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

I love mantras. That is word that means, “A commonly repeated word or phrase, especially in advocacy or for motivation.” That just means that you use that phrase to guide your life. Here is a great mantra, “If you do what is easy, your life will get harder. If you do what is hard, your life will get easier.”

Another writer said, “If you would be successful, do the things that are hard and lonely.”

For a Bible reference to this we are reminded of Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

We will reap when the time is right (in due season), if we do the right thing, even if it is hard. Everyone can do the fun things, the social things, or the easy things. Anyone can watch a football game with a friend or go to a movie with a special person. These things are fun and social for most of us. Doing them will bring us no lasting success in life. Few people are willing to do the hard things, the lonely things.

 Few people are willing to spend time alone memorizing math formulas so those who do are thought of as smart. Few people are willing to sit up at night with the television off and memorize passages from God’s word.

To get ahead in your job or any part of your life, be willing to do the hard and lonely things. The fact that they are hard will mean you will be lonely in doing them, but doing these things will set you apart from the crowd. Do not curse the hard circumstances, but rather relish them as opportunities for victory.

Abraham Lincoln was reared in deep poverty. It was hard, but he was willing to overcome it.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of polio.

Beethoven, one of the true musical geniuses of the world, was completely deaf.

Their problems, their almost impossible circumstances simply meant they had to do hard tings, work harder. Never give in just because something is hard. The fact that circumstances are hard is what allows your victory to be great.

AND again we say, “If you do the easy things, you life will get harder. If you do the hard things, your life will get easier.”

I’m Lonnie Davis and this is my word on this.

Did you hear the story of the mouse and elephant? It goes like this:

There once was a little mouse who had to take a long and difficult journey. As the day wore on the little mouse grew tired and began looking for some easier way to complete the trip. By and by an elephant came along and gave the little mouse a ride on his massive back. Hour after hour the mouse rode on the back of the elephant. The mouse was filled with joy to see how much distance he was able to cover while riding on the back of an elephant. Finally they came to a narrow bridge. The elephant paused and then passed over the bridge. With each step the elephant took the bridge shook. When safe on the other side, the little mouse told the elephant, “We really shook that bridge.”

This story reminds us that you and I face our own “bridges” or difficult spots. We go through minefields, we cross shaking bridges, and pass through the valley of the shadow of death. As Christians while going through all of these places, we too are traveling on the strength of someone else. Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13). Jesus promised, “I will be with you always.” (Matthew 28:20).

One Biblical example is the story of Gideon. He was called by God to deliver Israel from their enemies. Gideon protested, “How can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” God listens to his fears and then says, “But I will be with you.” (Judges 6:14-16). Gideon did not know it, but God did not need him to defeat the enemy. God only wanted him to go along for the ride. The victory was assured.

Always remember, when we face scary places in life, we are merely a mouse riding on the back of One who is able to shake the bridge. When we are eventually safe on the other side of the shaking bridges, we may be tempted to say, “We really shook that bridge,” but we must remember that it was not us, but God who shook the bridge.

Lonnie Davis

The God of Little Things

God is great and it is easy to think that he is not concerned with details. The Scriptures do not portray God as being unconcerned with details. Nowhere is this more evident than in the story of the third post- resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples.

It was getting toward evening and Peter decided to go fishing. The other disciples joined him. In the dawn of early morning, as the disciples were about 100 yards from shore, they saw a stranger on the banks of the Galilee. He shouted to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” (John 21:5). When they said they did not, He gave them instructions about where to fish.

Following his instructions, they caught so many fish one would think the nets would break. They came to the shore and ate with him. That is the quick summary of the story in John 21. A closer reading will reveal that God takes care of the little details in life.

When he told them where to fish, they caught 153 fish – large fish. (21:11).

When the disciples got to the shore, they found that Jesus had cooked breakfast for them. He had a fire of burning coal, some fish and some bread. (21:9).

Jesus served the bread and fish. (21:13). He didn’t just say, “There it is guys, help yourself.”

Several things about this story are amazing:

(1) Upon seeing the risen Lord, someone still counted the fish,

(2) Jesus brought bread for the disciples,

(3) Jesus caught fish before they even saw him,

(4) Jesus cooked breakfast and then served the breakfast.

Life is about the little details. Those who will not pay attention to the little details will have a hectic life. They will constantly feel like the wheels are coming off or life is unraveling before their eyes.

Someone has to make the fire.
Someone has to count the fish.
Someone has to serve the bread.
Someone has to do the little things.

Mountains are made of little stones. Miles are covered by little steps. Love is show with little acts. Successful lives are built on little things.

If God takes care of the little things, then surely we must do the same.

Lonnie Davis