Thorns

 Thorns

April 8, 2026

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan totorment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

When it comes to dedicating our whole lives to the Lord, we have to consider both our strengths and our weaknesses. When young people are starting out to become disciples, they need to discover their gifts and talents to discern the type of work they need to do for the Lord. When we get older that is less of a concern, but our weaknesses become more apparent.When  we are young, we can usually get by with youthful enthusiasm and bluster, but as we age we lose some of that energy and have to rely on the Lord more, just out of necessity. 

Some of our thorns may also be exposed as we lose our emotional filters that keep us from saying everything that is on our minds. When we get to be a crotchety old man, it takes too much energy to restrain ourselves and we just say whatever comes to mind! Everyone has ‘that uncle” that you resist inviting to Thanksgiving dinner because you are afraid of what he might say. It is the true saints of God that become sweeter and more compassionate when they age. I remember my mother-in-law who gradually lost her mind to dementia, but never failed to be polite and concerned about other people as long as she was still able to talk.

So the question is, can you say, like Paul, that the power of Christ dwells in you? Is His power perfected in your weakness? Can we agree with Paul that we are content with our weaknesses? That is the acid test of our faith, that we can rely on the Lord more and more our weaknesses and infirmities are exposed. Growing old and continuing to walk in the Holy Spirit is not for the faint of heart! Most of us will never encounter the type of insults, distresses and persecutions that Paul experienced, but nevertheless, we need to be able to say that we are content with our weakness for when we are weak we are strong in the Lord.

Measure My Days

 Measure My Days

March 28, 2026

Psalm 39:4-7 (NKJV) 

4 “LORD, make me to know my end, And what [is] the measure of my days, [That] Imay know how frail I [am.] 5 Indeed, You have made my days [as] handbreadths, And my age [is] as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state [is] but vapor. 

Selah

 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up [riches,] And does not know who will gather them. 7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope [is] in You.

When we are young, we think we are going to live forever. But when we get to the Biblical four score and ten and approach eighty, we begin to contemplate the end and take a measure of our days.

Psalm 90:10 (NKJV) 

The days of our lives [are] seventy years; And if by reason of strength [they are] eightyyears, Yet their boast [is] only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

They say that growing old is not for the faint of heart. Things slow down and aches and pains appear out of nowhere. What once was but a second thought now requires some effort and planning. Even wrapping presents on the floor requires a plan on how you’re going to get up again! So what is our attitude to be as we contemplate our days?

As the psalmist says, “My hope is in You.” The Lord has a plan for our days. When we look back, we see the many marvelous things He has done. So we have faith that there is a purpose and a plan for our remaining days. It would be good to end our days like Moses. When the Lord told him that he was done, he sang a song  (Dt 32-33), blessed the people, and went up on the mountain and died. It would be good to go out with a song on my lips, May it be so. And if you have read this far, may you be blessed with the knowledge of the plan and purpose that the Lord has for your life. For all of your days, even the ones in the closing chapter.

All the Days of My Life

 All the Days of My Life 

May 27, 2025

Psalms 27:4-6 (NASB95) 

4 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of Histent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. 6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Psalms 27:13-14 (NASB95) 

13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD;Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

On this day, seventy six years ago, in a small town in Illinois, Mother Brillhart delivered a baby boy. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, but my prayer is still the same as King David in Psalm 27: “That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life”. I’ve gone a lot of places and done a lot of things in these 76 years, but one thing remains the same, it is a joy to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his presence. There are many times that “I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” None of us know the numer of our days and Proverbs 27 warns us not to boast:

Proverbs 27:1 (NASB95) Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

So wait for the Lord, be strong and have courage, and sing praises the the Lord. That’s all that really matters.

Gray Hair

 Gray Hair

May 16, 2025

Proverbs 16:31 (NASB95) A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 20:29 (NASB95) The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.

Psalms 37:25-26 (NASB95) 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing.

I’ve got a birthday coming up which leads to contemplation about old age. It seems that the older you get, the faster the years go by. My theory is that humans gauge time proportionally. Going from 1 to 2 is a whole lifetime, but going from 75 to 76 is just a small proportion. Anyway, time passes and we all eventually get old, Lord willing. As the proverbs say, getting old is a blessing and the gray hairs are a testament to the trials and triumphs of your long life. Sometimes we tend to complain about the aches and pains that come with growing old and we forget the Blessings. As the psalmist says, growing old gives you a testimony of what God has done for you over many years. To look back and see God’s protection and provision is a Blessing that you can pass on to the younger generation. The wisdom that comes with the gray hair is the ability to remember what God has done and to know what He will do. So we may not have the glory of the strength of the young man, but we have the honor of a gray head and the privilege to testify to the young the faithfulness of God. His mercies endure forever and His faithfulness never ends,

Christian Mourning

Mourning

We’ve had a number of deaths in the family and among friends lately. It has been a difficult time and raises the question “How should a Christian mourn the loss of a loved one?”

Matthew 5:4

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Jesus said the grieving, lamenting, crying and mourning is a part of life. Furthermore, he promises to comfort those who mourn. So when we lose a loved one, it is alright to cry a little and lament their loss. We rightly feel the loss and will miss their presence in our lives. However, for Christians, there is a limit to mourning and when the loved ones knows Jesus, there is also an element of rejoicing. John writes in the Revelation about the ultimate destiny of those who die in the Lord:

Revelation 7:16-17

16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;

17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

So we rejoice that they are in the presence of Jesus and celebrate their life. We remember all that their life has meant to us and we honor their memory. But even so, we are saddened by the loss of their presence in our lives. We miss them.

Having experiences the loss of both parents and all my siblings, I can tell you from experience that the grieving process takes time. The first year is the hardest. When that next birthday, anniversary or holiday comes up, we think about them and wish they were still with us to celebrate the occasion. My sister was a San Francisco Giants fan, and to this day I wonder if she is watching when the game comes on TV. Anyhow. who knows, maybe heaven has a direct line to the MLB network! With God all things are possible!

After a time, normal mourning will subside. We still remember but the memories are not as sharp as the once were. The hard part is when there are painful memories that just won’t go away on their own. If there is unforgiveness between you and the departed one, healing comes hard. It is possible however, to receive healing for relationships, even after one of the parties has departed this world. They can no longer forgive us, of course, but we can still forgive them and also forgive ourselves for our part in the hurtful relationship. Ask a trusted prayer partner for help in this if you  are troubled by unresolved conflicts. It is possible to receive forgiveness and healing and then the true Godly mourning can begin.

I hope this helps somewhat. I recently told on relative whose father had just passed away that the simple answer to grieving is the there is no simple answer! It takes time, and prayer and the support of Godly friends and family. So if you find yourselves in this position of having lost a loved one, reach out to a friend or someone you trust at church and pray it through. Mourning is natural, but is still painful, but God will help you though it. Remember what King David said about it:

Psalms 23:4

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

A final thought on the subject is this. Consider what the writer to the Hebrews said about those that have gone before us:

Hebrews 12:1-3

Jesus, the Example

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Perhaps the best tribute to a lost loved one, is to live a life that honors all that they taught us. We are a living legacy of their life, so do not grow weary and lose heart, but continue to run the race in such a way that honors those that have gone before, but now are watching as a great cloud of witness to cheer us on towards the goal!

Psalm 116- Walk with God

 Psalm 116- Walk with God

Psalms 116:5-9 (NASB95) 

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He savedme. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. 9 I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.

Walking with God. That is a common metaphor in the Bible. As I contemplate Psalm 116 today, walking with God seems to refer to old age in many cases. In this psalm, they use the phrase “rescued… my feet from stumbling”. I can increasingly appreciate that sentiment as I get older. Just walking without falling becomes more of a blessing when it becomes harder to do! Anyway, consider some other scriptures about walking.

Proverbs 10:9 (NASB95) 

He who walks in integrity walkssecurely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

Genesis 17:1 (NASB95)

1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.

1 Kings 8:25 (NASB95)

25 “Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shallnot lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’

Luke 1:6,75 (NASB95) - Zacharias and Elizabeth

6 Theywere both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Abraham, King David and Zacharias all walked with God until they were old. Walking is more associated with old people. Running is for the young. For instance, it is said of my oldest child that she never learned to walk… she just stood up one day and started to run,,, and hasn’t stopped since! (Except when she was in the water, and then she swam fast.) but now, back to our regularly scheduled broadcast…

In scripture, walking with God also implies walking blamelessly and walking in righteousness. The Apostles Paul exported the Colossians to walk in a worthy manner.

Colossians 1:10 (NASB95)

so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledgeof God;

And in his letters to the Corinthians and Galatians, he tells us how to walk blamelessly.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB95)

forwe walk by faith, not by sight--

Galatians5:16 (NASB95)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Walking by faith, in the Spirit is the key. The way to walk in the way that we should go is to constantly have an ear, tuned to the voice of the Spirit, who teaches us and guides our feet in the ways of righteousness. One other thing is key… what we look at.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB95) 

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easilyentangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

To walk straight, we need to have a goal. The Christian walk depends on fixing our eyes on Jesus, and walking directly towards Him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, even into our later years. If we continue in that way, then we can end our days in blessing, just as the psalmist says as he confuse to describe his walk, even to the end of his days.

Psalms 116:12-15 (NASB95) 

12What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? 13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD. 14 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

Amen

Legacy

Legacy

Psalm 1:1-4

How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand in the pathway with sinners,

or sit in the assembly of scoffers!

Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lordʼs commands;

he meditates on his commands day and night.

He is like a tree planted by flowing streams;

it yields its fruit at the proper time,

and its leaves never fall off.

He succeeds in everything he attempts.

Not so with the wicked!

Instead they are like wind-driven chaff.

The NET Bible

It’s been too long since I’ve posted a blog entry, but a cold, rainy day in Texas seems like as good a time as any to start. With a change in seasons, one tends to contemplate the meaning of life. Especially when someone in your sphere of relationships passes away. The big chill swept through Texas yesterday, dropping the temperature 30 degrees, and an equally sudden departure in the last few days led to conversations in our family about legacy.

Consider Psalm 1; "Blessed be the man…" it says in more traditional translations. Since most of our friends and family are christians of one sort or another, we tend to take it for granted that each one will leave a legacy like the man in Psalm 1. He yields fruit in due season and succeeds in everything. He is like an old fruit tree that may be gnarled and droopy, but that has yielded fruit for many years and fed the family faithfully. Even in it’s passing, it’s branches will provide heat for the fireplace, or perhaps even a beautiful peace of cherry wood furniture! If you have a full orchard of fruitful trees, you might tend to take this one for granted.

But then, when suddenly, someone you know passes away suddenly, and you notice that he didn’t follow the Lord faithfully, you observe that his legacy is quite different. His life didn’t look all that different when he was alive, but on his passing, the lawyers and bill collectors expose all of his dirty secrets. Not only did he not leave a monetary legacy to his children, but instead he left a mountain of bills and debt. His fortune was like the wicked in Psalm 1, who’s end is like wind-driven chaff. There is a gust and a cloud of dust, and then everything is gone. There is nothing left but the itch under your collar from the chaff that lodged there. Sadly, this was also the fate of my acquaintance. Everything was blown away in the wind, and the family that was left behind was left with irritations, chaffing (as it were) against one another, arguing about the few remaining positions in the will. So sad.

I am so grateful that my parents and in-laws that have passed on, left a Godly legacy. They didn’t leave a fortune in gold, but they left the world a better place. They provided for those they left behind, and were fondly remembered by all who received their kind help and companionship while they lived. What a blessing… Like a tree planted by the water that bears sweet fruit in proper season.

So what legacy will you leave behind?

Waiting

Waiting and Psalms

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord;And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

Waiting rooms... Beep, beep, beep of medical instruments... Hospital smells... Doctors and nurses are reassuring, but still you wait...

Why is waiting so hard? Even when you have faith in God and confidence in the doctors, still waiting is hard. What if something goes wrong? What if it really hurts?  What if... what ifs are never good for your confidence, but hard to avoid none the less.

We used to sing Psalm 27 in the early days in the church. Of course then, we didn't really know much about waiting and patience. Forty years later we've had a lot more experience at waiting, but it is still not easy. And patience... that is the virtue that you don't want to ask for, because the Lord might answer your prayer!  Psalm 40 promises that the Lord will hear our prayer if we wait patiently, but what if we wait impatiently? (That is actually my wife's contribution as she was waiting for the anesthesiologist to put her under for surgery) That's actually a good question though. I think it is possible to waste our suffering by being impatient, by grumbling and complaining, and worst of all, by becoming bitter. Hebrews 12:15 tells us be be careful that no root of bitterness take hold because that can cause all sorts of problems.

To me, the sign of a true believer, when they get older, is how they respond to the inevitable difficulties of life. We all know those older saints who react to every problem with a smile and a prayer and always seek to encourage those around them, even when they are in pain. On the other hand, we also know too many older people who have grown bitter and resentful. They are a sad case and you can never do enough for them; they are never happy. Lord help me to age with grace and humility and protect me from that root of bitterness. I have heard it said that bitterness can not only ruin your attitude, but can actually cause diseases such as arthritis.

So waiting patiently seems to be a really good thing, and is something that is worthwhile mastering. We don't like the process, but the end results are worth the wait. So Lord, help me to wait patiently, and to be an encourager to those in pain, and a support to those in need. Help me to appreciate, on this Good Friday, the suffering and pain that you endured on the cross for us, and help us to be a comfort to those suffering around us