My Coconut Tree

My Coconut Tree

This may sound a little crazy but I have my own coconut tree. Well, I don’t have it here in Montana. It’s out “in the bush” in Kenya, East Africa. Here’s the story about my coconut tree.

I have travelled to Africa five times over the past ten years. The purpose of these visits was to build relationships. Through a pastor in our church network, I met Bishop Josphat who along with a team of pastors cares for over one hundred churches in Kenya. He invited me to come and see what God was doing there.

On my first trip, I was invited to speak at a pastor’s conference in Mombasa, Kenya. Even though I enjoyed my time at the conference, it was accepting an invitation to preach on Sunday morning at a church out “in the bush” that was most challenging. The people of Little Roca, a small congregation deep in the jungle, met in a barn with a dirt floor and half a roof. With no electricity, I used my loud voice to preach the Gospel.

At the end of the service, the pastor thanked me for my sermon that was translated by my guide into Swahili. As a gift I was presented with a large, living duck. I was shocked and wondered what I was going to do with it. My guide put it into the trunk of the car to bring back home for supper. After a meal cooked over an open fire, I was presented with a second gift.

The village elders showed me a hole dug in the ground and explained that they were planting a coconut tree in my honor. I took the young tree, placed it in the hole and filled the hole with dirt. One of the elders took a plaque with my name written on it and attached it to the tree. Although I have not returned to Little Roca, I am told that the coconut tree continues to stand tall and bear good fruit.

Most likely, I will never see my coconut tree again or taste its fruit. But just knowing I have one is good enough. The Bible says, “…a God shaped life is a flourishing tree… a good life is a fruit bearing tree….” Amen to that!

The Blessing of Betrayal

The Blessing of Betrayal:

Some years ago I was on the pastoral staff of a large, charismatic church. At the invitation of the founding pastor and the direction of the Lord, we moved from small town Montana to a large city. With high expectations of being a part of a church that was on the cutting edge of renewal, I jumped right in to my work.

It wasn’t long before I began to realize that the original invitation had some limitations. Although he was in the process of releasing his pastoral role, he still wanted to maintain control of the church. We were good friends but the tension increased to the point where outside help was needed to resolve our differences.

Sparing the details, our relationship as well as the direction of the church started to spiral out of control. Even with outside help, we both said and did things that further aggravated the situation. It got to the point where one of us had to go. Trusting the Lord and the wisdom of others, I resigned and left the church. My life was in a tailspin both emotionally and spiritually. In short, I was a basket case. My friend had betrayed me!

Betrayal is a tricky thing. The closer the relationship, the more the betrayal hurts. I felt like I got blindsided by someone whom I trusted. Thoughts like stabbed in the back and double-crossed brooded in my mind. I was wounded and couldn’t let it go. Like I said, I was a mess!

In the middle of all of this, a friend sent me an article entitled “The Blessing of Betrayal.” The author shared his own struggle with betrayal. He wrote how the betrayal of Jesus by Judas was a test of forgiveness for both Jesus and Judas. Jesus passed the test; Judas did not. Here’s where the blessing comes in: the opportunity to forgive and release the person who broke trust and gravely hurt you. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can this happen. Betrayal without forgiveness is a cancer to the soul.

I read and reread that article over a period of several years. Finally the release came and I was able to write a letter to my friend asking forgiveness for all I said during that turbulent time. Our relationship was never the same but the hurt was gone. What a blessing that is.

The War Wagon

The War Wagon

What is it about guys and their pick-up trucks? Is there some mystical appeal about a four-wheel vehicle that can take you anywhere you want to go? Whatever it is that bonds men to trucks, I got it. One of the first things I did when I moved back to Montana some years ago was to find a high mileage Chevy pick up. Two pick-ups later, I am still in love with my truck.

There is one truck that is above all others: The War Wagon. It was a 1978 Ford Super Cab ½ ton long box with the 400 cubic V8 engine. If there ever was a hunting machine, the War Wagon was it! The truck belonged to my good friend Tom. He pulled trailers, hunted geese, deer, elk and gophers with it. By the time we moved to Havre, the truck was well broken in with the sweet smell of the Wild West.

My boys loved the War Wagon. They couldn’t wait till spring so we could load up with pop, hot dogs and 22 shells to go gopher hunting in the Bears Paw Mountains. We would spend a whole day out in the wide-open spaces shooting those rodents of the prairie. What fun it was to eat our lunch under the big Montana sky. By day’s end we were out of shells and proud that we had helped the eagles have a hot meal or two. One time the boys cut the tails off some gophers thinking they would take them home and show mom. Somehow they forgot and those tails sat in the back of the truck the whole summer; another reminder that gophers best be left where they fall.

That long box came in handy for deer season. One time we took my three boys and a friend out to the Breaks to hunt mule deer. Everybody had a deer tag. Our goal was to shoot enough deer to fill everyone’s tag. It took us all day and lots of grunt work but we did it. Looking in the long bed of the truck, all you could see was horns and hoofs.

The War Wagon is long gone and my friend Tom is nearing the end of his life. All that is left of that truck is wonderful memories of doing what men and boys do. Thank you Lord for good friends, good times and the War Wagon.

The Queen

The Queen

No! Not the Queen of England. The Queen I want to introduce is a full-blooded English woman. She is British both in speech and manner. She immigrated to the States and became involved in Christian ministry. I met her at a pastor’s conference in mid 1980’s.

One evening, at that conference, she spoke on “You are As Young As You Will Ever Be.” The topic and person intrigued me. It may have been the accent that caught my attention but it was the person I was drawn to. I confess I have soft spot in my heart for the British, having travelled there often. Little did I know that the Queen would have such an impact on my life.

I don’t remember who first called her The Queen. She did not object and the title stuck. For many years, the Queen has been a guest speaker in our church bringing wisdom and encouragement of God’s Word. She has befriended our children, prayed for and counseled them through their growing up years. From my perspective, the Queen is one of the unsung heroes of the faith. She lives by faith trusting the Lord for provision and is a prayer warrior for those in need. She is no longer in public ministry because of age.

Looking back, I see that the Lord orchestrates relationships in a person’s life so that growth can take place. What the Queen brought into my life was the challenge to grow up. Her mantra is “free and whole in Christ Jesus.” As our friendship grew and trust established, the Queen spoke discipline and correction into my life. She has the gift to speak the truth in love in a way that exposes blind spots and wrong convictions.

Long-term friendships can be tricky. They need the special blend of patience, honesty and forgiveness. If cared for properly, they produce abundant fruit of maturity and grace. I am most blessed to have the Queen for my friend.

The Bible says: “At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.”

The Blessing of Debt

The Blessing of Debt

It is with some risk that I bring up this subject. I find it interesting that in a culture that is drowning in debt people are afraid to talk about it let alone see that there is a blessing somewhere. In my opinion, church culture is not very different. Although there is a lot of teaching on the need to get out of debt there is little appreciation that debt can produce a blessing.

 Some years ago I was involved in a church that placed debt free living right up there with personal salvation. We were told that the Bible teaches that financial freedom was the goal. Those of us who were raising a family and living near the poverty level began to feel like second class Christians. The financial demands of mortgage, car loan, groceries, clothes and school supplies overruled any luxury items. The bills kept piling up and the debt increased. The guilt and shame overshadowed any hope of financial freedom.

Where is the blessing? It came when I realized that without the Lord’s help, my struggle would be in vain. Because at the time I had little control over income or expenses, my dependency was not on myself but on the Lord who is my provider. What I started to learn was that all good gifts come from God. The air I breathe, the job I have, the money I make all come from Him. He is my source! That revelation alone has empowered me to walk through the valley of debt and experience the freedom, including financial, that comes from Him.

One time I preached on the Blessing of Debt. It happened to be in the same church that promoted financial freedom. I was not surprised to get a lot of blowback from people who couldn’t see the blessing. As often happens in church life, we focus so hard on one issue that we are blind to what God is doing in other areas of our life.

If you are in financial debt, I encourage you to ask the Lord to show you the blessing. Let Him speak to your heart and open your eyes to the joy of being released from the guilt and shame of trying to do it on your own. He wants you to be free. “Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”