Leading By Example

My daughter came to me tonight after church talking to me about what they were studying. The reason being my speech is not always what it should be. That’s just being honest folks. She read to me out of I TIMOTHY 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.  She/they were learning about setting an example to believers and folks the example starts with us parents. And I have to admit that I’m not always the best example. But my daughter, Anna coming to me, talking to me is what inspired me to write this poem. Please feel free to comment.

Leading By Example

As believers how do we set an example with out tongue

We have to be careful as it can be a loaded gun

Is it important to watch what we say

Our desire should be not to push people away

Is it important to watch how we speak

Our tone can scare people who are bleak

We can take a pause before we cheek

To ask the Lord which words to speak

 

As believers how do we set an example with our life

By moving out of the darkness and into the light

Is it important for our motives to be pure

Pure motives can lead to right actions for sure

Is it important to watch how we live

Right choices is the example we want to give

We can take a pause before we make a choice

To take a little time to hear Gods voice

 

As believers how do we set an example in love

Being kind to others first without a push or a shove

Is it important to show that we care

By obeying Gods Word others burdens we must bear

Is it important how we treat each other

Treating others with love is a command from our Heavenly Father

We can take a pause before we act or you speak

It is always Gods Will that we want to seek

 

 

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011 and 2012

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Fear God But NOT Afraid

Fearing God But Not Afraid

This is a random thought I have on my heart and I don’t have any certain Scripture to go with it. I am gun shy if you will about posting this, but also welcome any thoughts you might have.

I love God with all my heart, I also Fear God and His Word. But I so wander in my mind if in the Fearing of God, I not also have some fear of or as one might want to think be afraid. Here is what my thought is on my heart; I am not afraid of judgement for doing something wrong when answering an opportunity That God has placed before me, but what I am afraid of is having to answer for the missed opportunities that I did not answer that were placed before me. This is not something that I dwell on, yet sometimes surfaces though.

I will give you an example of what brought this to mind. Mary and I are lead to have a family stay with us through the winter, as I have written about before. Well due to unforeseen events in their lives one person lost their employment. It was not too long when the two of them got work delivering news papers. The problem is that they need gas and a little cash to take care of their kids. They asked me for the number to my church and I gave it to them but the church is closed on Fridays. By this time I new something to be wrong and they told me. Here is where I was wrong, I started not to do something to help them because in my mind I’m saying don’t we already do enough. I knew we could help some, but I also knew where they might get more help and I was hesitant at first. This was really a fight within myself and now I struggle with the guilt that I allowed the devil to start interfering with what God was doing. As in James 4 says Submit yourselves to God resist the devil and he will flee. I wander in doing this that this is an action step. In my case I asked for forgiveness from God and then did what needed to be done to get them the necessary help. I hope I tied all this together with my thought about not wanting to have to answer for missed opportunities.

In talking with a friend the lesson I walk away learning is obedience, I’m to be obedient to Gods call and when convicted of the times I’m rebellious and disobedient to not answering His call, I am to confess them and ask for forgiveness, in which God is faithful to forgive. It was also suggested by a Godly man that mentors me that, when someone is in need and I know I have the resources or know of resources that can help, it is for me to be obedient to God in filling the need, it is also none of my business what the person does with the resources. That is between them and God. The devil is going to try and interfere by casting doubt in some way. My response to that is by Submitting to God not the devil or my own selfishness.

Feel free to express your thoughts and experiences on this matter.

In Christ
Bart

1 CORINTHIANS 16:13,14 BE on your guard; stand firm in the faith: be men of courage: be strong. 14) Do everything in love.

1 PETER 4:8-10 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9) Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10)Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in it’s various forms.

2 PETER1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; 6) and to knowledge self control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance godliness; 7) and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. 8)For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in you knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1JOHN 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011 and 2012

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Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

Learning To Love My Brother

HEBREWS 13:1,3 (1) Keep on loving each other as brothers. (3) Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

MATTHEW 25:35,36,40 (35)” For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (40) “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’

This is, you might think an extension of the last story I wrote Learning to Forgive except this is about my paternal brother Steve. There was a lot of jealousy between the two of us growing up, for one he looks just like my dad, and me, well I look like my mother. Right about now you might be saying to yourself where be the problem or jealousy comes from. Well it’s all on my part the jealousy and bitterness that is. I’m ten years older than Steve is and for a long time growing up there was just Shelley and I. Shelley is my oldest sister, who passed away from cancer a few years ago. To make a long story short I grew up being jealous of Steve simply because he got more attention than I did. I got into more trouble it seemed and sometimes for what reason. And as an older brother I was mean and spiteful. To be honest with all the bitterness between dad and me I took out on Steve. You might be saying that’s just sibling rivalry and you’re right it is. Here is a sample of the things we would do to each other. There was a time when angry, probably in rage, while riding a horse I ran over him. And there were times when I, while riding my bike on our gravel driveway, Steve loosened the nuts on my front tire, I would do a jump and the tire would come off and I would eat gravel. And don’t think it all mean, or bad just a lot. Steve and I can laugh now because we are developing a relationship with each other.

Needless to say Steve’s and mine relationship growing up wasn’t great, and our love for one another stemmed from abuse of one another. Steve, after school until now, has been spent mostly in jail and prison. And my attitude about it was he deserved what he got for the things he did. To be honest I committed some of the same criminal acts that he did and I had deserved to be locked up too. But for the Grace of God is why I didn’t and the only reason I can think that I didn’t. Over the years Steve had asked for support by letter writing, financial support with meeting his hygiene needs and my response out of bitterness was always no. Just before he went back to prison this time, we had started talking and he was getting cleaned up off drugs or so I was told, he had called needing to borrow some money. He told me the reason and this was when I was in the beginning of cleaning my life up and learning to submit to God myself. So I believed him and even felt bad for him, I didn’t have the money so I borrowed it with the condition it had to be paid back by a certain time. Well he didn’t and to make matters worse ended back in jail waiting to return back to prison. This was the last straw, I would never forgive him this time I told myself and wrote it off never again to have anything do with him. He went back to prison and again was asking for me to write him without asking for money. I did write two or three times out of guilt but nothing steady.

Here is where God starts softening my heart and at first I was rebellious towards the conviction. I had moved back to Texas from Oregon and was staying with my mother and sister. Billisa had been writing Steve and Mother was sending him a little money. So Billisa talked me into start writing once in a while. Now I want to add that at this time I have been devoted to serving Christ for about five years, some of us grow slower I guess. Besides we are not in a race to see how fast we grow. I met my wife Mary and learned of her strong Christian values to take care of your own family. And it was through watching her care for her father that I started being convicted concerning Steve. Through many talks with Mary and much prayer I started asking God to teach me how to love Steve. I believe God spoke to my heart telling me I needed not only forgive Steve but I needed to seek forgiveness from God and Steve. I in my prayers starting asking how, plus I started asking for prayer from my church. I was ok with writing but had vowed never to set foot in a prison, even for my brother. Might I add don’t tell God you’ll never do something or go somewhere. I believe today God called me to go to the prison to seek my brother’s forgiveness through forgiving him. We made plans, did all the necessary criteria to go visit him. It was on a Sunday and in Sunday school I had asked prayer for this, because I was anxious. For it had been 25 years since I had seen Steve. That is where the bitterness took me. It was a two-hour drive and I had to pray to fight off turning back. I am so glad and Praise and Thank God for His Strength because of the relationship Steve and I are developing. Now I know this is All God because when we met the first thing that happened was Steve asked me to forgive him, I just cried because it was me who needed to forgive him. This was with us being separated by a thick sheet of glass. I just wanted to reach for him to hug and kiss him. What is even more exciting to know is Steve knows Christ? We could not wait for the next visit because I could finally get to put my arms around Steve and hug him, and we did. I MISSED MY BROTHER for once I truly missed Steve, and we hugged for the longest time, I did not want to let him go. I held on tight and just cried. The beauty in those tears is the healing that took place. Mary, my wife couldn’t hold back tears either. As we were holding each other it was as though God was removing all the bitterness and animosity. From there Mary and I were lead and are lead to support him any way we can. And the changes we are seeing in him are amazing. When we first met there appeared to be someone not just behind bars but a man in chains to loneliness, not to mention the chains I was in and not behind bars. See we can be in bondage to a lot of things and never set foot in jail or prison. Christ’s Love and Forgiveness sets captives Free. We are getting to minister to my brother and he is changing and growing, not because we are lead to just support him It’s because I believe we are learning to love each other. Supporting him comes from Christ’s Love. I want to add that my sister Billisa is not in prison behind bars but is in bondage of other things and we are learning to love each other as well. If you’re the prayer warriors I’d like to believe you are please pray that my family will seek Christ’s Love in our relationships and continue to grow in Christ.

To the reader if you are in bondage to anything, I pray you will seek Christ to be set free. JOHN 8:31-32 says; 31) To the Jews, who had believed Him, Jesus said, “ If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32) Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

In Christ
Bart

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011 and 2012

More Than Enough Grace

More Than Enough Grace

1 Corinthians 12:6-10 (HCSB)

(6) For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, (7) especially because of extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself.  (8) Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. (9) But He said to me,” My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. (10) So I take pleasure in weaknesses. Insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For I am weak, then I am strong.

I have no degree in seminary so I couldn’t probably explain this passage correctly or fully, but I would like to tell a true story based on what it says to me.

I’ve been battling cancer since 2003, and have had it twice, one in 2003 and then in 2004. This was all before I submitted to the Will of God. I believed I was saved as a youth, yet chose to live in rebellion most of my life. My older sister (Shelley) was diagnosed 6 months before me and lived 3 years after diagnosis. Shelley loved God, walked close with God, and myself rebellion and what appeared I looked like a hater. Sis got to go home to be with the Lord in August 1 2006 her birthday. I hated God all the more. I believed I should have died and she gets to raise her kids. It was the other way around. She got to go home and God spared me to live to submit to His Will, in which I did in 2009.

Fast forward to now. As I’ve said, I’ve been in a battle against cancer. First it was colon cancer, then rectal cancer, and all this is hereditary. Which left me disabled with scores of complicated medical issues and an illeostomy for life. I have to be tested at least every six months; this is my thorn and my tormentor. Don’t get me wrong I’m like everyone else, I have my good days and bad. And I no longer complain about it. NOT loll There are times when I still ask God to take it away and/or take me home. But today I’m learning perseverance and I’m learning to take what I have and use it for God. What I mean there are times I have to be in a hospital, I know that is a place where people need encouragement and their spirit up lifted. I know from my experience that I get attacked when I’m sick, heck it is an attack, so if it happen to me it happens to others, and don’t forget the Drs and nurses and all hospital staff. It’s a place where people need and I find want to here a message of hope. And I love to talk about Jesus, not about all the sickness but what Christ has done with all the sickness. How he redeemed me, healed me, and how His Hand is up on my life today. Oh man don’t get me started, I just love Jesus and talking about His goodness, His faithfulness. See this is what this passage says to me. I have these medical issues, God uses them to keep me close to Him, because I know I don’t want to and can’t live without Him and most importantly God gets glorified because of it all. All Glory Go To God!

In Christ Love

Bart

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011 and 2012

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Love One Another

 

I would like to write about an experience that my wife (Mary), I and another family are experiencing together. I’m new at this type of writing and I really don’t consider myself a writer at all, so please feel free to comment your thoughts.

 

Love One Another

 

1 John 3:16, 18 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.17, If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him.18, Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

 

Mary and I met Martha and Johnny about 3 months ago through our next door neighbor in whom they were living with and helping. I first met Johnny and started to get to know him as we started having coffee in the mornings together and just talking. Johnny (I learned) didn’t have many friends and I didn’t either. And I believe our wives agreed that it was good for the two of us. Me, I had friends at church, but it was not like I talked to them on a regular basis like Johnny and I talked. It didn’t take long to learn that we had a few things in common. They have 2 boys in high school and a daughter that is 12, and we have a daughter that is 11. Both our daughters are in the same grade but different schools.

The first opportunity that I believe the Lord gave us was at the beginning of summer and what makes this significant is we have a swimming pool. I knew in my heart that our daughter would love having company swimming besides me all the time, you know kids her own age. Well I approached Mary with the idea of letting the kids come over to swim, and Mary wasn’t to keen on my plan because of all the hard work in keeping it clean. After we got past that barrier there was the accountability issue being I was the only adult around most of the time. So we got to know them and got past that. Any time a Christian goes to do something good for others, it seems the devil and/or his demonic forces come against you. So when you discern and stick to the Truth, there is no obstacle too tough for our God. How we got past the 1^st obstacle was with Mary my wife I leaned on my belief that God blesses His children to in turn be a blessing to others. I simply told Mary that the Lord has blessed us with this beautiful large house and a swimming pool, how can we not let it be used. Then there was another motive, I love sharing what God does in my life and I was hoping for the opportunity to get to know Johnny’s 2 sons. You see in the time when Johnny and I have coffee God gave me the opportunity to learn their beliefs in God and our Christian faith. Mary and I started praying for the Lord to open up an opportunity to minister to this family, our daughter included. Here’s where all 4 of us would probably have a chuckle. To be honest I don’t think at the time we started praying that Mary and I had even thought what Gods plans might be and how He was going to bless and use each family to love and minister to one another. And that is what we all believe was Gods plan, is that He is using each family to minister to the other family.

Well it didn’t take long to get a glimpse or have an idea in the direction of Gods plan. And what’s funny in away I started trying to guess at what God is doing. And let me let you know it doesn’t work trying to guess Gods plan, His plan as I understand it is for us to love others and be obedient. Johnny and Martha, well to put it plain got told they had to leave in 2 weeks. Let me back up a little. In Johnny’s and mine coffee time I got to learn about their faith in God, and how they stand firm in believing That God is going provide for them. And to me what’s even exciting than hearing about their faith is being a witness to their faith. Being careful not to gossip I went to Mary with what I believe as an opportunity to help them. I learned that they were going to need a place to store their belongings, and proposed to Mary we let them use our garage that we barely use, and Mary and I discussed briefly what we would do if they couldn’t find housing. Through the love of God we decided to open our home to Johnny and Martha and family.

Here’s where life for both families gets interesting, putting it lightly. You see let me remind the reader that this is not just a story of how Mary and I are meeting a families physical needs, they are helping us learn  how to be a family, truly help each other, submit to one another. I stand in awe of God and His foreknowledge that Mary and I need to grow not just in our marriage, but as a family also. And I stand in awe in how God decided to use others to grow and mature my family, as far as unity and strengthen us all. You see none of us have it all together, as much as we like for people to think we do we don’t. Mary and I are newly weds. Mary has been married twice before, me I’m 48 yr old and have never been married till 47. Mary has 2 daughters, I have no children. So the only person I’ve ever had to take care of is me, and even as a Christian, I’m still a selfish person. And to be honest a little on the lazy side too. But I’m willing to learn and grow, I believe we all are willing to learn and grow. This is where God is allowing Johnny and Martha to help Mary and I.

For Johnny and Martha this is not the first time they’ve struggled, but what they’ve learned in 16 years of marriage is how to truly love and depend on one another, all the while at times having Gods provisions abundantly and through consequences of not doing with the blessings what they told God they would do with them, their belief is that God disciplining them.  To me they are learning what it means to submit to God and each other. They Do things or Don’t things for each other out of love not because they have to. They to us exercise what it means to be a family no matter the struggles and obstacles, and believe me throw 2 full families under one roof things can get pretty tense. So the one thing we do and will not compromise on is we maintain an open line of communication and there are even times in communicating when we feel like we are walking on egg shells. But one thing we do is we share Chris’s Love with each other and stand firm on Gods Promises.

 

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011 and  2012