George Bailey in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” got a picture of what it would have been like in his town if he would have never been there to do the good deeds for which he was known to do. You and I, just like him, are leaving an imprint in our world as well. Did you ever take a meal to a needy family or someone recuperating from a health condition? Or maybe take Christmas cookies to your neighbors? Or provide gifts for those who otherwise would have none? Did you ever surprise someone in a restaurant by paying for their meal? Whatever the deed, people are very appreciative when they are the focus of an act of unconditional love and generosity, and often times are motivated to do the same for others. Sometimes we call that paying it forward and I have tried it a few times myself, and I noticed that you get some wonderful reactions and responses.

Just like the other night when I was in a Turkey Hill store and as I passed by the cashier’s counter I overheard a man say to the cashier, “Sorry, I left my wallet in my car, I’ll be right back!” I saw it as a right place at the right time situation, and since I believe God orchestrates all events in our lives I quickly stepped over and paid the man’s bill before he returned. His response was classic, “Wow! Thanks for doing that for me!” he said. I responded with “Merry Christmas” and handed him my blogger business card which contains the link to my blog and a Gospel message and he was on his way. Who knows what that act of kindness and planting of a seed will produce for eternity? Only God knows!

My grandma Margaret Anspach paid it forward in her own ways. She didn’t pay peoples bills since she had very little in the monetary realm, but she somehow (especially at Christmas) found ways to show the love of God to those in her family and those in close proximity to her. See below her entry in her diary after a busy Christmas Eve in 1971.

Friday, December 24, Cloudy 40 degrees. I arose at 7 and looked over my Xmas boxes (gifts she was gathering for others). Snack came and we went up to Billy S. and gave him a mince pie. Up to Pop and gave him a shirt and cookies. Then to Verna’s store. Snack and I got a cart full of groceries for Wayne and Floss. Then we went to Ellie K., she was happy and thankful. We were at Nora K. and she received us nicely. Then to Mary B. and I really had a nice box for her but she wasn’t home. Then to Wayne and Floss, no thank you’s there. This evening all my kids and grandkids came home and we exchanged presents. I really got a lot! Irene is better and she was pleased with her nightie. I got 3 toasters! Good day!

We can all pay it forward for someone. Grandma showed kindness to her nextdoor neighbor Billy, her father-in-law, her brother-in-law’s family who was much poorer than anyone in our family. (My mom would take us there when we were feeling sorry for ourselves and we’d come away thinking we were rich!) Grandma noticed when people were happy and thankful and even when gratitude was not shown. She knew the joy in giving and God returned many a blessing back to her as He is faithful to do as kindness done in His name brings eternal results.

You know, our Heavenly Father came up with the ultimate pay it forward story when He sent his Son Jesus down to us to be born in a humble cattle stall and be placed in a lowly manger. He left the glories of heaven where he was worshipped continually by a heavenly host of angels and created beings. The Apostle Paul described it perfectly in Philipians chapter two when he said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Yes, that little baby Jesus of whom we think fondly at this time of year was on a mission that would take him to the Cross where he would shed His blood for you and me so that we, one day, could be with Him. Life is SO short! The older I get the more this truth hits home. Many people don’t even make it to my age! I was watching the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” the other night and it hit me that there are probably very few people in that movie (made 69 years ago) who are still alive on earth today! Eternity is right around the corner!

Jesus is the Ultimate and only Savior who had the right and the power to pay it forward for all of mankind. Paul went on to say, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosover believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Now that’s paying it forward for all eternity! That’s where my grandma is, enjoying eternity with Jesus. I pray your faith is in Jesus. He is the ULTIMATE gift to RECEIVE and the GREATEST gift to GIVE at Christmas.

Next story “Grandma Remembers” below:

Grandma Remembers!

You may or may not have known it but in your achievements you took advantage of some absolutes in our world that when followed bring success. And so today I’d like to talk about the “absolutes around us” and highlight how important they are to our success as a society.

Absolute: Complete in itself, Unconditional, Existing independent of any other cause, as God is absolute. (Noah Webster 1828)

Let’s start with the BIG picture! I’m a creationist so I believe that God created the heavens and the earth. When He did it He was VERY creative! You have big planets, small planets, colorful planets, those with rings, and without, some made of gasses and others of rock, some with other planets orbiting them, all orbiting another planet, etc. etc.

There are orbits and planets and distances which if changed would exterminate life on earth as we know it. We depend on the seasons, the tides, the weather, the air, water, wind and all these are provided through the absolutes God put in place!

A person who believes all of this could happen by a big bang or by chance needs more faith than to just believe that God did it!

Consider these laws which God has created:

• The Laws of Science
• The Laws of Medicine
• The Laws of Mathmatics
• The Laws of Nature
• The Laws of Aerodynamics
• The Law of gravity

Would you go to a doctor who didn’t believe in the laws of medicine? Would you use a bank that didn’t practice the laws of accounting? Would you use a garage who didn’t understand the laws of mechanics? Would you fly in a plane that wasn’t built on the laws of aerodynamics? Would you plant a garden in the corner of a dark cellar? Would you jump out of a second story window and say I can fly?

Of course not, would be your answer to each of these questions because you inherently know these laws and the results of not following them.

So here are some timeless absolutes related to God’s laws for life: (I believe most of these, if not all, are sayings of Dr. Bob Jones)

The right road always leads to the right place; therefore, get on the right road and go as far as you can on it. Wrong means, do not lead to right ends. There is only one thing to do about anything; that is the right thing. Do right.

Happiness is not found by looking for it. You stumble over happiness on the road to duty. When duty is hard and we do not feel joy in doing it, we should still do it, and pray that in the doing it the joy would be given.

The door to success swings on the hinges of opposition. Remarkably, this saying implies that opposition is not just a natural accompaniment or antecedent of success, but that it is a means by which the door opens.

God in the right place in my life fixes every other relationship of life. If God is the blazing center of the solar system of our lives, then all the planets will be held in their proper orbit. But if not, everything goes awry. It is never right to get the right thing in the wrong way — like good grades, wealth, power, position. Don’t sacrifice your principles.

Don’t quit. Finish the job. God can’t use a quitter. Anything you do that hinders your progress for God is wrong. Maximize your progress in knowing and serving God. Beware of any society or situation in which you feel compelled to hide your principles.

So in closing, let us be thankful to God for His creation and the world in which we live. Let’s be thankful for the security of the absolutes in our physical world. Then let us personally seek to incorporate His moral absolutes in our lives and families and our society!

Is all calm with you? Do you have the “heavenly peace” spoken of in this famous Christmas carol? Or this Christmas, are you again caught up in the whirlwind of activity and buying just for the sake of it with no recollection, or maybe just a faint remembrance, of what this holiday is really all about? It’s an old saying but very important, “Jesus is the reason for the season”.

A virgin conceived the Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit and since He inherited no sin nature from Adam, He could be born and grow up to be OUR Savior! He was a “Holy Infant” so tender and mild. He never sinned, was God in human flesh, and shined “love’s pure light” for all the world to see. The Age of Grace dawned on the human race. The offer of redemption was proclaimed and the final stage was a cruel, rugged, Roman cross where the Savior bled and died for our sins.

Here is a review of the song Silent Night from the website “A Godly Heritage”.

What is it about Christmas songs that we love so much? Maybe it’s that we only play them for a short period of time every year. Maybe it’s that we can’t remember the first time we heard them which has lead to them being ingrained into our very soul. Maybe it’s that in the midst of Christmas shopping, wondering where we’ll spend the holidays, trying to keep all of the family happy with the perfect tradition, and attempting to avoid a wreck every time we’re on the road, when we hear the familiar words of a Christmas carol, it puts a smile on our face and a peace in our heart.

Many tales and legends have been spoken about how this beloved tune came into being. Some say that mice chewed through the organ pipes so that on Christmas Eve the music leader had to frantically write a new song that could be sung to a guitar. Others believed that the man who claimed to write the melody could not have possibly done so. They believed that the fine tune was written by Mozart or some other widely acclaimed musician.

However, the truth to Silent Night is a simple one. Just as the song is uncomplicated, the story behind it is plain itself.  They lyrics to this hymn were written in 1816 in German by the Austrian priest, Father Joseph Mohr. Two years later he asked Austrian Franz Xaver Gruber to compose a melody to the song on guitar for the choir to preform that evening, Christmas Eve, 1818. The popularity of this song passed slowly from one person to another. While no romantic back story exists for this song, the impact of this lowly tune is worldwide.

Having been translated into over 44 languages, Silent Night could very well be the most popular Christmas hymn of all time. Nearly 100 years after its composition, on Christmas Eve in 1914, during World War One, the French and German soldiers celebrated the holiday by declaring a truce for the day. These enemies came together on no man’s land, exchanged presents, buried their dead, and ended the night singing Silent Night together in their own language (as one of the few hymns they both new).

When I was young I heard a story of a lady who had escaped communist Russia to flee to America in the 1980′s. As a Christian, she was awed by the freedom we have in America. She arrived here around Christmas time. As a young seven year old, I listened to her vividly recount her first exposure to a grocery store in America. She said she walked in and heard the famous Christmas song, Silent Night, coming through the speakers as people shopped. Standing there weeping, she thanked God for allowing her to be in a free country.

This year, regardless of whether you love Christmas music or have a deep loyalty to these carols, don’t just casually play them in the background of your home or tune them out while you’re running errands. Listen to the words that speak of our Savior, the tiny baby so tender and mild, the Son of God, and Love’s pure light, and thank God for those who have gone before us to write songs that point us to His perfect gift. Also thank God that we live in a country that still allows us to publicly proclaim Jesus as the reason for the season.

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

LOBO: Yes, it was a Silent Night, a Holy Night, with YOU in mind. Have you trusted Jesus as YOUR Savior? If not, do it today and HE will be your greatest Christmas gift ever received, and this will be the greatest Christmas of your lifetime!

Go here to see a…. Guaranteed Reservation in Heaven!

Hark the Herald Angels Sing remains one of the most well known, and the most theologically filled Christmas carols. This song was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist denomination. Charles still holds fame for writing over 6,000 hymns along with the lyrics of over 2,000 more. Some you may recognize include: And, Can it Be that I should Gain?; Christ the Lord is Risen Today; Jesus, Lover of My Soul; and O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, among others.

When Charles first wrote this hymn for a Christmas Day service, he arranged the lines of the song differently, had slightly altered lyrics, and wanted the tune to consist of slow, solemn music. A few years later, in 1753, Charles’ friend, George Whitfield, changed a few of the words from Wesley’s original, “Hark, how the welkin (heaven) rings, Glory to the King of king” to the now famous words, “Hark, the herald angel sings, Glory to the newborn King.” He further cut the last two verses which few people include currently in the song. The pattern was also turned from ten, four line verses to a eight line verses with a chorus. Charles Wesley was not pleased with another person, even a friend, altering his hymn. But what was done, was done, and the song would probably not be as popular today without these changes.

In 1840 Felix Mendelssohn wrote a cantata in honor of the anniversary of the invention of the Gutenberg press. Several years later, organist Dr. William Cummings put these lyrics and this music together to form what we now know as “Hark the Herald Angel Sing.” The first publication of the current version of the song occurred in 1856.

Whether placed at the end of movies such as Charlie Brown’s Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life, or used in a church service or heard on the radio, this Christmas song is certainly a staple at this time of the year. This song reminds us that Jesus, the “newborn King,” is “Prince of Peace,” “Sun of Righteousness,” “Everlasting Lord,” “Incarnate Deity,” and, best of all, “Emmanuel” — “God with us.” It speaks of Jesus coming as the “second Adam” to be born that we as mere men may no longer face death! God Himself was veiled in human flesh. What wonders this song shows in its few lines!

Hark! The Herald Angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With th’ Angelic Hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King.”

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting lord
Late in time behold Him come,
Off-spring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail, the incarnate deity
Pleased as Man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the New-born king!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His Wings.
Now He lays His Glory by,
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the New-born king!”

Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
Glory to the Newborn King.

(from the website “A Godly Heritage”)

I hope and pray this Christmas season finds you experiencing the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life!

No Christmas carol list would be complete without the exuberant celebration song, “Joy to the World.” This lively tune is easily memorized and simple to play on an instrument. But do you know the interesting story behind this well loved hymn?

Isaac Watts (1674-1748), author of around 750 songs, is commonly called “The Father of Hymns” due to his popularity as the first English hymn writer. A few of his most well-known songs still sung today include: Come ye that Love the Lord; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; At the Cross; and the topic of today’s post, Joy to the World. Isaac Watts was a young man when hymns other than the Psalms were allowed to be sung in the Church of England. This gave way to Watts developing many beloved songs. Watts still based many of his songs on the Psalms, but he was especially interested in writing hymns based on the “Christian experience.”

Joy to the World was written in 1719 and based on Psalm 98:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together. Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

If you notice the lyrics of the song, Joy to the World, you will see nothing about shepherds, a manger, wise men, angels, or any other character or element that we normally associate with the Christmas story. The reason being that Isaac Watts did not write Joy to the World to be a Christmas song. The original theme of this song was the second coming of the Lord. Christmas won’t always be a joyful time, but when Jesus comes back, even the rocks will sing!

Over 100 years later, in 1839, Lowell Mason adapted and arranged this song into a melody many believe to have been written by Handel. In my research, however, I have not been able to establish when or why this hymn became associated with Christmas. Certainly we can look at the message in the song and see that it can be applied to Christ’s appearance as a babe in Bethlehem. We must prepare room for Him in our hearts and lives. This is a joyous occasion!

As you hear and sing this beloved carol this season, think about the words. Yes, they apply to the Christmas story in that the Lord is come! We should rejoice! But, let the lyrics all point you to the reason Jesus came: to save the world. Be ready because He is coming again! What a glorious day THAT will be when the whole earth celebrates His appearing!

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

(from the website “A Godly Heritage”)

If you seek true joy then check out my blog “Guaranteed Reservation in Heaven”.

Guaranteed Reservation in Heaven!

From now until Christmas I will be featuring some of my favorite carols. Where available, I’ll share the story behind them or will comment on the messages they contain. Today’s story is from the “Dean of Gospel Music” Dr. Alfred B. Smith, a great hymn writer and soloist whom I had the priveledge of getting to know early in my Christian life. The below information in part is excerpted from his book “Hymn Histories”.

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The idea for this song had been simmering in the heart of pastor Phillips Brooks since 1865 when, on a trip abroad, he was able to spend Christmas in Bethlehem. It was an experience he would never forget. On Sunday, December 24, he rode on horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and as twilight was falling, he went out to the field where tradition says the shepherds saw the glory of the Lord. As he looked toward the little town of Bethlehem, with the moon acting as the illuminator and the stars shining in the sky, he witnessed a scene much the same as the shepherds had witnessed almost 2000 years before. Except for the absence of the great light and the shepherds, nothing had changed very much. Instead of a candle to light their way, some who were traveling through the quiet streets were using lamps. There also were no angels present, yet the aura of the occasion lent a holy hush to the surroundings.

Speaking of this experience in a letter to his Sunday school in Philadelphia, Phillips Brooks wrote, “Again and again it seemed I could hear voices telling each other of the ‘Wonderful Night’ of the Savior’s birth.” All this while the words of a new carol were singing in his heart, but it would not be until he came home to America that and three years later that he would write them down a short while before Christmas 1868. He was preparing for the Christmas service for the Sunday school and as he began to review the music he would use, there again flooded through his soul a re-echo of the Christmas Eve he had spent in the shepherd fields overlooking Bethlehem, and the carol that had been singing in his heart since that time. He could contain it no longer, and as it burst forth, he began to write:

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born to us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Phillips Brooks then hurriedly left his study and walked to the home of Mr. Lewis Redner, who was the organist of the church. Upon showing him his poem, Mr. Redner consented to try his hand at writing an appropriate melody. His effort proved successful, and today in all of hymnology there can be found no tune which so greatly enhances a set of words as does this one.

It took more than twenty years before it would receive general recognition and be sung around the world.

If you’ve read some of my Grandma blogs then you probably recall the modest means in which grandma found herself, especially early in her families life. Sometimes she just didn’t know how their next meal was going to be provided, but God always came through for them. In fact when it came to Christmas they just couldn’t afford to celebrate the holiday, but that’s when the love of family came to their rescue. One year they heard a car outside and a knock at the door and to her surprise her inlaws arrived with a huge box of navel oranges and bags of candy as gifts for all of them for Christmas. It would be a memory never forgotten and a tradition was established.

I recall Grandma’s Christmas trees and they were usually of the Charlie Brown variety, if you know what I mean. I’ll explain why from an entry in her diary in a minute. Her tree was usually adorned with popcorn strings, paper chains made of red and green links, candy canes, ancient Christmas balls you just don’t see anymore today and multi-colored Christmas lights which were candles that had bubbles floating inside of them. Her gifts were often things she could make with her own hands and the value of them was more than money could buy. Here’s one story about why her trees were usually pretty straggly.

Grandma’s trees weren’t of the trimmed or pruned type to achieve the perfect shape. For you see, down the road a short walk from her house was a military reservation and the Army had planted a parcel of the land with pine trees. Grandma figured it was an example of her tax dollars at work, so when Pop hadn’t provided a tree she took matters into her own hands and walked down to the tree lot carrying her trusty hand saw. While sizing up a tree she heard someone pull off the road and start into the tree lot as well. So she just ducked down behind a tree and stayed there until the gentleman had cut down his tree and was on his way. Out came Grandma with her saw and before you know it she was on the way home dragging a tree behind her!

This entry from her diary is an excellent example of Grandma’s servant heart which was filled with love for her neighbors and her seemingly endless supply of energy!

December 19, 1952 Went up to Ann and waxed her floors for $1.50. Came home at 12 noon. Addressed some Christmas cards for Ann. Cleaned my kitchen and rooms. Was rather tired but went to the mountain for a Christmas tree. Enjoyed the walk, got a Spruce tree. Made supper and then we went over to Amos and Emma to visit.

Here’s a lady whose day usually started at 7am at the latest taking care of her own family, but still found the time to scrub an elderly neighbor ladies floors and address her Christmas cards. Then do the same cleaning at her house, chop down a pine tree which was about a one mile round trip to the mountain and back, make supper for her family and then get spruced up for an evening visit to some good friends! Whew!

Grandma was a doer of the Word of God. The Bible says in the book of James “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” She put her faith into practice. James also says, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

This back and forth might get a little confusing, but leave it to say we can’t get the cart before the horse. The horse is FAITH, the cart is WORKS. The Apostle Paul really cleared up the matter when he said in Ephesians 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Grandma’s faith was in Jesus and because of the great work He did in her heart and her love for Him, she spread His great love through her servant actions to family and friends and that’s how it’s supposed to work! Now, where’s my saw? I need a Christmas tree!!

Next story “Grandma Pays It Forward” below:

Grandma Pays It Forward

Hello lobochonicles readers! Blessings are certainly missed by our prayerlessness. Be blessed by the below devotional on prayer by my brother the truckstop evangelist.

Just the other day I got a call from a Driver who told me he wants to give God ten percent of his day…2.4 hours…the first part of the day. I was struck by his declaration because it brought back memories of when I was first saved and had the same idea and intent. One Godly preacher of old declared: “I’ll have to pray two extra hours this morning so I have enough time to get all the things accomplished the Lord has given me to do.” Another preacher has rightly said: “Prayer is the battle, the ministry is just the picking up of the spoils.” The time we spend in effectual fervent prayer the first thing in the morning preparing our day enables the Lord to go before us getting the victory as He answers each specific prayer. Then, all we have to do is “Pick up the spoils” for without Him “We can do NOTHING! (John 15:5). Yes, we must plan and pray as though each day might be the last day of our life, for it may well be so, Drivers!

Intimacy is the most necessary ingredient, so much so, that the Lord Jesus opened His heart rending impassioned prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane by first displaying this most important quality of prayer. He was and still is the Son of God! He could have begun with any declaration or request, but He opted for this very unique word “Abba” providing us with this most valuable example. Only those who have spent TIME with their Father know what intimacy is all about. When the Lord saved me I was 35yrs old. It was His great love for me as my “new” Father that produced my child-like love for Him. My earthly father was mostly non-existent throughout my life leaving a great void which I never realized until the Lord saved me. Now, He has given me everything that I missed, and so much more! And, I realize that He allowed it all for His glory and my good. What a marvelous and merciful heavenly Father!

When I experienced this intimacy with my “new” Father, immediately on that day, it drew me so close to Him that I began to devour His Word which gave me deliverance from the numerous addictions and habits that controlled my life for many years. My joy was unspeakable, but it was the love and immediate intimacy that drove me in my desire to obey Him and communicate with Him. I remember declaring: “Can you imagine, the God of Creation wants to speak to me?” This phone call from my trucker friend has reminded me of those days, and my great need to once again establish and maintain that great TIME of communion which I enjoyed when my days were begun with an intimate and extended TIME of communion with my Abba, Father through the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is truly miraculous how God works through His people at just the right time and place! Divine Appointment Xtraordinaire!

I am thanking and praising the Lord for this timely reminder from a truly unexpected source. But, it is just how He has worked in my life throughout the three plus decades since He saved my soul way back in March of 1980. He has faithfully sent various messengers to direct my steps and keep me ‘Cranking’ on the straight and narrow time and time again, and, for that I am extremely thankful. He is in complete control, praise His holy and most precious Name! Now, Drivers, it is high time we spend TIME in the Holiest each morning so that we can declare with great joy: “Souls for Jesus” as our daily battle cry! TIME is the issue and the great need of the hour in order for us to enjoy the intimacy necessary to really know Him. Then, we can experience the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being conformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, personal revival comes as we see Him moving among us, doing all of those seemingly impossible things that only He can do through The Effectual Fervent Prayer!

Chaplain LEWolfe http://www.btmi.org I-85 Exit 35 SC ‘McPilot’ Stop in, and please pray for our ministry and REVIVAL in the USA…it begins with US!

Here’s an Updated index to most of my blogs published since July 4th 2015!

Faith Builders:

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/18/just-dont-do-it/ (Forgiveness)

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/12/a-godly-thing/ (Forgiveness)

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/08/what-was-i-thinking/ (Meditation)

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/07/a-bride-for-isaac/ (Finding God’s Will)

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/05/you-were-at-the-cross/ (Victory over Sin!)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/12/29/what-is-church/ (Church Attendance)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/12/24/theres-something-about-glory/ (Worship)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/12/16/out-of-this-world/ (Living Your Faith)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/12/15/silent-night/ (Peace With God)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/12/04/blessings-missed/ (Prayer)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/09/13/feed-the-white-dog/ (Bible Reading)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/19/toolbox-for-life/ (Bible Tools)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/17/you-can-trust-it/ (Trust the Bible)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/16/my-b-i-b-l-e/ (The Bible’s Impact)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/13/but-god/ (Trials)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/23/burning-hearts/ (Loving the Word)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/20/brother-from-another-mother/ (Friends)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/18/why-me-lord/ (Trusting Through Trials)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/17/in-times-like-these/ (Peace in a Peace-Less World)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/14/welcome/ (My Blog Data)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/08/13/the-plus-30-plan/ (Bible Reading Plan)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/08/02/o-most-high/ (Church Attendance)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/07/28/the-pointy-rocks/ (Adversity)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/07/05/your-wilderness/ (Alone with God)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/24/your-destiny/ (Seeking the Lord)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/21/be-bold/ (Witness for Jesus)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/09/16/let-it-go-let-it-go/ (Unforgiveness)

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Grandma Series:

Grandma Pays It Forward

Grandma’s Country Christmas

Grandma said, Give Thanks!

Grandma’s Sanctuary

Grandma’s Diary

Gus Anderson

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The Blue Eyed Six Series:

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp.1 (Israel Brandt)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 2 (Henry Wise)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 3 (Jesiah Hummel)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 4 (George Zechman)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 5 (Charles Drews)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 6 (Franklin Stichler)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 7 (The Story)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 8 (The Trial Day One)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 9 (Trial Day Two)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 10 (Trial Days 3&4)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 11 (Day 5&6 The Defense)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 12 (Confessions)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 13 (Zechman Re-Trial)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 14 (Prison Angels)

Blue Eyed Six & The Faith – Chp 15 (The End)

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Our Times:

Signs of the Times

The Real Story – Take Two

Wow! What a Country!

The Hands of Jesus

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Eternal Life:

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/02/06/superbowl-of-life/

Fixing the Life Itch!

https://lobochronicles.com/2016/01/29/in-to-me-u-see/

White As Snow!

Guaranteed Reservation in Heaven!

It Was A Black Friday!

The Search

The Quiet City

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Memorials:

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/09/11/the-rock/ (Clarence Wolfe)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/09/25/da-heat/ (John Sebastain)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/11/12/thank-you/ (Veterans)

https://lobochronicles.com/2015/10/25/the-5th-commandment/ (My Father)

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My Life Story:

Brian’s Beginning

Brian’s Haven

Brian and the Band

Brian and His Sweetie

Brian’s Decision and Destiny

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Looking Back:

One Stop Shopping – Country Style

When I’m Sixty Four!

 

It was a Black Friday and they thought they finally had Him! To them he was a fake, a charlatan, a false prophet and for sure a threat to the religious establishment and their source of income through temple taxes and money changers. So they had tried everything. He must be defeated! Do away with this man! So they schemed behind the scenes, what can we do? The fact was, it appeared they could do nothing. They tried pushing him off a cliff with a massive crowd but He slipped through their midst unseen! How did He do that? They accused Him of breaking their laws but their accusations were of no effect. His miracles drove them practically insane as they cried “We must destroy this man!”.

Even the Prince of the Power of the Air took his turn and offered Him the kingdoms of the world (which he controlled) if only He would bow down and worship him but He would have none of it! The thing was, He was on a mission and He would not be deterred by any priestly mob nor Satan or his myriad of demons. His great love for His highest creation, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, was His motivation. He knew of their plight, he saw their broken hearts and wandering ways. He saw the way they were entrapped with their own fallen natures, the worldly schemes that pulled them from the Father and the wiles of the Devil. They needed a Savior and He would meet that need even if it took His death to accomplish it. And it did.

It was a Black Friday on that forsaken hill called Golgotha, the place of the skull. The sun was darkened and the sky wept and thundered. The demons snickered. Satan puffed out his chest in pride. The priests rejoiced in their layers of ornamental garments. He hung there on that cross, almost disfigured beyond recognition, ribbons of flesh hanging from His back, a crown of thorns on His head with pierced hands and feet. But even there He reached out with His great love to the ones on His right and left. Even in this darkness the light emanated from Him to reach a lost soul. And a spear was thrust in His side, the cleansing blood flowed down, and then He died.

It was a Black Friday and He did it for you.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

But God commendeth His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosover believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Three days later it was a glorious Sunday and the False Priests, Demons and Satan cried no!!!!!!!