When Dogs Are Coons - Martin Wiles

For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it. Ephesians 5:8 NLT

 

A deep growl reverberated from the terra cotta pipe extending under our driveway. But when dogs are coons, I get a little confused. 

 

I was a middle school student living in Jackson, Tennessee. As a couple of neighborhood boys and I played in my front yard near the road, we suddenly heard a deep growl from a roadside pipe. I quickly called Mom, and we all began calling what we imagined was a dog stuck in the pipe. When the calling didn’t work, we tried a little food to entice this frightened little pup. What emerged wasn’t a pup, though. We all stepped back when a raccoon walked out.

 

According to Paul’s philosophy, no one should mistake a child of God. Before Christ, we are sinners under God’s condemnation. After receiving Christ’s forgiveness, he fills us with the light of his love. As a result, our growls should make it clear to everyone that we belong to the Lord. But some things can lead others to mistake our identity.

Watch the Lifestyle 

Mistaken identity will occur when I’m out of step with God’s plan for my lifestyle. I was there during my teenage years. I was a pastor’s son who didn’t want his friends to think he was a goody-two-shoes. So I lived as they did, and, sadly, most of them never knew I was a Christian. A holy lifestyle will always give away who we am, but a wicked one can disguise our identity.

Watch the Gifts

Our identity can be hidden when we don’t use God’s gifts. All believers have one, and many have more. Using our gifts helps others see whom we belong to.

Watch the Focus

 

When our focus is off, others will also misidentify us. Just as I can’t see clearly when I remove my glasses, I also hide my identity when my priorities are out of focus. What’s important to us reflects who we are to others.

 

Falling in love with Jesus and relishing that relationship helps others identify who we am. Don’t let fear, rebellious living, or misplaced priorities hide your identity.

Father, help me shine my identity brightly to others.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Age Doesn’t Matter - Martin Wiles

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:14 NLT

I couldn’t imagine what a sixty-year-old person was doing in my college classroom. I soon found that age doesn’t matter. 

 

Eight years after graduating high school—and finally succumbing to God’s call to enter full-time ministry—I enrolled in college. I wasn’t excited about attending a traditional college where most of my classmates would be newly graduated high school students. Fortunately, I found a college that accommodated people in my age category who were also entering ministry. 

But when a retirement-age student walked into the classroom, I couldn’t help but wonder why God would call someone that late in life. For a person in their late 20s—as I was—a person in their late 60s was near dead. Now, that I am near that age, however, I no longer hold the same opinion. 

Age Is Relative 

 

Attending college with some older students taught me the truth of what the psalmist wrote. Age is relative and doesn’t keep anyone out of God’s service. Even now, I have a Canadian friend who is in her 80s and in a nursing home, but still writing for God.

God Has No Requirement Age

 

In God’s work, there is no retirement age. Some places of employment might require us to retire at a certain age or after we’ve worked a certain number of years with their company, but God never will. He offers the best retirement plan, but he’ll never ask us to retire early, or at all.

 

Age brings certain limitations, but it never takes away all possibility of serving God. He always has something we can do that will trump any physical limitations age may place on us. If nothing else, we can pray or send a card of encouragement to someone. We could even find someone to mentor in the faith.

 

I plan to eat right (well, most of the time) and stay in good shape so I can serve God with vigor for as long as possible. Then when it comes time to enjoy his retirement plan, I can die satisfied—knowing I did all I could for as long as I could.

 

Don’t let age—along with its limitations and ailments—keep you from serving God.

Father, thank you for the years you give me to serve you. Encourage me to give you my all until I take my final breath.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Potato Salad

  

Ingredients

6 Potatoes (Boiled and Mashed)

        

½ Teaspoon Mustard

½ Cup Sweet Pickles (Diced)     

¼ Cup Onions (Diced)      

 

3 Boiled Eggs (Diced)

                      
                    1Tablespoon Mayonnaise                              

Salt/Pepper

 

Directions

Mix all together.

Add more mayonnaise if needed.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Known by the Markings - Martin Wiles

You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. Matthew 7:16 NLT

The excitement over my first killed bird quickly turned to disappointment.

My cousin lived on my grandfather’s farm and introduced me to dove hunting. Of all the birds flying around, I wondered how he could distinguish a dove. “Look for curved wings,” he said.

One day, Dad and I were invited on a dove hunt. Now in the middle of strangers, I wasn’t sure if I’d bag any birds. After a few misses, a single dove came directly toward me. These were the easiest shots to make. I aimed carefully, pulled the trigger, and watched the bird fold and fall to the ground. Proudly, I walked over to retrieve my prize. But when I reached for the bird, I noticed I had killed a mockingbird, not a dove. Obviously, I needed more training in recognizing the markings. 

Jesus made it plain that his followers would have markings—things that would distinguish them from others and make them stand out.

Unconditional Love

Among the markings was unconditional love, the ability to love like their heavenly Father, and the ability to show love consistently, regardless of how others treated them in return.

Kindness

Kindness should also mark us. Empathy for others should exude from our veins. We will inconvenience ourselves to convenience others.

Servant Attitude

A further mark is a servant attitude. Just loving isn’t enough. A desire to put love into action and obey the second greatest commandment drives us.

Abundant Joy

Abundant joy also invades our lives. Regardless of circumstances, we have a smile that radiates from the inner peace of knowing God controls our lives.

Patience

Patience is a further virtue we’re working on. When others treat us harshly or unjustly, we tolerantly endure.

Crowd Control

As Jesus’ followers, we have also learned crowd control. Not how to control the crowd, but how to control ourselves so we don’t have to follow the crowd to find contentment.

Make sure your markings are evident for everyone to see.

Father, mark me with those traits that show others I belong to you.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Happy to See You - Martin Wiles

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 NLT

As I walked to the front door, the expression on his face revealed the joy in his heart.

My wife and I were once privileged to keep three of our grandsons. The middle one was almost one, and he was still learning to balance as he walked and now tried to run. When I came home from work each day, he met me at the front door with a huge smile and his arms waving. If I didn’t pick him up immediately, he would cry. However, His older brother was content to continue watching television or doing whatever he was doing.

The psalmist found joy in God’s company presently and looked forward to experiencing the same joy throughout eternity.

Happiness Is Not about What God Does for Us

So often, we tie our happiness in God’s presence to something he has done for us. God promises to supply our needs, and when he comes through, we experience joy. But if he doesn’t provide them as we anticipated or think he should, our happiness is tainted—or even absent. 

Happiness Is about God's Presence

Our goal should be to reach the pinnacle of finding joy in God’s presence, regardless of our circumstances. Additionally, we should relish the relationship itself, even if frills don’t exist.

Happiness Is about Maintaining a First Love

If we’re not careful, the passage of time and busyness can steal our first love for God. My excited grandson’s oldest grandson also once ran to the door to meet me. Age and interest in other things have curtailed his excitement over seeing Pop.

The excited grandson loved for me to stroll him when I first got home. Although his vocabulary was limited, he had ways of letting me know what he wanted. Neither can we have a normal verbal conversation with God, but if we look for joy in his presence, his spirit will speak to ours, and we’ll eventually find joy from simply being in his presence.

Learn to discover your peace and joy in the presence of God.

Father, may your presence in my life be enough to bring me joy. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Book of Books - Martin Wiles

For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Hebrews 4:12 NLT

No book exists forever … except one.

Collecting old books is a hobby I treasure. I have amassed hundreds of books dating from the 1800’s. One I happened upon was dated 1821. For its age, the book remained in excellent condition. The inside page noted a Charleston, South Carolina, library had housed it. I quickly grabbed it, took it to the register, and gave them two dollars. But despite its condition, one day, it too will deteriorate.

Only one book will last forever, and the writer of Hebrews tells why. The Bible is living--not bound by covers that will fade, crumble, separate from pages, and finally dissolve or be tossed away. No material that books are made from is indestructible—the Bible included. But God’s Word won’t disappear because the covers and pages deteriorate.

God's Word Is a Person

The Word of God is more than covers and paper. It is a person. John wrote, “In the beginning, the Word already existed” (John 1:1). God gave his Word to writers, but it existed before then and will continue to exist even if all Bibles are destroyed.

God's Spirit Preserves His Word

God’s life-giving Spirit preserves his Word, and he is more powerful than any force imaginable. The Word is sharper than the sharpest knife, slicing deep into our innermost beings to expose our true selves so that we might compare our current state with what God wants. When God reveals the gap, we can petition him for guidance to bridge the chasm.

God's Word Is Meant to Be Handled

I shelve my old books. Some I wrap in cellophane. Rarely do I read any of them. Turning the pages would only hasten their demise. Not so with God’s Word. God wants us to handle, digest, and experience it.

Let God’s eternal Word shape your actions and attitudes.

Father, enable your Word to become alive in my life.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Taco Tarts

Ingredients

1 POUND HOT SAUSAGE

1 BOTTLE RANCH DRESSING

            2 CUPS SHREDDED TACO CHEESE                  

AZTEC SHELLS

    Directions
COOK AND DRAIN SAUSAGE.

MIX SAUSAGE, CHEESE, AND RANCH DRESSING TOGETHER.

SPOON INTO SHELLS AND BAKE AT 350 FOR 12-15 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.