Perseverance – Page 3 – Pathway Journey

April 10, 2024April 8, 2025

Don’t Let Crazy People Drive You Crazy

I recently heard someone opine that he thought that 15 percent of people are bad, 50 percent misguided, and 35 percent were good. Now whether you agree with that number or not, you must admit that there are some crazy people in this world. When I talk about crazy, I’m not talking about people with organic mental issues. Crazy is a term reserved for those who can do better but don’t. I believe some people who act crazy are demonically influenced. Now you may think I am crazy.

I am not a psychologist, but my life’s work has been in the people business from being an educator to a Christian minister. Furthermore, I think of myself as a somewhat positive person because I usually reserve an ounce of hope for everyone regardless of their craziness.

The truth of the matter is, everyone can change but not everyone will or want to change for the good.

March 20, 2024March 19, 2024

What Voice Do I Trust?

The easy answer that even an eight-year-old Sunday school student would blurt out is “God.” Yes, that is true but how do you know if it is God or not? Even seasoned Christians struggle with this. I have heard the voice of God in my spirit so clear that it might as well have been audible. There are other times I question, “Is that God’s voice, my thoughts, or even the enemy’s voice trying to trick me?”

Listen to what the Bible says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NKJV).

A partial definition of discernment from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: “comprehend what is obscure.” In the spiritual sense, it is not a revelation of specific knowledge but a discrimination between two opposing points such as good versus bad, righteous versus evil, or right versus wrong. The testing of spirits is discerning if they are to be trusted or not.

Discernment only reveals if it is good or bad. It does elaborate on the why. This makes discernment bewildering because we want to know why. It is like a mother telling her daughter to stay away from a certain boy and the daughter asks “Why?”. The mother counters with, “I just a have a feeling about him.” You can imagine the smirk on the daughter’s face at this point. By the way, mature women seem to have more discernment than men, so sons and daughters trust your mom and husbands trust your wife!

February 28, 2024March 6, 2024

Spoiled Brats

Jeremiah asked God why the wicked prospered while the good folks suffered. It is an age-old question that God has been asked perhaps zillion of times. God answers Jeremiah beginning with this statement:

“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5 NKJV).

If you are lost in the imagery and the history of God’s answer, let me simplify it for you. Basically, if you have struggled in good times, how will you fare when it really gets tough.

If you freak out when you forget to get your favorite coffee K-cups, how will you cope if there is no coffee?

There are many people in the United States who are suffering through terrible difficulties. I have friends right now who are going through their own hell. This post is not about those with legitimate difficulties. Bear with me, while I make the comfortable, uncomfortable.

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

The phrase “fifteen minutes of fame” is erroneously attributed to Andy Warhol who reportedly said, “In the future, everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” In today’s world of Tik Tok, Reels, and Shorts, fifteen minutes is way too long.

Psychologists say that some if not many mass shooters who end their own lives by direct suicide or “suicide by cop” may be wanting notoriety. Very sad for a soul to want a moment of fame that ends in so much loss of life, even their own. It speaks to the tragedy of today’s mindset.

And then we have people on social media getting way too close to a wild animal or hanging precariously from a cliff just to capture a video hoping it will go viral so they can cash in on the fame.

January 4, 2024January 4, 2024

Problems and Such on Social Media

Back in my younger days when I taught high school vocational agriculture (now it is agriscience), we had district ag-teacher meetings about four times a year. I usually left more deflated than encouraged. Talking with my high school ag-teacher and mentor, Mr. Jim Turner, I told him how I felt about the meetings. He laughed and said, “Harry, some of those guys who are bragging about all the things they are doing, are probably not doing half of what you are doing. Just keep your head to the grindstone and don’t let it bother you.” It was great advice, comparison between good or bad is not healthy in either direction.

Today we have social media. Most postings on social media usually fall under one of two categories: how great someone’s life is or the severity of their problems. I am not saying either should not be posted, that is a personal preference and perhaps another discussion for another day.

November 29, 2023November 28, 2023

ILLUSION OF PERFECTION

Perfection is like a dog chasing his tail. He may never catch it and if he did it would hurt. Perfection is that thing we sometimes pursue but never reach.

After almost seven decades on this ball of dirt, many things in my life can be described as in the words of an old Scottish man, “Well, that’a do!” I have come to realize some skills I have tried to perfect ended up with the grade of “B” or a “C”. I’ll just need to live with “that’a do.”

Some things look perfect at a distance. We could name celebrities who looked as if they had it all, but then we were shocked when their lives dissolved into ruin.

November 1, 2023November 1, 2023

Struggling with Surrender

All of us who try to live for Jesus, struggle with surrender at moments in our lives. Surrender to God is not a ‘one time and done’ but a life-long journey. There are times we easily surrender and then we grapple with surrender. I would think that those who do not struggle with surrender to God have already made a dwelling on the other side, in the land of rebellion. If you are struggling, congratulations! At least you are trying.

I think I am a simple man. I like to simplify rather than complicate an issue. In the process, I may at times oversimplify something. I really do not like to quibble over words, but rather concentrate on concepts to live by. So here is my take on struggling with surrender.

I think when people fail to surrender to God, there is one of two main problems at fault. One is outright rebellion where one has the attitude of, “God is not going to tell me what to do.” The other is a lack of faith or trust in God. I would prefer to err with the last one than rebellion which puts a person on the same lane as the devil.

October 26, 2023October 26, 2023

Have You Considered My Servant?

There are two interesting conversations in the Bible between God and Satan in the beginning chapters of the Book of Job. The scene was apparently in the spiritual realm where the “sons of God” (most likely angels) came before God. Satan, a rebellious castaway angel, appeared in the same gathering. God begins the conversation with Satan about Job, “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8 NKJV)?

I am not going to tell the whole story about Job’s trials, temptations, and then his eventual two-fold restoration. Today, I am more interested in God’s all-knowing perspective about Job.

Satan did not begin the conversation about Job. God asked a straightforward question to Satan, knowing Satan’s evil heart as his very name “Satan” means adversary. God was basically boasting about Job, saying, “there is none like him on the earth.”

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023

Parched Piece of Ground

I hear people talking about leaving a legacy and I understand their sentiment, but often it has a scent of narcissism. After all, legacy is an earthly reminder of a person’s achievements while the crowns in Heaven are thrown down at the throne of God. My simple mind tells me to just be faithful in the Kingdom of God and leave the accounting to God’s record.

In 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, the Bible tells a sin in King David’s life. He sinned by numbering Israel out of a bad motive. Instead of trusting God, he trusted the strong arm of flesh. He wanted to feel secure in the number of warriors he had at his disposal. Joab, the leader of the army, was sent throughout the land to take a census of his fighting men.

October 11, 2023October 10, 2023

Wars and Rumors of Wars

One source said there are currently thirty-two conflicts around the world. We are most familiar with the smoke of war rising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Hamas invading Israel this week (October 2023) from Gaza. The war in Israel seems to be ramping up as Israel readies to destroy Hamas. We see wars and hear rumors of wars.

President Woodrow Wilson spoke about the Great War (WW1) as, “This is the war to end all wars.” If he could come back today, I am sure he would want some hot sauce to use on the words he would eat. By the way, he borrowed and slightly changed the phrase originally coined by H. G. Wells, a British author, who said, “The war that will end war.” Either version is a cruel joke.