Some of you remember the famous “Cookies Monster.”

In one of his scenes, he is set up to decide between three doors. He can have door #1, which is a beautiful mansion, door #2, which is a million dollars, or finally, door #3, which is a cookie. True to his name, you know what he chose. He chose the cookie!

Life gives us many such choices. We get to choose between the good and the bad, or even the good and the best. We choose between the easy thing and the right thing. We chose between healthy food and fast food. Honestly, this list could be expanded to every time we have to choose to read, exercise, rest, play, study, or whatever. Life is filled with the choices we get to make.

Wisdom is the ability to make the right choice. Where you are in life and where you will be tomorrow is all about your willingness to make the right choices. Unfortunately, too often I have chosen the cookie.  

The brother of Jesus, James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5).

For more than 50 years I have told people that I wanted to grow to be a wise old man. I wish I had been a wiser young man, but as long as I have life, I can still hope for that final goal. Maybe today’s thought will remind us of the need to be wise and not to choose the cookie.

Lonnie Davis

Faith is not just belief. Faith is a belief that allows one to keep on keeping on, even in the face of failure. Before he was the leader of a nation, Moses was a 40-year-old failure running from the Pharaoh. Before he was a preacher on Pentecost, Peter lied and denied that he even knew Jesus. Before he penned the Gospel of Mark, he offended the Apostle Paul so deeply that Paul would not even take Mark on a missionary trip with him.

It is not your failures that define you. It is how many times you are willing to fail and then try again. Everyone remembers Will Rogers for his great wit and sense of humor. He did not start out as a humorist. He started out as an act that entertained audiences with rope tricks. One day, in the middle of his act, Will failed. He got tangled up in his ropes. Facing people who had paid money to see him do rope tricks, he said, “A rope ain’t so bad to get tangled up in if it ain’t around your neck.” The audience roared. He loved their response to his humor. His failure changed his life.

Failure is not a sin. As the Bible says, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked” (Proverbs 24:16). You have only failed when you quit trying. There is a difference between saying, ““I have failed” and “I am a failure.” Everyone fails, but not everyone is a failure.

~Lonnie Davis

Do you remember the “Easy Button?” Serval years ago, a business promoted its ability to fill your needs by talking about how using them is having an easy button.

I love the “Easy Button.” I wish that every time I had a job to do or faced a difficult task I could just hit an easy button and everything would magically get better. Unfortunately life does not work that way. 

In 425 B.C. any businessman could have sold many such “Easy Buttons” to the Jews living in Jerusalem. In those days Cyrus of Persia allowed Nehemiah to return to Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. As the Jewish people began to rebuild the walls, the nations around them began to threaten them. Fearing attack, they could have made the threat go away by simply quitting the great work. Instead they chose something else. They chose to fight through the threats. The Bible tells us, “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand.” (Nehemiah 4:17a) Why would they work with only one hand? The Bible gives us the answer. They worked with one hand and “held a weapon in the other.” (4:17b)

They did what they had to do to get done what had to be done.

Anytime you start to do something great you will always find people who will try to stop you. The reasons vary from jealousy to who knows what. Great workers know they have to overcome great obstacles. It was true in 425 BC and it is still true today.

If you are not struggling in your work, then you are not challenging yourself. For true greatness there is no “easy button.”

~Lonnie Davis

In 2009 Ms. Thompson was arrested for burglary of a children’s medical center in Torrance, California.

Hers is an unusual case for several reasons: First, because the burglar was a woman. By far the great majority of burglars are men. Second, because she was given three years for her crime. Too many people walk from such nonviolent crimes. Third, because she is eighty!

In explaining her crime, she told the court that if the she had more money coming from the government she would not have to steal. Wow! Her crime is the governments fault.

Unfortunately, she is not the only guilty person to blame their sins on someone else. Here is the problem with her excuse: she was also arrested for theft in 1965, 1977, and for burglary in 1980, and 2008. Her criminal record started 55 years ago, yet this one was the fault of the government for not giving her more money.

She is not so different from most folks. When caught in sin we seek someone else to blame. It is the fault of our mother, our father, our husband, our wife, or whoever else we can find. Until we are willing to accept responsibility for our own actions we are certain to keep messing up.

Many years ago, a teenage girl in our congregation ran away from home. After about a week she came to see me. She told me how hard things had been. She told me that the only thing she did wrong was that because she was hungry and had nothing to eat she stole some food. In reality her excuse for stealing was a snow job. She did not fool me; she fooled herself. She did not steal because she was hungry and desperate for food. She stole because her pride was too great to call her family or even me.

We love to make excuses, but what we need to do is confess our sins and behave righteously.

After the 80-year-old woman was sentenced to three years she said to the judge, “I feel guilty for asking this, but is this a solid three years or is it just half time?” When caught she blamed. When sentenced for her crime she tried to escape the pain.

Don’t do that!

~Lonnie Davis

Liz and I used to play a little game we called “Who Would You.” The game went that we could invite anyone from history to dinner. Now, who would you invite?  We had to decide to list anyone who was not from the Bible – otherwise, dinner would always involve God and Jesus. We would then have room for Moses and Elijah and folks like them. Eventually you would have a dinner that involved people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and maybe Albert Einstein. It was a fun and creative game. You too have probably played such a game.

Jesus said, “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-24). Well, it was just a game and so we just enjoyed it our way.

Nowadays when I play this game it ends a little differently. Of course any of us would put God and Jesus at the table, but the rest is different. If I had such a meal now, I would invite my wife of 55 years, my brother and his son, and my best friend Doug. I lost them all to eternity and it would be wonderful to sit with them again. It is funny how time makes a difference in what we call wonderful. 

I love the old saying, “Every day is a ‘good old day’ when you have enough faith to realize it.” That includes today.

By the way, we will all have that meal again. As King David said about the infant that he lost, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:23). For Christians it is never over. The dinner awaits.

Lonnie Davis

I was coming home from work one day when I saw it coming toward me. It was an old, dirty, inexpensive car. Since I was waiting to turn I had to want on him. As he passed by I saw that he had one of those magnet signs on his car. To protect the guilty, I’ll just paraphrase what his sign said. It read, “First Class Taxi Company.” 

“First Class” I laughed to myself, “then I’d hate to see second class.”

There is a great life lesson in that sign. Here it is: just because someone says something doesn’t mean it is so. Even if they advertised it, it still doesn’t mean it is first class. Then I began to examine myself in light of this thinking. What am I advertising about me that isn’t so?

People judge us by what we claim. I’ve never been criticized and called a bad track star because I don’t claim that I am a good one (or even a bad one). I know I am built more for comfort than for speed. However, I do claim to be a Christian as do many of my friends. Since we claim to be Christians, we need to be certain that we live up to the claim.

I am not saying we are perfect. Even great-looking, first-class cars can break down occasionally, but they get fixed up and get back on track. If you have broken down as a Christian, get up, fix up, and get back on track. Remember “YOU are the light of the world…let your light shine.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Lonnie Davis

I’m Scared 

It was the worse broken leg I had ever known about. What made it worse was that it was on my brother. There is an old saying, “minor surgery is done on you and major surgery is done on me.” Well, I am not him, but it was a major injury. The doctor set his leg in a cast. It went from his foot and ran up to his hip. For two months all he could do was sit in a chair. After two months they took the cast off and put him in a special boot. For four more months he wore that big, clumpy boot. Nearly six months after the accident and many trips to the doctor, he made one more trip to the doctor.

“Doc,” he said, “this boot is ugly and never matches anything. Can I get another boot to match it?” The doctor said, “Take the boot off and quit wearing it.” “Doc,” he asked again, “all I am asking for is a matching boot.” Again the doctor said, “Take the boot off. You don’t need it anymore.”

After six months, surgery, casts, and reinforced boots, it was over. It was almost over. There was one more problem, “Doc,” my brother said, “I can’t.” Then he quietly said, “I’m scared.”

“I’m scared” are not the words of a coward. They are the words of all of us. Fear does not just make us want to wear an ugly boot, it permeates our whole life.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were afraid. Jesus quickly called out to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matt 14:27) Over and over Jesus urged his followers to “Fear not.” (Matt 10:26; 12:31, 28:5; Luke 5:10; 12:5; John 12:15)

We believe in God. We trust that he will help us through the “valley of the shadow of death.” We claim that we will “fear no evil, for thou art with me,” but still we are afraid. What if I fail? What if I lose my job? What if food prices and gas prices go so high I can’t afford them? What if I? What if I?

For all those “What if” questions, Jesus has a word, “Don’t be afraid?” When Peter tried to walk on water and then began to sink, Jesus caught him, “’You of little faith,’he said, ‘why did you doubt?”

Do not doubt. Only trust Him. As the old saying goes, “Nothing is going to happen to you today that you and God cannot handle.”               

Lonnie Davis

It has been more than 150 years since Stonewall Jackson died, but one story about this famous general is still remembered.

The story says that General Stonewall Jackson’s army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side. After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagons cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks, and materials he could find. Long before daylight, General Jackson was told by his wagon master that all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General Jackson asked where are the engineers and what are they doing? The wagon master’s only reply was that they were in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge.

There are many interesting lessons that can be drawn from this old story, i.e., Timing of the essence, leaders should trust their team members, and taking initiative is important. The most important lesson I see from this story is this:

Help often comes from unexpected sources. The fact that the wagon master was able to build a bridge using unconventional materials and methods shows that help can come from unexpected sources. It is important to keep an open mind and be willing to try new approaches to succeed.

This reminds me of Isaiah 55,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This reminds me that if you will just start, God will help you in ways that you had not expected. God’s thoughts and ways are so great that we cannot imagine them.

Once you know what you need to do, just start and you will have help that comes to your rescue. Get ready, get set, but don’t fail to go!

Lonnie Davis

What does a star in a book margin mean?

Well, I don’t know about you, but for me it means, “here is a special note.”

Later, I  can scan the book and read the starred passages and remember the good parts. 

I didn’t invent this system. It was started by God. He put stars in the night sky to teach us of his power.

As Psalms 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.”

When you look up into the night sky and learn more about God’s work, you have to be impressed with his power. 

We are a part of the Milky Way galaxy which contains billions and billions of stars. Our sun is just one of those stars. Our universe is so big that if you got in a spaceship and traveled at 186,000 miles per SECOND, it would take 93 million years to cross it. And we don’t even know if that is the limit of its size. God is truly all-powerful.

When we look up and consider God’s creation. We would do well to remember Romans 1:20

“For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity.” 

A star is a book is a simple device of man, but God’s stars teach us about Him.

Look up and learn.

Lonnie Davis.

Some years ago, my wife, my daughter, my two little grandkids, and I took a short road trip. A short little 275-mile road trip. When I take one of those by myself it is short. When you take them with a wife, a daughter, and two young grandkids, it is not so short. I had forgotten what it is like to travel with kids. On our trip there we stopped six times. The first time was for me to get money. The other five times were for kids.

 The next morning I took the kids down for the free continental breakfast. I got food for each kid and then went to cook a waffle. I took it to the table. I went back to cook a second waffle. I got my food and sat down. I had to get up to get syrup. Finally I sat down to eat. I didn’t know about bathroom breaks during breakfast – another interruption. Finally their mom arrived and I could eat.

 What does that have to do with the title “Passages?”

 Gail Sheehy wrote a book called “Passages.” In her work she says that life has many passages. As we grow we change. Life in our twenties is different than life in our thirties. Life in our fifties finds that we have gone through many passages. Life is different.

The wise man wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Eccl 3:1)

 Life changes. It is okay. It is great. Joy does not come because we are in a great place. Joy comes by enjoying the place wherever we are.

 Coming back it was just Liz and me. Going down we had six stops and lots of laughter. Coming back there were no stops and no laughter. I missed the stops.

 Enjoy wherever you are in life. It is all you have. It is the passage you are in. Savor it.

~Lonnie Davis