Category: Uncategorized

Mia Stole my Grapes

More than 70 years ago, Mia stole my grapes. 

It happened this way. When I was six and my brother was four, our mother gave us some grapes. He ate his, but I saved mine for later. While I was busy with something else Mia, the little girl next door, slipped into our house and stole and ate my grapes. It crushed me. As a child I was upset.

You know what? I’m over it. You are thinking that since it was a lifetime ago I ought to be over it and you are right. One would think that all such old sins and grievances are over, but sometimes they are not. The world is filled with people who nurse old wounds.

How long should it take to get over old offenses? How long does it take to forgive? A day? A week? A year? A lifetime?

Jesus answered the question for us when he said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25). 

When do we forgive? Jesus said to forgive when you pray. Most people think to ask for forgiveness when they pray, but Jesus said to give forgiveness when you pay. Your willingness to forgive when you pray impacts the forgiveness you will receive when you pray.

Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

When wronged you must not let it define you. To burden yourself with old hurts is to let old hurts define you. It is a handicap in your life. It is a limp when you walk. 

So let’s leave with this question, “Who stole your grapes?”

Lonnie Davis

In Abraham’s day, a woman with no child had no standing and a man without a son had no legacy. Year after year, Abraham’s wife, Sarah prayed for a child. Year after year her heart was broken. She knew her husband wanted a son and wanted to give him a son, but God had not yet blessed her. Finally, she reached the age when having a child was no longer humanly possible. In such times it is easy for dreams to die.

In the midst of such broken dreams, God reached out to Abraham and Sarah. The Scriptures tell us, “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” (Hebrews 11:11).

“Even though he was past age,” is an understatement. When their child was born, Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. If nothing else, one can read that story and realize that nothing is impossible for God. Your dreams are never too big for God.

I do not want to wander as Abraham did with no place to call my own. I do not want to live in tents and ride on camels, but like Abraham, I do want to be God’s friend and receive blessings that are seemingly beyond human possibility. To do this, I must have Abraham’s secret.

What was Abraham’s secret? Read the passage again and you will see. “He considered him faithful who made the promise.” Abraham believed in God and that God was faithful and would keep His promise.

Only when we believe that God is faithful and will keep his promises will we look past the blessings of the earth and see the blessings of heaven.

All the promises that God has made to you in His Word, He will keep. God is faithful. Believe it!

Lonnie Davis

The Frog Who Went to Be with Jesus

When my granddaughter, Gwen was 5 years old, she loved animals. Somewhere she acquired a tiny frog. I guess she did not know that frogs were a plague, but that would not matter to a four-year-old girl. Even if it is a frog, it was still a pet. Little frogs in the possession of little girls do not have a long life span. Before long the frog died and her dad disposed of it. Her mother explained it to her by saying that the frog went to be with Jesus.  She cried and said, “I want Jesus to give me my frog back.”

We all understand that sentiment, not about a frog, but about someone we love who has gone to be with Jesus. The years of 2021-2022 have brought me too many “gone to be with Jesus” moments. We all have lost someone that makes us feel this way.

In the early church, these kinds of thoughts were hurting many in Thessalonica. They grieved for those who had died, or as Paul said, have “fallen asleep.” To encourage them he wrote, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thess 4:13-14).

When frogs are gone, they are gone. When Christians “fall asleep” they will wake up. We are not really dead; we have simply gone to be with Jesus. Do not grieve like others who have no hope.

Lonnie Davis

The School in the Forest

 Once there was a man who wanted to help the animals in the forest. He wanted to make things better for them so he decided to start a school in the forest. In his school he had a squirrel, a fish, and a bird. To make their lives better he decided to help each of them become better at what they did not do well. Since the squirrel could climb, but could not swim, he decided to teach the squirrel to swim. The fish could swim, but could not fly so he worked at teaching the fish to fly. The bird could fly, but could not swim so the bird was enrolled in a swimming course.

 Over the next year, the squirrel practiced swimming, the fish worked at flying, and the bird tried hard to swim. At the end of the year, the teacher had a squirrel that was a bad swimmer, a fish that could not fly, and a bird that nearly drowned daily.

 There is a moral to this story. If you are a squirrel, climb. If you are a fish, swim. If you are a bird, fly. Do not try to be something you are not. God gave each of us special talents. Each of us should work to discover our own special talent. Then use it. That is your highest calling.

Lonnie Davis

(Source unknown)

 Once there was a man who wanted to help the animals in the forest. He wanted to make things better for them so he decided to start a school in the forest. In his school he had a squirrel, a fish, and a bird. To make their lives better he decided to help each of them become better at what they did not do well. Since the squirrel could climb, but could not swim, he decided to teach the squirrel to swim. The fish could swim, but could not fly so he worked at teaching the fish to fly. The bird could fly, but could not swim so the bird was enrolled in a swimming course.

 Over the next year, the squirrel practiced swimming, the fish worked at flying, and the bird tried hard to swim. At the end of the year, the teacher had a squirrel that was a bad swimmer, a fish that could not fly, and a bird that nearly drowned daily.

 There is a moral to this story. If you are a squirrel, climb. If you are a fish, swim. If you are a bird, fly. Do not try to be something you are not. God gave each of us special talents. Each of us should work to discover our own special talent. Then use it. That is your highest calling.

Lonnie Davis

Caterpillars Don’t Die

The story is told of a quite happy caterpillar who found that his life was
changing. He noticed that things weren’t like they used to be. Finally one
day he began to crawl out of his skin. He was quite surprised to see that
though he was changing, he was still okay.  Soon he found himself a beautiful butterfly.

He was no longer bound to the trails of the earth below but could fly on the winds above. He was no longer a caterpillar but was now a beautiful butterfly. He soared above, looking down on the old shell that was still down below. He thought how lucky he was to have made such a marvelous change.

As he looked below, he saw some of his old caterpillar friends, crawling
slowly across the old trails that he had crawled. They found his old shell
and began to weep. He tried to shout to them that all was well, that he was
even happier, but he did not seem to be able to reach them. From his lofty
position, he looked down on those he had left behind and watched as they
gathered around his old shell and wept.

He could not tell them that leaving the old shell behind was not the end,
it was just the beginning of the real beauty that God had in store for him.
He knew that someday, they would join him and understand that caterpillars don‘t die, they just become beautiful butterflies.

Anon

The story is told of a sole survivor of a shipwreck who washed up on a small, uninhabited island. Day after day he prayed for God to rescue him. Day after day he scanned the horizon for help. Day after day, he was left alone on the island.

Realizing he needed to make the best of a bad situation, he built a little hut of driftwood to protect himself from the elements. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home and found his little hut in flames. It was not much, but it was all he had. Everything was lost. He was shocked with grief and filled with anger. “God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.

Early the next day he awakened to the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” he asked. Their answer shocked him even more than the fire. “We saw your smoke signal,” they said.

Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

For Believers, even the apparent hard spot is nothing more than a prelude to God’s answer to prayer. The Bible is filled with examples:

• If Joseph had not been sold into Egypt, the Israelites would never have been saved from famine.
• If Peter had caught all the fish he could handle before midnight, he would have cleaned his nets early and gone home without seeing Jesus in the morning.
• If Moses had not spent 40 years in the desert, he would never have known how much he needed God.

What has happened in your life that you see as a hard spot? Someday you will be able to look back on it and realize it too turned out to be just a smoke signal before God’s deliverance.

Lonnie Davis

Sometime ago Liz and I took the grandkids swimming at the health club. Our gym has a giant thirty-foot water slide for the kids. Grandparents are not allowed on it, at least that is my official position. Our little five-year-old granddaughter came over to me and said, “I want to go down the waterslide.” She took a breath and then added, “I wish I was used to it.”

Kids often make profound statements, and this was one of them. It is a profound truth that great opportunities often come with great anxiety.

But, If you will face your fears, they can bring great blessings.

Personally, there have been many things in my life that I wanted to do, that I needed to do, but that I was afraid to do. Sometimes doing the thing was forced upon me and after a while, I was no longer anxious about that previously fearful act. I just had to get used to it.

Everyone at first is afraid to speak in public, lead a prayer, or ride a bike, or drive into the water.

I have often enjoyed listening to others talk about the first time they ever taught or prayed in public. They can usually describe that event in great detail. They were all afraid.

 We must not let fear keep us from doing any number of things we want and need to do.

Winston Churchill said, “If I do that which I fear, fear will leave me.”

Remember the words of Paul to Timothy and to all of us, “Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:6-7).

After our then-little five-year-old got used to the waterslide, she had a great time. The next time you have a daunting task before you, just smile and say, “I will get used to it.”

In the end, you will have a great blessing.

Lonnie Davis

At 14, her life seemed out of control. She was making bad grades, bad decisions, and bad friends. She was not uncooperative but certainly did not understand what was to be gained from counseling.

I asked her, “Have you ever seen a car driving down a Texas highway on a hot day in August with its windows rolled down?”

“Yes,” she answered.
“Why are the windows down?” I asked.
“The air conditioning is broken,” she answered.
“Why don’t they fix it?” I asked.
“They don’t have the money,” She answered.
There is one more question, “Why don’t they have money?”

Let me answer that question for the reader. Some have bad luck, but for the great majority that is not the real problem. The real problem is that we spend money on things we don’t need to impress people who don’t really care, then when an emergency arises, we are out of funds. That is a rule.

Life runs on rules. It is a rule that if you do not save for a rainy day, then when the rainy day comes you will suffer the consequences. That is the rule of saving for a rainy day (or a hot summer day in Texas).

Life has many more rules. The wise person will spend time learning the rules.

If they are wise, they will remember them.
If they are wise, they will write them down.
If they are wise, they will live by them.

Remember them or write them down, but you will live by them. Each of them is a life rule that brings success or failure.  You will keep repeating the failure until you learn the lesson.

Lonnie Davis

When I was 11, I lived close to a skating rink. I remember my amazement the first time I saw someone skating backward – BACKWARD! He must have been the best skater in the world, or at least I thought so.

I got my courage up and tried it for myself. I jumped up to aim backward. Plop! Down I went. Obviously, I was not talented enough to skate backward. Maybe it was a fluke, so I tried again. Again, I went down. I turned around and skated frontward as God intended. Over the years I saw a few others who could skate backward, but obviously God touches a few people with special talents. I was not one of them.

Many years later I stood near an ice-skating rink and saw my 11-year-old granddaughter leap into the air, spin two complete revolutions, and skate away. Amazing!

There is more to the story than met my eye. Upon further investigation I learned that young Gwen (the skater) spent one and a half years falling before she was able to do the double leap. At first she fell and fell and fell and fell. One day she finally hit the trick. Over the 18 months she had fallen hundreds of times before she mastered the skill.

It made me realize that I could have skated backward if I had been willing to fall and fall and fall. Instead I resigned myself to skating the ordinary way.

There is a great lesson for all of us – “Those who would succeed must first be willing to fail.”

Let me say that again, “Those who would succeed must first be willing to fail.” That is how you all learned to walk or cook or write or skate. Everything great is at first difficult.

There is a great life lesson in the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

It marks the difference between ordinary and great.

Lonnie Davis

Not Yet

It was a special day. Jeremy hired a boat and guide to take us all fishing. At about 5:30 in the morning, he went to wake up 6-year-old Gage. He gently shook him and said, “Gage, are you ready for the best day of your life?”

With the quiet voice of a child, Gage answered, “Not yet.”

Don’t you wish all your days started with the question, “Are you ready for the best day of your life?” Those of us who have lived a few years know that is not how life works. There are fun days and hard days. There are not always great days.

However, so early in the morning, a six-year-old may not know what a great day is. On the off chance that you may not either, let me share just a couple of identifying marks of great days.

A great day is one where you may the day special. A great day is a decision. Occasionally you may stumble upon a great day, but most of the time you must decide to make it a great day. You must ask yourself what you can do to make the day great.

A great day is a day when you realize who gave you a day. Remember the words of the psalmist, “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

So, to have a great day: 1) Remember the Lord gave you this great day. Don’t give it back to Him wasted. 2) Plan something for this day. Make it something you will be glad you did.

When presented with the opportunity to have a great day, don’t say to yourself, “Not yet.”

Lonnie Davis

One of the great cautionary tales from the Bible is the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15). He messed up a lot of things in his life. But today I want you to think about the one thing he did right and it is something that many of us mess up.

Jesus tells us the story in Luke 15. We will start with the messed up Prodigal finally figuring out what he needs to do to make things right.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father…He arose and came to his father.” (Luke 15:17-20).

Especially note that he decided that he needed to go back home and then he got up went home. In other words, he did what he knew to do…and he did it immediately. The Prodigal knew how to make a decision and then follow through on his decisions. He wasn’t suffering by indecision.

The philosopher, Jim Rohn said, “Indecision is the thief of opportunity.”

This is a lesson I need in my life. I’ll bet it is also something that you need. Once you know what needs to be done, in the words of Nike, “Just do it.”

Lonnie Davis

hey say that life is funny, but I’m here to tell you that sometimes it is only funny looking back.

I have many bad experiences buying things cheap at garage sales. Some folks call them yard sale or tag sales. You know that is. It is one of those events where people take junk they paid good money for and thought they could not live without but now they no longer want in their house. They put this special stuff into their yard and hope people will come and give them pennies on the dollar for it. This is all done under the premise of “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”

Today having a compass in a car is common. In the 1970’s, it was a rarity. One day I stopped at garage and found that the people had just such a compass that would stick on the front window of the car.

It was only 50 cents so I grabbed it up, and hurried back to my little Volkswagen. It attached with a little rubber suction cup. I moistened the suction cup and stuck it on. It fell off immediately. I tried again. Another failure! Perhaps I wasn’t pressing hard enough.

With one more effort I licked the suction cup (ugh!) and stuck it on. This time I pressed harder. With a little more effort I cracked the window! I paid 50 cents for the privilege of breaking my window.

I guess that will teach me not to go to garage sales. (It didn’t.) Sometimes one man’s junk is another man’s junk too.

So here is the real question, what junk do you have in your life that you need to get rid of?  Then get rid of it. There really is such a thing as addition by subtraction.

Sometimes we need to follow these word from Isaiah, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” – Isaiah 43:18

Lonnie Davis

Forty years after leaving Egypt, Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land. They had crossed the Red Sea, mountains, and deserts and finally they came to the last physical barrier to that Promised Land, the Jordan River. As Israel stood on the brink and ready to cross, it was a daunting task, perhaps even scary. The river was swollen and dangerous and there were two million people that needed to cross. As they got ready to cross, God gave them the order to follow the ark as they crossed the river. He gave them specific details about the march. He said to them:

“Keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.” (Joshua 3:4).

This commandment from the Lord may seem strange. The people needed to cross the Jordan as soon as they possible, yet they were told to lag 2/3 of a mile behind the ark.

Why?

There is no guess needed here. God told them why they should follow 1,000 yards behind the ark. “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” They followed because they needed to see someone else walk the path before them. It is easier to travel if you know someone who has walked that way before.

This is a great rule for everything in life. Any path you want to walk, whether that of a baker, a banker, or a business owner, find someone who has walked the path before you and then learn from them. 

Life is harder when you won’t follow those who have walked before you.

Lonnie Davis

What would you do if you were sick and God sent word to you that it was over for you? You would never get well. Today’s story is about just such a time.

King Hezekiah was on his death bed when God sent word to him that he would die. Hezekiah wept before God and asked for more time. The prophet of God came back and gave him good news. 2 Kings 20:5-6

“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life.’ “

When you are  teenager or even in your early adult years, this verse seems like just another Bible verse. We expect at least 15 more years. When you get past middle age, this verse is thought provoking, especially the words, “I will add 15 years to your life “

Suppose God came to you and said you have 15 more years to live, what would you do?

Seriously, what would this provoke you to do?  Here is my response.

First, Be grateful. None of us is guaranteed another day. To be assured of 15 more years ought to provoke us to dream dreams and set goals.

Second, Resolve to enjoy the days God has given you. Every day of your life draws you closer to eternity, but while you are here, enjoy this day. It is God’s gift to you.

God has another life planned for you, but use the next 15 years wisely.

Lonnie Davis

Of all the things that Jesus demonstrated before his disciples, preaching, teaching, baptizing, giving, etc. Prayer is the only thing they ever ask Jesus to teach them how to do.

Let’s read: Luke 11:1

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.'”

Why we need this verse

This verse shows you  things:

1) John took the time and care to teach is disciples how to pray.

2) The disciples felt the need for prayer improvement an so asked Jesus to teach them.

To help us all seek prayer better and seek to pray better,

Here are five benefits of prayer:

1. It can bring us to a Closer relationship with God:

Through prayer, we develop a closer relationship with God. It allows us to communicate with God, express our thoughts and feelings, and listen to God’s guidance. To understand the power of this, imagine if we would spend time with our parents and expressed our thoughts and feelings and gave them thanks. This would this bring us into a closer relationship with them. It does the same with God.

1. It can give us Peace and calm:

Prayer can help individuals find peace and calm in times of stress and uncertainty. It allows individuals to release their worries and concerns to God and trust that He will take care of them.

1. It plays a role in Forgiveness:

Prayer can help us forgive others and ourselves. It allows us to let go of bitterness and resentment and find peace in our hearts.

1. It is Intercession:

Prayer can be powerful tool of intercession, where we can pray for others, asking God to intervene in their lives, heal them, guide them, and protect them.

1. It help us in Fulfillment of needs: Prayer can also be used as a means to ask God to fulfill our needs and desires. It allows individuals to express their needs to God and trust that He will provide for them.

In conclusion,

We all need to say, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” Maybe start with reading this article again and asking why we pray.

I’m Lonnie Davis – These are words worth thinking.

Many Bible students when asked to memorize a verse in the Bible choose John 11:35, “Jesus Wept.” They choose it because this is the shortest verse in the Bible.  It would be too bad if all we knew about this verse is that Jesus wept!

So we ask, why did He weep?

Jesus did not weep for Lazarus. Lazarus was in God’s hands. His race was over and he had won. This is a cause for joy and not tears.

Jesus did not weep because He missed Lazarus. He knew that He would be with Lazarus in a few short days. 

Then why did He weep?

Jesus wept  because those whom He loved were hurting and He cared for them. Jesus had compassion on others. He often showed his care for others.

·         When Jesus saw people hungry, his heart went out to them. (Matt 15:32).

·         When Jesus saw the sick, he had compassion on them. (Matt 14:14).

·         When Jesus saw the blind, he cared and healed them. (Matt 20:34).

·         When he saw a leper, he felt pity and healed him. (Mark 1:41).

Jesus loved Lazarus. When the disciples made reference to Lazarus, they did not address him as Lazarus, but rather “the one whom you love.” (John 11:3) Jesus could have prevented his death, but Jesus did not come to stop the death of one man, but the death of all mankind.

As we look back on that day it reminds us that even as Lazarus got up from the grave so too will we. We are not made for here and we are not made for the grave.

Lonnie Davis reminding you to put God’s Word in your heart.

Have you ever heard the story of the cannibal cows? The story is found in Genesis 41. The ruler of Egypt had one of those puzzling, troubling dream. It was the story of the cannibal cows. The Pharoah tells us the story,

Gen 41:17-21

“In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and … After them, seven other cows came up — scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so.” (Genesis 41:17-21).

After the dream, the king turned to his wise men but they could not tell him the meaning of the dream. Only a man of God named Joseph could tell them the meaning of the dream. The seven fat cows were seven good years. The seven scrawny cows were seven years of famine. The famine followed the good times. The lesson for the king was that he needed to use the good times to prepare for the hard times.

Because he got the point, Egypt was spared from ruin. Because he used the good times to prepare for the hard times, they made it through the famine.

As you read this story, learn the lesson of the cannibal cows, the seven fat cows and the seven scrawny cows. Their story is one for all times and all of us. It is one for your family. As night follows day, life is a series of cycles. Good days follow bad days and bad days follow good days. If you will observe the lesson of the seven fat cows and seven scrawny cows, you will be prepared for when seven scrawny cows come to your life. This is a hard lesson to learn, but ignoring it will lead to hard years.

As you read the story in Genesis 41, remember that the lesson of the cannibal cows came from God. It is still true!

Lonnie Davis

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, became a wealthy man by living a special principle. He was a high school dropout whose formal education included a G.E.D. He explained his life this way, “”I got my M.B.A. long before my G.E.D. At Wendy’s M.B.A. does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude.” To the world, Dave was the leader of Wendy’s. To Dave, Dave was the head of the Mop Bucket Brigade.

This was the way Jesus did leadership. On the last night he would spend with his disciples, he sat around the table with them. As they sat there, Jesus did a most surprising thing. “He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4-5).

Jesus washed the feet of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the others at the table – including Judas. They were shocked, but Jesus knew the secret. If you want to be great, you have to serve.

The church, your family, your workplace all need more people with an MBA – Mop Bucket Attitude. Leaders with that kind of MBA are people who are not here to be served, but are here to serve others. These are the true leaders.

Lonnie Davis

Jesus was going to a dying 12-year-old girl. Actually, the girl was not dying, she was already dead. The musicians  and professional mourners were already on the scene and showing sorrow.

Matthew 9 records that event, “When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, ‘Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.’ And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up” – (Matthew 9:23-25)

“They began to laugh.” How do you feel when you are trying to do good, and people laugh at you?

Even Jesus had negative people in life, but there is a difference between minor and major negative people. The people who laughed at Jesus were just minor. When you have a major threat by a major negative person you have to take it seriously. You cannot ignore it, but I hope you know which is major and which is minor and treat them accordingly. I confess that I sometimes struggle with telling the difference. From this event we should remember 3 important truths:

1.  There are negative people. Even Jesus had them in his life. They weren’t sneaky about it, but openly laughed at him. If you go through life hoping not to encounter people who will try to put you down, you are setting yourself up for pain.
   
2.  If you find yourself surrounded by the naysayers, do what Jesus did. Tell them to leave. Do not be rude. Jesus simply said, “Leave.” You cannot do your work surrounded by negative folks.
   
3.  Do not let anyone stop you from doing good. Once you figure out what God wants you to do, the rest is just details.

Lonnie Davis