let's be a breath of fresh air...

my wife, margaret and i just came back from a weekend over in rhode island. we had a great time during the day but our nights were tough. we were both coming down with some type of cold or flu and our bed was a double and we are used to a king. so nights had the potential to ruin our days but they didn't.

i have found that complaining can kill a person's joy. it makes you unhappy, everybody else around you unhappy. but the problem is that it is a hard habit to break.

you see we are naturally negative, some more than others. we tend to look at the bad things in life. but more than that we are conditioned by society. bad news makes the headlines. we are bombarded continuously with what's wrong with everything. by our own nature and by our conditioning we tend to develop the habit of complaining.

now the bible says GOD wants CHRISTians to be different. philippians 2.14-15 (ms), do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society.

i know you have a right to complain but let's go out today as a breath of fresh air. we have enough complainers. let's be different for GOD and others.

just a thought from the front porch...

one of the greatest causes of conflict...

now we get down to one of the greatest causes for conflict and that is living without CHRIST in your life.

is your home in conflict right now? do you have some real tension going on in your family? it needs JESUS CHRIST right at the center of it.t

are you having conflict at work? you need the SPIRIT of CHRIST living through you.
ephesians 4.3 (ncv) you are joined together with peace through the SPIRIT, so make every effort to continue together in this way.

you see the SPIRIT joins us together, into our families, into our marriages. in order for you to get along with other people you must grow more and more like JESUS CHRIST.

but listen, it's not imitation but habitation. every day when i consciously choose to put somebody else's rights before my own, to serve another, to build people up instead of tearing them down, to sacrifice for the benefit of others i am becoming more like JESUS CHRIST. and that is the secret of lasting joy.

and as long as you are asking "what's going to make me happy?" you're never going to be happy. you've got to get a purpose bigger than yourself to live for. the problem with a self-made man is that he usually worships his maker. and that's a small god.

just a thought from the front porch...

i have to become a what?

as philippians 2.5 (ms) says, think of yourselves the way CHRIST JESUS thought of HIMself. CHRIST is our example in our relationships so how did HE think of HIMself?

HE thought of HIMself as a servant in dealing with others.

how do you know if you think as a servant? it’s simple. how do you respond when people treat you like a servant?

verse 8 (ms), when the time came, HE set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!

HE also was willing to sacrifice for others.

listen, it is impossible for you and me to live a lifestyle of total unselfishness on our own. it is human nature to be selfish, to think only of me.

by nature we are all selfish. so by nature we on our own cannot do all five of these steps on our own we all have that nature to do what we want to do.

our son and daughter-in-law are going to have a new baby at their home in a few months and they will know what selfishness is all about. no matter when that baby is hungry it demands to be fed. even in the middle of the night.

what do we men us usually do when our baby has pooped their pants? we yell for our wife to come and do something. we are by nature selfish. we don’t grow out of that.

i cannot live totally unselfishly with my wife or my kids or the people i work with, etc. i can't do it by myself. i need CHRIST.

just a thought from the front porch....

i demand my rights...but did HE?...

paul here in the second chapter of philippians is giving us some very simple but highly practical advice in dealing with conflict in our relationships. and in verse 5 (ms) he brings it all together with think of yourselves the way CHRIST JESUS thought of HIMself.

here it is, we need to become like CHRIST. HE is the real master of relationships and we need a relationship with the MASTER.

JESUS is our model and great example. if you want to know how to get along with people, even those who are hard to get along with, look at JESUS. think of yourselves the way CHRIST JESUS thought of HIMself. the niv says, your attitude should be the same as that of CHRIST JESUS. the way you think of yourself and your attitude.

now verse 6 (ms) tells us that HE had equal status with GOD but didn't think so much of HIMself that HE had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.

in other words HE didn't demand his rights.

nowhere in the bible when you read about JESUS do you find HIM going around jerusalem demanding HIS rights. do you know who I am? that wasn’t anything HE ever did. even when HE was being hung on a cross, HE never demanded his rights.

listen, the person who yields his rights to GOD, gets GOD as defender of his rights. who do you want defending you, yourself or GOD? who can do a better job of it? HE didn't defend his rights but HE willingly gave them up.

just a thought from the front porch...

i'm so sorry, honey...

philippians 2.4 (ms) don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. don't just be interested in your own affairs. be considerate.

but all i’m interested in is my affairs. i don’t care what kind of problem my sister is having at school, i have my own problems. i really don’t care what kind of day my wife had, i had a rough one and that is all i am interested in. i’m the important one. my son didn’t make the team, but i had to work and now i have to fix dinner. i don’t have time to sit and listen to him. i’m just going to yell at him and tell him to get over it

let me ask you, could you name the five greatest interests of your wife? your husband? could you right off the top of your head list five things that each of your kids are really interested in? because you know them and have paid attention and you know what's interesting to them. be considerate.

1 peter 3:7 (niv) husbands in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

men, did you know that the way you treat your spouse affects your prayer life? it is related. be considerate of each other so that nothing will hinder your prayers. nothing i'm saying is new; we just don't do it.

men, the next time you come home and your wife says, why didn’t you call and tell me you were going to be late for dinner, and then you say, i’m so sorry honey? that was so inconsiderate of me. i was only thinking about me. and after she wakes up from fainting, you can say, i’ll do better next time. you watch what happens in your life.

just a thought from the front porch...

do you like to travel in a car?

margaret and i are going to rhode island for a few days. for a big part of my life i hadn't been to rhode island so a few years back we took a trip to boston and then down to rhode island to get my 48th state out of the way. i went three years ago to south dakota and all i need now is alaska and i will have been in all 50 states.

i love to travel. it seems that i was born in a car. three weeks after i was born we left west virginia for colorado and i've been on the move ever since.

now it is very important to get along in a car. conflict can ruin a trip. proverbs 25.15 (ms) says, a nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet; you can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it. always critical, always giving grief about something and in a car you can't get away from it.

have you ever thought that in a car you have to do something about it? if you are on a long trip you can't ignore the problem like we do in a big house. you can't go somewhere and hide. come to think of it you can can't you with all those gadgets we put in our ears but at some time the batteries will run out and we will maybe have to talk.

well, i'm glad that i lived in a family that traveled. i was 12 months older than my sister, connie and she was my best friend until that guy came along and took her away (ha!).

i'm glad we traveled and i'm glad that margaret who is my best friend now and i are going to have a great time together as we explore our new home together in a car.

this is serious to GOD...

look again at what james said about this , james 4:11-12 (cev), my friends, don't say cruel things about others! if you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning GOD's law. and if you condemn the law, you put yourself above the law and refuse to obey either it or GOD who gave it. GOD is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. what right do you have to condemn anyone?

listen, this is serious to GOD. anytime i judge somebody else, i'm playing GOD. what right do you have to condemn anyone? you don't know their motives, their background. anytime i'm critical of somebody else in a judgmental attitude, i'm playing GOD.

but do you know why we criticize? it's fun to criticize. we like to criticize and pick out faults of other people because it makes us feel superior.

just look at the way that person dresses. i can’t believe it. what i’m really saying is, i know more how to dress than they do. i know better than they do.

you see it makes us feel good. we think we build ourselves up by putting other people down. but the bible says the exact opposite.

if you want to get rid of conflict in your life stop judging or criticizing other people.

conflict comes when i fail to value other people, when i treat them with less respect than they deserve. if i fail to value margaret, my wife, i’m going to have conflict. if i fail to value my kids, i’m going to have conflict. when i fail to value people that i go to church with or work with then i will have conflict.

just a thought from the front porch...

do you ever have any questions?

do you ever have any questions or do you just have answers?

here are some questions i have asked...

-what is the difference between scheming and planning?
-what is the difference between being lazy and trusting GOD?
-what is the difference between leading and letting?
-what is the difference between fearing and regretting?
-what is the difference between confidence and compliance?
-what is the difference between risking and dependence?
-what is the difference between humility and low self-esteem?

just some questions from the front porch for you who just have answers...

this can't be what HE means?

here is something else that paul says in philippians 2.3 (ms), put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. another way to say it is (cev), be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.

he says you're not to put people down or criticize them; no you treat them better than yourself.

now this is a radical concept in this day and age. selfishness has been elevated in our day to an art form, a character quality but GOD says through the apostle paul to do the exact opposite. treat others better than yourself. we are a nation of people who think they are better than everybody else.

what is humility? andrew murray said, humility is not thinking less of yourself, but rather not thinking of yourself at all.

in other words, your focus isn't on you. it's not that you think less of yourself, it’s you just don't think about yourself at all. your focus is on other people. you're other centered rather than self centered.

the person that thinks he's humble isn't. the humble person doesn't even know it because he's focusing on everybody else.

just a thought from the front porch...

why is pride an issue with GOD?...

why do you think pride is such an issue to GOD? why? do you think it is because HE is so self centered and an egomaniac that HE can't share any attention so HE tells us over and over not to have any pride?

no, the reason HE doesn't want us to have pride is because HE knows all about us and HE knows we on our own will blow it. pride is a focus on ourselves and we can not make it this world alone. we need GOD, we need family, we need support, we need prayer, we need encouragement. we need and pride blows our potential all to pieces. and one of the greatest gifts that GOD has give us is potential but we can't unwrap it and make it happen on our own, we heed help.

just a thought from the front porch...

here it is again...

philippians 2.3 (ms), don't push your way to the front.

don't let anybody get in your way to get what you want, that is a major cause of conflcit.

here it is again. we looked at this problem when we were looking at the book of james. here he says, get rid of the pride issue. don't do things just to show off your ego, just to gain praise or glory from others, just to show how powerful you are.

verse 3a, new international version, do nothing out of vain conceit. philips, never act from motives of personal vanity, don't do anything from a cheap desire to boast – today’s english version.

somebody said that an egotist is an "i" specialist. his i's are too close together. all he can see is himself. the bible says that pride goes before destruction.

have you ever been in an argument and you knew you were wrong but you wouldn’t admit it. there are some parents like that with their kids. they know they are wrong but they will never admit it because they are the parent.

when i've got an ego and refuse to admit it when i'm wrong that just breeds quarrels. the fact is if you could eliminate ego you would solve most of the people problems in today's world. over and over in HIS word GOD shows this to be true.

just a thought from the front porch...

just agree with each other

it seems in our families we usually do the opposite of what philippians 1.2 (ms) says. instead of trying to agree with each other, we tend to disagree with each other. that comes from our human immaturity but at some point paul is saying we need to grow up.

he says in verse 1 (ms), if you've gotten anything at all out of following CHRIST, if HIS love has made any difference in your life...agree with each other.

do you know where that kind of attitude comes from? HIS love. if we have HIS love we don't have a self love which has to be right all the time. and if you don't have to be right all the time then you can agree because in everything that is said there is something we can agree with.

understand, with HIS love the other person is more important than being right from your perspective. if you've gotten anything at all out of following CHRIST, if HIS love has made any difference in your life...agree with each other...

just a thought from the front porch...

i just want to get along...

conflict is something that can really rob a person of their joy. so how do you handle conflict? how do you handle conflict in your home, at school, at work, at church? how do you handle conflict in life?

now you understand, don’t you that very little is accomplished in life without cooperation. when there is unity there is tremendous power and potential but the problem is people don't always get along. so how do you reduce conflict and increase cooperation? that’s a good question isn’t it?

here is what paul says about this issue in philippians 2.1-2 (ms), if you've gotten anything at all out of following CHRIST, if HIS love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the SPIRIT means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

do you realize what would happen in your family if all those were true? listen, what would happen in your church if that described your church?

the problem is we too often compete with people on our own team. instead of complementing each other we are competing with each other. we are fighting each other. we have conflicting desires.

verse 3 the message, don't push your way to the front. jerusalem bible, there must be no competition among you.

as a kid you were involved in sibling rivalries. you competed with your brothers and sisters and now you're much older and much more sophisticated. but some of you are still competing with your brothers and sisters, trying to prove that you're better. you're an adult and you're still trying to compete! you're on the same team, the same family!

but we use put downs. one wife said, i had to marry you to find out how stupid you are. he then said, well you should have known that the moment i asked you to marry me.

now that does not defuse competition, it increases it, put downs increase it. defuse means to reduce the tension, strain and anger.

verse 3 in philips says, never act from motives of rivalry.

there is something to think about from the front porch...

for me to live is...

let me ask you a question. can you sum up the purpose of your life in a single sentence? everybody wants to live a long time, but why? life is not judged by its duration but by its donation – what you put into it and into the lives of other people.

the sad thing is that so many people i meet are giving first class allegiance to second class causes and those causes are betraying them. they climb the ladder of success and get to the top and find it's leaning against the wrong wall. and you'll say, "is that all there is? i gave my life for this? what a waste!" other people couldn't care less about you. while you're so busy impressing everybody they're not even watching you. they're looking at themselves. don't worry about what other people will think.

how would you finish this statement, for me to live is __________________

some of you men would say "for me to live is my career." you're going to give your blood, sweat and tears for your career and then it's going to be over.

some of you would say, "for me to live is popularity." or "for me to live is to have a nice home" or "for me to live is sex" or "for me to live is food" ...

i want to suggest that there is only one answer to that blank that is going to last 100 years from now or even 50 much less 10,000. you're going to spend more of your life on that side of death than you are on this side. there's only one answer and that is the answer that paul gives, philippians 1.21 (niv), for to me, to live is CHRIST.

what he's talking about is having a relationship to the one who made you. GOD made you for a purpose. you're not here by accident and to take up space. when you discover that purpose and get right in the center of it, it fits! and you feel fulfilled and you realize that is why you're here. not religion but relationship. paul did not say, "for me to live is religion" or church, bible study, or ministry. no, he said the only thing worth living for is a relationship with the ONE who made me.

what about you?

just an important question from the front porch...

losing is not an option...

when life is a competition or an accumulation then there is always the chance to lose.

when my life is always out there competing with someone else there is either the thrill of succeeding or the agony of failing. i really don't know which is worse, the coming down from a win or the being down from a loss.

then there is the matter of accumulating. i have a lawyer friend here on long island who auctioned off for the court two house of a criminal and they both were sold for over $10,000,000. one of the houses was sold to a neighbor for $3,500,000 and he was going to tear it and his own house down so he could build a bigger house. he must have not felt he had won yet.

it all matters on what you are living for doesn't it? and if you are living for CHRIST, losing is not an option.

just a thought from my front porch...

i can't lose...

paul is old and paul is tired. he has been in prison for four years. and he's ready to go on to heaven. they've taken every single thing from him -- friends, ministry, freedom, privacy. they've taken everything from him except the one thing that cannot be taken from you and that is a purpose to live for.

here is how he puts it. philippians 1.21 (ms), alive, i'm CHRIST's messenger; dead, i'm HIS bounty. life versus even more life! i can't lose.

now he's not suicidal. but he's anticipating death. he's not afraid of dying. death is just on to better things, out of the prison. "but while I'm here," he says, "i have a purpose for living."

what's your purpose? william james said it like this, ''the best use of your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.'' in what are you investing your life?

it's great to be a CHRISTian, but i'm not a CHRISTian because i'm afraid i'm going to die tonight but because i've got to live tomorrow. even if there weren't a heaven it would be worth it becoming a believer just for the joy here on earth. the fact is that there is more to it than cars, nice homes and things that are here and now. only a fool would go all through life unprepared for something he knows will eventually happen at death.

people say, well she has a terminal sickness. listen all of us have a terminal sickness.

so what are you living for and what are you going to die for? if i live or die for CHRIST, i can't lose.

just a thought from my front porch...

phil and amy...

i have just been enjoying watching on tv the u. s. open golf tournament here on long island. brett, my son and i are going to it tomorrow. we are both really excited even with the potential for rain.

i am a phil mickelson fan and i have been very interested in what has been happening in his and his wife amy's life. thy just have found out that amy has breast cancer and the open will be phil's last tournament for awhile with amy having surgery and treatments starting in july.

two years ago right now margaret and i were going through the same thing. two years ago last week, margaret had her thyroid taken out and it was malignant. i really don't know how anyone could go through that without a relationship with GOD. we had so much prayer from friends family and the HOLY SPIRIT gave us the strength we needed to face that very, very difficult time.

phil and amy have been on my heart and mind and in my prayers. i know how tough what they are going through is even when you have a personal relationship with CHRIST. i don't how i could have faced it if i didn't have prayer and GOD's hope and strength to pull us through.

and philippians 4:13 (tev) is so true, i have the strength to face all conditions by the power that CHRIST gives me.

just a thought from my front porch...

i can handle it...

there was this cartoon. it has a frazzled mother standing at the door, her hair is all coming down, there is a baby squalling in her arms, three kids at her feet, a dog barking. she just looks worn out.

and there is a poll taker at the door and he says, what do you mean, you’re undecided? all i asked was, do you live here?

do you ever feel like that? life can drain you completely. one crisis after another can drain you. you lose your energy and your power. some of you are ready to throw in the towel. you say, "i've done the best i could, but it's not good enough and i'm sick and tired." you need a fresh power supply.

philippians 1.18-20 (niv), i will continue to rejoice, for i know that through your prayers and the help given by the SPIRIT of JESUS CHRIST, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. i eagerly expect and hope that i will in no way be ashamed.

paul says here that he has two things that give him strength and have kept him going in spite of four years of imprisonment. one, is the prayers of other people and two, the help of GOD's SPIRIT. he doesn't depend on his own energy.

look at the word "hope". we can't live without hope. cornell university did a study of 25,000 pows from wwii. they found that man can handle tremendous stress and pressure as long as he has hope. the moment hope is gone you're domed.

where do you get your hope to keep on keeping on? where do you get it to stay true in your marriage? where do you get it to hang in there with your kids? is that source reliable enough?

what’s GOD's answer to a personal energy crisis? philippians 4:13 (tev) i have the strength to face all conditions by the power that CHRIST gives me.

he is saying that with GOD's power nothing can devastate me.

just a thought from my front porch...

what are your core values?...

here are my core values...

• i value my personal relationship with GOD the FATHER through the sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST HIS SON and empowered by the cleansing and infilling of HIS HOLY SPIRIT as my highest priority.
• i value the bible as my guide for life and my picture into who GOD is, what HE is like, what HE expects, when HE will return and what HE will do.
• i value prayer as my personal link to my GOD in which i give HIM my devotion, my confessions, my gratitude, my praise, my needs and my dependence.
• i value my family as my joy, my love, my gift from GOD, my responsibility and my extension.
• i value my call as my purpose, my passion and my high unworthy honor from my GOD.
• i value lost people as my mission.
• i value my potential as my lifelong task.
  

what about you? what are your core values?

just some thoughts from my front porch...

so what?...

philippians 1.15-18 (ms), it's true that some here preach CHRIST because with me out of the way, they think they'll step right into the spotlight. but the others do it with the best heart in the world. one group is motivated by pure love, knowing that i am here defending the message, wanting to help. the others, now that i'm out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. their motives are bad. they see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them. so how am i to respond? i've decided that i really don't care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. every time one of them opens his mouth, CHRIST is proclaimed, so i just cheer them on!

now that is the way to show that having CHRIST in your life really works. by not responding the same way that people who don't have CHRIST respond. does joy shine through in your negative episodes of life or do you respond just like everybody else?

paul is saying that if you want something to steal your joy quicker than anything else, just let
other people begin to criticize you. then he said 18 (niv), but what does it matter? so what. paul wasn't going to let anybody steal his joy. not circumstances nor critics. he said their motives may be wrong, their style may be wrong, but if the message is getting out. what does it matter? he had set his priorities, his values, so he would not let little things steal his joy. so I just cheer them on!

how many arguments in your marriage are over little things that really don't matter? is it worth losing your joy over? no! he's saying that if you want to have constant joy you have to know what is important.

so what is important? proverbs 3.6 (lb), in everything you do, put GOD first and HE will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

that’s what counts -- put GOD first. do what GOD wants. the important stuff. focus on what really counts.

just a thought from bill's front porch...

what about your bad times?...

margaret and i have been married for 34 years. 31 great years and 3 horrible years. we half jokingly have said, we have never contemplated divorce, murder yes.

now those three years came about because of what i call my three year jerk time. i was in the ministry but i was living totally for myself. i finally left the ministry with my family and fell in love with GOD and fell in love with my family and then GOD was good to let us get back to what HE had called us to do.

now those three years were not what GOD wanted but HE has used them. because of those years margaret and i can say to couples we understand but we also can say but don't give up, don't run from your commitment even in the bad times. GOD can use both the bad in your life and the good if you will be honest and open and vulnerable.

just a thought from bill's front porch...

you too have a story...

philippians 1.14 (ms), not only that, but most of the followers of JESUS here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about GOD, about the MESSIAH.

he said, my attitude towards problems has encouraged other people. courage is contagious. it spreads like wildfire. other believers became bold because of paul being bold.

it is so important to share your story with others how GOD is at work in your life. some would say but i'm such a private person. i don't want everyone to know all about me and i can understand that if we were just living for our self. but we aren't and GOD takes us through situations so we can encourage other people.

now this again shows how GOD's way is best. let's say paul had gone to rome and had a crusade but nobody would have been there to write what was done down on paper. but paul was in prison and he couldn't do anything else but write and what he wrote and has made such a difference through all these over 2000 years.

what story of GOD working in your life do you have to share? have you shared it? why not?

somebody today will need what you have to share. all you need to share is your story and it just might help make a fellow believer far more sure...in the faith than ever. GOD has given each of HIS followers stories to share that will encourage others in their daily walk through life. let GOD use you today.

just a thought from bill's front porch...

this wasn't what i had in mind...

GOD's plan has been different also for me. my dream was to make a major difference as a pastor in las vegas. i just knew that i was going to die there. but 2+ years ago GOD started really working on me. for the longest time i didn't realize it was GOD until a monday the fall of 2008. margaret took the day off and we went driving and talking and between the two of us we knew our time was done in vegas.

now if i wouldn't have left vegas and left the church planting ministry i wouldn't be doing what i am doing right now. oh i used to blog every once in awhile but not every day, sometimes twice a day but here we are. i'm still not sure what GOD has in HIS plan book for these next years of my life but i know that HE is not done and i know HIS plan is the best.

and the same is true for you.

just a thought from bill's front porch...

GOD had a better plan...

GOD is unbelievable in the way HE works. experience and reading HIS word show that to be true. look at paul's circumstance here. this is great! paul says, philippians 1.12 (ms), i want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. instead of being squelched, the message has actually prospered. all the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that i'm in jail because of this MESSIAH. that piqued their curiosity, and now they've learned all about HIM.

this is great. look at this and think about your plans, and your dreams.

paul had always wanted to go to rome. he had this dream, to rent the coliseum, get the best bands he could find and have a crusade. ''GOD, if we do that i know we can make a difference. we can change this old world.''

but GOD had a better plan. instead, GOD put him in prison where he would write the new testament. he's chained to a palace guard, the praetorian guard, the crack elite troops of the roman empire, personally chosen by caesar to be his body guards. they were the highest paid people of the empire. when they retired after 12 years they were made leaders in rome. there was not a more strategic group that paul could witness to if he's going to reach the roman empire.

so GOD puts paul in rome, nero pays the bill and chains a future leader of rome to him every four hours. in two years at four-hour shifts, paul had witnessed to 4,380 guards. these guards had an inside route to the emperor and as a result even some of nero's family became believers. history tells us that nero had his wife, mother and children killed because they became believers. a "chain" reaction. paul had a captive audience.

paul had a plan but GOD had a better more effective one. and the same is true for you and me.

just a thought from the front porch...

more a man than a little boy...

i love sports and at one time to my hurt and also those around me. if my team would lose then my negative emotions would go into overdrive. it would put me in a major bad mood. and many of you wives and girl friends understand what i'm talking about, your guys are like that too.

but one day i came to the conclusion that i had no control over whether my team won or not and i didn't want something besides me having such control over my emotions. i still don't like it when my team loses but i do not let it control my mood anymore. somehow i think i am more a man now than a little boy and i like that and so does my family and friends.

what about you?

just a thought from the front porch...

where does happiness come from?...

now I have dealt here with the fact that paul the writer of this positive book was in prison but as paul harvey used to say, here's the rest of the story. the last four years he has been miserable in circumstances. he spent two years in prison in caesarea on a trumped up charge. then he's put on a ship to go to rome to appear before nero who is not known for his justness towards CHRISTians. on the way he's shipwrecked, stranded on an island, bitten by a poisonous snake, waits the winter there, continues on to rome, spends another two years in prison awaiting trial to be executed. and during this two year period in rome he is chained to a guard for 24 hours a day. he has absolutely no privacy. and every four hours he gets a new guard.

but paul in spite of all of these circumstances, says in philippians 1.18 (niv), i rejoice and i will continue to rejoice.

can you say that about your situation, your circumstances? do you think that life must be perfect for you to be happy? if i could just change my situation life would be great. if i could just get rid of all my problems... but there's no such thing as a problem free life.

if you're going to learn to be happy, joyful, you must learn to be joyful in the situation, in the problems, in the very experiences of life.

you see the word "happiness" comes from the word "happenstance" from which we get the word "circumstance". it depends on happenings. joy is internal. happiness is external. you have a happy time at disneyland, you leave and you lose your happiness. joy is constant. how do you have happiness in spite of what is going on in your life?

put your joy in something that is going to last. put your joy in HIM and HIS plan for your life.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

it's HIS love that makes the difference...

romans 5.5 (ncv), GOD has poured out his love to fill our hearts. HE gave us his love through the HOLY SPIRIT, whom GOD has given to us.

the secret of enjoying the people in my life is to be filled with GOD's love. life is too short to not enjoy the people in your life. if you don't learn to enjoy the people that GOD has placed around you in your life you will be miserable. people will rob your joy unless you learn how to respond to them the way JESUS did.

is HE is your heart today? HE wants to be. just ask HIM to come in and fill you with HIS love.

just a thought from the front porch...

do people really matter to you?...

i just got back from my starbucks in rockville center and i had a great time talking with 2 of my friends about the yankees and mets game last night. i love baseball. i really do but i also love what my love of sports does. it give me a connection with people, something to talk about, a starting point that is nonthreatening into other people's lives.

questions also do that. i can get almost anybody to tell me their life story just by asking nonthreatening questions. now why is that important? it's because of the affection of CHRIST JESUS [philippians 1.8 (niv)] that GOD generously pours into our lives through the HOLY SPIRIT! [romans 5.5 (ms)]. i love baseball but i love people more because CHRIST loves people.

now i personally could go into my starbucks and sit down and read my papers and not talk to anybody but that is not why GOD put us here on this earth. JESUS did not come down to this earth to sit off in a corner and just look and observe people. if HE would have done that HE might have lived longer but that is not why HE came. HE came because HE loved us and we mattered to HIM. so if I have the affection of CHRIST JESUS what HE loves I love, what matters to HIM matters to me.

we just changed the name of our church to the bridge. i love it because that is what we are to be, a bridge between people and CHRIST.

are you a bridge? do people matter to you? the answer to that question goes a long way in showing if CHRIST is in your life.

just a thought from the front porch...

i can't love them...

as I said, you cannot love someone you don't understand. understanding them makes it easy (or easier). so if heart love begins with understanding, how do you get understanding? you do that by asking questions and then listening.

and then how do you love those people that even when you do understand them, they can't be loved? philippians 1.8 (niv), GOD can testify how i long for all of you with the affection of CHRIST JESUS.

in greek the word "affection" is the word for "intestines". king james translates this bowels. now in greek society, the greeks thought that the seat of the emotions was in your stomach, your liver, your internal organs.

so paul is saying here, "i've got a gut feeling of love for you." it is intensive love that makes me love even the unlovely. that is not a natural kind of love. it is a supernatural kind of love and that's why paul said it's not from himself, but it's the affection of CHRIST JESUS.

human love wears out and dies. this happens to everybody. the only kind of love that lasts and lasts in spite of heartache and difficulty in tough circumstances is GOD's love - the affection of CHRIST JESUS . that's the only kind of love that lasts.

romans 5.5 (ms), we can't round up enough containers to hold everything GOD generously pours into our lives through the HOLY SPIRIT!

GOD's love is not something you work up. it is something that is poured into me by the HOLY SPIRIT as i let HIM live in me day by day. GOD's love is something HE does in me and through me. it is a gift as you let the HOLY SPIRIT live in you moment by moment.

just a thought from the front porch...

to be understood or to understand...

in this matter of having margaret, my wife in my heart, the difference between to be understood or to understand makes a big difference in all of our disagreements.

have you noticed that in every fight the fight is prolonged as long as each side is selfishly striving to be understood? when each person brings up all of the reasons why they are right the fight continues. and it is only until one of the two stops and starts to strive to understand what the other person's side is, to set aside their reasons why and starts to hear the other person's reason why, that the fight then loses it reason to go on and it stops.

because i am in margaret's heart and she is in mine one of us finally stops talking and starts to listen. that is what real love for the other person does. that is something that two very strong willed people have found as a point in having a successful 34 year marriage.

just a thought from the front porch...

you are in my heart...

look at what paul says in philippians 1.7 (tev), you are always in my heart! and so it is only right for me to feel as i do about you.

have you discovered yet that if people are not in your heart, they're on my nerves? if you don't have your kids in your heart, they get on your nerves. if you don't have your husband in your heart, he gets on your nerves. if you don’t have your wife in your heart she gets on your nerves.

so many families today are falling apart and it’s because the members of the family are reacting to each other from their mind rather than from their heart.

husband or wife comes in and shares a feeling, shares an emotion….says i just feel this way and our reaction is from the mind. hey wait a minute. you shouldn’t feel that way. that’s dumb. that’s illogical. it doesn’t make sense. let me show you the the five reasons why you shouldn't feel that way and we try to set them straight so they will be intellectually enlighten. we approach them from our mind not our heart.

when your wife says, "i feel depressed" listen to her; it's legitimate. when your husband says, "i don't feel this is the right thing we ought to do. we ought to do it this other way." listen to him. listening and loving from the heart hears the feelings behind the words.

heart love begins with understanding, knowing why they feel that way. why does the guy at work act like such a jerk? maybe you don't know the background he grew up in. maybe he's tons better than he used to be ten years ago. hear the hurt, look for the problems, know what makes your mate tick.

you cannot love someone you don't understand. understanding them makes it easy (or easier).
you need to understand the moods of the people closest around you, why they act the way they do. if you care, you'll be aware.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

a living example from our yard today...

this is what we see...

here is the potential that GOD sees.

being confident of this, that HE who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion until the day of CHRIST JESUS.

philippians 1.6 (niv)

just a thought from bill's front porch...

we are shaped by expectations...

philippians 1.6 (nirv), i am sure that the ONE who began a good work in you will carry it on until it is completed. that will be on the day CHRIST JESUS returns.

now GOD has the power to change human personality and because of that to HIM no person is hopeless so HE never gives up on people. this is a great promise of GOD. claim it for your kids, for your mate, for yourself.

paul here is talking about faith and faith is expecting the best from other people. there is tremendous power in faith. you and i are shaped by expectations. we tend to live up to what other people expect of us.

so because of that fact what do you expect out of your kids, your spouse, your friend? not much? guess what you are getting? not much.

our common mistake is we judge others by how far they have to go rather than how far they have come.

we as the church sometimes are bad at this. we see somebody and say, how can that person be a CHRISTian, they have that habit or they’re living that lifestyle. but we don’t look at the difference since CHRIST came into their life. they’re becoming, they’re growing and we need to look at how far people have come in order to enjoy them and be grateful.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

i feel like i'm back in kindergarten...

why is it that we think we are all grown up and we have it all together when we hit certain milestones: 16, 21, marriage, etc.?

i just have retired and i feel like i am back in kindergarten. i have entered a whole new world with so much to learn. and i understand what paul means in philippians 1.6 (cev) and i'm glad for the fact that GOD is the one who began this good work in you (me), and i am certain (praying) that HE won't stop before it is complete on the day that CHRIST JESUS returns.

i really need to know that don't you? HE is not done even though we as parents are no longer responsible for the maturing of our kids, HE is not done with us until the day that CHRIST JESUS returns.

just an encouraging thought from my front porch...

I'm not going to give up on you...

have you ever really wanted to give up on a person, even yourself? it seems that you just can't get it all together. philippians 1.6 (ms), there has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the GOD who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day CHRIST JESUS appears.

i think everybody should have a little sign around their neck that says, under construction, GOD’s not finished with me yet. HE’s still working on me and you.

so we need to be patient with people's progress. to enjoy people we must allow for growth and for development. paul could say, "i'm not the man i used to be, thank GOD. but also, thank GOD, i'm not the man i'm going to be. i'm growing and changing."

now let me apply this, ok? if you want to enjoy your marriage, i mean really enjoy it you've got to learn to enjoy your husband or your wife right now while allowing for growth and development. enjoy them where they are right now.

not, well when my wife, when my husband get’s their act together then i’ll enjoy him, enjoy her.
no you won’t because the moment they meet your conditions you’ll have another one and then another one and then...

you've got to learn to enjoy them where they are right now.

just a thought from the front porch...

and prayer can make a difference...

there isn't much that you can do that can really make a difference in some one's day more than to pray for them. we have the opportunity to connect with GOD for someone who really needs help. of course there are times when we are suppose to get in there and personally help but what about when we aren't close and they need help and you can't help them but prayer can.

let's say someone is going through an attack by satan. they are fighting a temptation that he is throwing at them and they are about to go under because they don't have the spiritual strength to combat satan so they pray with desperation for GOD to help. and HE prompts you to pray for them. that's when prayer for a person can make a difference even when you don't know what they are going through. you just know that they need prayer.

and prayer can make all the difference! just a thought from the front porch...

how do i pray for them?

philippians 1.3-4 (ms), every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD. each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. i find myself praying for you with a glad heart.

listen, the quickest way to change a relationship from bad to good is to start thanking GOD in prayer for them. now what this does is change your attitude toward them and change them.

positive praying is much more powerful than positive thinking. people may resist our advice and spurn our appeals and reject our suggestions and not listen to our help, but they are powerless against our prayers.

when you say to somebody, "i'll pray for you" what do you say? what do you pray? most of us are good at praying in a crisis but on a normal basis what do you pray? GOD, bless them? that's so general. the more specific you are in prayer the more specific you get an answer.

paul spells out specifically what he's praying for people. Verses 9-11 (ms) so this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. learn to love appropriately. you need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life JESUS will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making JESUS CHRIST attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of GOD.

• pray that they will grow in their love. that your love will flourish.
• pray that they make wise choices. you need to use your head.
• pray that they will do the right thing. love is sincere and intelligent...circumspect and exemplary.
• pray that they will live for GOD's glory. live...a life JESUS will be proud of...making JESUS CHRIST attractive to all.
  

those are four things that you can pray for people. they are very specific. they will grow in love, they will make wise choices, wise decisions, they will do the right thing and they will live for GOD’s glory, to make GOD look good.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

a thanks and a prayer...

i love how the message paraphrases philippians 1.3-4, every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD. each exclamation is a trigger to prayer.

it is so easy for us when we think of people to think about how they've hurt us or how they can do something for us. but paul says two great things for us to do when someone crosses our mind: i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD, that is such a great way to think about people by thanking GOD for them and then each exclamation is a trigger to prayer – see it as GOD sending a message to you that this person needs your prayer right now. do you realize what a difference we would make in people's live if we were thankful for them and then we prayed for them every time we thought about them?

there have been many times in my life when I was going through some difficult time where I needed GOD's help and I would ask HIM to have my mother or my mother-in-law to pray for me. i believed in their prayer life.

what if during your day when your husband or your wife or your kids or your parents came to your mind you would in the quietness of your heart just thank GOD for letting them be in my life and then say as specific a prayer as you can for them. maybe that's why GOD brought them to your mind.

try it today. just a thought from the front porch...

what do you remember about people?...

perspective is an important thing to know and to have. i love reading but one of the things i do in reading a non-fictional book is to find from what perspective the author comes. if he is a calvinist i know he'll come from one perspective, if he is an armenian he will come from another one. now that doesn't mean i won't read the book it just means i understand better where the writer is coming from.

now in reading the book of philippians in the bible it really is important to know that the writer paul was in prison. it is a positive book written by a man in a negative situation. and that fact about this man gives a whole different perspective on how he views life.

now one such perspective is he was a man who was grateful for the good in people. and he chose to remember the best in them and then forget the rest. if we learn that our relationships will change.

now that does not mean that you deny the hurts you've had or that you excuse the weaknesses in other people. no, that's not healthy psychologically. but to focus on the good and choose to emphasize the strengths is a tremendous way to live.

he also appreciated people's loyalty. philippians 1.5 (ncv) i thank GOD for the help you gave me while i preached the good news—help you gave from the first day you believed until now.

who has been loyal to you? maybe somebody at work, a friend, a husband or wife. maybe they didn't do anything really spectacular, but time and time again, when they had every opportunity to walk out on you, they didn't. they hung in there.

when you were going through the bankruptcy, the crisis at work, the change in careers, when you were just being a jerk – they stayed with you. you ought to appreciate that! they haven't left and they've had plenty of good reasons.

paul would say you've got to focus on their strengths and not their weaknesses. with some people it takes a lot of creativity. but you can find something good in everybody.

just some thoughts from the front porch.

i have a choice...

there is a small four chapter book over in the middle of the nt that has some truth that is very relevant to the day in which we live. here is the way it starts (ms), paul and timothy, both of us committed servants of CHRIST JESUS, write this letter to all the followers of JESUS in philippi, pastors and ministers included. we greet you with the grace and peace that comes from GOD our FATHER and our MASTER, JESUS CHRIST. those are the first 2 verses of chapter 1 of philippians.

now the apostle paul writes it with his helper timothy and he tells us a lot about himself and his life. it is personal. it deals with a lot of the problems in life that we all face everyday. it is practical but most of all philippians is a positive book. you will find the words joy or rejoice or be glad seventeen different times in this book. paul in this book deals with how to be joyful in spite of circumstances, in spite of problems. something that is good for us to see today.

many of you are going through some tuff stuff and as you apply the truths in this book your perspective on your tuff stuff will change. you will be different.

in the first chapter, paul starts right off talking about people back in philippi to whom he is writing this letter. in verse 3 (ms) he says, every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD.

there is one thing i haven't told you yet that may show you a different perspective about this man paul and his attitude. he is writing this letter from prison and he is choosing to remember the good things about these people, to focus on the good times they've had, to remember the positive experiences and not focus on the bad.

here is another fact that will help you to see what paul was like. paul did not have an easy time in philippi. acts 16 tells us the background of this story.

when he went to philippi he was arrested illegally, whipped, humiliated, thrown in prison. while in prison there was an earthquake. he was asked to leave town. paul did not have a good time in philippi, he had a bad time. yet he says, when i think of you i remember the good things. every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD.

i'm sure you would agree that paul had every right to dwell on the negative. he could have remembered the painful memories. but he chose not to remember the painful but to focus on the things he could be grateful for.

maybe you have, in your past, been hurt by a parent or a partner and maybe you're still holding on to that hurt. so as a result you can't enjoy them today. you're still focusing on the bad and the negative.

listen. be grateful for the good in people. pleasant memories are a choice. i can choose what i'm going to remember about the past.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

resignation or refocus?...

there was a period a few years back when i was pastoring in las vegas that i was losing my vision for where i was so i started sending out resumes to different district superintendents seeing if they had any church openings.

i remember coming down the hill into vegas from california where i had interviewed with a ds and seeing the lights and feeling the tug and knowing that my time wasn't up there. so i came home and talked with my people about the fact that we were in a rut and that we needed to spend some time in refocus. and that is what we did for the next eighteen months and it was exactly what we needed to do. and GOD used us for the next seven years in exciting and challenging ways.

what about you? how is your focus? maybe you just need a time of refocus so that GOD can energize you for that task HE has for you.

just a thought from the front porch...

are we on focus?...

there is a deep concern that i have that we in the church have become totally focused on we in the church – when we want our services to start, what we want to hear sung, what we want done, what is convenient for us, what our kids need, our needs. it is all about us.

GOD was so good to allow me to be a part of a group of people for over 14 years that had a different idea about why we as a church exists and it was more in line with what james thought. james 5.19 & 20 (ms), my dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from GOD's truth, don't write them off. go after them. get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from GOD.

to reach out to those who have wandered off from GOD's truth is so important to james that it is the last thing he says in his letter. and james' brother JESUS said in acts 1.8 & 9 (ms), and when the HOLY SPIRIT comes on you, you will be able to be MY witnesses in jerusalem, all over judea and samaria, even to the ends of the world. these were HIS last words. HE showed by HIS last words how important it is for HIS followers to reach out and HE even has come back as the HOLY SPIRIT to help us do it.

somehow we as HIS followers need to get back to doing what HE came to do. go after them. get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from GOD.

oh GOD, somehow help us to get back on focus.

just a deep concern that i have on my front porch...

pray is a family privilege...

have you ever thought about how you would respond if someone with whom you don't have a relationship would knock on your door and ask for things that only someone who is in your family would have the right to ask for but they would expect you to give it to them? how would you respond?

but isn't that they way it is when people who don't have a relationship with GOD expect HIM to give them everything they ask HIM for in prayer? prayer is the privilege of those in the family.

there is one prayer, though, HE responds to of someone who isn't in HIS family and that is the prayer of the tax collector in luke 18.13 (ms), GOD, give mercy. forgive me, a sinner.

just a thought from the front porch...

three words that make a difference...

my dad was a traveling evangelist for at least half of my at home life. we would start church services on wednesday and then hold a service every night and two on sunday through two sundays. then we would leave and go to another church and do the same thing. so a big part of my time as a child was spent in a car on the road. my dad and my sister and i would sing in every service and he would preach. i loved it.

one of the things about this was that i heard the same messages over and over and over and i loved it. my dad was an awesome preacher.

one of his messages was from the 5th chapter of james the last part of verse 16. here is what it says in the king james version, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. that was the version that was used most 50 years ago when I was a child.

now in the message he said that he used to love to diagram sentences in english class and that if this sentence was diagrammed there would be three adjectives that made the difference in the meaning of this sentence. and the three adjectives are: effectual, fervent and righteous. now the sentence isn't the prayer of a man availeth much but that is what a lot of people think today. all i have to do is pray and i will get what i want. no the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

even as CHRISTians we think that prayer is just something that we say at the beginning of a meal holding everyone's hands or right before we go to bed or as a ceremony in church but that kind of repetitious ceremonial prayer is not effective in moving the heart of GOD. it makes us feel good but that is not what prayer is all about.

now effectual means it effects or influences something or someone. it is the kind of prayer that makes things happen. (ncv). now if what i'm praying doesn't effect me move me then how is it going to effect GOD? in other words are you serious and specific about what you are praying?

then fervent which means having great emotion or zeal. i'll be honest, when I heard and saw how fervent andrew was in his love for my daughter stefanie, i knew that he would take care of her and i gave him my blessing to marry my one and only daughter. his fervency told me she mattered to him and that moved me to say yes.

does what you pray matter to you? and then righteous. i'm not talking about perfection. i'm talking about righteousness. righteousness is your standing before GOD when you became a believer. but GOD also want us to have a clean life after the fact. psalm 66.18 (ncv), david said, if i had known of any sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened to me.

in other words, if i am willfully and knowingly doing something i know is displeasing to GOD and say, "GOD, i'm going to continue doing this but, by the way, help me out." it's like saying "dad, will you loan me the keys to the car, but i'm never going to do a single thing you ask." we need to have a clean, righteous life before him.

effectual, fervent, righteous. just some thoughts from the front porch...

the ordinary can become the extraordinary

in prayer i as an ordinary human being connect with GOD and HE then can do the extraordinary through me. what an awesome opportunity. and the days that we are living in right now can show through us the power we have to live with hope and not despair. GOD through prayer makes the difference.

but i'm ordinary...

james goes on from the need for confession. james 5. 16b-18 (ms), the prayer of a person living right with GOD is something powerful to be reckoned with. elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. the showers came and everything started growing again.

we read the stories of the great men and women of the bible and of their faith and the power of their prayers and we wonder about whether we have what it takes to pray prayers that will make a difference. they were extraordinary people not like me. i'm ordinary. but james puts a phrase right in the middle of these verses that speaks to me. elijah, for instance, human just like us.

i am so glad james put that phrase in there. yes, elijah did extraordinary things but he was a human like me.

i love this particular story of elijah. my father is now in heaven but i can still see and hear him tell this story. you will find the story over in i kings 19.

this is after the big GOD contest on mt. carmel. he runs to the other side of the desert and goes through a fit of depression and prays, "GOD, kill me. i'm so depressed." he wasn't afraid of 400 prophets of baal but he runs from a woman named jezebel. come to think of it, that is a good time to run when a woman is mad at you.

now in that passage -- the first 10 verses -- elijah demonstrated fear, resentment, guilt, anger, loneliness and worry. now you know why it says, elijah...human just like us. we have anger, fear, resentment, worry, loneliness.

but the lesson of elijah's life is you don't have to be perfect to pray. you don't have to be perfect to see answers to your prayers. it's for ordinary people.

i kings 18, elijah got alone with GOD and humbled himself praying for rain. it says he prayed seven times. he was persistent. he would not give up. one day a little cloud formed in the sky and he said, ''it's going to be a gusher!'' the rains came and flooded the place.

GOD uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things through prayer. and i am an ordinary person so I guess i qualify to do extraordinary things through prayer and so do you.

just some thoughts from bill's front porch...

thanks ivan and helen for the opportunity...

well back in 1947 on june 1st i came to live with ivan and helen williams and it has been a great life. i'm not done yet but i'm thankful for what GOD has allowed me to do in these 62 years.

stef my daughter has helped me find my way to facebook and from there to over 400 friends and relatives from these 62 years that i have connected again with. some i knew as kids, some i went to high school with, others i knew from different colleges and churches and youth ministries and varied other situations. all of them have memories attached to them.

i have been so fortunate to have the life that GOD has given me and i really do believe that my best days are ahead.

thanks GOD for allowing me the privilege of living. thanks for the privilege of being a husband, a dad, a dad-in-law, a papa, a son, a brother, a lead pastor, a youth pastor, a worship pastor, a singer, a soul winner, a discipler, a counselor and a friend. and thanks GOD for allowing me to be a CHRIST follower.

just some thoughts on my 62nd birthday from my front porch...

who do i confess to?...

now someone could ask about the first part of james 5.16 (ms), does confess your sins to each other mean that i have to get up in front of the whole church and confess my sins? and that is a good question and the answer is you only confess as widely as it involves other people.

what i mean by that is if i've got a private sin, just between me and GOD, then i ought to just confess it to GOD. if it's a personal sin, between me and you, then i need to come to you. but if it's a public sin, then i need to apologize to the whole church. and confess your sins, does not mean broadcast them. but if it involves somebody else you ought to go to somebody else.

now confession is a major part of being able to live with others and we know that relationships in this day and age need some healing. james 5.16, (ms), confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.

the truth is because of our pride we'd rather conceal and camouflage our sins, than confess them. but it is a liberating experience to confess them and get them out and share them, not just with the LORD but with each other. and remember revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. the wholeness and healing comes from the relief of not carrying a burden anymore, to just get it out and share it with somebody else so you can be loved and accepted for who you are without having to pretend you're perfect and wear a mask.

just a thought from the front porch...