Saturday July 5, 2025 – Are we frightened by our circumstances? – Happy Birthday Dick, Andrew, April and Ralina

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Psalm 27:1  Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?  (World English Bible)

David spent years living with the reality that men were pursuing him to kill him.  King Saul wanted him dead.  Even though an army besieged him, he wrote, “…my heart will not  fear.”  Although bravery played a role in this, there is far more to it than that.  At the center of his life was Yahweh, and He made all the difference.  David was “a man after His own heart”.

This verse describes such a marvelous and practical aspect of our life in Christ.  The peace and confidence that are there for us; to sustain, encourage and protect us in the midst of fear.  We can get them by embracing Him.  Sadly, that old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink can be all too true of us.  Just because God has provision for us, doesn’t mean we will take advantage of it.

It’s probably safe to say that none of us have men and armies pursuing us to kill us.  But take a look around us and we see all manner of frightening things: economic uncertainty, job losses, threats of terrorism, immorality running rampant, marriages and families falling apart, Christians being persecuted throughout the world and here in the United States as well – the list just goes on.

Those with younger children, have the concern of raising them to be true Christ-followers.  We read of young Christian men and women losing their faith when they go off to college.  We can succumb to the fear of thinking that ‘greater is the one in the world, than the one within them – or us’.  Rather than recognizing that as a lie of the enemy of our souls.

Is our focus going to be upon things that frighten and intimidate?  Or is our focus and ‘life-embrace’ going to be upon our Lord Jesus?  We cannot be casual in this or approach it half-heartedly.  The enemy of our souls is using these things to pursue us, just as Saul’s men pursued David.  Our response must be to have our lives turn whole-heartedly to our Lord.  He is our light and salvation.  He is our strength.

We must learn to love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.  We must learn what exactly that means, and do it – embracing a lifestyle that truly reflects us being men and women after God’s own heart.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Friday July 4, 2025 – The ‘skimmins’ in our lives – Happy Independence Day!

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 17:3  The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the  heart.

Many years ago I heard the story of an old cowboy Christian.  He described God’s dealings with him as gold being purified.  Apparently the impurities bubble up to the top and can be skimmed off.  That is how he was experiencing God’s dealings.  He became aware of a behavior or problem in his life as God caused it to ‘bubble up’.  He would repent and God would ‘skim it off’.  He would no sooner get rid of one than another would bubble up and it too would be ‘skimmed off’.  Well, God was dealing with so many things in his life that he was concerned that he would be nothing but ‘skimmins’.

Seeing all the ‘skimmins’ in our lives is not particularly pleasant. The good news is that when we see them (or have them pointed out to us –ouch!), we can – and must – choose to deal with them.  Typically a great environment for this to happen is when we are overloaded with stress or situations that push us out of our comfort zone.  Issues involving work, friends, faith, family, finances, etc… can all work together to create an environment of ‘heat’.

Think about the crucible and furnace.  It’s the heat that melts the ore and causes the impurities to rise to the top.  Likewise in our lives – God uses our circumstances to reveal things to us about ourselves as well as giving us opportunities to glorify Him by how we respond.  Frequently it’s all going on at the same time.  We can be doing wonderful things but in the midst of it, ‘skimmins’ appear.

Fortunately the Lord is in the midst of it all.  He is for us!  He wants our lives to become all they can be and He is committed to that process.  As we are all aware, this process usually takes place in public rather than private.  Others experience our ‘skimmins’ and we experience theirs.  He expects us to be faithful in how we respond.  Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  Other translations use “to help in time of need” or “in difficult times’ instead of “adversity”.

Fortunately, forgiveness, repentance and understanding are the currency of the kingdom of God.  Times of ‘skimmins’ are opportunities to respond righteously rather than react as the world would (such responses are ‘skimmins’ in themselves).  That’s why His grace and mercy are so abundant.  They enable us to show forth His love in the practical situations of day to day living.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thursday July 3, 2025 – Growing in faith while dealing with delays

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Psalm 27:14  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Have you noticed how God just loves to use the experience of ‘waiting’ in our lives?  We have such a tendency to expect things to happen a whole lot sooner than they do.  When we encounter delays, we typically discover that patience isn’t one of our stronger suits.  We want the Lord to give us patience now!

Some years ago when we were living in NE Ohio, we believed the Lord called us to move to Colorado Springs.  We put our house on the market.  Twenty-eight months later (January of 2005) the house still hadn’t sold.  To say we didn’t understand the delay is a bit of an understatement!  At that time we had a 10 year old blond cocker spaniel name Rascal and we knew he wouldn’t be making the move with us.  I wish I had $10 for every time we read something or were told that we were never going to find a home for him.  People just didn’t want old dogs – particularly 10 year old dogs.

That month we took a trip to Brazil to visit our son and his family who were then working there. The kennel we had used for nearly 20 years wasn’t available so we found another on the opposite side of the Akron area.  When I dropped Rascal off, I told them of our need for a home for him.  Upon our return we discovered that the groomer there had told her pastor about Rascal.  The pastor had a 10 year old female blond cocker named Josephine and they had been to visit Rascal several times while we were in Brazil.  Rascal had a new home!

Two weeks later, I was really struggling over the delay in selling our house and just not understanding what was going on.  My hope had taken some severe hits by the wait.  In the midst of crying out to the Lord, He answered so clearly with a thought out of the blue: “It is more difficult to find a home for a 10 year old rascal of a dog than it is to sell a reasonably priced house with a great real estate firm!”

It’s amazing how God used that thought to calm the storm within me.  Everything was in His hands.  Providing the home for Rascal was more than a kindness to us.  He used it to help us trust Him and recognize that in His time everything would fall into place.  The delay had to do with His timing and provided us with an opportunity to grow in faith and trust in God.

PS – The house sold 1 month later.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wednesday July 2, 2025 – Yahweh’s response to our walking in His ways

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Don Schmidt

From the book of Proverbs

Yesterday I wrote about the privilege of being God’s people.  We Christians must live lives that declare us to truly be His people.  In simple terms, the issue is not God’s love for us but our love for Him.  He loves us more than we can imagine.  He has given us everything so that we can experience the extraordinary blessings associated with loving Him.

How we live truly affects our relationship with God.  When we walk in righteousness.  He responds!   But I want to personalize this in an important way.  Yahweh is the name our God chose for Himself*.  Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  When we talk about God, He is the one we are talking about.  Here are some excerpts from Proverbs that describe the blessings he has for His people who walk in His ways:

  • Yahweh is pleased with the prayer of the righteous.
  • Yahweh  loves those who pursue righteousness.
  • Yahweh is pleased with the thoughts of the pure.
  • Yahweh hears the prayers of the righteous.
  • Yahweh is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.
  • Yahweh guards the course of the just.
  • Yahweh protects the way of His faithful ones.
  • Yahweh takes the upright into His confidence.
  • Yahweh blesses the home of the righteous.
  • Yahweh gives grace to the humble.
  • Yahweh loves those who love Him.
  • Yahweh provides favor to the good man.
  • Yahweh delights in the men who are truthful.
  • Yahweh provides peace to the man whose ways are pleasing to Him.
  • Yahweh blesses those who trust in Him.
  • Yahweh provides life, prosperity and honor to those who pursue righteousness and love.
  • Yahweh blesses the man who always fears Him.
  • Yahweh enables men who seek Him to understand justice.
  • Yahweh keeps safe those who trust in Him.

Think of it!  Every one of us is capable of walking in each of these – growing stronger and more Christlike!  Think of each of these as a continuum.  The more we pursue our Lord, the more Christ-like we become.  This is not about earning salvation but about living a faith-filled life that pleases Him – a life that declares His praises.

When we pursue living our lives as His people, His Spirit works an incredible wonder within us.  Our desire is transformed from wanting to be blessed by God to wanting to bless Him.  That is the result of our hearts being overwhelmed by gratitude for His goodness and love.  Let it sink in, to the depth of your being – He has chosen us to be His!  WOW!!!!!

*Note: A wonderful book is “Who changed God’s Name” by Dr. Jim Harvey

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Tuesday July 1, 2025 – Salvation is just the beginning!

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Exodus 19:4-6  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on  eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

About three months after the Children of Israel left Egypt, God gave Moses this message to share with them.  It was a communication of His heart for them.  He was giving them the opportunity to be His treasured possession – out of all the nations, He chose them!  They simply had to respond by doing what He required.  Unfortunately, they responded with words not with their lives.

God has always been after a people that will be truly His.  He wants to shower them with His love.  He simply asks that they respond with love in return.  Fortunately we Christians have been born again and received His Spirit.  Our new natures in Christ free us to respond without the ‘deck stacked against us’ by our old nature.  It can still be difficult, but we have such an advantage over the Israelites.  It makes me pause to think of Jesus’ comment, to whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48)

While it’s priceless to be His – to receive salvation and become one of His children – it’s even more so to live the kind of lives that He has always wanted His people to live.   Salvation isn’t the end, it’s the beginning!  It enables us to pursue lives that truly reflect that we are His people.  In 1 Peter 2, Peter is exhorting the believers to rid their lives of sin – to abstain from sinful desires that war against their souls.  He is calling them to live lives worthy of who we are in Christ.

In 1 Peter 2:9-10, Peter writes, “9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

This stunning reality that we are His is beyond words!  It is a privilege beyond measure that we have.  The more we recognize and grasp that, the more we will live lives that  declare us to truly be His people. His mercy, His grace, His Spirit and faith in Jesus Christ enable us to do exactly that!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday June 30, 2025 – Threats? or Opportunities?

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Matthew 5:38-42  38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

I woke up this morning thinking about going the second mile.  When I looked up the verse I was stuck by its context and by how unlike our typical thinking it is.  This is a whole different mindset – a different world view.  It is seeing and responding to things so differently.

An old classic movie comes to mind that illustrates how radically different things can be seen and how things sometime aren’t what they seem.  That movie is the Wizard of Oz.  It begins and ends as a black and white movie.  I remember as a boy seeing it and being so stunned when Dorothy wakes up in Oz and everything is in full ‘living’ color.  The richness of the color versus the paucity of the black and white – they don’t change the story line, just what we’re seeing.  Then there is the ogre-like Wizard who is so authoritarian on the screen, but in reality is a little old man behind the curtain.  Here, what is perceived is very different from its true reality.

I would suggest that the situations described in these verses are like the Wizard up on the screen – their reality is very different than how we tend to perceive them.  We typically respond to them as threats (like the ogre on the screen), rather than as opportunities.  Our viewpoint is one of self and cultural orientation, and we react accordingly.  It’s like living in ‘black and white’.

But Jesus wants us to perceive these as opportunities and not as threats – and we must recognize how critical our perception is to the process.  It’s not about us but it’s all about Him.  It’s not about reacting but responding with faith.  They are opportunities to glorify our God in how we respond – or not.  Our lives are to be salt and light in the world and reflect the ‘living color’ of the life of Christ.  What a contrast!

Jesus wants our perceptions, understanding and responses rooted in His Kingdom – not in the world.  In this world we  tend to react rather than respond.  We look out for ourselves rather than be guided by His ways.  Life is filled with opportunities for us to respond wisely, reflecting His life within us.  We need to remind ourselves just how different a citizen of His Kingdom is from one of this world.  The people around us will be drawn to Him by seeing us live such lives.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sunday June 29, 2025 – Tokens of kindness from our Lord

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Psalm 62:8  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Have you ever noticed how refreshing some little things can be?  Like a gentle breeze on a warm summer’s day when you’re working outside?  When you’re going through some difficulties and a friend calls to encourage you simply because you were on their heart.  Reading a scripture, a testimony or about a Biblical truth that speaks precisely to your situation.

Some of these things are what I refer to as ‘tokens of kindness’ from the Lord.  It is so wonderful when the Lord gives them to us.  A few summers ago we were really busy with a lot going on.  Added to it was the word from our landlord that we needed to move before our lease expired September 30.  She was planning to move back into the house we were in.

One night in late July when we went to bed, we were really feeling it and Donna said we need to pray – so we did.  In the midst of the ‘stormy stuff’ going on we prayed to our Lord, acknowledging that we were looking to Him and trusting Him to lead and guide us through everything.

The next morning I woke up really early and was working around the house.  I picked up a book that I hadn’t looked at for a long time, not even remembering what was in it, and just opened it.  I didn’t even look at the front cover.  It turned out to be filled with two page true stories of His Mysterious Ways – Miracles of Prayer.

The random story I turned to and the two that followed all described situations where He provided supernatural presence and guidance to people in need.  One was a blind woman and her guide-dog out in a snow storm with an angel walking with them.  The other two dealt with people driving through dense fog and a snow storm and making it due to following the lights of vehicles that turned out not to be there!

These three stories all spoke precisely to God being with us and guiding us – just as we had prayed hours earlier.  He might not have manifested His provision supernaturally as He did in the stories, but He didn’t have to.  They reaffirmed the importance of our focus and trust in Him.  What a timely token of kindness!

We weren’t in danger of giving up or anything.  It was simply our Lord giving us some loving encouragement that lifted our spirits – like a drink of cool water when you’re thirsty.  It’s amazing the sustaining power such experiences can have!

We still got to walk through the situations we were in.  But we did so with a renewed joy simply because we had been reminded of and refreshed by His wonderful love for us.  Pray that our ‘eyes’ will see Him more and more as He works in our lives.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Saturday June 28, 2025 – Our legacy either good or….

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 4:18 – The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Consider this verse in describing the trail we leave behind us rather than the path in front of us.  The life we live.  The lives we touch.  The love we share – the way we love the Lord and one another.  The way we serve.  The “fruit” that we leave behind us, i.e., our testimony in the eyes of those we’ve encountered and touched – whether good or bad.

I think of deer trails that I have seen out in the woods.  Some are so faint as to be easily missed.  Others are more obvious to the eye.  I remember one that looked like a deer Interstate.  Anyone could tell that it was a significant trail.  The trails were evidence of activity and the presence of deer.

Likewise, the “trail” or path we leave behind us is a legacy to who we are – and how much we truly love Jesus.  The more we walk in the ways of the Lord the brighter our path becomes.  The more we love and serve and bear the fruit of the Spirit – the more we reflect Him.  The path we leave is to be about Jesus.   The wonder it is to be His hands extended – for others to see and encounter Him when they interact with us.

Our path is our testimony, but not in our words.  It is where we’ve been and what we’ve done as described by others and witnessed by those around us – both on earth and in the heavenlies.  The more we are transformed into the image of Jesus, the brighter it becomes.

Remembering 2 years ago: Donna returned from celebrating the life of her best friend of 45 years who is now with Jesus. The Memorial Service for Paulette was such a special time of joy and celebration of her marvelous loving life. Her legacy was so evident to her family and friends and those who knew her!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Friday June 27, 2025 – A great Grad School experience!

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 22:6  Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

A few days ago (June 22) I used the illustration of training our children when they were little in the principle of obedience and disobedience.  The focus of any discipline was upon disobedience not upon the specific action they did or didn’t do.

This brought to mind a very significant experience that we had in Grad School that underscored the effectiveness of this approach.  I was taking a class on Moral Development.  The (secular) textbooks we were using described that children had to be 7 or 8 years old before they were developed enough to understand certain things.  They contained the following illustration:

Billy is asked to help set the table for dinner.  While carrying a tray of 5 glasses to the
table, he trips and breaks all 5 glasses.

Nancy is told that she cannot have a cookie before dinner.  But when her mother is in another room, she gets a chair to stand on to reach the cookie jar.  While reaching for the cookies she bumps 1 glass, knocking it to the floor, breaking it.

Who is naughtier – Billy or Nancy?

The authors indicated that children younger than 7 or 8 would say Billy was naughtier because he broke 5 glasses while Nancy only broke 1.  Their focus would be upon the number of glasses broken.  The one who broke more was naughtier.

We had 2 sons at the time and they were 3 and 4 years old.  The next day I read the illustration to Johnnie, the oldest, and asked him, “Who is naughtier – Billy or Nancy?”  His answer was wonderful.  Johnnie, the 4 year old, replied, “Only Nancy was naughty.  She disobeyed.  Billy wasn’t naughty because it was an accident.”

Needless to say I shared this experience with the class the next week.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thursday June 26, 2025 – Dealing with the “wilting” around us

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 12:25  An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

For a season I worked at Wal-Mart in the GardenCenter.  The spring and summer were really busy times and we had thousands of plants for sale. Those plants all needed to be watered each day and it typically took hours to do it.

My job was outside in what was called a corral where bricks, soils, fertilizers and more plants were kept.  I would load the purchased items into a customer’s vehicle.  Needless to say I got a lot of exercise.  Although watering the plants wasn’t my responsibility, there was something that just had an affect on me that I couldn’t ignore.  Periodically, I would see plants that were in a full wilt because they had been missed in the watering process.

It just bothered me so to see plants dying when all they needed was water.  As much as possible I would water those plants to bring them back to life. My eyes became trained to spot them.  What a blessing to walk by later and see them fully revived and blooming.

Have you noticed that we have people around us that are in various stages of ‘wilting’?  It’s not from lack of water but from anxiety, concerns, family crises and all manner of difficulties.  Maybe it’s just from being buried at work.

A kind, encouraging word can do for them what water will do for a plant.  It can cheer them up; it can revitalize; it can be sunshine on a cloudy day.  We’re not talking about a major conversation, but a simple, sincere word of kindness that will lift someone’s soul.

Take time today to notice those around you.  Remember water isn’t just for wilting plants.  Water keeps healthy plants blooming – it prevents them from wilting. The same is true with people.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment