I Disappeared

I stood right in front of Troy. We had started to engage in a conversation. Then I disappeared.

Not literally. But Troy was so engulfed in the piece of paper taped on the wall eighteen inches over my right shoulder; it was as if I didn’t exist. On it Romans 8:38-39 was printed.

I didn’t immediately realize it but, these Scriptures were piercing his heart. The Bible verse reads: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Glancing back at the paper, I instantly understood why I had disappeared. Turning toward Troy, I said, “It’s true.”

Troy’s brain flicked back to the voice in front of him. He responded: “I needed that.”

He needed a fresh reminder of God’s unending love. Alcohol, drugs, unemployment, and despair were weighing on him. Sin and hopelessness were blinding him to God’s goodness.

At times this inner turmoil grips each one of us. Including the Apostle Paul...“For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want...wretched man that I am!”

But even after declaring himself wretched, Paul had the same I-needed-that flash of revelation: “Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Nothing.”

Smiling, Troy left with his message from God. No more words were spoken. None were needed.

Silently praising God, in awe, I had seen His Word at work. And then my own heart received a message. An Old Testament verse: “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

The Simple, Easy Great-Marriage Plan

“You have a great marriage,” Richie said.

Richie, fourteen, has visited our home many times. There are few compliments which could top his words. And it’s true. Now if I was going to tell Richie our simple, easy great-marriage plan, this is what I would say.

For the simple part; “Do what the Bible says.” For the easy part: “Easy doesn’t exist.” However, marriage is much smoother and fulfilling when you do what the Bible says.

Here’s a Bible verse which consistently draws me when I reflect on the husband’s role in a marriage.

Ephesians 5:25 says: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Jesus died for the church—His ultimate expression of love. The application for us husbands is simply not getting our own way. Rather than taking a stand on the numerous life-decisions which fall in the category of personal choice and opinion, graciously let the final say go to your wife.

Example: What color do we paint the bedroom? Seems almost silly, yet many marriages begin their initial unraveling based on disagreements at this level of importance.

A husband must evaluate his response to these basic choices. Will you negotiate for your opinion to reign? Or will killing this desire, be your expression of love?

Additionally, we need to speak less and pray more. This can feel like dying when the men-can-fix-anything part of us feels compelled to offer a solution regarding changes we perceive our wives needs to make. Pray more; speak less.

When it seems like you are giving too much and not getting enough, reflect on the great discrepancy between what Jesus gave on the cross compared to what you can offer Him. And then let a renewed level of grace flow toward your wife.

Harry Gets Saved. Part 2

I remember the first words Harry ever spoke to me: “I need the Lord and I don’t know how.”

As I stood there outside our downtown ministry, a quick discernment of what the Holy Spirit wanted me to do was vital.

My decision to schedule a meeting with Harry the following day included sound reasoning. First, I didn’t sense he was ready to make Jesus Christ his Lord. Rather he needed a spiritual band-aide for the moment. Second, Harry had zero understanding of what salvation entailed. Plus, he seemed intoxicated.

Even though Harry never showed up at our scheduled meeting, over the course of the next months we discussed spiritual matters several times. And God also enlisted others in the fight for Harry’s soul. Terry and Gary were two of them.

I heard all three talking one day. Gary said, “I got saved three weeks ago; it’s the best thing I ever did.”

Terry added: “You need God in your life. You can’t do it on your own.”
Harry responded: “This is the day I’m going to make a change.”

They agreed to attend a Jesus-centered meeting that evening geared toward people struggling with destructive lifestyle issues.

Harry never showed up. A couple hours before the meeting a hit-and-run driver jumped the curb, striking the rear tire of Harry’s bike. This slammed him to the ground. Though not seriously injured, pain and abrasions short circuited his plans to attend the meeting.

The Bible says: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.”

Harry got bit.

We need to do as the Bible instructs regarding those facing the devil’s schemes: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers…be alert and always keep praying for all…”

Pray for Harry.

Crying Out to God

Well, I wasn’t actually crying out to God…but I was close.

Have you ever knocked on doors trying to sell something? That’s what I was doing—a book I had written.

It was so hot. And no one was home or they pretended they weren’t. If they did answer the door, it was like the last guy I talked to: “I’m a Buddhist.” Though kind in his rejection, he wasn’t buying a Christian book.

I prayed silently: “God, I need a blessing around the next corner.”

Why would I pray this way? Because I was tired? Discouraged?

Yes, but more importantly, because the Bible has these kinds of prayers. For example:“May Jesus Himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.”

Trudging up the incline of the next driveway, I heard a friendly, exuberant: “Rick Leland, what are you doing here?” Smiling, I didn’t immediately recognize the person. The hot sun was glaring in my eyes. I was twenty miles from home; in a neighborhood I had never been in.

It was Jon Booko.

I had only seen Jon a few times in the last six years. Prior to that, he had worked for me as an apprentice carpenter. Now he owned a thriving construction business. His father Pastor Paul Booko had baptized me, mentored me, and was in my book.

We stood in the garage of Jon’s beautiful home talking for thirty-five minutes. Words of encouragement and of faith in God flowed. Leaving, I told him our time together was an answer to my prayer. A blessing which would carry me for many miles.

Just like the Bible said: “A fresh heart…invigorated my work…enlivened my speech.”

Praying for Gas

Paul was bemoaning gas prices. Who hasn’t?

Paul’s an active Christian teenager. His driving often revolves around church activities and serving in the community. So his concern reaches significantly beyond frivolous.


When Paul’s dilemma reached the ears of his mother, Susie instinctively asked, “Do you pray for your gas to go farther?”

And she meant specifically asking God to supernaturally increase the gasoline’s M.P.G qualities or for more gas to miraculously appear in the tank.

Paul gave her a half grin, “Well, no.” “You need to pray every time you put gas in your car,” Susie said. “It works.”

Inspired by Susie, my wife and I immediately started praying for gas. And not just at the pump. Everyday.

Now what does the Bible say about praying for gas?

1 Kings 17:15-16 says: “The widow went and did as Elijah told her and…as the LORD had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.”

“The jar did not run out of oil.” God caused the oil to miraculously flow. My simplistic conclusion? God who says, “I change not,” can make oil; in the form of gasoline, go further.

From the Scriptures, three components for the oil-increase stand out.

1) Righteous need. The widow was desperate. Without God’s intervention she and her son faced apparent starvation.

2) Immediate obedience. The story in 1 Kings 17 portrays a rather unnerving, radical obedience to God’s directives as relayed by Elijah. The widow complied, opposing any rational thinking. And without hesitation.

3) Faith. She had a Word from God that everything would work out. She had faith in what she heard. The Bible says; “She…did according to the word…”

For me, I’m praying for gas. And agreeing with Susie: “It works.”

Becoming a Christian—But Not Here

The construction activity had caught my eye as I was passing by.

So I stopped.

The offices of a Christian retreat center were being connected to their church/chapel building which was about sixty feet away.

The maintenance man saw me watching the concrete being poured. I asked him: “Does a person have to be a Christian to work here.” He said it wasn’t a requirement, adding, “It helps.”

He affirmed that he was one. So I asked a favorite question of mine: “How do you become a Christian?”

He motioned with his head toward the offices, “Maybe someone in there can talk to you.” Then near-instantly, essentially recanting his offer, he said: “You should stop at a church; that’s what I suggest.”

A couple of years prior I engaged four teenage Christians at a coffee shop while visiting a southern state. I approached them, asking basically the same question. I didn’t reveal my Faith-in-Jesus status.

Later I found out they attended the top academic high school in their state and were members of a church known around the world. Yet, by their own admission, not one of these four outstanding teenagers offered a fully correct answer to my inquiry. One of them even e-mailed me two days later saying: “We sat there for a couple of hours discussing our inability to answer your simple question.”

Way, way too many Christians are incapable of instructing a person in the essential how-to’s of becoming a Follower of Jesus.

The Bible says: “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you.”

Beyond that, be prepared to give an answer to someone desiring the same Hope. Someone who needs Jesus.

Can Man Too

Seeing them up the road as I rode my bicycle, my mind flashed back to four years prior.

On that day…an oversized car crept into the nearly abandoned park. Distracted from my early morning on-the-go Bible study, I watched as the driver sprang from his well-worn ride.

He looked a little worn himself.

He quickly went from trash can to trash can searching for aluminum pop cans. Their ten cent deposit, which is a nuisance to many people, was the can man’s mission.

I thought–“I bet he lives in his car.” When he approached me, I assumed he wanted money.

The can man plowed right into telling me his story–he was excited. He was collecting the cans for his kid’s college education—one dime at a time: “My kids are going to college; they’re definitely going to college.” His next words left me hanging from the gallows of my condemning thoughts: “I don’t care what people think.”

…my mind then popped back, focusing on the two, looked-the-can-man-part men just ahead. I could have whizzed by semi-unnoticed. Except? Except I was hearing a voice inside; the Holy Spirit saying: “Stop.”

I smiled at them: “How are you guys doing?” I wish I could claim my kinder reaction was simply because I’ve grown as a Christian.

I wish…

Proverbs 27 had crossed into my mental view. The seventh verse says: “The full soul despises a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

Here’s the can-man version: “If you have enough money, returnable cans are trash; but if you’re really broke, you’re seeing a bunch of dimes on the ground—maybe your next meal.”

I know because I already had two cans. They weren’t my next meal…but not far from it.

Jesus said “Stop judging by mere appearance.”

Fragile Economy Takes Toll?

I thought I knew how Rob would answer.

Rob and his wife Tabitha have a small shop which sells kitchen and bath cabinets. Right now they have at least three strikes against them.

The local economy just endured an 87 day strike by the city’s largest employer, building of new homes is near zero, and a new home supplies mega-store opened nearby. Too near.

And this is what I’ve read in the newspaper: “The collapse of the housing bubble is slowly sinking more and more sectors of the economy...Total (job) losses for the year to 438,000 ...The economy has entered a slow-motion recession."

Still I asked: “So Rob how’s business?”

“Business is great. We’re ahead of last year.” Rob said, “And I had a really good year last year.” Adding: “I attribute it all to God...He’s the one who got us into this business.”

The Bible says: “Be steadfast, immovable, always bounding in the work of the Lord; knowing that your labor is not in vain if it is in the Lord.” Sounds just like Rob and Tabitha.

Steadfast. This carries a weighty significance: loyal, dependable, firm belief, determination. Businesswise, the implication is a knowing-trust that the job will get done with excellence.
Attention to detail blended with a take-care-of-it-now attitude when problems arise.

Immovable. This is the ability to endure the inevitable adversities of owning a business. This attitude embraces: “If God got me in this business, I’m sticking it out until God wants me to exit.” Faith, faith, faith.

Bounding in works of the Lord. An engaging, energetic contributing and partnering with God’s work. Locally and around the planet. This defines Rob and Tabitha’s business.

Steadfast, immovable, and bounding has added up to “business is great.” The toll of the fragile economy has passed by Rob and Tabitha.

Expecting God’s Goodness

Are you expecting God to do good things for you? The Bible says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

In this verse a choice was made: “I will.” This is true for each one of us. We decide what we expect. So I made a decision to expect to see more of God’s goodness.

And this is what happened.

I had just finished my banking when Ryan the manager noticed I was there. He asked me to drive to the back door to pick up some donations for my wife Nancy’s ministry—The Free Store.

Ryan’s very personable. And a Christian. He knew I was writing a book, previously asking about purchasing a copy when it was released. After loading the items into my car I said, “Just to let you know Ryan, my new book is now available.”

After talking briefly he said, “Why don’t you bring a few copies by, we’ll put a display up in the lobby.” Immediately I thought, “Wow, this is the goodness of God.” Have you ever seen a book promoted in a bank lobby? Especially a Christian one.

A couple days later when Nancy was doing her banking she took two books, business cards, and a couple of promo/info flyers. Ryan looked it over. He liked what he saw. Then he added: “Maybe the staff can read through the book during breaks…so we know what it’s about.”

“Wow, more goodness of God.”

Yes, arduous situations sometimes make God’s goodness seem very elusive.

But trusting God; having faith, is required when reaching beyond what we see. When we do, Psalm 23:6 can become a growing reality: “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life.”

Expect God’s goodness.

Hanging, Hanging, Hanging…In There

“I’m going to hang in there as long as the Good Lord lets me,” my neighbor Howard said.

Howard’s eighty-six. He still does his own yard work, plays golf regularly, and has a “lady friend,” He’s hanging in there really well.

Being new to the neighborhood, there’s a lot I don’t know about Howard. But here are some observations about why I believe he’s doing so well.

Howard’s always smiling. The Bible says, “A merry heart is good medicine.” That smile on his face likely is a reflection of his heart. Which coincided with the words which always come out of his mouth—kind and gentle. As the Scripture say, “From the mouth the heart speaks.”

This Bible verse also reveals some keys. The first part says: “For physical training is of some value.” Howard is consistently mining worthy value by utilizing his body’s capabilities.

Then the verse goes on to say: “But Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Howard’s connection to the Christian faith goes back decades. He’s even been attending the same church for around fifty years.

Here’s something scientists have discovered: “Research conducted partly at the University of Colorado at Boulder has found that regular churchgoers live longer than people who seldom or never attend worship services. For the first time, that extra lifespan has been quantified…those who go to church once or more each week can look forward to about seven more years than those who never attend.”

And finally; Howard knows without doubt that he will go to Heaven when death arrives.

Howard’s hang-in-there plan: a smile, some yard work and golf, a faithful commitment to church attendance, and a peaceful knowing that Heaven awaits. He’s got a great one.

Do you?

The Answer? The Question?

My kind of bumper sticker: “Jesus is the answer.” Then I noticed Cathy was sitting in the car.

We’ve had entry level God-conversations; consequently I was surprised to see her car sporting a Jesus-message. People change.

Was this a sign of a new Cathy?

Conversation time. “Cathy I saw your bumper sticker,”

I said, “What’s Jesus the answer to?” She laughed, “I don’t even know what the question is…my cousin put it on the car.” Then she quickly changed the subject.

But I was able to get one more line in: “If you ever need to know the question…or the answer, let me know.”

So what is the question?

What is Jesus the answer to?

Definitely the bumper sticker’s purpose was to jar thoughts toward our final destination. How do I spend eternity in Heaven? Jesus is the answer to this ultimate question.

Once you’ve correctly discovered that answer or as you edge closer on your journey to the Savior, you will need to know how to live every day.

The Bible says: “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature.” This is telling us, when Jesus was a child He kept getting bigger—naturally. But even as a child it was noticeable, He continually increased in wisdom.

His wisdom translated into intelligent, correct, successful living each day. Jesus knew how to interact with people and with Father God. Jesus embodies and defines wisdom by the way He lived.

Do you need to know how to live better? We all do.

Learn from the life of Jesus. Read and re-read and study the Biblical accounts of His life. The Bible says as Jesus grew in wisdom; He equally increased in: “Favor with God and people.”

Choose to grow in Jesus-like-wisdom. And then expect growing favor with God and people.

My Bicycle Riding Hero

I listened in semi-disbelief when I was told, “Jeff rode the bike to Elkhart. And back.”

“The Bike” is a $2.00 garage sale model. A forty-five year-old, overweight clunker.

And Jeff? He’s definitely not the athletic type. But facing near zero-odds of completing the seventy-mile circuit; he did it.

I’m amazed! Jeff’s my bike riding hero.

With a pressing business matter to take care of in Elkhart, Jeff took off. Kind of reminds me of some of my other heroes: the Disciples of Jesus. With Jesus, they had kingdom business to attend to.

So they took off.

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee He saw Peter and his brother Andrew. Fishermen; they were casting a net into the lake. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately these two left their fishing to follow Jesus.

Going on from there, Jesus saw two other brothers. Jesus called to them. Same response. Immediately they left what they were doing to follow Jesus.

Now Jeff could have waited; maybe convinced someone to drive him later. Waited for a better bike. Waited to get in physical shape.

So many great things are never accomplished simply because: “I’m waiting until I ________________” You fill in the blank.

Now heroes get going quickly; applying the element of faith in the unseen and the unaccomplished. Active, steady, patient faith. One peddle stroke and then another. It’s not about speed, rather peddle stroke after peddle stroke.

The Bible describes the disciples as pursuing God’s work with “steadfast perseverance” and “continuing daily.”

What do you need to do today? Start. Continue.

What project is God prompting you to accomplish? Start. Continue.

Imitate the disciples. And imitate Jeff’s method: “I go slow uphill, coast downhill, and stop for ice-cream.”