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FEBRUARY 10, 2026-GOD, ARE YOU REALLY CALLING ME? #10 FOCUS ON GOD, NOT YOUR CALL OR ITS BENEFITS

February 10, 2026

Judges 8:22-27 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”

But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)

“Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.

Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

Idolatry! So easy to get into and so difficult to escape! When Gideon’s story begins, his father is the local priest for both Asherah and Baal, with the Asherah pole right next to the Baal altar. God has Gideon tear down both, build a new altar, and offer his father’s seven-year-old bull on the new altar as a burnt offering using the Asherah pole as fuel for the fire. Then Gideon wins a stunning victory when God causes the enemy armies to panic and attack one another. But what’s next?

When offered the chance to become a ruler, Gideon wisely refuses, saying, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!” If Gideon were to stop there, everything would be fine. Gideon is pointing people to the Lord. But Gideon doesn’t stop there. The Israelites have captured a huge quantity of gold. Why not create an ephod, a sacred garment? But why? David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary has this to say about the ephod:

a. Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city: An ephod is a shirt-like garment worn by the priests of Israel (Exodus 28). This was obviously wrong, and it is not immediately apparent why Gideon did this. It is possible he did this to work against the prestige and influence of the tribe of Ephraim. At this time the tabernacle – the center of worship for Israel – was at Shiloh, in the territory of Ephraim. Gideon perhaps set up this rival place of worship to compete against the tribe that troubled him in the battle against Midian.

i. “While this was probably done out of a sense of the religious failure of the people, the effect produced was evil and resulted in deterioration of the character of Gideon himself.” (Morgan)

ii. “He did not set up an idol, but he made an ephod, an imitation of that wonderful vestment worn by the high priest. Perhaps he made it of solid gold, not to be worn, but to be looked at, simply to remind the people of the worship of God, and not to be itself worshipped. But ah, dear friends, you see here that, if we go half an inch beyond what God’s Word warrants we always get into mischief!” (Spurgeon)

b. And all Israel played the harlot with it there: The people of Israel enjoyed this idolatrous worship. The beautiful and expensive ephod became a snare to Gideon, his family, and all Israel.

i. Artistic beauty has a way of impressing us and giving a sense of awe, but it is not necessarily a godly impression or awe. Many times, it can distract our focus from the LORD. In contrast to this ephod, God commanded that His altars be made of unfinished stone (Exodus 20:25), so that no one’s attention was focused on the beauty of the stone carver’s work.

ii. Gideon was remarkably obedient and filled with faith in the extreme moment of battle. The routine of daily living seems to have been a greater test of his character. This is true for many, and the challenges of daily living are more difficult than those of the extreme moment.

iii. “Perhaps it is easier to honour God in some courageous action in the limelight of a time of national emergency than it is to honour Him consistently in the ordinary, everyday life, which requires a different kind of courage.” (Cundall)

Judges 8:29-35 Then Gideon son of Joash returned home. He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives. He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. Gideon died when he was very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer. As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them. Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.

Although Gideon has claimed he will not rule, he immediately sets himself up as a ruler. Gideon’s new-gained wealth allows him to acquire a large harem, fathering seventy sons. And he does rule at least part of Israel for the rest of his life. Sadly, Gideon forgets the Lord who has brought him victory and prosperity. And as soon as Gideon dies, the Israelites return to Baal worship. (“Baal” is a general term meaning “Lord,” so there are many Baals, probably because demons are territorial and therefore take the name Baal ______, as in Baal-berith.

Recently, I was asked what I would do if I were to leave surgery, or even medicine altogether. While I am certain that if God calls me to do something else, I will do it, I love what I do and I love my patients and my interactions with them and their families. But we must always remember that it is God who calls us to do any work and that He can always change our assignments. Our work cannot become so important that we worship it rather than God. Idolatry is seductive and easy to slide into without noticing it.

After winning magnificent victories with God’s help, Gideon does well by pointing people to God but almost immediately stumbles. Never assume that you will not fail at the same place as someone else! We read this story and think, “Oh, I would never do that.” But anything can become an idol. The only safe practice is to remain focused on God, His Will and His Word. Anything else, anything less, and we are immediately in trouble, whether or not we realize it. And when our call becomes more important than anything else, we might make human sacrifices of our friends and family, leaving us isolated, frustrated, and lonely. Beware when you feel compelled to do something for the sake of your call! Is God compelling you, or has your devotion to what you are doing become the force that moves you?

What did God want Gideon to do once he had conquered the Midianites? The answers lie in the Mosaic laws, for God wanted Gideon to worship Him and to encourage others to do so. But Gideon had never fully committed his heart and mind to God, so as soon as the moment of divine inspiration had passed, Gideon immediately created a new idol.

You feel you have a divine call. Well and good. But be very certain that you continue to worship God and keep the eyes of your heart on Him, for you never know when He might change your direction. And remain humble when God gives you victory, realizing that it’s always his doing and not yours. Do these things and you will please God. Fail to do them and you will wind up like Gideon, reverting to idol worship.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You, first, last, and always, remembering that calls are secondary to worshiping You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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FEBRUARY 8 2026-GOD, ARE YOU REALLY CALLING ME? #8 WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN GOD SENDS AWAY MOST OF YOUR HELP?

February 8, 2026

Judges 7:1-8 Gideon Defeats the Midianites

So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.

But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.

The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him.

When Gideon surveys the Valley of Jezreel, the valley is full of enemy troops. Even the 32,000 men Gideon has seems like a small number by comparison. But God isn’t pleased, for if He gives victory to those 32,000 men, they will take all the credit. So God proposes a series of tests. First, God advises Gideon to tell the men, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.” You can practically hear the sighs of relief as 22,000 men immediately take to their heels, heading for home. But 10,000 men are left, and that’s still too many. Next, God orders Gideon to send the men to the spring and observe the manner in which they drink. 300 men scoop water in their hands and stand up to drink while watching for attack while the remaining 9700 kneel by the spring and scoop water. God knows that the 300 men who watch as they drink are seasoned warriors while the rest are careless and therefore liabilities in battle.

Now Gideon is really afraid! 300 men to defeat thousands of enemy soldiers with fancy weapons? How can this possibly work? Tomorrow we will see what a complete victory God gives Gideon, but today our focus is on the difference between our view of a situation and God’s. God has called Gideon. Gideon KNOWS God has called him. But Gideon is still looking at his own resources to save the situation; meanwhile, God is planning another miracle. Too many soldiers might convince the Israelites that they have gotten victory rather than realizing that God is simply using them as His tools. God wants to do something so audacious that NOBODY else can possibly get the credit for success.

This story resonates with me because we have lived it several times over. In February 1992 we came to a small village in northeastern Ghana to look at a clinic where a national church wanted us to work. There were eleven workers, no electricity, a poor water supply, no laboratory, no possibility of doing blood transfusions, and no operating room. I am a surgeon and an OR (Operating theatre) plus blood transfusions are necessary for surgery. But when we got out of the vehicle in the old mission house yard, the Holy Spirit descended like a big warm blanket wrapping around us, and suddenly we KNEW God wanted us to come to that uninviting place.

We returned in January 1993, and when we had been there a year, a small tribal war broke out. Suddenly, we became the only source of medical care for more than 100,000 people. I started the theatre and the laboratory, training several nurses and one physician’s assistant to group and cross match walk-in blood donors. We began doing hospital level work in a small health center building. That first year we performed 192 major operations, sterilizing everything in a large pressure cooker over a coal pot on the verandah. Eventually, God sent us a few more workers, raising our staff count to 22.  But it was God who worked through those 22 workers, for nobody else could take the credit.

Today that small clinic has become a district hospital serving more than 120,000 people and attracting patients from great distances. But God is the only One who can really take credit. The rest of us have just happened to be in the near vicinity.

Perhaps you feel like Gideon. God has set you a daunting task and has then removed much of your help. Don’t worry! Remember that if God calls you, God is responsible for the results, and God can work just as effectively through a few people as He can through many. Trust God and then expect great things!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You no matter what, realizing that all success must come from You in the first place. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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JANUARY 18, 2026 WE ALL NEED COMFORT, BUT HOW DO WE GET IT? #18 GOD CAN EVEN RECONCILE FIGHTING SIBLINGS

January 18, 2026

Genesis 25:1-10 Now Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, and she bore him several children: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah. Jokshan’s two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

Abraham deeded everything he owned to Isaac; however, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off into the east, away from Isaac.

Then Abraham died, at the ripe old age of 175, and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Mach-pelah near Mamre, in the field Abraham had purchased from Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite, where Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was buried.

If you do the math, by the time Sarah dies, Abraham is already 137 years old; however, God blesses him so that he is able to marry again, a lady named Keturah, and father six more sons. After deeding everything to Isaac, Abraham makes generous gifts to these men and sends them eastward so they won’t be tempted to compete with Isaac.

When Abraham dies at age 175, Ishmael is at least 88 and Isaac is 75. Setting any old differences aside, the two men come together to bury Abraham in the cave of Mach-pelah where Sarah is buried. Isaac is the son of promise, inheriting Abraham’s spiritual legacy and much of his wealth. In the past, Abraham has prayed over Ishmael, and God has promised to make Ishmael great. (Genesis 17:20 “I shall cause him to multiply and become a great nation.” And God repeats this promise to Hagar in Genesis 21:18) God does grant Ishmael twelve sons, each of whom becomes the chief of his own tribe. But the most important thing about these few verses is that Abraham’s boys cooperate on his funeral. As carefully as the Bible scribes have been to record every small detail, if Ishmael and Isaac had fought over their father’s funeral, that fight would have been recorded down to the last syllable.

Think about it: Ishmael is the first-born, and under the customs of many tribes, Ishmael should inherit, no matter whether his mother is a concubine or a wife. But God has decreed that Isaac, the son of promise, must inherit from Abraham. In modern parlance, Isaac is the “chosen child.” And Ishmael is a difficult character, far more comfortable hunting in the wilderness than remaining in tents. God blesses Ishmael according to Ishmael’s nature, just as He blesses Isaac.

There are some families where siblings get along well, and then there are other families where sibling rivalries can be vicious. One set of twins spent decades distancing themselves from each other because each thought the other was their father’s favorite. In fact, their father was a good man; however, he had been raised by older siblings when his mother died, and he had never learned how to express affection. When one twin was doing something outstanding, the father would praise that twin to the other. “Look at your brother! Isn’t that great?” Blessedly, God brought timely reconciliation, but years of fellowship were lost because of that wrong belief. And there are parents who truly favor one child over all the others, frequently with disastrous results.

Some families have done well until a parent dies, and it’s time for the estate to be settled. Siblings fighting over stuff may refuse to speak to one another for years. But it’s hard to say “I’m sorry” to a grave. Promising to reconcile “tomorrow” is worthless, for that tomorrow may never come.  

How does God want us to relate to our siblings? How can He bring comfort? Ephesians 4 has a lot to say about getting along with difficult people. Ephesians 4:2-3 tells us, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.” Most of us want to give ourselves a “free pass” to behave badly, stating all kinds of excuses; meanwhile, we rush to judge others severely. When I was a child, my parents used to warn me that when I pointed one finger at someone else, I had three fingers and a thumb pointing back at me, indicating that I was just as at fault as the person whom I was criticizing.

Ephesians 4:26-27 warns us, “If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil.”

It’s true that “unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Ephesians 4:31-32 advises, “Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.”

But what if someone has really hurt you badly, so badly you can scarcely even think about that person? The father of the famous Christian author and teacher, C.S. Lewis, was a selfish and difficult man, insensitive to the needs of both his sons. Once Lewis became a Christian, he had to continue to forgive his father as an act of will, until one day he realized that he had succeeded. Incidentally, this process of forgiveness took years.

Notice something else: Forgiving someone who has hurt you, even loving them, does not mean you have to trust them if they have proven themselves untrustworthy. Unless God specifically orders you to make yourself vulnerable, you are not obligated to expose yourself to further abuse. But there are exceptions. Saint Paul was stoned in Lystra; however, God preserved him, and he later returned to the city to teach new converts. God used Paul to demonstrate His mighty power to the unbelievers at Lystra.

As we consider the miracle of Ishmael and Isaac cooperating to perform their father’s funeral, we should examine ourselves. Have we been harboring grudges against anyone, particularly against any of our siblings? If God brings anyone to mind, ask God to help you and then forgive! Why carry a load of anger around so it can eat into your soul? And there is this about forgiveness: the more you forgive others, the easier it becomes. Remember that God forgives us when we confess our sins. If the Judge of the whole earth can forgive that readily, how can we lesser beings continue to hold grudges?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us are walking wounded, hemorrhaging spiritually from hurts inflicted by family and acquaintances. We confess that we are sinners and that we cannot free ourselves from our own sins, let alone forgive others. Please, Lord, forgive us our sins and grant us the courage and the grace to forgive all those who have hurt us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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DECEMBER 27, 2025 WE ARE ALL FERAL CATS PART 2

December 27, 2025

This morning, I can hear our new kitten crying pitifully as he sits in his litter box in his cage. Gabriel, our kitten, has been drinking the water and eating the food we have given him, but he longs for his mother. We long to comfort Gabriel, to nestle him in our arms, but he still fears us. Were we to try to cuddle him right now, one of us might wind up in the Emergency Room with stitches!

One of the many names of Jesus is “Immanuel” or “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” But why should God order that his Son be called by such a name? God wants all people to know that He is not sitting someplace far away but that He is as close as their heartbeats. But there’s a problem: Just as we struggle to communicate with little Gabriel the kitten, God keeps sending His Word by various means to communicate with people, many of whom aren’t listening or are deafened by the noise of the world around them.

All we want to do is to comfort Gabriel, to make him feel secure, and to demonstrate the depth of our love for him; yet, we struggle to reassure him. If one of us were able to speak “cat” or even to become a cat with the knowledge we have, it would be much easier to comfort Gabriel. We celebrate Christmas because at Christmas, God accomplished what we cannot: He sent Jesus to be born as a baby to a poor family from an obscure village so that He could demonstrate His love and concern through Jesus. Jesus was also born so that he could love, minister, and die as a blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, conquering death, hell, and the grave.

Each time little Gabriel mews pitifully, our hearts break, and we beg God again to help us find some way to comfort him. Now if God is a loving Father, with a great heart of love deeper than anything we can possibly imagine, won’t He have compassion on His suffering children just as we have compassion for our kitten? When we cry, God hears us, even though help doesn’t always come in the form we desire. Again, Isaiah 55:9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, he was struggling to impart everything he possibly could to his disciples while he was still with them. John recorded those conversations. In John 14:7-11, Jesus was trying to reassure his friends.

7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

If Jesus had been a cat speaking to other cats, he would have told them that he was sent by the Creator of all cats to demonstrate that Creator’s love.

Do we think we occupy the place of God with our kitten? Far from it! We are flawed human beings whose race mostly lost the ability to communicate with the animals when sin entered the world. Throughout the world, there are those individuals blessed in their abilities to communicate with animals. But we firmly believe that God can comfort our kitten and we are begging Him to do so. We are begging for Immanuel to comfort little Gabriel, to be “God with Gabriel.”

Please notice something: we should always worship the Creator, not the creature. Someone grieving the loss of their sixteen-year-old cat mentioned on Facebook that they intended to create an altar to the cat. As a shrine to remember the cat, that might be all right; however, to worship a dead cat would be quite wrong, no matter how precious the memories might be.

So once more, we find ourselves resembling feral cats. We want to trust God, but we have bitter memories, and we aren’t really sure if this “Immanuel” business, this “God with us” stuff is real or not. But the good thing about Jesus is that his followers recorded Jesus’ teachings in four different Gospels, each with its own approach, giving us the information we need about Jesus and his Heavenly Father.

If you are new to the Bible, begin by reading the Gospel of John in a format that speaks to you. Personally, I like the New King James version because it preserves the language of the King James without archaic terms. But other versions such as The Message or The Living Bible are equally good. The important thing is to learn about Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are all feral cats. We have been hurt and we don’t trust anybody. Lord, please speak to the hearts of all those reading these words, make Yourself so real to them that they KNOW You are Immanuel, God with them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

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WE ARE ALL FERAL CATS! DECEMBER 26, 2025

December 26, 2025

We have mourned for two months, ever since losing our beloved kitty Mr. Cat. As conscientious and loving cat owners, we have mercilessly beat ourselves up-should we have gotten medical attention earlier? Did he die because we somehow neglected him, even though we thought we were doing everything correctly? It’s no exaggeration to say that the two of us have been reduced to tears on a daily basis.

Christmas morning, one of our friends came holding a small sack. When we asked him what was in the sack, he said, “A cat.” And there was a two-month-old male kitten, grey with dark stripes. We immediately named the cat Gabriel because he came bringing good news at Christmas.

Poor little Gabriel is still in shock. Just a day ago, he was running freely around our friend’s compound. Now we have confined him to a large cage, albeit with food, water, a litter box, and a box he can use as a den to hide in. For now, we are using the cage while we try for him to get used to us. Eventually, we hope he will have the run of the house, as well as the outdoors. We are offering him our fingers and hands to sniff, but we are not forcing ourselves on him.

Will we be able to tame Gabriel so that he will become a purring cuddly kitty? Who knows? Cats are always individuals, and you must respect their personalities. Forcing a cat only injures everyone. But when we picked Gabriel out of the sack, I picked him by the scruff of his neck and set him on my chest, where he promptly curled up without biting or scratching. I am hoping for good things in the future.

When it comes to loving God, we are all like feral cats. We want our freedom, and we aren’t interested in being tamed. We have no idea that God’s nature is love and that He only wants good things for us. Even when God provides everything for us, we are still like poor little Gabriel; we fear that this Great Being may harm us. But there is good news for all of us.

Romans 8:18-23 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”

There is one difference between Gabriel the kitty and us: As humans we have a sin problem. When sin entered the world, God was forced to subject the entire creation to futility because of the sins of mankind. Gabriel is part of the creation that waits for redemption. Gabriel does not need a Savior, but we humans do.

Jesus has promised that one day, he will return, not as a baby but as a conquering king. On that great day, all creation will be released from the consequences of human sin.

Isaiah 11:6-9 tells us, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.”

In that day, none of us will act out of fear, for in that day, there will be no more feral cats. God’s love will unite us all in His Creation as He intended it from the beginning of time, for the knowledge of God and the peace of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

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BURYING BILLY GENE PROCTOR SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

September 29, 2025

They’re burying one of our closest friends today, and we can’t be there. This is the part of missionary life that few people speak about, but it’s one of the toughest. Financial limitations? No problem! Both my husband and I grew up in families where money was a bit scarce. Devoting time to caring for others? Giving up luxury vacations to pay for blood, medicine, and food for patients? Sure, those are challenges, but anybody in any kind of ministry faces similar problems. There are many things we have sacrificed gladly for the sake of God’s calling on our lives. But once in a while, special events come along and remind us that our friends and loved ones are back in America and we are not. Funerals of close friends serve as one of those reminders.

Today as our friends gather at Getwell Church in Southaven, MS, we will be fortunate if we are able to watch the proceedings as they are streamed. But watching something doesn’t make up for being there and hugging people, sharing stories of the loved one, and yes-crying a bit with the family. While those attending the funeral will be treated to a gallery of photos and a video depicting Billy’s long life of 84 years and those whom he blessed during that time, all we will have is memories.

Jesus’ disciple Simon Peter was one of those guys who was forever asking the tough questions. I guess having spent years hauling fish out of the Sea of Galilee and battling those sudden storms left Peter with no patience for temporizing. When Peter had a question, he simply spat it out. And this particular day, Peter was worried.

Matthew tells the story in Matthew 19:16-29A rich young ruler approaches Jesus, asking what he has to do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to follow the Ten Commandments. When the man claims that he’s already doing that, Jesus advises him, “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” The young man gulps hard and leaves dejected because he is very rich and very attached to his belongings. (But wait-there are some traditions that claim this young ruler was Mark, who later wrote one of the Gospels and who traveled with Paul and Barnabas.)

Peter and the other disciples have left their homes and their jobs to follow Jesus. Peter, his brother Andrew, and his friends James and John have walked away from thriving and businesses at Capernaum. All four have left their boats and their relatives to follow Jesus and are faithfully continuing to do so.

Matthew 19:27 Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”

28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Now Peter is asking Jesus what he and the others will get out of the deal. Has this sacrifice all been for nothing? Not only have the disciples given up being with their families but they have also sacrificed sharing special celebrations-birthdays, feast days, weddings, and funerals. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus has crisscrossed the land, leaving the disciples wondering where they will go next. Jesus assures Peter that his followers will receive houses and lands and families, both in this life and in the next. But in the meantime, the disciples find themselves isolated from their families by the call on their lives.

We met Billy Proctor shortly after arriving in Memphis, TN, in late June 1983. I was the new pediatric surgery resident at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Billy and his wife Carla were members at Faith United Methodist Church, a charismatic congregation just over the line in Southaven, MS. Eventually, we joined Faith and became fast friends with Billy and Carla. If you look at photos of Billy during that time, you see a middle-aged guy with a grin that just won’t quit, a grin that draws you in to whatever he has going on. Billy had that grin for his entire life, and I’m sure that the day Billy graduated into heaven, when Jesus reached out his hand to Billy to pull him out of a failing body, Billy grinned more widely than he ever had before.

It’s impossible for me to enumerate all the different ways Billy and Carla have helped us over the years. The Proctors have sheltered us, advised us, encouraged us, and handled our stateside mail for us. Billy has handled our finances, helping invest our Social Security and whatever other monies have come in that have not been used for ministry expenses. Billy has also shared travel tips with us, tips on local restaurants, and some of his other passions.

We have watched the Proctors’ children reach adulthood, marry, and become parents and develop careers of their own. We have rejoiced over births and grieved over untimely deaths. We have cheered for all kinds of successes and admired photos. Our lives and those of the Proctor family have become interwoven.

I am completing this about an hour before the funeral will begin. We can only pray that our internet connection will remain stable, allowing us to watch, even if it’s at a distance of several thousand miles.

The next time you ask a missionary based overseas for their challenges, remember there are many things about which we might be hesitant to share. We don’t want to come off as whiners. But we can only rejoice that some day we will all be in heaven together. As the old Gospel song says, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!”

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MAY 26, 2025 FOLLOWING JESUS IN A POST-ASCENSION WORLD #32 WHEN GOD SENDS YOU, DON’T CONFUSE THE MESSENGER WITH THE MESSAGE!

May 26, 2025

Acts 14:1-7 At Iconium

“Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore, they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel there.

When you are acting for the Kingdom of God, there will always be opposition. And the more effective your ministry, the stronger the opposition. Here, Paul and Barnabas have been preaching and teaching and many people, both Jews and Greeks, have been streaming into the Kingdom of God. But traditional leaders whose commitment to their own power is greater than their commitment to God’s truth are doing everything they can to fight these men. Finally, Paul and Barnabas find themselves on the road again, fleeing to Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region, preaching the gospel as they go.

While Paul and Barnabas are probably thinking only of escaping opposition, God has far bigger plans. For as these preachers are fleeing from one place to another, they are teaching people about Jesus wherever they go, lighting fires of hope in people’s hearts. Psalm 37;23 tells us that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” While Paul and Barnabas might feel they are wandering aimlessly across the countryside, meanwhile, God is moving them into strategically important connections with spiritually hungry people ready to hear the gospel and accept it.

Acts 14:8-18 Idolatry at Lystra

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.”

The people of Lystra have been worshiping fake Grecian gods, even though the myths describe these beings as far from having any purity or holiness. When Paul and Barnabas speak to a man crippled from birth, he leaps up healed and whole. Local people are so thrilled that they can only conclude that their gods have descended and are favoring them. But now Paul and Barnabas have a new set of problems: the temptation to allow themselves to be worshiped as gods. Quite sensibly, Paul and Barnabas refuse, doing everything they can to convince these people that the God of heaven and earth has done this miracle and that they are only His agents.

The temptation to take glory reserved only for God continues to this day. Here in Ghana, it is quite common for those conducting crusades to spread posters portraying the evangelist and the dates of the crusade as widely as possible, advertising healing and deliverance. But without God, these people are nothing, powerless beings who can only mouth platitudes. The question is this: who is doing the healing and who should receive the glory? While God may work through men and women, He alone deserves the praise and the glory. People do get healed in these crusades; however, the healing comes through their faith in God and not because the evangelist has the power to heal. All power must come from the One True Living God. Paul and Barnabas know that God has healed this man in Lystra and they are doing everything they can to avoid being confused with traditional Greek gods. (Study Greek mythology, and you rapidly realize that the Greek gods are far from holy or pure!)

As God’s ambassadors, we must not take credit when all the glory belongs to God. There is a fictitious story about the donkey that carried Jesus on Palm Sunday feeling proud that all the adulation was for him; meanwhile, the donkey was only a means to an end. Like that donkey, we must allow God to use us but remember that He is the only One worthy of praise.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continually point people to You, for You are the Source of light and life while we are only messengers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ALTONA, JUNE 1955

April 6, 2025

“Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; re-clothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence praise.”

It’s June 1955, and I am sitting with my family in our usual spot, 6 rows from the front on the north side of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altona, Illinois. It has been a tough spring for me. After years of fighting horrible bouts of tonsillitis compounded by ear infections and vertigo, I finally weathered a tonsillectomy two months ago. Now my throat has finally healed enough for me to swallow rough food without wincing, and I feel healthy for the first time in years.

Outside, birds are singing in the maple trees that surround our lovely church. Inside, I gaze on the triptych above the altar, one figure of Jesus the good shepherd on the left, Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the right, and Jesus ascending into heaven in the biggest picture of all in the middle. I have no idea how many times I will gaze on those pictures through the years or how much they will come to mean to me. Even now in the stillness of the night, I meditate on those pictures and marvel at the goodness of my Lord. As I sit with my parents, I can hear my mother’s clear soprano reinforced by my dad’s tenor as we enter the second verse.

“In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word rise up and follow thee.”

As I listen to these words, I have no inkling that God will call me into the mission field at age eleven, that I will commit my life to Christ at the age of fifteen, that I will train as a general and pediatric surgeon, or that I will come to northern Ghana, where I will spend the rest of my life. Have I ever regretted saying “Yes” to Jesus? NO! NO! A MILLION TIMES NO! Even if I knew all the suffering I would endure, I would never refuse. Jesus has blessed me beyond measure, and nothing is too much to give up for my Lord.

“O Sabbath rest by Galilee! O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity, interpreted by love!”

My brothers and I feel loved and protected. Today, we will finish church and Sunday School and return home to a scrumptious home-made dinner. We have our own animals butchered and grow most of our own vegetables. My grandparents may join us, in which case, Grandma will bring her delicious butterhorn rolls, fit for the angels. The early strawberries are ready, and we are having strawberry pie for dessert. In the afternoon, my parents will visit and rest while we kids play ball in our large yard. We do not do farm work on Sundays, apart from caring for our animals.  

“Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.”

Our lives are ordered and quiet. Most of our trading is done in small towns no more than seven miles away; otherwise, we only go to town for church and school. We still have the same ancient phone system that was brought in fifty years ago, with the switchboard in Oscar Johnson’s house in Altona. I attend school in the same building from which my dad graduated from high school. Everybody in town knows everybody else, and while this might seem intrusive, we care about one another. A general line ring of four long rings will bring out help for any emergency. Social media is unknown and even movies are an infrequent treat. We spend much of our free time playing games or reading, and we keep a local library busy with our patronage.

“Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still small voice of calm.’”

As we are singing this last verse, my family has no idea that in three short weeks our world will be turned upside down. My father will be severely injured in a near-fatal head-on collision at the Walnut Creek bridge just west of town. Dad’s injuries will be so severe that he will actually have a near-death experience in which he will see his grandparents and great-grandparents in heaven before being called back into his body by my mother’s fervent prayers. Dad will be bed-bound for several weeks and then remain on crutches for several months thereafter. We will get our first TV so Dad has something with which to entertain himself while he’s stuck in bed. The disruption of our lives will eventually convince my parents that my mother should return to school and complete her Bachelor’s degree so that she can teach and help stabilize the family income. We will also abandon our milking operation, retaining only one or two cows to provide milk for my grandparents and us.

I am remembering that Sunday as I return from rounds on the Children’s Ward and the NICU at the Hospital in Saboba. It’s far hotter here than it ever gets in Illinois, even in the depths of August. Rounds have kept me too long for me to make one of the local church services, so I sit here remembering and contemplating those magnificent words penned by the Quaker writer, John Greenleaf Whittier, so long ago. And once more I hear voices of all those church members in Altona, those in the choir and those beloved Sunday School teachers who humbly gave their Sundays to teach wiggly little kids and blaze teen-agers.

Nothing done in love for a child is ever wasted. I’m sure many of my Sunday School teachers went home from church wondering if they had made any impact on the kids they were teaching. The same thing might be said for those teaching vacation Bible school. While I can’t speak for anyone else, I will gladly stand before God and testify that I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by these teachers. Whether or not they realized it, they did find purer lives in the services they rendered. Whether or not these people realized it, they were agents of peace and servants of God. And I stand to bless every one of them. Now in my 77th year, I continue to pray the prayers embodied in these verses, and I say with Mr. Whittier, “Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still small voice of calm.’”

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BEFORE THE BOX STORES RUINED CHRISTMAS

December 14, 2024

Back before the box stores came, small towns were full of small mom-and-pop businesses, the kind of places where you walked in and they already knew what you were likely to need. Those manning these stores were your friends, your neighbors, your fellow church members. You probably were in 4-H or Scouts or some other organization with their kids. Perhaps you rode the same school buses together or perhaps you sang together in the high school chorus or played in band together. Your parents were friends with the proprietors of these stores, having grown up together and graduated from high school together.

Christmastime in these small-town shops was something special. The local grocery stores-all members of the IGA-Independent Grocers Association-would display baking ingredients, nuts, candied fruit, and baking pans and utensils for making what we called “Spritz” cookies. (These are sometimes referred to as Danish butter cookies.) There would be hams studded with cloves at the meat counter. One local grocer in my home town made wonderful Swedish potatiskorv, potato baloney, an important part of our Christmas celebration. That same grocer also carried dried fruit, stick cinnamon, and pearl tapioca for making Swedish fruktsoppa-fruit soup, as well as rennet tablets for setting the curd for ost kaka (Swedish cheesecake.) We milked cows, so Mom always mixed the rennet tablets with milk to make the curd and then drain the liquid off the curd by tying the curd up in cheesecloth and hanging it over the kitchen sink. Of course, we also bought flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, and all the other ingredients for our special Christmas treats.

Next were the five-and-dime stores, where things really did cost 5 and 10 cents. The brightly lit windows of these stores were wondrous. Those were the places where children could shop for small gifts for parents and parents would shop for stocking stuffers for children. For bigger presents, there were the dry goods stores selling clothing for men, women, and children. While many mothers ordered things from Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward, some families bought Christmas clothing locally. In those days when men still wore hats, one men’s clothing store would sell you a small model hat in a small round hatbox. The recipient would then come to the store after Christmas to select his hat. While most of us simply wore our best shoes to church at Christmas, there were those wealthy enough to buy new shoes at the local shoe store, a place of wonder, heavily scented with the intoxicating smell of leather. We were also entranced by the modern convenience of x-raying our feet to see what shoe size we required. Only decades later would we realize that radiation exposure might lead to thyroid cancer.  

Every place of business had some kind of colored lights, even if it was only a single string. The days of elaborate Christmas displays with accompanying music were yet to arrive, but for those of us coming in from the country, the lights were enchanting. The local park would also have lights, and the town fathers would make sure there was some kind of Christmas banner or display hanging from every lamp post in town.

“Hmph!” you exclaim, “so far you haven’t described anything very impressive.” No. I haven’t, and for a good reason. We were much more easily impressed in those days. Television was in its infancy and many families still were without a TV. Our expectations were far more modest, so we were far more easily bedazzled. Our Christmas trees were lovely and divinely scented, whether we cut them ourselves or bought them from the local Jaycees or Scouts or whoever was selling trees that year. And many of those trees might sport hand-made ornaments that we had created at school and lovingly brought home on the bus. Our stashes of presents were smaller, and if we got oranges in our stockings and some chocolates, we were content. But what was important at Christmastime was the love and fellowship we felt wherever we went in town. Years ago, I wrote a Christas song that still applies.

Jesus, I’ve Searched For You Everywhere

Jesus, I’ve searched for You everywhere, and still not a trace do I see.

I’ve been through all the shops buying presents, all the things that I see on T.V.

But Christmas is only a few days away; I’m not ready for it to come now.

There must be a way I can find you, but Jesus, I don’t know how.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

I went to some great Christmas programs, thinking maybe that I’d find You there.
But all the songs were about winter, and there wasn’t so much as a single prayer.

So I listened to carols on radio. It helped; it at least was a start.

But Jesus, I have a big problem: I’ve a God-sized hole in my heart.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

I mingled with Christmas shoppers, thinking maybe I’d find You with them.

All the people were angry and frightened – was it like this at Bethlehem?

They seemed to be fearful their families wouldn’t love them if there weren’t enough

Presents on Christmas morning, so they bought lots of meaningless stuff.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

Jesus, why did you come to us? Were You born just so that You could die?

You say all of our efforts aren’t good enough to make heaven no matter how hard we try?

Jesus, is this then the reason, that you came to free us from sin?

From our hardness of heart and our bitterness, so that we might enter in?

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart. (Repeat chorus)

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

(This Song Copywrited by Jean Young)

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NOVEMBER 29 2024 HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY BE HOLY? #16 IT’S BLACK FRIDAY! I NEED PEACE AND I NEED IT NOW!

November 29, 2024

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

For many shoppers in America, this is the day when they camp out in front of department stores, waiting for the doors to open early so that they can rush in and grab bargains. It’s sort of like a roller derby without roller skates. The stated objective is to buy Christmas presents for friends and loved ones; however, as one comedian observed in her video, shoppers frequently wind up with things for themselves. How can you survive amid such chaos, let alone find peace?

Perhaps you’re not a shopper but someone who has worked on a project for a year, only to discover that the people for whom you have been struggling have chosen to abandon the project without informing you. How can you have peace?

Perhaps you are separated from those you love the most with no way to join them for Thanksgiving or Christmas. How can you have peace?

Perhaps you are facing health challenges that appear to multiply with each passing day. How can you have peace?

Perhaps you are not joining Christmas shoppers because you have lost your job or are facing other financial challenges that mean Christmas will be very modest this year. How can you have peace?

The good news is that true peace from God, “fruit of the Holy Spirit peace,” doesn’t depend on circumstances, health, finances, or anything else. Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (New King James Version) The Message version says, “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.”

Only God can give the peace of the Holy Spirit, and that’s great news because God isn’t worried about Christmas shopping or bills or health issues or any of the other things that worry us. The Creator of the Universe spoke the stars into existence, and He is all powerful, powerful enough to remove our fears and anxieties.

The prophet Jeremiah had the unenviable task of prophesying to the people of Jerusalem as the Babylonians were building siege mounds and preparing to take the city. False prophets were telling frightened idolaters what they wanted to hear-namely, that God would miraculously deliver them, even though they had abandoned Him. At this point, Jeremiah was in and out of prison and had critics watching him to see how they could destroy him. In the midst of this chaos, God moved one of Jeremiah’s relatives to sell him land as a sign that eventually land would again be bought and sold in Judah. When Jeremiah protested-after all, the Babylonians were literally at the gates-God spoke. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:26-27)   

The prophet Isaiah whose words are quoted at the beginning of this devotional lived in difficult times and eventually was slaughtered by wicked King Manasseh; yet, through Isiah we have some of the most reassuring statements about God’s peace ever written.

We can have peace when we trust “the Lord, the God of all flesh” because that peace comes from God and not from our circumstances. But how do we achieve this peace? Isaiah 26 gives us the answer: “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.”

Set your mind on God, on His power, His purposes, His goodness, and His holiness. When we keep our focus on God rather than on our problems, we WILL be “steady on our feet because we keep at it and don’t quit.” We can depend on God and keep at it because we KNOW that “in the Lord God we have a sure thing.”

As we end the Thanksgiving season and begin to prepare for Christmas, let us keep our minds focused on God and not on our problems. Find a Bible verse that speaks to you about peace, write it in your phone, put it on post it notes, doing anything you have to so that verse will be with you and ask God to reveal Himself to you through that verse. When you ask for such things, God the Good Father will be happy to teach you.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are drowning in chaos. We desperately need Your Holy Spirit Peace. Please help us to seek You and Your Will and teach us about Your true Nature, for then we will definitely have lasting peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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