How does a Name make you Safe?

Happy Sunday Morning!

Proverbs 18:10 says "the NAME of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is safe"

So, How does a Name make you safe?

It isn't the name so much, as what you do with it. Imagine a small child calling out , "Daddy!" .  How fast does daddy respond? If there are tears, how fast does he scoop up the child and wrap them in his arms? 

All it takes is one word. 

A name  

So it is with God. His ears are attuned to our voices. He knows the content of our cry as soon as His name is spoken.  Whether we are happy, sad, scared, uncertain, lost, or just want to talk, His answer to our saying His name is to let us know He is right there.

If you read vs 11, you can see the contrast between the righteous and one who is worldly rich.

Who or what do we call on first when the need arises?  Do we call on God, or our friends and family?

May the Lord bless you and keep you.. make His face shine upon you today. 

Amen -- JP

Who is Leading?

Good morning! 

I trust that you all had a restful evening! 

Today's verse is John 12:26. "If any man serve me (Jesus), let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor.

The question that comes to mind is.... "Are we with Christ or, are we expecting Christ to go with us?" How often do we as Christians act like the ones in charge, like we are the boss! How presumptuous of us! 

Where is God leading you? Don't make God your co-pilot. Make Him the pilot, co-pilot, and navigator. Then, become one of the flight attendants.

That is when joy, peace, and love will flood your life as never before. Amen

Struggling with God

Genesis 32:22-32

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[a] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[b] for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[c]saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.

I started a new 2 week devotional called Men's Devotional - By Men for Men.  The first scripture in the series is from Genesis 32:22-32.  This is when Jacob was heading back to a reunion with his brother Esau.  Jacob was scared silly because he had stolen his brother's birthright (inheritance and place in the family).  He thought that Esau would hate him and take revenge on him.  Worst case scenario in Jacob's mind, was certain death.  Jacob had sent everything and everyone on ahead of him and stayed one last night by himself.  That night, he wrestled physically with God.  The interesting thing is that God saw that He was not winning this wrestling match.  God told Jacob to let Him go.  Jacob's answer is both brazen and telling.  He said "Not until you bless me."  What perseverance!  Sometimes in life, we need to be stubborn and persevere just like Jacob.  I know that when I was on my road trip with just God for a companion, I did a lot of praying.  Every sermon I heard was on perseverance and overcoming.  In fact, when God gave me a promise, one of the conditions was for me to persevere, to keep struggling and fighting tooth and nail for Him.  Only when we don't give up, is when He can step up and bless us.  He will give us the strength to keep up the good fight. 

Another thing that I notice, is that Jacob was so bound and determined to win his struggle with God, that God had to knock Jacob's hip out of joint to get his attention. Remember, God was NOT gaining any ground with Jacob in this wrestling match.  Only after Jacob's hip was dislocated, when God spoke to Jacob, was he able to hear God and answer Him.  I think that there is a case of being too focused on getting what we want, that we can forget what we are fighting and even realize that we are focusing our struggles on the wrong person.  Jacob wanted a blessing from God.  He got a blessing.  His name was changed from Jacob, to Israel.  How is that a blessing?  We realize that it is a blessing, when we understand that the name Jacob means deceiver.  Israel means father of many nations.  Names were indicative (in those times) of a person's character.  By changing Jacob's name to Israel, God was telling Jacob that his character had changed from that of a deceiver, to one who would be a leader and patriarch.  God recognized Jacob's perseverance and rewarded him with the honor and responsibility of being a patriarch to many nations. God will use our struggling and perseverance to change our very nature (as evidenced by Jacob's name change). However, we need to understand what we are struggling against, and make sure that it is not God, but our very nature.  We need to not give up until we get that blessing we need from God.

Lonliness

I have been reading scriptures pertaining to lonliness lately.  These are scriptures that are meant to encourage us, even though we may feel like we have no-one with us in the trials of life.  Sometimes, even though we KNOW God is with us, we don't feel His presence.  It helps to read the scriptures for encouragement. Tonight's reading comes from  Lamentations 3:22-25.

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

This is encouraging to me as I have been feeling that I am searching and coming up empty.  I pray, read, and seek after God, but feel like I am playing a game of hide -n- seek.  I don't feel like it is anything that I am or am not doing, just that I don't sense His presence with me as I desire.  I don't feel like I am getting through with my prayers.  My feelings are that of being alone, out in the wilderness with no-one around to hear me.  

Have you ever been in the woods after a rain, but when the mist is about?  It is quiet... too quiet.  No birds singing, no animals walking, the only sound is your breath and heartbeat.  That is where is seems I am as of late.  This scripture reminds me that I am not alone.  It tells me that maybe instead of searching for what is right there, that I need to stop and wait on Him.  My question is "Wait for what?"  I think I can find my answer in the First book of the Kings 19:11-13

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 

12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 

13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

I need to wait on the Lord to speak with me. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in my problems and my prayers, that I forget that communication is a 2-way street. I know that I have constantly been praying about things in my life, but forget to take time to listen for God to speak to me. I ask for wisdom, but don't take time to listen to His answers.  I will make it a point to enjoy the silence as I wait for Him to speak.  He is there, I just have to listen.

TAD, PAD, and Devotions

TAD and PAD, both are "afflictions" that those of us who smoke pipes suffer from.  TAD is Tobacco Acquisition Disorder, and PAD is Pipe Acquisition Disorder.  Neither are bad things, but just like other things in life, they can take over your wallet and web time in a heartbeat.  There are other types of disorders that some pipers suffer from.... LAD (Lighter Acquisition Disorder) RAD (Rack Acquisition Disorder) and tAD (Tamper Acquisition Disorder).

I primarily suffer from TAD.  The reasons for this are as follows:
1) tobacco doesn't get any cheaper.  Having a cellar stored up allows one to go through tough times without suffering with the lack of baccy to smoke.
2) I like to try different blends.  There are hundreds, if not thousands of different blends to try.  I may love some and hate others.  You can't try them if you don't have them
3) Sales.  Sometimes there are excellent sales or deals that one just can't pass up.  www.4noggins.com is notorious for selling  different blends at a heavily discounted rate every month.  I try to take advantage of this as it allows my cellar to grow by leaps and bounds.  (I now have close to 16 lbs of cellared tobacco) This should last me several years if I suddenly couldn't buy anymore.
4) Ageing tobacco.  A lot of blends really benefit from ageing in the tins or jars.  They loose their sharpness and gain sweetness, or the flavors just blend better over time.  Sometimes I can find aged tins for cheap.  ie.  I just scored some 4 yr old tins of Esoterica Penzance and Butera Pelican for a very cheap price (traded some tobacco I had).  I snagged it up as both are very difficult to find, or not in production anymore (pelican).  The aged baccys are worth much more than I paid, and can, in the future be used as an income source, or as a barter item for baccy that I prefer.

Today, I just got in an order of tobaccos that I truly enjoy, PS Luxury Bulls-Eye Flake, PS Luxury Twist Flake, and Newminster Superior Round Slices (smells and tastes of wild honey)  These weren't on sale, but I was running low on these blends that I smoke regularly.  I got 4 oz of each.  They will last me a few months.

I just recently suffered a major attack of PAD.  I scored 6 handmade Briar Spirit Pipes in a trade and 3 estate pipes.  I have kept 4 of the BSP pipes and 1 of the estates. I traded off 1 of the BSP and one of the estate pipes. And, 1 BSP is to be a gift for someone who needs a good dose of encouragement.  There is nothing quite like receiving a new pipe and breaking it in with your favorite baccy.  It truly does lift the spirits.  It truly is better to give than to receive. It is always fun to see someone excited about something that you sent them with no strings attached.  I haven't decided whether to keep the last estate (a canadian) as I am not a huge fan of straight pipes.  However, I hear that they smoke extremely well.  I have listed it for sale on a couple of the forums I frequent.

Anyways, on to my devotions.  I have struggled a little bit lately to be in the right mindset for prayer and devotions.  My mind seems to wander way too much.  Pipe smoking gives me time to relax and to pray and read the Bible.  I make sure that I take the time to do both.  However, there seems to me, that my mind cant seem to slow down lately.  I will be in the middle of prayer, reading, and then I remember something I need to do, or a situation at work that I am dealing with.  Next thing I know, it is 15 minutes later and I have gotten sidetracked.   I know that this is just the evil one trying to keep me from growing spiritually.  So, I bring back my focus until the next time the rabbit trail crosses my path.  It is a constant struggle lately.

So, tonight, I got distracted by some website hosting and then some forums.  Fortunately, I remembered that I needed to do my reading and prayer.  I opened up my Bible app on my laptop, and proceeded to read.  I am glad that I did, as I was able to receive an encouraging word.  A lot of times I feel that I struggle with my relationship with God by myself.  That I am the only person I know that is really trying.  Well, I am not alone.  And I am not alone in pursuing a deeper relationship with God.  Tonight's reading was Isaiah 41:9-10.  It reads,

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

It is encouraging to see that no matter how distracted, tired, or worn out we are, that God is by our side.  He doesn't ask us to be perfect, just to trust in Him.  

Well, it is now bedtime, and I need to get some sleep before my long day tomorrow.  My prayers are with you, whoever you might be.  

May God Bless you and Keep You.  May He make His face to shine upon You.  May you feel His love and presence surround you.

A promise

I missed updating yesterday as I was highly distracted and had a lot of thoughts running through my mind.  Even my usual quiet time with my pipe was cut short.  I did read the scripure, but felt like I was in a dry spot.  To be honest, I was not mentally prepared to receive any insight or knowledge from them.  It wasn't a wasted time, as reading the scriptures never is.  But I just couldn't concentrate.

I did get several new pipes from my good friend, Kirk (Briar Spirit) in the UK.  Beautiful pipes, each and every one of them.  I fired up a bowl in the one that called my name the loudest, and enjoyed a truly smooth smoke.  I was smoking some Carter Hall (not one of my favorites) but it was a good baccy for breaking in a pipe.  I think I will try using some CH as a burley base for blending some tobaccos. I had an aromatic baccy in it today and is smoked it perfectly down to a fine grey ash.  This is probably the best smoking pipe I have had of his to date. 

I had a good, busy day today, and finally got to sit down and read the Bible a little bit this evening. I was in a much better frame of mind to receive from the Lord.  The following passage caught my eye, and it was if the Lord told me to stop and really understand what He was saying.

Jeremiah 33:1-3 NKJV

Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, “Thus says the Lord  who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord  is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

To me, this is an encouraging passage.  First notice where Jeremiah is... in prison.  He was in a trying time in his life.  No way out of the current situation was immediately available.  Now, during this time, what was Jeremiah doing?  Was he moaning about his circumstances?   Not according to this verse.  It instead implies that Jeremiah was listening for God to speak.  For when God spoke, Jeremiah heard.  As we know from other Scriptures,  the voice of the Lord is heard in quiet.  It is a "still small voice"  it requires active listening and focus to hear.  So, in the midst of trials and discomfort,  God spoke to Jeremiah.

He says, "call to me, and I will answer you."  Wow, what a promise!   There is no prerequisites other than to call unto God.  But even more interesting than the promise of an answer is thevsecond part of the promise.  "And, I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."  Notice what is not promised.... Deliverence from the situation.  God didn't tell Jeremiah that He would get him out of prison, or even make his time in prison easier.  He said He would show Jeremiah new things.  

Sometimes,  we have to be in a rough spot in order to be receptive to the Word of God.  God is not wanting bad things for us.  Jeremiah wasn't being tortured or beaten that we can tell, just in a situation that he couldn't escape from.  God, instead of delivering Jeremiah,  took his mind off the circumstances and showed Jeremiah new things, interesting things, visions and prophecies.   This captivity turned out to be a good thing in the long run as Jeremiah listened to God and learned what God was trying to teach him.

I have heard it said that God always answers prayer with one of three answers, yes, no, and wait.  In this case, it was "wait and learn"  What situation are you in that you can't escape?  Open your mind and heart to God.  Listen to what He wants to show you.  It may just surprise you and help you down the road.  Jeremiah eventually was granted freedom once he learned what God wanted to show him. 

The Perfect Pipe

As I sit here tonight, I am enjoying a great, after-dinner smoke of Virginia Spice.  I am smoking this in a pipe that I had commissioned by a good friend in the UK, Kirk, of Briar Spirit Pipes.  To most people, this pipe would be just a simple pipe that has visible flaws.  There is a small pit in the outside of the bowl that most pipe collectors would say is the mark of an imperfect pipe.  They would not want it in their collection as , in their opinion, the pit is a fatal flaw.  Some renoun pipe makers would even point out that the shape could have been finessed a bit more to make it a "perfect pipe".  None of this matters to me, as I see the pipe for what it really is.  It is an instrument for the burning of tobacco to produce a pleasing taste and aroma.  To me, this is a perfect pipe.  It does exactly what it is meant to do, and very well I might add.  Even, what others would call imperfections, are perfect to me.  They add character and uniqueness in a world of "perfect" pipes. 

This brings to mind a scripture that I just read tonight.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

God made each and every one of us, flaws and all.  We suffer from the dings of life, and "pits" in our characters.  To others, we are not "perfect".  We suffer from inherent faults, like the unstraight grain in this pipe.  However,  God saw us before we were born.  He knows exactly how we will turn out.  He knows all of our flaws.  We may have physical deformities and mental issues.  How could anyone want us for their friend? How are we desirable?   Remember, it isn't what a pipe looks like that makes it perfect, it is how it smokes.  In the same way, it isn't our looks or personality that makes  us perfect, but how we live for God.  Even the best smoking pipe has its off days, and tobacco blends that it doesn't smoke well.  It is the same way with us.  We are not perfect in every situation.  But, God made us for a reason.  We are valuable and perfect in His eyes as he knows where to put us so that we can be "perfect" for Him.

Pipe Smoking - a hobby or lifestyle?

I am a pipe smoker.  In a world where smoking is frowned upon, I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoy the benefits of being a part of the pipecsmoking community.   More importantly,  I am a Christian.   I am proud to say that Jesus is my Savior and that I try to live my life the best that I can for Him.  The first question that people will ask,  is how I can be both?  They will say that smoking is harmful to my health and that since I am a child of God, and we are told to take care of our bodies, that this is in direct contradiction to the Bible.  If I was to take that argument at face value, I could not disagree.  However, I don't agree with this stance.  It is all in the determination of what pipesmoking really is.  Is it a hobby? Or is it a lifestyle?

Let me take you back in history 19 years ago when I first took up the pipe.  I was 18 at the time, and just starting out on my own.  Most of my friends were smoking cigarettes and the Black 'n Mild cigars.  I had started smoking the cigars and found out that they were terribly expensive on my minimum wage salary.  I love the smell of them, so to save money, and to look cool, I bought a pipe.  I smoked it for a few months and the switched to cigarettes.   I quit smoking the pipe, as I didn't understand what it was all about.  My attitude was one of instant gratification,  and not conducive to the pipe smoking lifestyle.  I eventually gave up cigarettes in 2005, after 10 yrs of smoking those nasty things.   For a short while, pipe smoking was a hobby that I never really got involved in.

Spring forward to the fall of 2013.  I suddenly had the desire to smoke a pipe again.  I researched this "hobby" inside and out.  I read reviews, watched youtube video "how to's", and read tobacco reviews.  I was intrigued by the idea of being a pipe smoker.  Well, after researching, I talked to my wife, and she agreed that I could try smoking a pipe for a while.  So, in January, 2014, I started on this amazing journey.  I ordered a churchwarden pipe and a sampler pack of aromatic tobaccos.  These are the blends we fondly remember our fathers, grandfathers, and uncles smoking when we were kids.    Besides just wanting to smoke a pipe, another reason, was to force myself to slow down in my rat race of a life.  I had realized that my stress levels were too high, and that I needed to find a way to force myself to take time to step away from it.  Thus started my journey from hobby to lifestyle.

As I got involved in the pipe smoking community, I started to realize that smoking a pipe is a purposeful activity.  I have to choose my tobacco, choose my pipe, prepare the tobacco, pack the pipe correctly, and then, I get to enjoy smoking it.  Even in smoking, I have to be mindful of the way I smoke, as too hot of a flame, or too quick of a draw can ruin the whole smoke.  As I worked to understand pipe smoking, I came to realize that it is a form of meditation, and yes, even prayer.  It is a mindful activity that lends itself to meditative and purposeful action.  Every step in preparation and smoking is done with the goal of achieving the "perfect smoke".  As time wore on, this attitude of mindfullness started to invade my every day life.  I would find myself slowing down to assess the results of my actions, or thinking about what I say before the words leave my mouth.  I found myself being more mindful of my relationship with God.  I found myself with time for meditation of the Scriptures, and for prayer.  Whereas, before, I was too busy to spend time with God, now I found myself with plenty of time for Him.  Pipe smoking has now become a beneficial lifestyle.

On the issue of health, this is the elephant in the room.  I cannot deny that smoking cigarettes is bad for you.  I agree whole-heartedly.  However, I cannot agree that smoking tobacco in a pipe is bad for you.  
1) Cigarettes raise your blood pressure, wheras pipes lower it.  I used to have really high blood pressure, but since smoking a pipe forces relaxation, my blood pressure has actually dropped with the reduction of stress in my life.
2) Cigarettes are inhaled. Pipe smoke, as a general rule, are not inhaled like a cigarette.   The smoke is drawn into the mouth, tasted and smelled, and the exhaled from the mouth, or through the nose (not the lungs). I still get some smoke in my lungs, but nothing compared to the smoke from a cigarette
3) Cigarettes have nasty additives that are not present in pipe tobacco.  The additives in cigarette tobacco are the carcinogens,  not the tobacco itself.

Based on these three points, I have found the risks (if there are any) to be extremely low.  I feel that (due to the reduction of stress) my health is much better since picking up the pipe.  I have actually lost almost 30 lbs since January as well due to the lack of stress.

Pipe smoking as a lifestyle has been extremely beneficial.   I believe that it is completely compatible with my Christian lifestyle.  On that note, if God ever asks me to give up the pipe, it would be necessary for me to do so.  However, I do not forsee that happening anytime soon.

So, is pipe smoking a hobby?  I say not.  I have embraced the lifestyle with great zeal, as it has chaned my life for the better all around.  I belive that those who know me would agree.