Category: Holy Spirit

The Teacher of Truth

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It has been my observation the Holy Spirit has many different tasks; this includes indwelling believers to bind them together with God and help them become more like Him. For Christians, the experience of eternal life does not begin at death but when they trust in Jesus and God places His Spirit within them (see 2 Timothy 1:14). Paul says — Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Holy Spirit equips people for ministry, is our guarantee (deposit) of eternal life, gives people insight and wisdom, teaches people truth, communicates with the Father on people’s behalf, and empowers Christians to walk with God.

He lives within followers of Jesus and produces lasting change in their character. John 14:26 says — But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said [NIV]. He produces God’s love in human hearts. Romans 5:5 says — “Hope does not put us to shame, … God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit [NIV]. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth. John 16:13 says — When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come [NIV]. This infusion of the Spirit is remarkable, life changing, stabilizing, and essential.

The Holy Spirit is a promise of the great things to come for those who trust God. Ephesians 1:13-14 says You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession [NIV]. He provides us with the skills and abilities necessary to share God’s love. Hebrews 2:4 says — God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will [NIV].

Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry. Luke 4:18 says — The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free [NIV]. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit and wanted His disciples to understand the power of the Spirit. He told them it was “better” for them that He leave, because then the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (implied in John 16:7).

The first followers of Jesus were filled with God’s Spirit to take the gospel to the known world, and so are we. Acts 2:1-4 says — When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them [NIV].

This passage from Acts is vital to understanding the Holy Spirit. After Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled up every disciple and apostle of Christ to spread the gospel to the world. Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately lives within them. God’s people get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like Jesus did. The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength to live the Christian life. John 15:5 says — Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing [NIV]. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

I choose Jesus.

Hollywood and the Open Range

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Sometimes when Hollywood was riding with Miss Tillie on the weekends, he would really be working. They would be hunting for cattle trying to bring them back into the larger herd. But for Hollywood and Miss Tillie, this was a time of pleasure.

They got to enjoy the most beautiful place on the face of the earth from their viewpoint. The trees were magnificent. The valleys were deep with streams running in the bottom. They were gloriously clear. Sometimes you could see the trout moving around in the streams. These little brook trout were so happy, playful, and so content. There were no natural predators in the valley; and there were very, very few fishermen in those days.

Sometimes Hollywood would hear God speak to him in the wind when he was high in the hills. He would dream about what it was like for the men of old in Scripture who heard God’s voice speak a message of hope and then repeat that message to people in the city.

Remembering a vision in Ezekiel, it felt like he could almost see God at sunrise or sunset. He wondered how many times he bumped into an angel out there when a lone rider came by. Occasionally he would bump into somebody he did not know. This person would have a message of good cheer or questions, or he just had a pleasant smile on his face and said hello as he passed by.

Today, Miss Tillie and Hollywood were enjoying the afternoon as they searched for strays. When they found them, they brought them back to safety 1 by 1. After the stray calf could get down off the horse, the stray calf would start letting out little whelps to help mom find the calf. The mother would hear their calf calling out as they got closer to the herd and you could see the mother moving through the herd so that calf could find her. Then they would engage in a lot of nuzzling and then off they go.

Sometimes the mom would turn back and look at Hollywood, but not too often. She knew that was what Hollywood did for her. The cattle kind of just expected it to happen. At least that is how it felt to Hollywood. But they were grateful.

One time when they were out hunting for strays, they came across a trapped calf. The stray calf got stuck between two trees and it just looked a little silly. He could not go forward and he could not go backwards. After a bit of analysis, we realized all he needed to do was breathe in, compress his lungs, and then his rib cage would let go of those trees.

We took a close look and made sure he was ok to ride back to the herd. And then we gently eased him out from the two trees. He was injured pretty badly, so we cleaned up his wounds. We even put some gentle bandages on him and then threw him up on the horse with Miss Tillie. We rode very slow, so the calf did not feel too much pain. They worked their way back home and then put the calf back into the mom’s protection.

And the two of them kind of looked at each other and the mom licked the calf side. All was well. Few days later we checked in on that calf, healing was moving forward nicely, Hollywood suspected the calf hardly remembered the incident. Miss Tillie talked with me about my feelings when we are out in the in the High Plains. From that conversation, she took notes and created a short poem. This is what she wrote —

The open range is calling me across the miles, as I sit before the open sky, I guess I’ll dream a while.

I sit on a porch all day, with distant canyons steep, I think about my Jesus, His grace, a gift to keep.

Out in the open I can hear, where the wind cry’s, God sings on that distant ridge, he is calling out to me.

A trail that leads to somewhere, like a floating log, a song on a river, its calling me to God.

The first time Hollywood heard that bit of prose that Miss Tillie put together, he teared up a little bit because Hollywood did not realize how he sounded until she captured his bits and pieces together in a poem.

The next morning, we were out hunting for strays again and we came across three of them that had backed themselves into a corner of a draw and for some reason or another they got lost in this little bitty bit of heaven. They could not find their way out. We could see them; they had been moving around. There was water there, and there were things to eat, so maybe they just were not that anxious to leave. But there they were, kind of playing with each other, ignoring us. We rode in. We looked around to make sure no predators were in the area. When we knew they were clear, then we gathered them up, and got them heading in the right direction.

They were actually a little resistive, Miss Tillie thought they liked the little place they had found. But we needed to get them back to the herd, so we started moving them along. Now Miss Tillie could not help but notice Hollywood looking to the left and to the right. It was an unbelievably beautiful draw, the pine trees, and the craggy rock. It was stunning. Then we came across a stream and that is where they were getting their water. It was crystal clear and was not very wide, but it was enough – a spring fed water source.

We took a detour and rode back up the stream a little bit, following the stream until we came to the place where it came out of the earth. It was just magnificent, just a bubbling, gurgling little pool of water gradually going out. And it became a beautiful source of water.

Eventually we found our way back to the herd. The day was coming to close; the sunset was glorious. Hollywood started thinking about Miss Tillie’s poem. He knew that God had provided a beautiful day to celebrate life.  He enjoyed the evening breeze and the rocker on his porch.  All was well on the ranch…

Ezekiel 1:25-28 — Then there came a voice from above the vault [heavens] over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking (NIV).

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.

A Basket of Fruit

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It was my observation in Galatians 5:22–23, Paul points us to help, he says — But the fruit of the Spirit is…  What follows that initial statement are nine characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer. The nine characteristics are part of a unified package. A believer does not have some and not others, though their relative strength may vary based upon our yielding to the Holy Spirit. What is the package of fruit comprised of?

Love is poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The Greek word is agape. This is a responsive love that evokes in us a love for God and a desire to please Him, guard our family, help our neighbor – always putting their needs in front of our needs (Galatians 5:13). Worship, serious surrender, and obedience are the core of pleasing Him. I think that the other eight fruits are focused expressions of agape.

Joy emerges from of God’s mercy and kindness to us. It cements an anchor in our life that keeps us from being swayed by the winds of change and trouble. We rise above drama, hard times, and circumstances that stand in front of us beckoning our attention. Unlike happiness, its ‘wanna be’ equivalent from human logic, joy does not depend on favorable circumstances. Joy just is.

Peace is resting on the one true living God’s lap, not just the absence of combat. Tranquility abounds in our heart, even if we are standing in a Hurricane, pushed to our limits to stand tall. The firm grounding, no matter the situation is rooted in God’s power, mercy, and the absolute iron clad awareness he will keep his word. He is the center post of peace. We are blessed to be sheltered by his peace.

Patience comes when we can see life through God’s eye. His eye sees beyond the ‘here and now’, to the cause and effects of actions (or reactions). Patient people are not easily offended or riled by drama or circumstances. They see God in everything, action, reaction. Kindness is our response to everything. We love the unlovable and treat them with kindness no matter what drama they bring to our life. Kindness is persistent, it resists harshness and unpleasant behavior by seeing God in the moment.

Goodness helps form the outcome from cumulated effort of joy, peace, patience, and kindness. Goodness in our actions is an expression of moral excellence. We do things with no expectation of any return. Faithfulness is all about being a person who can be trusted. We stand on the truth, speak the truth, defend the truth. We are dependable, reliable, and live a quiet life. Gentleness is not the absence of strength, it is not arrogance, it is not bullying, it is measured, controlled actions to achieve desired outcomes; it is considerate and measured in when enthralled in drama.

Self-control speaks to both the mind and the body. It centers observing, assessing, and thinking first and then doing second. It applies to all things we think, speak, and do. It represents exercising control over our passions – no matter what they may be.

Oh my. That is a very tall list of behavioral management tools. Who can do this? How? The answer is – more of God less of us. The more we give the Holy Spirit control, the easier it becomes for God to work his gentle control in our life. To be sure, we need to want the Fruit. But we have the helper, the Spirit of God to bring the fruit to the foreground of our daily thoughts, speech, and actions.

The fruit is a spiritual event, it happens over and over, every day of our life; it grows gently in our heart, maturing over time. The fruit has both a personal impact and a community impact. God brings these tools into the community life so we can find ways to get along, no matter what is happening around us.

I choose Jesus.

Hollywood and the Fever

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I looked across the trail, about 25 feet away and there she was, rested on her beautiful tan pony. She was smiling, wondering when I was going to catch up, so we could ride together over the ridge. We have been moving through the Black Hills most of the day. And so, we were near the Cheyenne River, at the south end of the Black Hills. Moving a little bit north and a little bit west towards the Wyoming border.

Watching the clouds dance over the horizon, Miss Tillie asked – Hollywood, are you enjoying the view on the Cheyenne River Valley?

Hollywood replied – Oh yes, as he was looking at her…

As they roamed, every once in a while, they could hear the cry of an eagle, telling Miss Tillie all about dinner, scurrying to safety. That eagle was deciding if she was going to bring dinner home to her kids or let that little creature move on for another day. Sometimes, the shadow of that eagle would get really, really close to dinner, but then that dinner would bolt to the left or bolt to the right and slip away from the eagle. We would watch and just smile; then the Eagle would move on. There is always another rabbit in the foothills.

Miss Tillie and I kept riding and just enjoying ourselves, talking about life, talking about things that had happened in her classroom, and talking about all manner of stuff around the ranch. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little bit of smoke. I did not remember a cabin out in this area. Maybe we had better go over and take a look and see what that’s smoke is all about. So, Miss Tillie and I nudged our horses towards the smoke. It took us a while to get there. We were a fair distance away from the smoke.

As we got closer, I wondered what we were going to encounter. I reached down to my side and made sure I had my 45 unstrapped. I felt my back to be sure I had ammunition in my belt from the last time. I glanced at the side of my horse and saw my 30-30 Winchester; I unstrapped the rifle. Quietly, I checked Miss Tillie’s horse and saw that she also was carrying her 30-30. I did not say much, but I felt comfortable — we were fine and in a good position to defend ourselves if needed.

We drifted towards the smoke, looking, and wondering. As we got closer, I realized it was a campfire. And it was not any normal campfire, it was exceptionally large so that it could be easily seen in the daytime. I knew people did not do this sort of thing without reason. It is not wise to bring attention to yourself when you are out in the wild. So, we inched closer – I felt no immediate danger. However, at this point, I suggested to Miss Tillie we should both check and be sure that our 30-30’s were loaded. I was not expecting trouble, but just in case trouble was looking for us, I did not want us to be unprepared.

Finally, we got close to the fire and I could see there was a family there, but they were not moving. The man looked and waved his hand as if he wanted to get my attention.

So, we rode closer and I called out — your fire is exceptionally large. Do you need help??

The man said — Yes, we are extremely sick. All of us have something wrong. We do not know what it is. None of us can move far safely, so all I could do was gather wood, build a fire, and hope somebody saw the fire. God sent you to us. We are incredibly grateful that you came by. We need a doctor. We need help.

No one else in the family could even speak. Miss Tillie hopped off her horse and immediately checked the children. And she looked at me and I saw the look in her eyes. She knew these children were extremely ill. She said they have a temperature, their color is not right, and they have no energy whatsoever. This is serious, whatever it is.

So, I looked at the man and I said — we are going for help. We are going to leave water with you. We will leave our blankets. Do you have a weapon?

The man said – no I do not.

I Said — I will leave you my 30-30, do you know how to use it?

The man said – yes, I do.

I Said — OK. Do you have a lot of firewood??

The man said — I think so.

I looked at his wood pile and I said — Is that all you have?

The man said — No, there is more behind that tree.

I told him – I will move the firewood close to him so he could feed that fire into the evening. We might not get back before the sun goes down and need to keep that fire going so, we can find you. Plus, the fire will help to reduce problems with wolves.  We are going to get help. Our horses are swift. We have not been riding them hard. We can move. We promise to return.

Miss Tillie looked as the mom moved her hand ever so slightly. The Mom tried to smile and she mouthed the words thank you.

Miss Tillie said — maybe I need to stay with them.

I looked at her and said – No. You need to ride with me. If something happens when we are riding, one of us can still get through to the Doc.

Miss Tillie said — OK, I understand.

We turned our horses, planned the best route to travel, and off we went. We started pushing our horses to get to where we needed to be. I was sure we had about 30 miles, maybe 35 miles to cover immediately.

I knew it would not be very safe at night if that fire burned down. We started riding, hats pulled tight, focused on the destination. We watched where we were going. We made sure that the horses were taking the safest route possible, but the most direct route. It was as if we were racing. First, I was up front, then Miss Tillie was up front, then I was up front, but we were determined to get to where we needed to be. We were riding for somebody’s life.

Finally, we got to the town, we found the Doc just as he was locking up his office. We told him what we had seen, asked him if he could ride. He did not have a riding pony. I went and rented a pony for him and put him on the horse. I rented two more fresh ponies for me and Miss Tillie. We picked up medical supplies, warm blankets, food, everything we thought this family might need.

We headed back with the Doc as the sun dropped low, it was getting hard to find our way, but fortunately we had left some markers on the trail. We looked for our markers and we kept pushing ahead hoping that he kept that fire alive. Eventually, as the wind died down, we could smell the smoke. We knew that we were close, we kept riding, then, we could see them. We could see the fire, but it seemed so far away. We kept riding.

The Doc turned out to be a good rider, he kept up with us. Finally, we got back to their camp. The Doc looked them over and started pulling things out of his black bag to help them. He pulled out some medicine. He gave each of them a shot, and he settled down and he said — I think I will spend the night here with you guys. I will make sure they are OK before I leave.

So, I asked him — what is wrong with them?

Doc said — they have a strong fever and Pneumonia. But you found me in time and we can help them recover.

Miss Tillie and I started praying for them and we just stayed in prayer even as we helped keep them comfortable. A couple of days later, they started moving around a little bit. They started healing up. The doc had left medicine with us to give to them. We kept giving them the medicine. We just stayed with them. We made broth to help them get stronger.

Miss Tillie showed me a song that she had written while looking after the family. This is what it said —

I remember a time of deep trouble, on the bank of the Cheyenne Creek,

Found a family down with fever, so sick they could not speak.

We headed out for the Doctor; I knew you would not let me fail,

We swam the wild Cheyenne, we pushed hard on the ole trail.

We pushed across the prairie, racing the antelope in play,

The smell of rain in the air, thunder chasing us all the way,

Found the doctor in our town got him on a horse in time.

We rode back to the family, because of You, God, they were fine.

And gradually, bit by bit, this family came back alive. It was a remarkable thing to watch. Eventually we looked over the area and found their horses grazing a few miles upstream. This family was fortunate that God had kept the horses near. Eventually we got them back on their horses and got them on their way. We followed them for a long time till they were safe in the village with the doctor. And then we headed back to our house. We stayed in contact with that family for years. The oldest daughter became a schoolteacher.

Luke 10:30-37 — Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denariiand gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’  Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.

Hollywood and Two Friends

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In the early years of Hollywood’s cowboy life, he roamed the range and he worked on many, many ranches. He took a task from one ranch for a few weeks, then went to help someplace else for a month, and sometimes for an entire summer, but he was not very stable.

Gradually, Hollywood took a liking to ranches called Dude Ranches or Guest Ranches. People would come from the East Coast and spend all summer learning how to wrangle a cow. People came to the ranch to understand what it was like to be in the wild. Hollywood enjoyed teaching people the cowboy way, they would visit with him asking questions, and he would lead them around all through the day, showing them all about looking after cattle. Hollywood would tell stories and help them understand things. In some cases, he got to know them pretty well and they would become friends. But he was quick to say friendship did not always happen. Once, Hollywood made friends with two men: Buck and Jim. Buck started writing poetry and singing songs, and this was what Hollywood’s new friend sang —

Two friends spent the summer, on a ranch where I was a guide,

Mattered not what I was doing, they were working by my side.

We would ride the trails together, Dakota plains were the place,

Almighty God brought his mercy, hearts were changed by his grace.

These two guys, Buck, and Jim spent a lot of time on their horse with Hollywood. They would ride all over the foothills on the Wind River Ranch. After a while, they started asking him, why do you do the things you do? You are not like everybody else. Down here you have kindness and gentleness, but yet you have strength and the way you act and the way you speak and the way you handle yourself. How is it you are this way? Who taught you these things?

And Hollywood would just say –well, you know, I learned these things from my mother and from my dad.

A few days later Buck asked — why do you think the way you think? I mean, most people would not react the way you do to trouble. You do not seem to be flapped by much of anything.

Finally, Hollywood said. Well, the answer is simple. Are you sure you want to know?

Buck says – sure…

Hollywood replied — So tell me, do you know anything about Jesus?

Jim smiled, he kind of laughed, and he said — ohh yeah, I read about him once.

Buck mused — Who’s that?

Hollywood looked at him with amazement and said — you do not know who Jesus is at all? You have not ever been to church?

Buck said — Yes, I have. But I do not remember much. I was just a kid.

Hollywood replied — This is how we are going to do this. I am going to get my Bible tonight and I will bring it with me tomorrow, and I will show you a few things to help you understand who this Jesus is. You have questions. I will try and help you find some answers.

So, the next day, Hollywood showed up with his Bible. He just started reading stuff. He read aloud. He told them to listen to the message and to stop him when they had questions. So, he would read a piece of scripture and they would talk about it. And then he had read something else and they would talk about it. And sometimes they would make fun of the scripture and sometimes they listened. Very carefully.

But over the weeks their views started to change and they started to really understand what God was about. They started to understand what the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was about. They started to understand what it was to Walk with God and how to make Jesus Lord of their life.

Then they both wanted to know what to do.

Buck said — We do not really, really want to become an old guy who carries a Bible around, talks a lot, and makes people want to run away. But we like this message – it resonates with us. We like what you are saying, both of us. We talk about it when you are not around and we think about the things that you say and we ask each other questions. Then we ask you questions, and you have answers.

But you are not pushy, Hollywood. You are not a raving, loud person with a frivolous message to share. You are gentle and kind, you know your job, you really know your message, you look after the cattle, you teach us well, and you make sure we are safe. And you do not let us get into too much trouble without providing a little bit of scolding to bring us back where we belong. You are so gentle, kind, and firm all at the same time. We want to understand more, tell us more about the principles that drive your life.

So, all through the rest of the summer, Hollywood explained the wisdom of God and finally, one by one, each of these men gave their life to Jesus. So, they came out west, not knowing much of anything about the wisdom of God, and they went back to the East Coast as Christians.

Hollywood followed up with Buck and Jim. He wrote letters and they wrote him back and told him about the things that were going on in their lives, how they were gradually growing, and bringing glory to God in the way that they were living. They were instructing their children and their friends about things that they learned about in the wild west on the Wind River range. So, one of them wrote this prose for Hollywood. Jim wrote —

From the top of the Rainbow Mesa, good news shared under the sage,

Break the hold on long shadows, over a hundred miles of range.

I loved every moment, we learned on eagle wings to ride,

Soon the winds of autumn came, and we had to say goodbye.

When Hollywood got a letter in the mail from Jim near thanksgiving, the letter had these 4 lines. He just sat down, smiled, and tears came to his eyes.

Miss Tillie said — what is the matter, Is there something wrong?

Hollywood said — no, no, these are tears of joy. Look at this! My friend sent me this poem. She looked at it and tears came to her eyes.

Miss Tillie said — you know, it was an incredibly good summer for you and for those two men, a very good summer indeed.

Romans 1:16-17 –For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.

Water For The Desert

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It was my observation, in the mid 70’s I have a recollection of being taught the downside of meditation. Yoga instructors were barely permitted in church because of the strong eastern influence in their thinking and articulating, the Davidic discussions on meditation was not part of the common teaching and conversations of the mid 70’s Christian scene. For reasons that are unclear to me, none of us noticed the recurring concept of meditation in scripture. Goodness, how things have changed.

Somewhere along the way in the last few years I noted that word ‘meditation’ in the bible and wondered how did that term sneak into God’s vocabulary. Of course, the concept has been there always, just not talked about because of the extreme struggles of the late 60’s when musicians fully abandoned western thought and embraced the eastern thought processes.

To be clear — we all know that scripture provides a formidable discussion of meditation in the Psalms, it explains how we use meditation to embed the teachings of scripture in our heart and influence our actions. We should know that prayer becomes deeper and more personal when we move from prayer to meditation. This is not to say we abandon prayer. Not at all. Each format has its place. Prayer is the tool of choice to bring requests and supplications into his throne room. Prayer is the tool of choice to communicate with God, to learn of his will for our life. But within the context of walking with God, meditation goes much further by transforming our gait into something that brings us closer to him and his plan. We do not do the transforming, HE does, but transformation does gradually occur. Lest we think that meditation is just another trendy notion, please consider the thoughts of Thomas Brooks, a seventeenth-century church leader.

Thomas Brooks said — Remember that it is not hasty reading but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most but he that meditates most that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian. Selah.

In Psalms, we see David meditated on God’s law, His righteousness, His word, His deeds and works, His precepts, His ways, His testimonies, and God Himself. Review Psalms 19, 39, 48, 77, 104, 119, and 143. Read slowly and breathe in the message. God is speaking. Meditate on his word.

Paul says — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—MEDITATE on these things (Philippians 4:6-8).

Paul tells Timothy to meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all (paraphrased from I Timothy 4:15) — note again that meditation is expected to produce something in us. Eastern meditation empties us so we can see ourselves as God. This is not what David is doing, Biblical meditation is about infusing our mind with the pure virtuous message of scripture. We become very aware of the one true living ‘God who is there’, Jehovah-Shammah.

I think — meditation is deep focused contemplation by a renewed mind on the amazing wisdom of God. David tells us in Psalms 1 to delight in the Lord’s Law. David “meditates (Hebrew – hâgâh) day and night” (Psalms 1:2). This term means to murmur, ponder, to mull over carefully. The word translated meditate in Psalm 119:15 (Hebrew – śı̂yach) talks of a preoccupied mind, often murmuring audible words. This term can be translated as pray (Psalms 55:17) or talk (Psalms 119:27). Psalms 143:5 includes both words, showing their relationship. David says — I remember the days of old; I meditate (hâgâh) on all Your works; I muse (śı̂yach) on the work of Your hands (Psalms 143:5). You want to know what he is thinking? Meditate on His Word.

Meditation is to our heart as water is to the desert. I live in the desert. Most of the year the desert is a dry and dusty place. Shade from a tall mesquite tree is a gift from God. Then comes the monsoon. Oh my.

The desert leaps to life overnight. The brilliance of the morning sun on the fresh green leaves is glorious to the eyes. The entire land looks different after the rain, it really is different. This is the impact of meditation focused on the Word for our soul. Our soul is refreshed.

Our dry and dusty life is filled with power. God moves in us. God is unleased by his tools and his Word. For meditation to be effective – the wall clock is not our friend. We cannot rush God, he will infuse himself and his word into us as he deems proper, at his pace. We are not in control, He is. But rest assured – he will infuse us with His life. Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord who Is there (see Ezekiel 48:35) will arrive.

Therefore, I focus on the Word, meditate on his precepts and….

I choose Jesus.

Hollywood and his old Boss

Published on by DanLeave a comment

As Hollywood got older and spent his Christmases with his wife, Miss Tillie, sometimes he would go through his old Christmas cards, remembering the memories from that time frame, recalling who sent the card, and where in Wyoming or South Dakota the card came from.

Hollywood had one specific Christmas card that really touched him because his old Boss had written a song and inserted it into the card. He did not exactly know how the song sounded, but he knew the poetry. From time to time, he would remember and apply sage advice from his old Boss.

His old boss, like Hollywood, also had Christmas cards, he did the same thing that Hollywood did. His boss would dig through those old cards and spend time thinking about the men that used to work for him. He would often reach out to those men with little notes of appreciation and of kindness, hoping that they were doing well.

And so, Hollywood would carefully place these cards on the mantle of the fireplace in his little cabin. Miss Tillie and Hollywood would go deep into the pine forests of the Wind River Range and locate the perfect Christmas Tree. They carefully pulled the tree home with her horse, set it into the cabin, and would stand up the tree to stretch out overnight. Then, the next day, they would decorate that tree with ribbons, cookies, and small candles. Miss Tillie was more than a little bit careful not to burn those candles on the tree. They burned their candles on the table because they never wanted to have a problem. But they loved the way the candles look on the tree.

Hollywood had a hand carved star that he had made many years ago that he carefully protected through the year. Early December, each year, that star would come out from a little hiding place in the cabin. During the second week of December, that star would be placed on top of that tree. It would sit there ever so beautifully until the 1st week of January. Then this family treasure would be carefully taken down, wrapped up and tucked away in its secret hiding place. Miss Tillie very much treasured that star.

In addition to the star, they created little mementos each year for the tree. Something fresh and something new to go on their tree to remind them of all the blessings that God had given during the year. Sometimes, when the year went well, they were able to get each other a small gift, but more often than not, they just made something for each other. It was never the size of the gift, rather it was the love and the care that went into building those gifts for each other that was important.  Anyone could walk down to the local store and buy something. The love between them created the memories.

They always had a nice meal; they obtained extra vegetables and spent a little extra time preparing those vegetables — they were just ever so tasty. Hollywood read the Christmas story to Miss Tillie and then they would sing Christmas carols. So then out came his favorite Christmas card on Christmas morning and he would read the poetry that came from his boss. He reads each year —

I was digging through my Christmas cards, from friends near and on the coast.

One card stood out from all the rest, the one I treasured most.

It was a small birch bark card, With a twig of Spruce inside.

Sent by the boss of the Box Elder ranch, where I once worked as a Guide.

The card told me about Grace, God’s mercy given to me.

The card talked about a child, born to hang on a tree.

The card told me about God’s love, eternal life for me.

The card talked about Jesus, born to hang on a tree.

The words are running through my mind, like a gentle sweet refrain.

May you climb back in the saddle when the grass grows green again.

May you climb into God’s arms, when the grass grows green again.

May you see his face smiling at you, when the grass grows green again.

And then when it got to be New Year’s Eve, Hollywood would remember his mother because she always liked to sweep out the old and bring the new in on that evening. And so, Hollywood would continue that tradition, he would think about his mother’s songs, remember all the things that she taught him, and he would think about the one true living God he serves now. Hollywood was very aware that he would have never known about the one true living God had it not been for his mother and Miss Tillie.

Finally, they always would thank God for all the children that Miss Tillie had taught in the classrooms over the years. Hollywood and Miss Tillie knew that they had had a good life; they had been helped by many people; and they had been able to help others. And with that, they went to bed, rose the next morning, and embraced the new year — it was a very, very good year.

Isaiah 7:14. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.