Genesis 12:7: “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, ‘Unto your seed will I give this land’: and there built he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”

But in verse 10 we read, “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.”

We learn from this that sometimes God leads us into a place where there is troubles. It didn’t mean Abram missed God’s direction, or that God made a mistake, or that God had abandoned him. But all victories come through trials and difficulties. We are descendants of Adam and Eve. Its a fallen world.

God’s promise to give the land to Abram’s descendants, even though he had none yet, stood firm. Abram was walking by sight, not by faith. Faith requires patience. We must wait for God’s perfect timing and not give up in the times of famine.

Tags: famine, patience, tests

This is my final blog on that 1974 missions trip to Mexico. We traveled down and back in a nice Silver Eagle bus retired from the Greyhound bus line and repainted. It was a comfortable ride with restroom included. The plan was to arrive back at Calvary Temple just as the service was beginning on Sunday night.

Of course, we had to have a little buffer time in case of emergencies, so we got back into Ft. Wayne about an hour early. Because loved ones were awaiting us at the church, we didn’t dare go there, so we spent that hour driving around the city. We became very impatient. Some of us had families and children waiting for us, and we were all tired of sitting in that bus for a week. We wanted off! Tempers grew a little raw.

But finally the time arrived and we were greeted by family and friends just as we walked into the full church together. It was a glorious moment. But waiting was agony.

Have you ever gotten impatient waiting upon the Lord’s return? It will be glorious, but we have to wait. When was the last time God taught you a lesson in patience?

Tags: patience, waiting

Three turtles went on a Sunday afternoon picnic. One carried the basket of food, one carried a jug of turtle-ade, and the third turtle didn’t carry anything. They got everything set up and then felt raindrops. The two turtles agreed that the one who carried nothing should go back and get the umbrella.

The third turtle said, “No, because you’ll eat all the turtle food and drink all the turtle-ade, and I won’t have any.” Finally he agreed to go back for the umbrella. One hour, two hours, three hours went by, and then one day, one week, and two weeks passed. One of rthe turtles said, “Well, I guess we can eat the turtle food and drink the turtle-ade because he’s not coming back.” Then they heard something over in the bushes say, “If you do, I won’t go.”

Some of us are like the third turtle. We’re afraid that if we jump out there and do something, we might miss the picnic. The truth is, we’ll miss the picnic by not trusting God and doing our part.

Tags: fear, patience, picnic, trust

In an article in Rev. magazine entitled Eating Frogs, Dr. Charles Lowery wrote: “What are you waiting for? There’s a difference between living in the waiting room and waiting in the living room. One of these days is none of these days. What ever sits on the shelf rots. There are no perfect situations. You may end up like the young man who vowed to never marry until he found the ideal woman. Unfortunately, when he found her she was waiting for the ideal man. One can’t wait until the entire army’s in perfect condition before facing the enemy.

“General McClellan was waiting on the Army to get ready during the first year of the war for the Union. President Lincoln asked if he might borrow the Army if McClellan wasn’t going to use it.

“No one can borrow the resources God’s given you. Dreams without deadlines become nightmares. Abraham didn’t have a destination, but he packed up and left home. Moses didn’t have a clue, yet he walked into Pharaoh’s palace. If you wait until you’re really sure, you’ll never take off your training wheels.”

Perhaps this is a word from God to you today. What is it God wants to do?

Tags: Lincoln, patience, procrastination, waiting

Sometimes children teach the best lessons. Virginia Bette had such a lesson when her 4-year old Granddaughter, Caitlin, was impatient for a sibling. One morning she told her mother, “Maybe if we both prayed out loud, God would hear us.”

So they prayed together. As soon as they finished, Caitlin asked, “What did He say?” Her mother explained that it doesn’t work that way; sometimes it takes a long time to get an answer. Caitlin was indignant: “Do you mean we were praying to an answering machine?”

What lessons has a kid taught you?

Tags: children, humor, patience, prayer

Two years ago I was officiating at a wedding in another church. We had gone through our wedding plans twice at the rehearsal so everyone knew exactly what to expect and what the sequence was. The groom was a quiet, laid back guy but the bride was bubbling with excitement. She just couldn’t wait to get the show on the road. She was the eager beaver at each stage of the ceremony, racing with her vows, leading with the unity candle.

While I was leading them through the ceremony, I was smiling inside at her vivacious personality. So, when we got to the part when I should say, “Now you may kiss the bride…”, I stopped and just silently stood there. They were staring at each other expectantly, like a dog with a treat on its nose, for a couple of long seconds. Everyone began to lean forward a bit trying to help me say it. Finally, they both looked at me, and then I said, “Now…you may kiss the bride”. The kiss commenced, everyone chuckled, and the wedding was history.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen at a wedding?

Tags: humor, patience, wedding