From Trash to Treasure - Martin Wiles

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8 NKJV

“One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.” As an avid fisherman, my grandmother would have disagreed. 

My grandmother loved to fish, but not simply for enjoyment. She fished for the money. Rarely do I remember her cooking fish, yet she fished almost every day of the week. Money was her goal. What my grandfather wouldn’t give her for spending, she would secretly earn by selling fish to neighbors. She then stashed her cash in an undisclosed location that he knew nothing about. Since she was out to earn money, small fish were of no interest to her. So if she or I were fishing in a cranny where petite fish were stealing our bait, she would tell me to fish in another spot. “That’s only trash," she’d say. Rarely would I snare this trash, and if I did she would instruct me to throw them back. 

God, on the other hand, treasures trash. What I consider trash, God never does. It’s easy for me—and anyone else, to look down on others for various reasons. Unfortunately, this is parcel to my fallen human nature. The temptation to think I’m better than someone else because of: the vehicle I drive, the square footage of my house, the job title I wear, the side of the tracks from which I originate, the clubs to which I belong, or any other number of accolades attached to my name. When others don’t measure up, I can view them as “trash.” I can even view myself in a similar manner if I don’t measure up. 

The Bible is saturated with examples of trash that God transforms into treasures: murderers, societal misfits, thieves, sexual predators, liars, fault finders, snobs, and skeptics. Rather than fishing somewhere else—or rejecting those who want to follow him, he invites all to come regardless of their pasts or presents. When we accept his invitation, he has a miraculous way of turning trash into treasure. What will you let God make of you?

Prayer: O God, creator of all, enable us to see all varieties of people as You see them—as treasures. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Quiet Places by Martin Wiles

When I walked in, I thought I had died and went to the wrong place: screaming and hollering, filth circulating in the air, some people running and others standing idle, stale air. I quickly became claustrophobic and wanted to escape.

My first encounter with the weave room in a textile mill wasn’t pleasant. Having done a short stent in another mill previously, I swore I’d never set foot in another. But I did. Hundreds of looms congregated, all shouting at the top of their lungs. I could hardly hear the person standing beside me who was trying her best to train me. Though I persevered for three long years, I never enjoyed a quiet moment. Read more...

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Held by God - Martin Wiles

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you…I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT

For three long months, they paced the floor and listened as I screamed for relief. 

When a baby cries for more than three hours in a day, for more than three days in a week, and for more than three weeks, they are usually diagnosed with infantile colic. The cause is generally unknown, and only a small percentage of infants who endure it have an organic disease causing it. More disturbing is what colic can lead to: postpartum depression, child abuse, stress, and breastfeeding failure. According to Mom, I was a victim for three months—at which time it ceased as suddenly as it had appeared. Fortunately, I didn’t have to endure this terror with my own children. 

Of all the things that prompt me to need God’s comfort, a colicky child seems quite tame; I often long for his assistance because the fish I have to fry are larger (Translation: I have bigger issues to deal with.). I take comfort in trying times by realizing God inhabits my hurts. Regardless of others’ actions, he never leaves me alone. Whether the trial is initiated or allowed by him is immaterial. His presence is all that matters. Step by step, hand in hand, he leads me over rocky crags, along narrow paths, and through lonesome valleys as he did Much-Afraid in Hannah Hurnard’s Hinds’ Feet on High Places. 

As my father did, God holds me tightly when I’m overwhelmed by life’s testings. Why a tight grip calms a colicky child, I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s simply the comfort of knowing someone has your situation under control—and God does. Nothing in my life careens out of control when God’s monitoring the circumstances.  Many a parent assures their small child—who can’t understand what they’re saying, with the words, “It’s gonna be alright. Daddy (or Momma) has you.” I assure myself with the same: “God’s got this. Everything will be okay.” And it will. 

Are you allowing God to hold you securely when the times are tough?

Prayer: God of all compassion, may we feel Your arms of comfort surround us when we are overcome by pain, disappointment, and grief. 

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A God with Eyes - Martin Wiles

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me.” Genesis 16:13.

With flashlights in hand, they entered the gym. “Ready or not here we come.”

Hide n seek is an old game, but we gave it a twist. The kids called it “Hide n Seek in the Dark.” While two adult seekers waited outside, several other adults helped the hiders hide. We put them on top of refrigerators, stuffed them in garbage cans and packed them in cabinets. Anywhere the searchlight might miss. After a few minutes, the seekers announced, “Ready or not here we come.” Those who kept quiet usually won the game. After all, that’s the goal.

Hagar wasn’t interested in hiding. Abraham’s wife was childless, so she adopted a period custom and gave her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear one for her. Hagar mistakenly rubbed her good fortune in Sarah’s face, Sarah retaliated, and Hagar ran away. God found her, told her to go home and promised her many descendents. Hagar realized God sees our misery and named the place “the God who sees me.”

Hagar probably begged for God’s intervention. She wasn’t interested in hiding. I like her method. When I’m in pain or when life throws me a fast ball, I’m not interested in hiding. I want God to see me and act.

The Bible promises God is near when we’re in pain. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Crying out shows dependence and acknowledges our belief he has plans and knows what’s necessary for them to materialize. Our part is letting him see us. Don’t try to handle life’s pain. Let God see you. 

Prayer: God, enable us to allow You into our pain and plans.

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Hearing God by Martin Wiles

I thought I heard him right, but I went to bed anyway. 

I was living in a single wide mobile home in the woods. Our section of the state was experiencing unusually inclimate weather. Temperatures dropped, winds gusted and sleet fell.  

As I listened to the elements fight, I thought I heard God say, “Sleep on the couch tonight.” Read more...

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Lady Fingers - Michelle Wiles

LADY FINGER COOKIES

Ingredients

1 CUP BUTTER (SOFTENED)

½ CUP SUGAR

1 TEASPOON VANILLA

2 CUPS PLAIN FLOUR

1 CUP PECANS(CHOPPED)

1 BOX POWDERED SUGAR

Directions

CREAM BUTTER, SUGAR, AND VANILLA. GRADUALLY ADD FLOUR.

STIR IN PECANS. ROLL INTO SMALL BALLS OR CRESCENT SHAPE.

PLACE ON A UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET.

BAKE 325 DEGREES FOR 12-15 MINUTES.

COOL AND DUST WITH POWDERED SUGAR.

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Communicating in a Tech Savvy World - Martin Wiles

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD. Psalm 19:14 NKJV

“Perhaps your child has mentally checked out.” I typed it, sent it—and later regretted it. 

The end of the school year was approaching. Some of my “A” student’s grades were slipping. I wasn’t alarmed; it was a normal occurrence. Parents and grandparents, however, were worried. So I sent a mass email suggesting a few reasons for the current situation. One of which was the possibility of mental checkout. It was a tongue-in-cheek expression meaning to lose focus. I even commented that we teachers were facing an identical challenge. The majority of the parents understood my expression. One, though, requested a conference. A face-to-face meeting quickly cleared up the confusion. My words were not chosen carefully. 

Communication occurs daily but perhaps not as I wish or intend. Common communication forms in our tech savvy world are emailing, texting, Facebook messaging, Instagraming, and Snap Chatting. These methods regularly replace calling, face timing, or speaking in person. What’s lost in the process—and what makes communicating simpler yet more challenging, is the tone of one’s voice. This parent couldn’t hear my tongue-in-cheek tone, nor can I hear the tones that confront me daily through our tech enriched methods. Why else do we resort to smiley and frowny faces, thumbs up, lol’s, and haha’s? 

Regardless of where our technological advances may take us with communication, nothing can replace forms where a person’s tone and facial expressions are heard and observed. Tone and body language speak volumes. When possible, I use these methods. Yet I, too, am a fan of the modern forms. They are convenient and time saving. But I’ve learned the hard way that using them requires even more care than when communicating the old fashioned way. I must choose my words carefully and find expressions that allow my tone to bleed through. 

Like David, when I’m communicating with others—in whatever form I use, I want my words to honor God, be correctly understood, and bring positive results.

Prayer: Almighty Father, may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, our strength and Redeemer.

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The Price of Being Different - Martin Wiles

We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle. I Samuel 8:20 NLT

Variety is the spice of life, and different is acceptable.

I teach about 100 middle and high school students. Every one of them is different…regardless of how hard they try to be alike. Peer pressure attempts to fit them into a similar mold, but their various characteristics and personalities drive them apart. While similarities abound, their differences far outweigh any likenesses. Heights and weights vary, as do shoe sizes, hair lengths, and eye colors. Some are extremely talkative while others are enormously shy. The majority strives to do their best academically, but a few demonstrate their lack of interest in scholastic things. 

Israel was and had been different from all other nations. They were a theocracy with God as their king…until the day arrived when they tired of being dissimilar. So God granted their request—to their detriment. 

God’s command to his people of old is still binding on me today: Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV). The “them” refers to any person or thing that steals my focus from God and attempts to squeeze me into a mold of similarity. My decision to serve God entails being diverse. 

Being different can sometimes carry a hefty price tag. People who are out of the ordinary tend to be attacked. When I raised chickens, I noticed that the flock would pick to death an injured or sick bird. Choosing to be different puts me at the same risk. Others may taunt, ignore, ostracize, criticize, and even attempt to harm me physically. But different I must be. As God’s child, I’m challenged to salt the world with his love flavor while at the same time to be distinctive from what I’m salting. Courage and stamina are needed to maintain my difference, and only God can give me both. 

Being different often carries a high price tag. Can others notice the difference God is making in your life?

Prayer: God of strength and majesty, give us the needed strength to come out from among those who would attempt to fit us into a mold not of Your making. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Every Need Supplied

Sissy was the godliest woman I knew, so it wasn’t surprising that she asked others to pray for her back pain to subside. And they did. 

Sissy did what any sensible believer does: prayed for herself, asked others to pray for her too and then made a doctor’s appointment. But what she witnessed while driving along-before she ever went to the doctor, changed her perspective on her perceived urgent need. An elderly man-obviously struggling to make ends meet, hobbled along with pain etched on his face and one crutch under his arm. Read more...

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Facing the Truth - Martin Wiles

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 NLT

The old adage is true: “The truth hurts.” Not only is hearing the truth difficult but telling and admitting it are also. 

Frank Serpico was one of those rare individuals that was willing to face and tell the truth in spite of the risks involved. He was a New York City policeman who was well acquainted with the graft and illegal acts of his cohorts. Failing to expose the truth would make him a part of the corruption. Telling the truth would invite their ostracism and scorn and perhaps put his life at risk. He chose to tell the truth—yet not without cost. His revelation helped clean up the city police force, but his personal and professional life suffered heavily. Death threats, faltering health, and eventually leaving the force were all consequences. 

Jesus claimed to be the truth; many doubted. He also spoke the truth, but many were unwilling to listen. People’s doubts, however, didn’t change the fact that truth had stared them in the face.

Speaking the truth takes tact and a loving heart…especially when sharing it with people I love. When I see a friend or family member disregarding God’s plan or succumbing to harmful addictions, I must either intervene, hope someone else will, or simply turn a deaf ear. The same applies when it’s a stranger on the street or a politician in office. Telling the truth takes courage and love.

Hearing and responding to the truth others tell me about myself is no less challenging. Pride and prejudice will keep me from listening and responding. Prejudice causes my mind to be made up with no chance of change. Pride makes me believe I already know the truth, so there’s no reason to pay attention in the first place. 

Facing the truth about myself is essential if I’m to stay on God’s course. When others share truth with you—regardless of their motive or your belief that it is truth, ask, “What can I learn from what has been shared?” Only by knowing, believing, and acting on the truth can you live in true freedom. 

Prayer: Almighty God, give us courage to face and accept the truth when it comes our way. 

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Killing Giants with a History - Martin Wiles

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations. Exodus 20:5 NLT

My mom and dad both had a few characteristics I didn’t plan on carrying over into my role as a spouse and parent; sadly, I found myself facing the same giants. 

Dad was a churchaholic and workaholic. As a pastor, he devoted his life to the church first of all. My brothers and I all agree: rarely do we remember him spending time with us doing the normal things dads should do with their sons. Mom seemed to be able to find the negative side of every situation. As I witnessed these patterns, I determined I wouldn’t repeat them. 

Some giants have a family history. I’m not responsible for my ancestor’s sins, but I often suffer the consequences of them. When the Israelite army melted in fear before the giant, Goliath, they were facing a giant with a family history. Some of their dads and granddads may well have fought with his dad and granddad. Gath was one place Joshua and the Israelites failed to drive the inhabitants from when they conquered the Promised Land…and Goliath was from Gath.

I watched my granddad and dad work tirelessly, rarely taking time to enjoy life or take vacations. In spite of what I didn’t enjoy about viewing that, I find myself facing the same giant. I listened as mom found the pessimistic note in most situations; I confront the same giant. 

Giants with a family history are more difficult to slay. What I’ve determined to do is what young David did. He ran toward the giant rather than away from him—as the rest of the Israelite army did. He saw the giant through God’s perspective rather than his own. David went after his giant in the name of the Lord…not in his own strength. I’ve found when I repeat his pattern, I too can slay my giants…even the ones with a family history. I don’t need elaborate plans or expensive fixes. The sling and small stones of God’s plan will do just fine. How are you handling your family giants?

Prayer: Thank You, all-powerful God, that no giants…even the ones with a family history, are more powerful than You. Give us strength to slay them in Your name. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Martin Wiles

Gassed By God

Green isn’t their ripened color, but every produce department seems to prefer it.

I like yellow bananas, but producers pick and ship them green to retailers. I don’t like raw tomatoes, but even if I did I couldn’t enjoy them knowing what happens to ripen them. They too are picked green and then sprayed with carbon dioxide prior to shipping for rapid ripening. 

The process benefits farmers and retailers, but I’ve heard too many people say, “There’s nothing like a vine ripened tomato.” Artificial measures interfere with God’s natural ripening process, resulting in diminished flavor and faster than normal decomposition. Read more...

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Facing Loneliness - Martin Wiles

You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend. Psalm 88:18 NLT

The cloud of loneliness hung heavily above her. She appeared to be out of options.

Sarah* was in her senior years. Her husband had died five years ago. Initially, she enjoyed her independence, but her freedom from responsibility for another soon turned into a sea of loneliness. An empty house, one place setting at the table, a bed with too much space, financial burdens, no one to talk to or scold for not completing her “honey-do” list—it was more than she could endure. When the chance came for her to marry a man she’d known most of her life, she jumped in with both feet. Sadly, Sarah discovered she could be lonely even in a crowd. 

The thread of loneliness bled through the psalmist’s anxiety. Loneliness is a state of being that affects my state of mind. The mind body connection is astonishingly real. A faltering emotional state can affect my physical health just as poor physical conditions play havoc with my emotions. Realizing the connection is essential for understanding why loneliness affects one as it does.

Feelings of aloneness often accompany the emotional state of depression. Even when children and a spouse are present, walls can close in. When they’re gone—for whatever reason, the walls can crash. Loneliness is no respecter of persons. Satan uses it to swamp believers and unbelievers alike.

The psalmist cried out to God in his loneliness. Not a bad idea. In fact, prayer—along with meditating on God’s Word, is a good way to drive away the woolies of loneliness. Finding friends who are more than the fair-weather type also helps. Having someone that is willing to listen to your trials and misgivings and stand by you in good times—as well as the times of despair, is priceless. Above all else, knowing God has promised to never leave or forsake you provides the most comfort. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 

Is loneliness getting the best of you? Cry out to the one who is the healer of all diseases.

Prayer: Matchless healer of emotional and physical states, our hearts and cries rise to You for the comfort we need and believe You’re able to deliver. 
*Name changed to protect the individual’s privacy.

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Wilderness Thinking - Martin Wiles

Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea…But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt…Moses addressed the people. Deuteronomy 1:2-3 NLT

What should have been a four hour drive took us twice as long…but it was our fault. 

Recently, my wife and I—along with another couple, rented a cabin in the Tennessee mountains. We had no specific plans other than to visit antique shops and thrift stores. After four days of doing what we love, we headed home…a short four hour drive. Yet it was eight hours later before we finally pulled into our driveway. We didn’t get lost, nor was traffic the culprit. Love for flea markets was. We chose to stop at several on the way home.  

The Israelite’s trip was lengthier for a different reason. What should have been a brief journey from Egyptian slavery to Promise Land freedom, took 40 years.Wilderness thinking limits God due to our disobedience. When Moses sent the original spies into the Promised Land before the Israelites attempted to enter, they returned with a discouraging report. The land was beautiful, but the people were fearsome and the cities were gated. No hope for entrance…no chance to conquer. So God taught them a 40-year lesson about the importance of obedience.

Wilderness thinking limits me. The entire generation who left Egypt perished in the wilderness. Only their children and two of the original spies were allowed to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land. Sin and self-effacing limits God because I limit what I perceive he can do in and through me. 

Negativity is also typical of wilderness thinking. The spies’ report was negative as was the attitude of almost the entire million people who escaped Egypt. God could never satisfy them very long with the food, water, shelter, or shoes he provided. Negativity keeps me—and anyone associated with me, in the wilderness. 

Are you in the wilderness of your mind? Let God lift you up and bring you out of your self-imposed desert.

Prayer: God of deliverance, bring us out of our wildernesses thinking into Your green pastures of optimism. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

Pruned by Martin Wiles

It was beautiful. Vibrant leaves. Gorgeous blooms. But it wasn’t getting much taller.  

Crepe Myrtles are one of my favorite trees, so I planted one. The single trunk soon multiplied into many and suckers nipped at the base. It grew only a few inches by the second year. I had no choice but to remove what stunted its growth. 

If plants could speak, they’d say “Ouch” when pruned. They don’t comprehend we’re doing them a favor. Plants grow through photosynthesis and from nutrients in the soil, but without pruning their growth is undirected and their fruit production less than possible. Read more...

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