There is an endless, unseen battle taking place in our church parking lot. I see the evidence of it at random times during the week. Cars quietly make their way over to our air-conditioning cooling tower, park for a little while, then drive away. An unseen artificial intelligence program has designed that area as a Pokèmon Go Gym. Pokèmon Go is a worldwide game played on hand-held devices such as phones and computer tablets. With your device in the right spot a player can see the other pokèmons—picture a cartooned short-eared rabbit crossed with say a cat, horse or dragon. At a gym, players can battle for control over other pokèmon players, winning power enhancements and points. The longer the winning pokèmon can stay in the gym before being defeated by someone else, the more points and rewards can be achieved. This is not just a children’s game. Adults are driving all over town to win more battles over opposing forces. Pokèmon Go takes a great deal of time and energy. 

When I asked our resident family experts to explain Pokèmon Go to me, they suggested this might not be a very interesting topic for everyone. However, I was also thinking about other unseen forces battling it out in the church parking lot, in neighborhoods and in homes across the land. Forces that cannot be seen with hand-held devices, but only with eyes of discernment and hearts of compassion. Evidence of evil activity is relatively easy to discover. Spiritual battles with victories won may be harder to see. One day an angry king’s army surrounded a town by night, intent on killing the Lord’s prophet. Rising early, a servant saw the strong army preparing for the attack. After praying for God to open his eyes, the prophet told his servant to look again, this time the man could see the angelic army, equipped and ready for action against the foes. (2 Kings 6:8-23)

Pokèmon Go is a fun game with an endless array of characters and teams. It challenges people to enter the quest and win personal rewards. The game stimulates our need to see and feel everyday victories over the forces lined up against us. For more details on Pokèmon Go, feel free to consult with the gaming experts you may know. For spiritual victories, look again through the lens of God’s Word into the world around you.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today, with open eyes. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

After all the excitement of the early morning, apparently Jesus went for a walk. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary began to hurry from the Garden Tomb to tell the disciples they had seen an angel, they ran into Jesus and He said, “Hello.” According to one account they fell to the ground, grabbed His ankles and worshipped Him. He told them not to be afraid, and sent them on to the disciples with the same message as the angel—“Go to Galilee and meet Him there.” The disciples did not believe this story. Peter and John ran and found the tomb empty; still, they did not pack their things and head for Galilee. They were processing the events and were somewhat afraid to venture too far from the security of the upper room. 

In the Gospel descriptions, all slightly different because these are eye-witness accounts, Jesus was known for His early morning and late evening walks. It was His quiet time for prayer and reflection, away from the demands of the crowds, and the mentoring of the disciples. 

Two previously unnamed followers of Jesus were present that amazing morning when the women told of seeing angels and meeting Jesus on the path. One of the followers was named Cleopas. His mother, maybe the other Mary, had been at the foot of the cross when Jesus died. In his own grief and discouragement, Cleopas and his friend headed home to Emmaus. At some point on their slow journey that first Easter afternoon, Jesus walked with them. “What are you talking about?” “Have you not heard,” they said with eyes fogged by tears, “about Jesus of Nazareth? He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed. We had so hoped he was the One.” Thus the conversation began. Walking and talking about expectations, disappointments, and God’s word. Then there was the whole matter of Peter and John reporting that the tomb was empty, but they did not see Jesus. It was getting dark and they were now in the village. “Would you join us for supper?”  At the table Jesus assumed the role of the host, took the bread, broke it and gave thanks. Then they knew Jesus was truly alive. They did not wait for another minute to tell the others the good news. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Take an Easter walk with Jesus. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Paul Alexander was 5 years old when he was diagnosed with polio. That was in 1952, in the old Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. I remember when one of our elementary school class projects was to see how many little cardboard folders we could fill with the dimes we put in the round cut-out slots for other children like Paul, who had to live in an iron lung. We learned about the polio epidemic in America, the March of Dimes, and the story of President Franklin Roosevelt who had gotten polio because he went swimming one day in his vacation home pond when he was 39 years old.  We lined up at school for our polio shots, and we were all so very thankful for an oral vaccine that prevented us from having more shots, as well as ever getting polio. One of my teachers in junior high told how he got polio wading in the run-off water by the railroad tracks. Polio caused him to walk with a limp. Paul Alexander lost the ability to breathe automatically. He was known as “Polio Paul” for his remarkable life and the 73 years he spent depending on that iron lung machine. Paul Alexander died Sunday, March 15, at 78, of a recent bout of Covid-19 and other factors. Incidentally, March 15 was the 4^th anniversary of when everything closed because of  Covid.

According to CNN:  “Paul’s ambitions were not limited by his condition. He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time. He graduated college, earned a law degree, and went on to practice as a courtroom attorney for 30 years. He also self-published his autobiography, Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung, titled after the accomplishment of learning how to breathe independently for at least three minutes – a feat that took him a year to master and was rewarded with a dog, according to the book.”  According to his brother Phillip, Paul’s last words were, “We are perfect.”

What an inspiring story of courage, perseverance, and a life well-lived. I think I complain about my aches and pains too much. Life is already hard. Adversity, pain, and sickness make it more difficult. Adding our own selfishness and sinfulness to the day compounds our troubles. There is a Savior who promises to be there with us through each day and provides the strength to overcome. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Be an overcomer. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

In the late 1950’s the price of a gallon of gasoline jumped from about 19 to 26 cents. That was a big increase—about 37%. There was a crisis in the Middle East. Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal; the safe shipment of oil was threatened and then Israel and Egypt went to war. The U.S. and some of our European allies got involved. Eventually that Mid-east Crisis was resolved, but the price of gas never went back to 19 cents. Nearly every time there is a crisis in the world, the price of gas goes up. Sometimes it makes us more cautious about how much we drive. Sometimes we just get angry. 

Around 1959 a man in our Florida church discovered someone was stealing gas from his car. His indignation, his pride and his anger led him astray. Ordinarily he was like a next-door buddy in my parents’ Sunday School class. He and his wife loved to host backyard cookouts and were the first to arrive with food when the need arose. They had two or three children a little younger than we were. He was the joke-teller and the life of every party. Then someone started siphoning gas from his car late at night. His house had an open carport so he could not put his car in the garage. He finally settled on a way to deter his robber. This was revenge.

One evening after dinner he set his trap. He stripped apart the end of a long extension cord and attached the bare wires to the bumper of his car. (In those days cars were made of metal.) He was going to teach that thief a shocking lesson. He thought of one more touch—water. He brought out the garden hose and wet down the car and driveway. He plugged in the extension cord and walked around the car to survey his work. As he neared the front of the car he slipped or tripped, falling with both hands on the hood. His wife ran to unplug the cord, but it was too late. A family lost a husband and father. My parents lost a good friend. I learned a tragic lesson about anger and the high price of revenge. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.  Vengeance is a trap you set for yourself. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Vengeance belongs to God. So let’s experience the love and power of God together.

In 2015 Eva Jensen discovered a mystery deep in the Great Basin National Park in Nevada. She is an archeologist for the park who was surveying a section of the mountain wilderness looking for Native American artifacts when she saw a very rusted old rifle leaning against a juniper tree. The 1873 model Winchester rifle, according to the still visible serial number, was manufactured in 1882. What happened to the owner of this gun? “One thing we all assumed was that someone had a very bad day,” said Jensen. Archeologists are detectives. Conservationists discovered the rifle had been repaired a few times. Hidden in its stock was a .44 caliber cartridge made between 1887-1911. Findings indicated that the rifle was not loaded. Had the owner gone after something he had shot, then forgot where he left his gun? Was he camped there and attacked by a wild animal? A good detective story may one day come from this.

I love a good mystery. I enjoy the challenge of finding the threads and pieces, trying to discover the patterns, and finally solving the puzzle of the mystery. There is a sense of satisfaction when the mystery is resolved. In a book or TV show it helps to have realistic and somewhat likable characters playing detective. In everyday life our mysteries are not always solved in an hour or to our satisfaction. I once misplaced a set of car keys while on a fishing trip by myself at the lake. I had to call Dorothy to come rescue me with another set of keys. We will not go into that conversation. Years later, when preparing to sell the car, I found those keys wedged under a corner of the trunk. Mystery solved and still feeling foolish.  

The mystery of God and His ways has been sought after since the days of Genesis. It is the greatest story ever told and it is all revealed in Scripture. The apostle Paul often speaks of the revealed “mystery of God” when seeking to encourage believers. The mystery of the gospel is revealed in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. Read Paul’s benediction of his letter to the church at Rome for a glorious word for today. (Romans 16:25-26)

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Help someone solve the mystery.  And let’s experience the love and power of God together.