Little Things

Over the past couple weeks I've been trying to get back into the routine of walking each day for exercise.  Actually, it's kind of a stretch for me to use the phrase, "back into the routine" as it’s been about eight years since I last walked routinely.  So it’s more like, I’m beginning to walk - just taking baby steps at first.  To my wife's surprise I was able to begin with a mile each morning.  For a guy my size, age, and serious knee issues that’s not too shabby, or at least that’s what I told myself the first day.  This week I've been stretching it out a bit more and who knows, I may actually start getting in a serious workout before the summer is over.   I knew I had to start out "little" or else I would probably be setting myself up for a big failure – heart failure more than likely.

About the only safe area away from traffic in my neck of the woods is the expansive Oak Hill Cemetery which sprawls across a hillside area of Oneonta and creeps right up to our property line out back.  I merely have to head out in the direction of the dead and then walk until my legs give out.  Fortunately, the cemetery has lots of paved roads running through it, so there’s plenty of opportunity to walk unimpeded.  I love to get out early, just as the sun is clearing the hillside and the fog is beginning to lift from the ground.  It makes for such a serene stroll even though I still consider it to be exercise. 

As I started making this trek each morning I began to look at the names on the headstones to see how many are connected to those I know living now in our community.  Most are familiar family names, but a few must have died out over the years or were transients, as I don’t know of any Donahoos or Falterlys around here.   

Speaking of little things, while looking at these gravestone markers I was reminded of a bluegrass song about the smallest thing engraved on each of them, that little dash - or The Line in Between Big Dave Evans sings about.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEdUsWUE7-E

As you know, that dash represents the entirety of a person’s lifespan.  The “born” date and the “died” date and that little dash in between, "the line in between is about all we have left, from the time we're born we'll answer with death."  All of us, both big and tall, small and petite - the important ones and the ones considered to be insignificant, we'll all answer with death at some point, in some way.  When it happens that little, almost unnoticeable dash will be all that's left behind to tell the story of who we were.

Or will it be?

The other morning, after a big storm had blown through the night before, I stopped my so-called exercise program long enough to pick up some of the many wind-blown bunches of artificial flowers and tried to match them back up with the graveside vases they belonged.  For whatever reason it seemed important for me to do, even though I could have easily justified ignoring them.  I figured someone had taken the time and effort to place the flowers on the grave of their beloved and it just didn't seem right they were now scattered across the ground and roadways to be driven over or tossed away.  It was just a little thing, but to me it was important!

Recently I was at a fundraising event for a non-profit organization ( K.A.R.M. - http://karm.org/ ) which I've been a part of for about 12 years now.  It’s located where I call “back home” or about four hours away from my home today.  I love going back to serve alongside the many friends I have in this organization.   Years ago when I first felt the need to serve others I tried to get in as a volunteer around the holidays, you know the times when you hear so much about all the help their type of program provides the needy.  Disappointingly, my offer to volunteer to help feed the homeless a Thanksgiving meal was rejected, as I was told they already had plenty of help.  Instead of getting angry or bitter toward the organization and taking my offer elsewhere I decided to take a different approach.  I waited until after the holidays and once again volunteered to help. Bingo! I was told they needed help in the Men's Check-in area at night. The duties as explained over the phone sounded pretty simple, so I said; that sounds great I'll be there tonight!  Great, that was until my feet actually hit the second floor of the main building and found there were about 300-350 men staying there every night.    This was a much bigger program than I anticipated, and it turned out to be a bit more work as well, but I loved every minute of it!  As time went forward I volunteered in may other areas of their organization as well, anywhere needed and especially with the little things. 

Interestingly enough, there are no qualifications or standards the guests have to meet before they can spend the night, or eat a meal. No fighting or loud cussing, and absolutely no drugs or alcohol in the building but other than that, it's a, come on in if you have a need type of environment.  I really liked that back then, and still today consider it to be the main reason I love to help them serve.  It reminds me of all the things Jesus taught and did.  

During this most recent fundraiser I unexpectedly was asked to do an interview with one of the TV crews covering the event.  Me of all people, go figure!   The reporter seemed like a really nice guy and I enjoyed talking with him for about a half hour or so as he followed me around as I went about my duties.  He was particularly interested in knowing why a person like me would be willing to drive an eight hour round trip to come serve in a capacity many would see as being insignificant, the parking volunteers coordinator. I thought to myself, have you ever noticed how sometimes what seems crazy to others, may actually hold a significant importance to the person doing it.  Side-note: Coordinating a team of volunteers to park 5,000-6,000 cars in a span of about an hour and a half without incident is anything but insignificant in my opinion.

My answer to his questions as to why K.A.R.M. and why do I choose to continue to volunteer to help even though I live in a different state now was the one thing I wanted to insure got into his report, but somehow it was left out.    My response was both truthful and complete as I told him; early on what I learned about K.A.R.M. was, it's an organization built on the principle of people willing to serve others, coming together to do little things that make a huge difference in someone’s life.  There are no superstars in this ministry, just a bunch of normal people like me and you, doing all these little things every day that has made a big impact in the community, and especially in the lives of those in need.

You can see the interview here if you like.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=733836459990925

I suspect you, like I have met many people over the years with really big visions of having large ministries or missions throughout the world.  Their visions and insights as to the impact they will have is both impressive and greater than many of us think possible.   I love listening to BIG dreams, don’t you?  It causes a stirring inside me when I hear someone talking about the huge impact they will have in some area of society.  But, what I've learned over the years is this; not everyone is made for, or gifted to be a part of a large ministry.  It’s my belief that some of us are actually called simply to do little things, but do them in a way, and do them often enough that it has a big impact in the lives of others.  Yet, most certainly do them without expecting anything in return!  I hate the phrase, "paying it forward" as if someday, someone will do something nice for us and we'll somehow feel as if we have earned their kindness already.  YUK!  The concept of Paying it forward has no place in the Christian mindset and I believe we need to stop teaching it! Whew, I got a little off track there for a minute, now where was I?   Oh yeah.....

Little things, such as giving someone a place to sleep at night, a hot meal when they need it, or it may be something small like mowing someone’s yard or baking a neighbor a cake.  Even a smile, a prayer, a handshake, or my very favorite - a good old fashion up-in-your-space hug can be a little thing that provides a large amount of joy in a person's life.  There are so many little things we can do every day that has the potential to make a big difference, if only we make the smallest of effort.

That dash, or line in between I was referring to earlier doesn't have to be the only thing that represents our lives after we’re gone.  We can be remembered for all the small things we did for others without ever expecting anything in return.  Jesus told about a man that did exactly that for a dude battered and lying in a ditch whom his own people had walked by and ignored.  This Good Samaritan fellow went the extra mile in every sense of the way to help a stranger that under normal circumstances would have despised him simply because of his nationality.  He even went as far as to return a week later to see if he needed to pay the innkeeper more money for any additional cost incurred by the wounded stranger.  That was an amazing story of servant-hood for that region, in those times, for those people.  Sadly enough, I suspect it still could be seen by many today as going a bit too far to help someone of a different skin color, nationality, or religious beliefs, etc. I firmly believe Jesus told that parable for us today just as much as he told it to those listening to his voice some 2000 years ago.

Later He said; what you do for the least of these, you also have done for me.  I believe that's a calling for each and every one of us to minister to the needs of those less fortunate!

Little things sometimes add up to big things when they’re done in love - when their done without strings attached.  I love doing little things whether they’re four hours away, or right here in the cemetery behind our house, because I know it’s something He has called me to do, and more importantly He is expecting me to do. The little things most certainly do matter, especially in a world where too many people look out for Ol' Number One far too often!  doug

Notice that little dash in the sign below - it's seems pretty big if you ask me!

    

It Ain't the Shoes

About a hundred years ago, when I was a mere 13 year old lad, I had a friend named Charles Ray who had a part-time job cleaning Christenberry Junior High School during the summer months.   Charles was pretty cool about letting me and some friends come in and shoot hoops in the gym while he was working.   He wouldn’t let us get on the gym floor with shoes, but we were allowed to play in our socks or bare feet.  On one of the trips through the side door of the boys locker room I spotted a pair of used, black canvas, Converse All-Star, Chuck Taylor signature tennis shoes in a pile of left over stuff that he had cleaned out of the lockers.   There were all kinds of sweaty, nasty, stinky things in the pile, mostly stuff I wouldn’t have touched no matter what, but those black Chuck Taylors I grabbed up immediately and looked them over.  They were at least two sizes too small for me, but when Charles said I could have them if I wanted, I didn’t hesitate for a second.

Up until that point in my life the only tennis shoes I had ever owned either came from Kmart or from the Dollar Store, the kind other kids called “buds”, or “buddies.”    I never understood why they were called that, but trust me I heard it a lot throughout my school days.   So to me, this pair of nearly worn out, way too small, black Converse were a big step up from the “buddies” I had been sporting around in for years.   I gladly squeezed my feet into them every day for what seemed like forever.   I remember heading back to school in the fall and being scared to death that some kid was going to come up and demand his old shoes back or would threaten to punch my lights out.   I just knew it was going to happen, and there would be a huge crowd of kids around when it did.   I would forever be known as the “buddies” guy that got caught stealing a used pair of real tennis shoes and had to walk home from school barefooted.   I made up, and rehearsed several versions of truths and fiction as to how I came about wearing somebody’s missing shoes, just in case.  Fortunately for me, the boy must have moved up to high school the next year or his family moved away over the summer, or something because I was never confronted with that scenario.    Whew……thank you Jesus!

I wore those shoes until they literally fell apart, and when I say; “literally fell apart” there’s not an ounce of exaggeration in it.   I remember using several rolls of black electrical tape over the next year trying to hold the soles and the canvas together.  I can recall even today the distinctive squeaking sound the tape and separated parts of the shoes made when I walked the hallowed hallways of CJHS.  I did everything I could to keep the noise down, so as to prevent other kids and teachers from looking down at my shoes.  Eventually, when the tape would wear out it looked like the back of my shoes had a big mouth flapping open then closed as I walked.  I was laughed at over and over for those shoes as time went on, but despite the ridicule it was still more acceptable to me than hearing all the cracks about wearing “buds.”  Now that I look back at the situation, it’s so sad I thought that way. 

So what dredged all that up from such a distant past?

I started a walking routine this week to help with my weight loss efforts, but before I could get started I had to buy a pair of shoes suitable for walking.   I ended up buying a pair of black Nikes for less than fifty bucks.   They were the cheapest pair available at the only sporting goods store in Oneonta.   Apparently black tennis shoes aren’t a big seller for the summer months, so they reduce the price so old farts like me would be enticed into buying them.   Truthfully, I’ve liked black tennis shoes since I saw Larry Bird wear them back in the day.  Somehow they made him look really slow, right up to the time he would blow by the defenders and stuffed it in their face.   Then, I guess he no longer appeared so slow to them.  It was the shoes that fooled them! 

No self-respecting kid today would ever dream of wearing a pair of worn out, torn up, too small, black Chuck Taylors, much less ever imagine that somehow they could make them feel better about themselves - but back in 1971 they did exactly that for me.    I suspect nowadays if a pair of tennis shoes cost less than $160 they’re probably the ones the kids consider to be whatever the term for “buddies” is today.  

My son fell in love with Air Jordan tennis shoes when they first came out, but I never could afford to buy them for him.  Well, actually the real truth is, I never could convince myself spending that much on a pair of tennis shoes he would out grow in a year made any sense.  I think his grandparents bought him a pair once, and then his next pair came after he began working a part time job while in high school.   Do you remember all the commercials in the 90’s where Spike Lee, dressed up as a four-eyed nerd, kept telling us why Michael Jordan had such mad basketball skills; “It’s got to be the shoes”?   Looking back on that time now, my son was a much happier kid wearing those shoes versus the off brands I always bought him.  If I could do things over again, I think I would keep him in the nicest pair of Air Jordan’s I could afford every year.  More importantly, I would lead him to Christ, instead of away from Him.

I suspect we all have things in our lives that somehow increases our self-esteem.  Whether it’s our car, our house, our job, our standing in the community, our country club membership, our church, our clothing, the “likes” we get on Facebook, or just possibly it’s the shoes… Some things never seem to radically change across the spans of time.   In every culture throughout history, mankind has looked toward something outside ourselves to make up for what we believe is missing, shoes or otherwise.

I was recently thinking about my old friend Paul from Tarsus, and how by today’s standards some people believe the Apostle had very low self-esteem.  I personally always thought the opposite was true, yet when you read his words you can kind of see both points of view:  For instance in Romans 7:18 he writes - I know that in me (which is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing. In Ephesians 3:8 he goes on to say - I, who am less than the least of all saints, yet graced that I be allowed to preach to the Gentiles the great riches found only in Christ; and then again in 1Corinthians 15:9 he writes - For I am the least of the apostles, not deserving to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Here’s the one I like best though; 1Timothy 1:15 - For here is a trustworthy saying, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Other times he was very self-critical of his ability to preach and to get his message across in person.  He apologized for what appeared to be his trembling and stammering in front of a congregation.   He also seemed to readily accept and maybe even embraced the notion that somehow he was deserving of his imprisonments.  Low self-esteem, possibly?  That may explain why he wrote so boldly to the churches when he was away from them.   He may have seen it easier to sell the notion of authority in his message through writings rather than deliver it in person where he would possibly face direct challenges from the hearers.  

Yet, in 2nd Corinthians 3:4-5 he writes “And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”   And in Philippians 4:13 he wrote; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”   Then in Acts 20:24 he sets it all straight by making this point:  “But I don't place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I'm running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus-the mission of testifying to the Good News of God's kindness.”

For me, here is the defining scripture about Paul’s recognition of who he was, and what true value his life had.       Philippians 3:8 - Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

I totally agree with Paul’s teachings; when we try to find self-worth, (or self-esteem as some might call it), in anything other than our service to our Maker, whether it be in a worn out pair of Chuck Taylors, or a slick looking Mercedes Benz convertible (which I would love to own) it’s all very superficial, or garbage as he plainly states.  It may fool others, and may even fool ourselves for a short time, but in the end it won’t last long and we’ll begin to look elsewhere for what we believe is missing in our lives.   My advice to you, and to myself is this; when we get to a point in our lives we’re searching for our own self-worth, we need only to run to Jesus as hard and as fast as our taped up shoes will carry us. 

As Peter so eloquently put it in response to Jesus’ question; ”Master, where would we go, only you have words that give life!”   We must come to the same understanding – we are nothing without Christ.  The gospel of Jesus isn’t about getting a pair of free tennis shoes (or anything else man-made) to make us feel better about ourselves – NO, it offers us Him, and through Him we can have LIFE, true life.

Who knows, there may even be people in Heaven wearing “buddies” and if there are, I’m pretty sure no one is making fun of them.  doug

My Kingdom for a widow’s mite!

I know this; it is me, myself, and I that puts God in a situation where he must discipline me from time to time and I have no one to blame for the consequences of my rebellion and disobedience.  Unlike Eve, I’m not pointing a finger of blame at my spouse or at that sly ol serpent – NOPE, it’s nobody’s fault but my own -each and every time.  

What I’m “fixing” to tell you can easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted, but let me plainly say, I am not advocating anyone do things the way I do things.  I’m just trying to share something I’ve learned about myself and where I am in my personal relationship with Christ. So don’t take this as me saying, you should do like I do, because that’s not what I’m communicating here, whatsoever.

As some of you know, before I started up my two businesses I had concluded that for the rest of my life I was no longer going to live by the 10% tithe rule.  I felt it no longer applied to my life, and I just couldn’t believe that it reflected what the Holy Spirit was calling me to do.  I started really paying attention to the true lesson from the story Jesus told about the widow woman putting her two measly coins in the temple's offering plate. He explained how much more it was considered to be, because she didn't give out of her abundance, as others had done, yet rather from her heart.   I thought if the Warren Buffets and the Bill Gates of the world could vow to give 50% of their wealth away to help others then certainly I should be willing to do the same.   Why should I only give 10% when I have the potential to give so much more to do God’s work?

Now I admit, that would've made a lot more sense if I had been rich at the time.  That revelation per se` came at a time when I had been unemployed for 9 months and was drawing about $249 per week in unemployment benefits.   Not exactly the breeding ground for benevolence, wouldn't you agree?    But, I knew that I knew that I knew this was what God was calling me to do.  Dale on the other hand just kinda ignored my craziness since it seemed harmless at the time because we had NO MONEY to begin with.  I suspect she realized at that point she had married a certifiable nut job, but she has stuck with me anyway.  She did agree, it was God’s money to begin with, and not merely ours to do as we please with it.

Soon afterwards I opened my investigation business and things began to take off.  A year later I started up a second company, a bail bonding business and things really began to hop, as they say.   This was 2009 / 2010 and even though our economy was still very much in ruins, now all of a sudden that 50% thing was starting to involve REAL money.  I guess it’s one thing to let go of $50 to $200 occasionally, but forking over $500 to $2,000 at a time - that’s when things can get a bit testy in how committed we are to something.   I can honestly say through the good weeks and bad for nearly five years now, we’ve held firm to our mark at the 50% line, and because of it today our bank accounts are still very unimpressive and our lifestyle is pretty much lackluster. Not exactly the formula many use to judge success by I suppose.

Again let me state, I’m in no way advocating anyone use this as their benchmark for their own finances, it’s merely our story.  This I truly believe though; if our desire to obtain prosperity is for any reason other than to share it unselfishly with others, then our gospel is fundamentally wrong.

One Sunday morning not long after I began my business I made the decision to bond a guy out that I believed was a bit higher risk that what I was comfortable bonding.  It scared me to some degree because of what effect the potential loss would have on us, but for whatever reason I believed it was the right decision at the time.   It was a fairly large bond, so my fee was fairly large as well. As I was leaving the jail and trying to make it to church on time the thought came sweeping into my mind that I was simply going to give ALL the money I had just made to God and ask that he protects me from any loss with this bond.  That’s exactly what I did.  I put every single $100 bill in the offering plate, and it gave me a huge sense of relief.  I knew I was still responsible for the bond, but from that moment on I never worried about it again.  

Soon that took on the role as a covenant between God and me.   Whatever cash I had on me when the offering was taken up on Sunday, I gave.  Regardless if it was at our home church or one we were visiting for the first time - all our cash, every time.   A pretty simple plan to follow, huh?  

We kept giving, and God kept providing, just as His word promises. Over and over it happened – we’ve never missed a meal and have never been late paying a bill.  As the old saying goes, He out gives us time and time again.  Giving 50% of our income away including the Sunday morning cash has literally changed our lives in a very positive way.  It has given us financial freedom that I don’t believe we would have found any other way.  Dale has always been very conservative financially and I’ve always been far too liberal and through this we’ve both been able to grow quite a bit in the area of finances.  NO were not rich, YES, we still have bills to pay, and NO we don’t loan people money (so don’t even ask) LOL.  What we do, do is invest in people’s life where and when the Holy Spirit leads.  

Back to the cash deal; there have been weeks where we’ve given $3 and some weeks it was in the thousands.  Again, it sounds crazy, but it gives me such a sense of relief not to hang onto that cash on Sunday mornings.   Last year this covenant was tested pretty severely as Dale was forced to finally quit work altogether, thus further reducing her income to about half of what it was when we first met.  The state of Alabama decided they wanted an even bigger piece of the bail bonding pie and invoked additional fees and taxes.  In turn the number of bonds available to companies like mine was drastically cut and by the end of the year I had only made about a third of the revenue from bonding as I had just two years earlier.   Things got really tight as you can imagine.   

If you’re a business person you know the hard truth in the fact that regardless how much money comes in each month, there’s always a certain amount of expenses you have to cover to stay afloat - and stay afloat is about all we did the last six months of 2013.  Crazy as it sounds we still gave away 50% of what we took in, but unlike prior years the amount of cash, used cars, groceries, clothing, and number of months we paid utility bills for others became less and less.  As I learned early on in school, 50% of nothing is still nothing.  Fortunately, God gave us more than nothing last year!  He continued to provide our needs, and we continued to help others with theirs. 

2014 started out with a drastically different trend.  From New Year’s Day right up through the end of April my bail bonding business was rocking and a rolling once again.  I did as many bonds in the first 4 months of this year as I had done in the last 7 months of 2013.  What a relief it was!  Financial accountability naturally comes with a certain amount of stress regardless whether you “worry” about it or not, so to be able to have a little breathing room was a welcomed change.   

Then I did the unthinkable, I broke my covenant with God.  Even though I had not done it during any of the tough times we had seen over the past four years, for whatever reason on the last Sunday of April I did.    That day I had a pretty good amount of cash in my pocket when I got to church and I purposefully and willfully refused to give it to God because I decided I wanted to do something else with it. Seems harmless on the surface doesn't it? After all, we were still giving away 50% of everything I make, why can’t I, for once just keep this little bit of cash for something I wanted to do with it?    

What harm could that do, I thought to myself; I’ll get back on track next week and everything will be fine.  Things are going well.  I’m doing plenty of bonds. He’ll bless me with a another good week and I’ll do what I've done for four years now and everything will be fine – God doesn't care, He’s got plenty of money anyways.

"Not so fast" was the answer that came back - the month of May was the worst month I've had in business in five years.   I would’ve saved money by staying home in bed every day.  It was a financial disaster!  To go from boom to bust overnight really put things back into perspective for me.   There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think back to that Sunday morning I broke the covenant I had made with God.  If only I had not done that.  If only I had done like I had done so many Sunday’s before – good weeks and bad.  I had never once held on to what wasn't mine, but now I had.  

Regardless what anyone else thinks or whatever their interpretation of scriptures is, I know for a fact what I did was wrong for me in my situation, and the consequences were very real. 

Last Saturday morning I was drinking a cup of coffee at the beginning of the day and I thought about this whole situation again.  I told myself I would never again hold back from God what I had promised to give Him.  That very day He blessed me with a couple of bonds and all of a sudden I had quite a bit of cash in my pocket.  This next thing, I really wish I didn't have to admit, but that very same night I thought; man, I've got to get this money in the bank first thing Monday morning before our bills come due.   I decided I would put some of it in the offering (about 10% in tithes for that week) and everything else would go to paying bills, since we've been so short for a whole month now.  I couldn't even keep it together for a full day!  Yuk, I'm so easily led astray sometimes!   I hate that!   

About 4am last Sunday morning the Holy Spirit woke me up and said; put ALL of the money in the offering, just as you had promised to do.  I even envisioned myself placing the money in the envelope and putting it in the box at church.  It was so real, so unmistakable.  So, last Sunday I did just that, and then for the first time I confessed to Dale what I had done a month ago and what I had just done that morning.  As always, she was supportive and encouraged me, what a blessing her patience with me is.

I really wish I had one of those feel-good endings for this journal entry, that I could tell you how God has blessed me with a huge pile of money this week, but that would not be true.  It’s been a good week, but not one of those really good weeks we've had in the past.  Nevertheless, its been one in which I know He has provided everything we've received and needed.  God has certainly blessed us again and again as He always has, and I can say once again; we haven’t missed a meal or a bill.  I'll continue to keep my head down, work hard, listen to the Holy Spirit and give God the praise and the glory for all that He is doing!

Here's the lesson in all of this:  Making a covenant with God in any area of our lives is a very serious commitment.  Whether its with our finances, time, talent, giving up an addiction, or whatever it might be - we must take it very serious, God does! Now, I’m not talking about one of those early-morning, porcelain-hugging hang overs where you promise God if he’ll just stop the puking you will never drink again, or at least not until the weekend.  

No, I’m talking about making a real commitment to Him in an area of our lives where we know for a fact He is either calling us out of something old or calling us into something new.  One of those life-changing commitments that we know in our spirit you and God are in agreement.   I found out, when you break that type of covenant, as I did, regardless the reason you use as justification, there’s consequences to follow, and you have no one to blame but yourself.  As with the widow’s mites, just as it was with why Cain killed Abel, it’s never ever been about the amount you give, or really even about what it is giving - yet rather, its always been about what’s in the heart of the giver!   doug

The Litmus Test of Life

Have you ever noticed how many qualifying standards we’re required to meet these days, even for some of the simplest of situations?  Everything seems to have turned into one continuous replay of that gigantic day of nerves as a sixteen year old when mom or dad took us down to the DMV to obtain our very first driver’s license.

I was thinking about that recently while trying to get qualified to obtain my state license as an investigator. This is the first year Alabama has required that process and I wasn’t made aware of the deadline to get it done until about four days before the cutoff date to get grandfathered in as a long standing professional.  Trust me, four days isn’t nearly enough time to jump all the hurdles the state licensing board requires, and still get everything down to Montgomery in time.  So the $350 process became a $400 process with added overnight shipping.   

That $400 pales in comparison to the alternative cost of $1,300 for a six month, college level course, the technical training books (about $500 worth), and the added expense to take the test itself.  Not to mention I would have been required to shut down my business for at least seven months until all of that was taken care of.  So I was really left with a very keen sense of urgency to get this done within the four days I had before me.   As some of you know, my efforts to do so were successful as I became one of the very first to be called a Certified, Licensed, Private Investigator in the State of Alabama.   That title and $3.57 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks - a small cup, that is. 

Yet, there seems to be so many other less dramatic occurrences these days where we have to jump through man-made hoops to get qualified for whatever it may be.  To obtain a debit card for instance, to get a home mortgage loan at a decent interest rate, to get a job, or to run for public office.  DNA testing, paternity testing, IQ testing, personality type testing, background checks, job skills testing, etc, etc, it’s a never ending number of tests we place on each other.  Kids in school think that once they get into the real world those darn test days will be behind them - we both know they have a rude awakening coming for sure. Speaking of school, I was talking with the parent of a high school graduate recently that said she was; "worn completely out" as it had taken her and her son his entire senior year to complete all the qualifying processes to get available funds, grants, loans and financing just so he could begin his freshman year of college this fall.  

Litmus tests have become a daily process for humans, as we're now required to prove ourselves over and over again to each other, to the world.  Why?  Because no longer is our “word” considered to be above reproach, and our handshake no longer signifies true commitment.  We require a lot more than that these days before we can even begin to let down our guards and trust each other.  

As example, there are churches today that have made it as difficult to become a member, as it is to become a "made" man in the mob, or some other so-called secret society.  If only our church membership had as much significance as maybe it should.  Take being a member of a Christian church in the shadows of communist China in the 1970s where if it were found out, you would viciously be put to death - just as it is in many less-civilized countries even today.  Persecution for being a believer is still very much real in so many parts of the world today, but here in American, being a “Christian or a church member carries with it as much danger as belonging to a monthly on-line book club.

Litmus tests - we must prove our worthiness and level of commitment to everybody for everything, some justifiably so and some, maybe not so much in my opinion.

We often hear all the things that we must do, or become, to be considered a true Christian these days.  You've even read quite a few of those things here on this blog over the past few months. That is until God convicted me of the judgmental spirit I had allowed to twist my way of seeing things. [For those that aren't on social media such as Facebook or Twitter], about a month ago I confessed this sin and asked for forgiveness from those I had offended by my harsh and wrongful words toward other believers.  If you didn't see that, then let me ask the same of you today.  Please forgive me and pray for me in that area, as I’m certainly praying about it myself.   Thank you!

So, back to what I was saying; we hear so many ways as to how we must act, what we are to say, where we are to go, how we should spend our time, who we should hang out with, and especially how we should think, if we really want to pass the litmus test of Christianity.   Much of what we hear in this area comes from people with good intentions, but nevertheless it’s often with misplaced focus on things that Jesus himself never gave a thought to - or at least it’s not recorded anywhere if He did.

I can’t find where Jesus said many of the things we hear coming from talking heads today, but maybe I’m wrong.  I just think if God was willing to send His only son to live among us, then doesn't it stand to reason if something was ultra-important, just possibly He would have mentioned it at one point or another in 33 years?  Maybe, instead of just wearing WWJD bracelets we should add another one, a WDJSAI  – What Did Jesus Say About It - but that might require some of us to actually have to brush up on our Bible reading skills though, and lord knows we don’t have that kind of (Facebook kind) of time available, now do we?  Oops, there I go again, slipping into the darkness…forgive me!

So what did Jesus, the Lord of all Lords say His litmus test was?  

LOVE –as simple and as complicated as that is!  One word, one lifestyle, and one qualifying test - to be certain we are a true follower of Jesus.  We are known by our LOVE, whether we like it or not - whether we have any or not, whether we feel like loving or not.  This is what we are known for, and will forever be known for - either in a positive light or a negative one. 

We've been taught His true followers will be known by their love, yet He also said; if you love me you'll obey my commandments. That's the evidence He's looking for in our lives.   In other words, don’t just say you love me, rather show me that you do, by loving all others.   That was His big commandment, Love God, and Love others.  That’s it!  So if Jesus said if you love me, obey my commandments, then that's where we should start the very basic of litmus tests of our lives.  

We are known.....

Not by our political affiliation

Not by our stance on gun control

Not by our stance on legalized gambling

Not by our stance on alcohol sales

Not by our church denomination

Not by our race, or nationality

Not by our_______________(fill in the blank)

Those are all just silly things man and RELIGION tests us on, and forces us to become known by – not God’s test.  Rather, we are to be known by our LOVE according to God himself.  That alone should push it to the top of our priority list, don’t you agree?  The LOVE test should be the one test we need to make sure we pass.  It's not the kind of test you can stay up and cram for the night before Finals!

Here’s the key point with all this – Only God / Jesus / Holy Spirit knows whether or not you're passing the test or not, and if you’re interested they’ll share with your spirit as to how you're doing.  NO ONE ELSE KNOWS!!!  So don’t be bothered by their criticism of you, or their judgment over you, but I would suggest we still heed the good advice we’re offered, as it may just help us see areas where we can improve our LOVE score.  

We all have examples of true LOVE in our daily life we can learn from, and receive encouragement from, if only we take the time to LOOK and LISTEN, as we were taught so long ago.

One example of true love I see every day comes from what some of you may think of as being a ridiculous source, but that’s okay.  It comes from my dog, Bubby - a fat, fluffy, bundle of full-blooded Shih-Tzu love.  Bubby loves me like no one on earth has ever loved me.  He has since the very day I got him.  Some of you may already know the story as to how that all came about but in case you don't; A guy wrote me a bad check for $70.  I went to collect.  He didn’t have $70 and was on his way to check in at a drug rehab facility.  He offered me his dog, which he was taking to the animal shelter on his way to rehab that day.  Later I came to learn it wasn’t even his dog, but that’s another story.   

The dog was pitiful looking to say the least.  His hair and eyes were so matted up, it hurt just to look at him. He had the mange, and was covered in fleas.  He had been abused, beaten, neglected, exposed to drugs, left to survive on his own on a fenced in back porch with broken glass everywhere and piles of poop and urine that made me gag.  Why in the world would someone keep a dog if they were going to allow it to suffer like that I thought?  It made me furious to see how he had treated this dog!  The guy needed more than drug rehab in my opinion!  But anyways…

I knew Dale didn't want a dog at the time, as her baby girl Phoebe (the dog she had for 13 years) had just passed away a few months earlier,  Honestly, I just wanted my $70, but I just couldn't let this scraggly but precious animal go to the pound and possibly be destroyed. I figured nobody would want to adopt this mangy dog.  So I took him and put him in the car seat beside me, and told the guy I would be praying he gets the help he needed.  On the way home I gave the dog the name Bubby, and I petted him on the head the whole trip.  He fell in love with his rescuer even before his rescuer fell in love with him.   From that car ride till today some three and a half years later, that dog has never once stopped loving me, wanting my affection, my approval or stopped wanting to be right beside me 24/7.   Wherever I am, he wants to be there also.  He will sit on my desk at the office ten hours a day without moving if I let him.  He would die of heatstroke in the hot days of summer as long as he can stay outside with me as I work around the house. Nowhere else does he want to be but with me.   

When I have to leave him at home for some reason, he gets so dejected he actually stumbles and slumps his way back away from the door.  It literally breaks my heart to see how disappointed he is when this happens.  Dale says the entire time I’m at work or away from the house, he never stops watching and waiting for my return – not even for a second.  He won't eat, drink, or do anything until I get back.  He longs to get on the sofa beside me to wrestle for about five minutes every evening (which is about all either one of us fat boys can take) and it’s like when that is done, everything has been made right in his little doggy world and he’s at peace.   He obeys my every command without hesitation, yet stubbornly disregards most of what Dale tells him to do.  He loves me and no one else, and I know this hurts Dale’s feelings a bit, but there’s nothing she or I can seem to do to make him think or feel otherwise.  He has one love, one focus and it’s me, and for that I am richly blessed!

His love for me is what I see when I try to figure out how I should love.  If only there was a way I could have a Bubby-like love in my heart for my rescuer, Jesus Christ and others. I think I do, I sing that I do, but do I really have that level of love? How can I not? For God loves us so much He sacrificed His own son to die for us. That is the greatest example of love man has ever known!  I long to have that kind of love in my heart, to be that focused, to disregard my own needs and desires to that degree, if only I could.   

Bubby’s love and Jesus, himself are my litmus test examples as to how I should love. Thank you Lord for giving me such a great example of love as this precious little animal, and the sacrifice of your Son! Let me learn to truly LOVE in order that I can pass the real litmus test you created for our lives.