Communication Snafu - Martin Wiles

And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere. Acts 1:8 NLT

“Levi, bring Pop the red and white blanket from the basket.”

Whether winter or summer, when I sit in my recliner, I cover up with a soft throw. I love the feel of cotton on my skin. But now, my favorite blanket was on Levi’s younger brother who had fallen asleep on the couch.

Not wanting to disturb Colton, I asked Levi to get my next favorite blanket. Though this blanket had Christmas scenes on it, we kept it out year-round, and I used it … reluctantly … if someone else had my blanket.

Levi waltzed into the bedroom where I told him the blanket was. “It’s beside the dog’s kennel on top of the basket where Pop lays his shorts.” Nothing. “Do you see it?” He didn’t.

Meme, in the kitchen cooking supper but getting frustrated by my inability to get Levi to find the blanket, hollers, “It’s under Meme’s pocketbook.” Nothing.

“Do you see it, Levi?” I huffed. Nothing. He didn’t.

Meme’s patience ran out about this time, and she stomped from the kitchen into the bedroom. “It’s right in front of you, Levi,” she snapped.

Levi, frustrated himself, said, “But you didn’t tell me the blanket had green trees on it.”

Communication. Whoever said it was easy? Jesus gave a simple command, but carrying it out would be anything but easy. Having communicated with old, young, and every age in between, I can testify that communication proves difficult most of the time.

Communicating God’s love might appear easy, but it’s often difficult as well. Whether we intend to or not, we communicate with our words and our actions. When they express hate, anger, selfishness, unforgiveness, lust, bitterness, or other ugly traits, we don’t communicate God’s love well to those around us. They need to see and hear the opposite.

While others need to know we have all failed God, they need to hear about God’s love, His invitation for us to confess our sins to Him, His offer of a wonderful life now, and His promise of an eternal future beyond what we can imagine.

When we do a good job of communicating God’s love, others notice, get on board, and the world becomes a better place.

Ask God to help you do a better job of communicating His love to others.

Prayer: Father, give us the wisdom and strength to communicate Your love in a loving manner.

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Flashback Friday - Facing the Truth - Martin Wiles

Facing the Truth

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. Read more...

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When No One Can Help - Martin Wiles

This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Mark 5:3 NLT

The dark cloud hovered low, refusing to budge.

With one short announcement—“I don’t love you anymore”—John’s world crashed. A twenty-year relationship dissolved before his eyes, and he was powerless to change it. Not long after his wife left him and his two children, his daughter graduated high school and left for college. Two years later, his son decided he wanted to live with his mom. John found himself all alone in the world.

John survived by going to work and picking up an old addiction. His doctor prescribed pills for depression. Close friends and family members tried to help him, but he couldn’t see his way out from under the dark cloud. Some of his “so-called” friends abandoned him. Never called. Never texted. Perhaps they thought John’s problems would soil their reputation. Maybe they just didn’t have time to listen.

Although some tried to help John through his life tragedy, none could. John found himself in the same predicament as Legion did. Jesus encountered this demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. He lived among the tombs. People had tried to help him by restraining him, but nothing worked. The demons inside of him snapped the chains as if they didn’t exist. He lived among the tombs and self-inflicted harm on himself.

No one could help Legion … but Jesus. And He did. He sent the demons into a herd of pigs, and then told Legion to go home and tell his family what God had done for him.

Life can deliver some horrendous blows, as John and Legion discovered. Others can offer limited help … if they will … but only God can completely solve our dilemmas. God always cares about what we’re going through. After all, He either brought the situation or filtered it through His hands.

When we experience our dark moments, God lingers nearby through the presence of His Spirit. He knows what we need, when we need it, and in what form. Just as Jesus had the power to deliver Legion from his sad state, so God has the power to deliver us. He walks with us through our dark valleys and storms, and, at just the right moment, will deliver us.

When no one else can help you, remember God always can … and waits for you to ask Him to.

Prayer: Father, when no one else can help us, remind us You can … and want to.

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Backtracking - Martin Wiles

Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” Numbers 14:4 NLT

When the path disappeared, we had no choice but to backtrack.

For a few months, my brother and I had hiked in Panthertown Valley, North Carolina—a secluded place with acres of forest, streams, and trails. Since the trails were somewhat confusing, we located a map of the area.

On one trip, we followed the map and headed toward our destination but were surprised and confused when the trail suddenly disappeared at the top of a mountain. We had not made an error, so we assumed the map was wrong. Since we couldn’t continue forward, we decided to backtrack to a familiar point.

Instead of returning down the trail we had just used, we lumbered down the side of the mountain in the direction we knew a familiar trail existed. Once on that trail, we regained our bearings and headed to our destination.

God had delivered His people from 400 years of slavery, parted the Red Sea for them to cross on dry land, and now brought them to the border of the Promised Land. Prior to entering, their leader, Moses, sent in twelve spies to explore the land. Upon returning, they brought a mixed result. Yes, the land was as God had promised, but walled cities and giants would prevent them from taking the land. At least, that’s what the majority reported. Only two wanted to move forward.

The majority prevailed, but not without consequence. That generation would wander in the wilderness for forty years. Only the younger ones would eventually enter the Promised Land. And they would not backtrack to Egypt as they wanted to.

Returning to Egypt would have been disobedience and sin, but in another sense, they did need to backtrack to Egypt. Egypt had been a terrible experience, but they had learned lessons there. They witnessed the marvelous power of God to deliver them from a powerful oppressor. Obviously, their short-term memories were … well … short term.

We all need to do a little backtracking from time to time to remember how powerful God is. To remember how He’s worked in our lives in the past and to remember His promises for the present and future. He has guided us in the past, guides us now, and will guide us into a wonderful eternity. Nothing or no one is more powerful than He is.

When life appears overwhelming, do a little backtracking.

Prayer: Father, take us back to the place where we realize You are all we need.

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Throwback Tuesday - Killing Giants with a History - Martin Wiles

Killing Giants with a History 

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 a 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. Read more...

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One Chair’s Journey - Martin Wiles

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 NLT

Some chairs are good for more than just sitting on.

When I was a young lad, my maternal grandmother—who lived in Vance, South Carolina—purchased a living room suit from a local furniture store. The reason I remember it so well is because she placed it in her formal living room—the front room she called it—and told us not to sit on it. She reserved this for company, which she rarely had. The suit contained a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, and two end tables.

After my grandmother died, Mom and her sister divided the living room suit. Mom took the couch and the chair, and my aunt got the tables. Mom didn’t like all white furniture, so she had it recovered. When Dad retired, he and Mom moved into a smaller home that didn’t have room for the living room suit. Mom passed it along to me.

My wife and I kept my grandmother’s furniture for several years until we moved into a smaller place. We stored the couch and chairs for a time but eventually concluded we’d probably never live in a home large enough for them again. Reluctantly, I decided to sell the couch and matching chair, but kept one chair for sentimental reasons.

The chair now sits in our den and isn’t used as a formal piece of furniture any longer. The grandboys sit on it, and yes, things have been spilled on it, leaving stains we can’t remove. I’m sure if the chair could tell me about its journey, it would share things even I don’t know. One thing remains: it is loved for whom it belonged to. It was a good gift from a loving grandmother and then a mother.

We never know where our life journey will take us. Often, it includes sicknesses, relationship challenges, financial crunches, emotional struggles, death, change, and tough decisions. But James gives us comforting assurances. All the good things in life—and I might add the not-so-good things—ultimately come from a loving God who brings or allows them into our life journey. And this God does not change in His opinion toward us.

God loves us before we’re born, and nothing will alter His love for us. He always works for the good of His children—whether we see it—and He gives us His Spirit permanently to guide us along life’s journey.  

So, remember, wherever your life journey takes you, God remains by your side.

Prayer: Father, thank You for walking beside us and guiding us along our life’s journey.

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Going into the Desert - Martin Wiles

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Acts 8:26 NLT

Deserts are a part of life.

Furnace Creek at Death Valley National Park in the Mohave Desert of eastern California is the driest place in the US. Between 1971 and 2000, it averaged only 2.3 inches of rain annually. And from 1911 to 1960, the annual rainfall was only 1.6 inches.

 

I’ve been in some desert places myself. As a teen and a young adult, I wondered whether or not I’d find that special person to spend the rest of my life with. I also remember several relationships that went south and the desert conditions that resulted when they did.

And the finances. The times I lost a job I loved. The times I worked at places that couldn’t pay enough for me to satisfy my monthly obligations. The walk through the financial desert lasted longer than I wanted.

Philip found himself in a desert. Persecution assaulted the early church, scattering the believers. Philip went to Samaria where a great revival broke out. Crowds listened eagerly to his message about Jesus. Healings occurred, and joy permeated the city. Philip surely enjoyed himself.

Until God’s angel told him to go south to a desert road. What in the world would he find there? And why? To witness to a solitary official reading a passage in Isaiah that he didn’t understand. Philip explained it, and the man believed and was baptized. We can only imagine the mission possibilities this desert conversion held.

God often leads us into dry places … desert places. Places we don’t understand. Relationship deserts. Financial or emotional deserts. Just as God’s Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. We don’t normally know the reason God puts us there, but God knows.

While sin or disobedience can put us there, more often other reasons do. For Philip, his obedience had the possibility of taking God’s love to an entire continent. In the desert, God teaches and prepares us for the next phase of His plan. When things in our lives dry up, we tend to do a better job of listening to God. Our listening leads to spiritual growth, which God also desires. 

Deserts often precede new opportunities. Our desert preparation gets us ready for what God has next on His agenda for us.

When God leads you into a desert, ask Him for patience and guidance. Know He has something better ahead.

Prayer: Father, teach us to walk obediently through the deserts, trusting You as we do.

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Flashback Friday - Facing Loneliness - Martin Wiles

Facing Loneliness

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. Read more...

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Eyes All Over - Martin Wiles

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT

“Look, dear, I assigned lunch detention when I wasn’t there.”

My wife and I were headed to Asheville, North Carolina, for a writer’s conference when I received the email. One of my middle school students had behaved inappropriately in my class, and the substitute had reprimanded him and sent him to the headmaster.

After investigating the incident, the principal assigned him lunch detention and sent out our normal behavior notification to the parents. Since the incident happened in my class, the email said I had assigned the detention. But I wasn’t there.

The incident reminded me of something I heard growing up and something my wife now tells our grandchildren: “You know MeMe has eyes in the back of her head.”

Our oldest grandchild is sneaky, and sometimes does small incidental things he shouldn’t. When my wife calls him down, he says, “MeMe, how did you know.” That’s when she pops off the saying.

While I don’t use the saying on my middle schoolers, I do remind them of my age and that I was once their age. “Anything you try, I probably did. So don’t try it.”

God has eyes all over, too, as Hanani the prophet told King Asa. The king had chosen to place his trust in a pagan king named Aram instead of God when it came to fighting battles. The seer warned him, and in the course of the warning reminded the king that God’s eyes see everything.

We call what the prophet defined God’s omnipresence. Anywhere I go, God is and has already been. Nothing we do escapes His notice, as Adam and Eve discovered when they ate the forbidden fruit.

Not only does God see our outward actions, but He also notices our inner motives. The things others can’t see. Knowing that, we should live a holy lifestyle, and our actions toward others should come from a grateful heart.

Even more, since God sees all, He can help us see His plan for us, as well as the avenues we need to take to follow that plan. He knows everything we’ll face on the journey, but also has a plan on how to help us navigate the struggles and roadblocks that will arise.

Since God sees everything in your life and knows what’s best, let Him guide you through your life’s journey.

Prayer: Father, help us trust Your all-seeing eyes to guide us through life.

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More Than Asked For - Martin Wiles

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. Luke 6:38 NLT

I asked—and she gave.

My wife was there again—the emergency room. This time because she couldn’t get over the stomach virus she and I had contracted the week before. Mine left in two days. Hers hung around. Now dehydration had taken over.

As we awaited test results, my stomach growled for supper. Having brought no money, I called Mom to see if she could bring me a bite from a local fast food joint.

“I just made some chicken salad,” she said. “I’ll bring you a sandwich in just a little bit.”

“Just one sandwich and a 20-ounce drink is all I want,” I said.

More than an hour later, I still hadn’t heard from Mom. Finally, she called. “Meet me in the lobby.”

I watched as she lumbered through the automatic doors, carrying a Walmart bag in each hand along with a zip-loc bag with two cups filled with ice and Pepsi. I thanked her and returned to the room. Eager to eat my sandwich, I peeped inside the bags.

What Mom brought was much more than I asked for. Two sandwiches, two bags of chips, two bananas, one fudge brownie, two packs of crackers, a small bag of peppermints, toiletry wipes, a travel toothbrush complete with toothpaste, two bottles of water, and two bottled drinks.

“That was way more than I asked for,” I texted, “but thank you.”

“You never know. You might need it,” she replied.

That’s how Mom is, always giving more than I or anyone else asks. She’s not a rich woman. Never has been. She was married to a preacher of small country churches. But she has given … much.

God does the same for His children as Jesus mentions. When we make it a priority to give to God’s work, He’ll give back to us. And what He gives will far surpass what we initially gave. He may not give us money, but He’ll give us more opportunities. And most of all, He’ll give us a sense of fulfillment. We’ve done what He created us to do.

So go ahead. Surprise people with more than they ask for. Ask God for what you need to do this giving with, and then believe in faith He’ll give it to you.

Prayer: Father, we ask that You give to us so that we might share with others.

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Throwback Tuesday - Wilderness Thinking - Martin Wiles

Wilderness Thinking

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. 

Once, 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. Read more...

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Leave a Trace - Martin Wiles

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Matthew 5:13 NLT

Not a trace. That’s what I wanted.

In the backpacking world, we have a saying: Leave No Trace. The saying concerns litter and consideration. I’ve visited campsites where trash abounds. Even some where the previous inhabitants didn’t have the courtesy to bury what they left behind from their bodies—or the toilet paper they used when they left it.

Back to litter. Before erecting a tent, I place a tarp on the ground and lie on it. This is where I’ll sleep, so I want to ensure no roots or rocks will interrupt my night’s sleep. Sometimes, I have to clear away leaves to see those intruders. Once I’ve cleared the way, I erect the tent.

But when I pack up and leave, I don’t want anyone to know I’ve been there. Maybe I need to sweep the footprints away or scuff up the place where my tent rested. At the most, I should carry everything with me that I brought, leaving no litter on the ground or even in the fire circle.

God’s not a proponent of leaving no trace. In fact, if we don’t we’ve failed. Jesus said we are salt. Salt leaves something behind. It can leave death, but Jesus has in mind a better taste.

Some have to endure a salt-free diet, but I love what salt does to food, especially if it’s added while the cooking takes place. Salt enhances and adds to. It makes food taste better.

Salt is the trace Jesus wants us to leave behind. He wants others’ lives to be better because we interacted with them, because we befriended them, because we helped them, because we told them what He can do for them. He wants our world to be a little better because we lived here for the years He let us exist.

How we salt is as unique as every individual, but God gives each of us the ability to salt our little worlds and our big world. We can leave behind a better taste so that others we know—as well as those who come after us—will benefit from our existence.

How can you leave a trace that will salt your world?

Prayer: Father, help us leave traces of Your love behind.

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The Other Side Exists - Martin Wiles

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Luke 8:22 NLT

We saw the other side, but feared getting there.

My daughter and I were on a five-day hike on the Foothills Trail of South Carolina when we encountered Horsepasture River. We didn’t plan on turning back, but we feared what lay ahead: the very long suspension bridge.

I knew thousands had crossed it before. Surely, it was stable, though swingy. If it collapsed, I’d be in trouble. I couldn’t swim without a fifty-pound pack, much less with one. And though my daughter could swim, she would drown with thirty-five pounds on her back. And she sure would not be able to save dear old Dad.

What we could see beyond the river didn’t entice us either. Hundreds of steps ascending the next mountain—and across them a large pine tree that had recently fallen. Not only would we have to walk a swinging bridge, but we would also have to shinny over a tree larger than both of us put together.

Since I’m writing this, you know we made it. We didn’t drown, nor did we fall from the tree down the side of the mountain. The other side existed, and we made it there.

Jesus’ disciples knew the other side of the lake existed. No doubt, they’d visited before. So when Jesus suggested they cross over, they hopped aboard and headed for the next shore. Jesus napped, and while He did a fierce storm arose. Fearing the storm would swamp the boat and drown them, they woke Jesus. Although He calmed the storm, they still feared they wouldn’t reach the other side.

Strange. If the Son of God who controls nature—as they discovered—rode on board with them, and He had said they were going to the other side, why did they ever doubt they’d make it?

Trials … life storms … have a way of distorting our perception. They bring fear, doubt, worry, all of which can cloud our vision and keep us from believing the other side even exists anymore. When Jesus stilled the storm, the disciples’ perspective returned. Perhaps for the first time, they truly believed nothing was beyond His control.

I’ve learned the same through storms, but I tend to forget. So God keeps sending storms to remind me the other side exists and that He will take me there—regardless of the nature of the trip.

No matter your storm, God will carry you to the other side.

Prayer: Father, we thank You that You’ve already been to the other side and have the fortitude to get us there too.

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