for many years. New Boston, Texas is ‘home’ now…Daniels Chapel to be exact.

I still like to go places, but I don’t like to stay as long any more. I like to be at ‘home’.

But even here at ‘home’, there are times when I feel so out of sorts, even out of place. So many times, especially when the struggles come, I get this hard to describe yearning…..

Neither my ‘home’ nor my life is perfect. No part of it. But I know there IS a ‘home’ that is perfect.

I am not speaking about dissatisfaction..I’m not talking about wanting something I don’t have, or not having every need met, Paul lived it out, and said it very well…

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:11-13)

Thank You Lord for Paul and for the recorded words he penned.

You see, God “ has also set eternity in the hearts of men..” (Ecc. 3:11)

This place will never fully meet the ache inside. Nor will there ever be ‘enough’ to satisfy. There will always be a bigger house, another toy, the latest gadget.

They will come out with a better car, a new design label.

They will build a new tourist spot and a more luxurious way to get there.

A secret of living life in this body of flesh is finding contentment and purpose exactly where you are.

….‘cause there’s no place like home…

“Sometimes we can hardly wait to move--and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.” (2Cor. 5:2-5 The Message)


There IS no place like home, and eternity is in this heart…

Quotes 5....

Quotes 5.…“You’ve no idea how far I’ve come to be with you.”


That quote is from my favorite movie. It’s a story about Elise McKenna and Richard Collier. He traveled time and space to be with her.

Another line I really love… “…come back to me…”

Time had separated them.

Only God is sovereign over time. The movie it fiction. Extreme fiction…

God’s sovereignty is not. God’s sovereignty is truth. Absolute truth.

Do you have any idea how far He came to be with us?

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

Have you heard Him whisper to you, “come back to Me.”?

“….come to me to have life.” (John 5:40)


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt. 11:28-30)

He left the perfection of heaven to rescue me and restore my damaged and broken relationship with my Creator God.

I can’t fathom how far He came and all that He gave up. For me.

And you.

Quotes 4....

Quotes 4... “I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it.”….

I forget the details of the scene this was from, but I do remember that the character who said it had his own brand of rude behavior. He tolerated that just fine….

We are all guilty of setting the standard for ‘rude behavior’. We are all guilty of tolerating our own just fine. Maybe it’s just me….but I doubt it.

The standard of behavior is set. Not by you, or me. We have been given a written definition, and we have had it fleshed out to us in Jesus Christ. He is the standard for all human behavior. God Himself is the standard.

You won’t measure up any better than I do, don’t kid yourself.

And He will not tolerate our ‘rude behavior’….our sin will not go without notice nor without punishment.

UNLESS we have One to bear the penalty in our stead.

“For God WILL bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecc. 12:14 emphasis mine)

Don’t think you can get away with anything less than the perfection of a holy God. And you have already messed that up….no way around it, no way to go back and un-do it, no way to prevent sin from sticking its ugly head up again today, and tomorrow, and the next day….

Even though God loves everyone of us with a passion beyond our comprehension, He can not, and will not tolerate ‘rude behavior’. He can not and will not allow sin to go without it’s reward.

He didn’t even do it for the angels… “ the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.” (Jude 1:6) They too will be held to account.


He spoke over and over to His chosen nation of Israel, warning them that He would not forever tolerate their sin and rebellion. “ When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today” (Jer. 44:22)

I wonder this morning how much longer He will tolerate….. I wonder that He has not begun to bring discipline on our land.