Tag: christianity

Gods and Idols

Mark Speed2 Comments

“Choose your worship wisely for there is only One worthy.” – Paul (paraphrase)

This has proven to be the most difficult writing since we lost our son, now seven years ago. Still, remaining true to the purpose of this undertaking, truth and transparency are vitally important to others still hurting and searching for answers. Through our loss, we remain convinced the only true God, discussed here can provide lasting fulfillment and healing.

I began the following post early last Sunday and later that morning, the preacher spoke on a similar topic. When the apostle, Paul first entered Athens to share his testimony, he noticed the streets were lined with sculptures of gods and idols. Ironically, those statues had been built by the people he was there to tell about his God. The one who had radically changed his own life.

Just two days after I had begun writing this post, our church shared devastating news involving the pastor, whom we love and call our friend. This message had suddenly become less coincidence than providence. Although the news at church was shocking, extremely painful, and damaging, it has become much too familiar. Specific details, however are not what is needed today. The story is far less important than its moral.

Grief is a palette of emotions. Ours is currently a blend of sadness and anger. Tomorrow, I’m sure will be mixed with something else. Hopefully, a little more compassion. In the days ahead, our family’s prayer is that today’s sadness will eventually be shaded by forgiveness.

Let’s face it, although many people deny the existence of God, we’re all worshippers.

The Bible tells the ancient story of a community of foolish Israelites who were lost for 40 years wondering in the wilderness. We’ve read about their repeated habit of creating man-made idols whenever they yearned for something to fulfill their needs. As their respected leader, many of those people probably idolized Moses. They became anxious when he left them even briefly. With neither Moses nor God visible, their faith also vanished.

Desperately needing something to fill their emptiness, they destroyed their blessings and formed them into what I call “little ‘g’ gods”. They chose to believe those man-made objects could somehow provide what they were missing. Ironically, such idols are as empty as the people who built them. Being impatient, selfish, and short-sighted, those Israelites were unwilling to simply trust, listen, and wait for God’s timing. Wow, that sounds too familiar.

Most readers of this famous story consider those Israelites idiots because God was clearly showing them signs of His presence and power throughout their journey. I can imagine God saying, “Hey, I just parted the ocean, isn’t that enough proof? How about this pillar of clouds to lead you, or the food delivered daily, dropped straight from the sky?” I once pridefully thought I would have been different but the sad truth is, without seeing God face-to-face, I would have been an idol-builder just like them. Heck, I probably would have been a sculptor.

What amazes me though, is even knowing how weak and selfish we are, God always remains ready and willing to forgive. That’s the “amazing grace” we sing about. He simply seeks an unconditional trust relationship without small print exclusions or exceptions. This intimate relationship is the only “worship” He seeks and which simultaneously fills our human longing. Those Israelites could never put such a God on a pedestal or inside a box. He’s too big. This God is The Creator, The Counselor, and The Savior, clearly evident yet only seen when we stop building or buying worthless idols.

When Paul had a personal experience with this God, it turned his life downside – up. He had been killing believers, yet in an instant, he became willing to die to save them. I’m certainly no apostle, but we do share some common ground. Each day of this life will be used to build up the “big ‘G’ God” I met seven years ago. He’s the One who doesn’t lead me to destroy my blessings but rather to count them… among those are my family. More lasting however is grace, hope, wisdom, love, peace, assurance, forgiveness, and eternal life.

In retrospect, when Paul noticed all those idols on the streets of Athens, might he have blindly looked past the one reflected in the storefront windows of himself? Yes, his legacy was world-changing, but he was just a man, passionately telling others about what God had done in his life. Over my years of company relocations and church shopping, I’ve come to learn we should never choose any human as our idol. More likely than not, most are good hearted and well intentioned. However, they all have one thing in common. They aren’t God.

Reader: You may have been distracted or even damaged by some idols you’ve chosen. If you feel empty and in need of a god worthy of worship, I can personally recommend the One who saved my life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for patience in our foolish ways. We worship the wrong gods which are all around us and yet You wait patiently for each one of us. We and thousands of others are praying for those harmed by recent events. Instead of reflecting ourselves, may we show others the image of God that Jesus showed to us. It’s in His name we pray. Amen


‭‭“You must not have any other god but me.” Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭3‬ ‭‬‬

All We Have to Give

Mark Speed4 Comments
Lee and Sherry Sims

My friend wasn’t a millionaire but I always perceived him to be wealthy. He was fortunate to find a frugal help mate and blessed that she accepted his marriage proposal. Throughout their life together, Sherry worked to keep his spending in check, but he considered money as a tool primarily to be used for enjoyment of life and to help others in need. I could take a lesson from my friend. Ultimately, he gave others everything. Maybe that’s why I considered him to be rich.

I first met Lee in 1996. His friendship was just one part of a package deal. Before I met Cathy, she had a group of very close friends in the Kingwood, Texas area. They had been more like family to her and after we married, they would become the same to me. I found this group to be refreshingly strange. Something I’d never experienced. They were deeply connected (even the husbands) and equally committed to being there for one another, no matter the circumstances nor distance. They were fully transparent about life’s struggles yet unconditional, respectful, and supportive of each other. Very rare. I found it novel that when they gathered for a party or other occasion, instead of drinking, they prayed together. I came to soon realize how I far preferred their variety of parties to those I’d experienced in the past.

The most unusual thing I experienced with them was a shared sense of real faith and clear purpose… to reflect Jesus to others. They have certainly been a reflection on my own life. All to say, Cathy’s “family” was a package deal and an unexpected gift. That’s how I met my friend, Lee.

Over the years of career moves, we often lived on opposite sides of the state. Lee and I were both too busy providing for our families to connect as much as we later came to regret. Still, I knew Lee treasured his family more than anything in life. He kept his priorities of faith, family, and friends so tightly bound together, they were impossible to separate. Recently, he and Sherry had moved into a newly built home and they were blessed to spend time together with their whole family on a trip to Europe (compliments of Sherry’s brilliant way of managing things). That trip was only weeks before he left on a different trip. We recently saw Lee for the last time at his church where we joined with others to say our temporary goodbyes.

Before leaving us, Lee gave everything he had. Ultimately, he even gave his life while on a mission to help the Georgia hurricane victims. Following a planning meeting with several community and church leaders, he had been eager to finally catch a plane home. He excitedly called Sherry to update her about what God was doing and the plans he saw unfolding to build temporary housing for those left homeless. He told her that he would never say no when God needed him to do anything. He was determined to hear the words, “you have done well” by his Heavenly Father.

Before he reached the airport, a service truck also providing help for the hurricane relief, suddenly crashed into his rental car. Lee never reached the airport that afternoon and sadly, he wasn’t able to return to their beautiful new home. My friend had taken an unexpected detour to a far more beautiful Home.

In service to others, my friend had left behind a wife and two beautiful children, Ashley and Stephanie. As we hugged them, I noticed a familiar strength and determination in their eyes. I’d seen this in the eyes of my wife and daughter just six years earlier when we lost our boy. Knowing it ourselves, we encouraged Lee’s family to hold fast to their faith. We’re confident they will rebuild their lives stronger and will continue the legacy of serving others with even more determination. Lee spent his life on a mission for a higher purpose and those closest to him can hold confidently to the knowledge that they’re only apart for a short time. They are certain of a joyful reunion.

I’ve struggled to understand when I first heard of the loss of my friend why I didn’t feel sad. I was certainly shocked, but strangely I wasn’t sorrowful. This isn’t something I’ve wanted to admit, but it’s important and I’ve really struggled to understand. All my life, I’ve heard it said at funerals, “They’re in a better place” but to be honest, I’ve harbored questions about it, considering it to be a nice thing to say in an awkward moment.

It’s been six years now since we had such a loss and each day in my mind, I’ve considered the question, especially losing a child: “When we die, do I really believe we go to Heaven?” Through these years of hurting and healing, our family has only survived one day at a time by drawing closer to faith, not as a crutch to lean on but rather as a foundation to stand. I can’t effectively convey to anyone how confident and strong God has confirmed that foundation and His answer to my question. Heaven is indeed more real even than this world.

In fact, my confidence in the reality of Heaven has become so strong that my first thought about my friend wasn’t sadness, but joy (and to be honest, a little envy). Lee had lived a life starving to give everything he had for the Kingdom which I now know to be a real place. When those two vehicles met on a rural Georgia highway, I visualize Lee barging into Heaven with his face radiating with more joy than he’d ever humanly imagined. The first words I bet he said? “I’m home! How can I help?” But the reply, I believe was something he’d wanted to hear and nourishment to his hungering heart: “Welcome Home, child. Your work is done my good and faithful servant”.

Trey, Ashley, grandbaby Jackson, Sherry, Stephanie, and Lee

I thank God for giving me the unexpected and undeserved gift of friends like the Sims family and the package deal of many like them in our world. We’re blessed by those who choose to serve as a reflection of Jesus to others who need to meet Him face to face. They help assure those of us who have been lost that when we leave here, there’s a far better Home awaiting.

Readers– We can make a difference in our world by giving all we have to someone in desperate need. The opportunities are endless and the return on such an investment can never be matched.

Prayer– God, thank You for the Lee’s in this world. Please take care of those who are left behind while temporarily separated by death and renew our hope of an unimaginable reunion. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭

““His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭21‬

Our Father’s Focus

Mark Speed4 Comments
Focus a little longer and see what really matters.
Focus a little longer and see what really matters.

“Dad, the physical world and the eternal one are much closer than you think. One is seen with the eyes and the other with the heart. Keep searching for God with your heart and one day soon you’ll see Him with your eyes. I’ll see you then”. Love – Braden

A few weeks ago we heard a speaker at our church (Hope Fellowship) say something that wasn’t entirely new to me, but for some reason this time I couldn’t shake it from my mind. Paraphrasing, the speaker said that when God’s children make mistakes, He can’t see them. Instead of our sin, he sees His Son. Again, this wasn’t a new concept for me, but it never really sank in before hearing it this time. How could a perfect God not see the blatantly selfish choices we make? For most of my life I thought He certainly had to see mine.

After church that Sunday, we made our way to lunch where we often talk about what stood out during the message. I began to think about times I’d been angry and how I’d handled it with my own kids. Just a few months earlier, in the late evening, three boys began loudly knocking on our front door and ringing the doorbell. They had to be around the age of 14, and all talking at once. They told us a strange man had jumped his fence and begun to chase and yell at them. They were terrified with no place to go and sought the safety of even a stranger’s home. Having been a boy all my life, my first thought was they were out much too late for riding bikes, and I suspected most likely they had done something to cause the man to become angry. Again, that was my first impression.

They began telling their story and we learned they’d abandoned one bike in the street with a flat tire. One boy was crying and was clearly scared and ashamed. As they sat down, Cathy listened, helping to calm them. I first stood watching this all with impatience and irritation as she talked to them. I then noticed her focus had turned to the one who was most emotional. This scene began to feel familiar for some reason. I had suddenly realized it reminded me of the many nights she had patiently spent with our son, Braden.

Looking beyond what would have normally been my instinct to judge these boys for their perceived foolishness, I saw the face of our son and it completely shifted my perspective. My initial annoyance had become compassion. Instead of judgement, oddly I found myself understanding and offering them something to drink, telling them everything would be ok. Later, I helped them recover their broken bike and contacted one of their dads who arrived to take them home. I felt like they had likely received their own consequences as a result of their choices. Perhaps that night I had received an unexpected lesson of my own… to look a little deeper and beyond the mistakes people can make. After all, I’ve made more than my share and benefited from undeserved grace.

Have you ever seen a stereogram? Search this term online and you’ll find thousands of examples. They’re computer-generated graphics which initially appear to be an impressionist painting with nothing but blurred colors with no specific subject. However, if you relax your vision and try to eliminate the distraction of the initial impression, you will slowly begin to see the intended image of the picture come into focus. The subject not only becomes crystal clear, but three-dimensional. This process requires just a little effort and practice. It can feel a bit frustrating at first but once successful, it becomes much easier. I’ve come to believe this is the way God created the world. Amazing things are often right in front of our face yet much of the time we’re oblivious to them.

Losing a child uniquely alters a parent’s perspective. When I look around, I can now see my son in the faces of other kids who are struggling with things I can’t see or feel, yet it’s all too real for them. Today’s world is much different than the one most of us lived in as teens. There are new distractions, falsehoods, and temptations we never faced. They need our help. More specifically, they need a little more of our understanding and grace.

Most of our children’s poor choices are just baby steps towards who they are trying to become. Like it or not, our kids are naturally inclined to become like us, so modeling forgiveness and grace while we have them is one of the most valuable things they’ll take when they leave.

Prayer for dads

Of all the blessings in life, I’m most thankful for a relationship with my heavenly Father who filters sins through the lens of grace, love, and complete sacrifice. I pray that we as imperfect fathers will strive to follow His example for those children He has entrusted to us.

“God Himself made the way so you can have new life through Christ Jesus. God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins.” – Corinthians 1:30

“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.” – 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭

Questions About Healing

Mark Speed3 Comments

“Keep asking God for what you want but then listen and thank Him for providing exactly what you need. Love you.” – Braden

Several months ago, a family friend suddenly experienced a seizure in the middle of an active and otherwise typical day. Soon after being admitted to the hospital, she was diagnosed with advanced and inoperable brain cancer. Prayers from the community poured out and following a relatively brief sequence of treatments our friend was deemed cancer-free. An awesome answer to prayer!

Sadly though, another friend was recently going about a completely normal day while spending time with his family. He began to complain of a severe headache and within a brief few hours he was gone, leaving a young family devastated and alone. When these events happen, our response is often the same. First come the waves of initial shock and disbelief. Then, soon to follow are the inevitable questions.

Why would such terrible things happen to such amazing and faith-filled people? How could someone so healthy and strong be taken in an instant? Both friends were living what many would consider to be the “perfect” lives. Successful careers, beautiful families, strong faith, very good health, and promising futures. How could they have such starkly different stories?

I could share many more personal experiences like these. Some prayers answered as hoped, but others seemingly ignored. Thankfully, I’ve witnessed my older brother, Randy’s healing from terminal cancer but sadly experienced the loss of our son, Braden to depression. Both were covered with the same quantity and sincerity of prayers, yet the outcomes were tragically different. We’re currently dealing with ongoing chronic health issues with our daughter who has lived a brief but faith-filled life, striving to recover emotionally from the loss of her only sibling. It’s not that anyone “earns” having their prayers answered, but if anyone was deserving she would certainly be on the list.

Admittedly, too often I rush to squeeze in a morning prayer time, listing mostly my own desires. I tend to scrimp on investing the time to slow down and listen. This week I took a few days off work for Spring Break which has allowed time to reflect and have conversations with God. I’ve arrived at a little more clarity as to why sometimes bad things happen to good people. By no stretch do I count myself as a good person but the question remains. Perhaps what I’ve heard this week in my prayer time may serve to help a reader or two who have their own questions about healing.

We humans were designed with imperfect bodies and a limited lifespan so sickness and death are inevitable. In this fallen world, God’s word says we’re ALL broken and in need of healing. Though some of us are really good at masking it, the weak spots are there and over time, they will inevitably begin to show. This broken condition has a name. It’s called being human. We are ALL born with it.

Even with their brilliance and extensive research, doctors are often at a loss as to what is happening with this human condition. Their efforts to heal are futile when the problem isn’t resolved with a pill or procedure. The Bible tells us God is The Great Physician but He doesn’t always heal our physical or mental illnesses even though we beg for it. In every Biblical story where healing occurred, not once was medicine a factor. True healing only occurred when God personally connected with the individual’s spiritual condition rather than the human condition through His son, Jesus.

When Jesus touched the broken, several of them threw away their crutches and others’ eyes were allowed to see again. Still there were a few who remained physically unhealed. In each case however, when the person fully trusted and accepted what Jesus offered, a new and abundant life instantly began. In each case (even when the person remained “disabled”) the way Jesus healed people served to reflect upon Him rather than upon them. Every story about Jesus healing brought glory to God no matter what the broken person’s circumstances. Now, that’s true healing!

Whenever I’ve witnessed physical healing of others around me, my faith has been confirmed. However, when I’ve observed lives which have completely been transformed, my faith is strengthened far more. It may be wise to re-think our questions about healing. Maybe by allowing our own brokenness to be used for God’s purposes, others might be drawn closer to finding the real healing they need. Rather than asking of God what we want from Him, we should instead be asking God what He wants from us?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we ask for YOUR will to be done rather than our own. May we serve to reflect You in this broken world. Please provide true healing for all of us who are broken. In Jesus’ name, Amen

”He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.“
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬