Lessons Learned From Critters

My nephew, Matt, is quite the character.

For a mere 18-year-old, he is pretty smart about a lot of different things: he knows his way around oil wells, he can do basic mechanic work on trucks, he's an excellent athlete in football, baseball, and tennis, and he has a lot of experience dealing with wild animals from his many hunting expeditions.

I want to tell you two quick critter stories involving Matt.

My sister warned me that there was an alligator skin and head hanging up in the barn so it wouldn't scare the life out of me when I saw it. I had no idea we had alligators out here! I mean, I thought alligators were a South Louisiana thing!

It appears that an alligator farm that was one in operation got tired of being in operation, so they just let all their gators go one day many years ago. Slowly, the alligator population in the Shreveport area has grown.

A few weeks ago, my nephew Matt was fishing with his cousin in a pond on the cousin's property. As they fished, the cousin's dog was swimming around in the water. Matt noticed an alligator out of the corner of his eye.

"You think we oughta kill that gator?" Matt asked.

"Naw! I think they're cool to watch!" replied unnamed Cuz.

"Well, you should probably think again because that gator is chasing your dog!" Matt explained matter-of-factly.

Matt, who is always prepared, had a pistol with his fishing gear. He shot that gator about seven times, tied a rope around it, and attempted to haul it to shore. Suddenly, the gator came alive again and Matt had to shoot it some more! (I do believe I would have wet my pants if I had been there...I'm just sayin'!)

Okay, that's story number one...here's the next one.

On Father's Day, Matt and Buddy went to Sunday school. As Matt walked up to the church door, a large snake was stretched out across the threshhold. Matt picked up a brick and was going to drop it on the snake's head and get it out of there before it "scared all the women."

This "Crocodile Dundee wanna-be" came walking up and said, "Don't kill it! It's not poisonous because it doesn't have a diamond-shaped head." He reached down to try to pick the snake up with a church bulletin and it reared up at him, so he just ran into the church leaving the snake there.

Finally, another man shooed the snaked into the bushes. Matt told us sarcastically, "That'll be so nice for the landscaper to find tomorrow!" I guess Matt just dropped the brick and went on in at that point, but the story sure was funny when he told it!

This evening, as I was helping Karla feed the four horses, four miniature horses, and 15-plus cats, I caught sight of the alligator skin again. It got me to thinking.

Cuz thought that gator was "cool to watch" and wanted to keep it around even though it was a vicious predator that would eat his dog at first opportunity.

How many times do we keep those besetting sins sitting around because they're a great source of entertainment or pleasure?

I don't want to kill that habit of overeating. I'll miss out on the midnight cruise buffet!

I don't want to squelch the sin of overspending; afterall, it was a Christian book I bought...that can't be sinful, can it?

Overeating and overspending are just two of the sins that trip me up over and over. I'm sure you have your own list. Eating and shopping are just down right enjoyable, and neither of them are sinful until I put the prefix "over" in front of them. By letting overeating stay around, I remain overweight, out-of-shape, and a slave to the food and the scale. My boys have learned terrible eating habits from their mother, and two of the boys have weight issues now. By keeping overspending in my life, our whole family suffers from indebtedness, our tithing is not consistent, and we struggle to pay our bills. These habits are sin, and sin is what put Jesus on the cross. I need to get out my "pistol," the Word of God, and shoot a million holes in those pesky sin gators!

Now, the snake...how interesting that the snake appeared to be trying to go to church (or keep people from going to church..however you wanna look at it.)

I have been doing a lot of praying this week about the issues of faith, miraculous healing, and God's plan and will. On Sunday, I had such a heavy heart, I couldn't keep from crying. It felt like oppression, as if the devil was trying to fill me with fear, despair and confusion.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (II Tim 1:7 KJV)

I knew my confusion and heavy heart was not from God, and I chose to trade it in for the courage, hope, and wisdom that comes from Him.

The Bible says there are many false prophets out there who seek to deceive the Body of Christ--wolves in sheep's clothing. (Matthew 7:15)

Because of those dangerous deceivers, I have found it difficult to accept some of the things I've seen since arriving at Karla's. I have attended a Southern Baptist church my whole life. I don't have much experience with any other denominations, especially not churches who practice more "outgoing" expressions of worship. (How is that for being p.c.? Ha)

I don't have anything against people who attend more charasmatic churches; it's just not within the realm of my experience.

Since arriving to Louisiana, I have prayed with a giant black man with the gift of healing, and I have attended a worship service where people were praying in tongues, prophesying, and praying over the sick while anointing them with oil. Buddy has received two prayer cloths that have been covered in prayer. All of this is so new to me.

I have heard story after story of divine healing where people had no medical hope yet were healed.

Most recently, one of Matt's former teachers came by and prayed with Buddy after sharing her testimony of healing. She had a deadly form of lung cancer for which there is no treatment. The doctors gave her 3 weeks to 3 months to live. She prayed healing scriptures for herself day-after-day and believed with all her heart God would heal her. He did. The doctors called it "spontaneous regression." The cancer completely went away without one dose of radiation or chemo. She is cancer-free by the power of God.

After staying up most of the night Sunday night praying about all of my questions, I have come to this conclusion.

Just because there are some sneaky snakes out there who try to manipulate others with religious mumbo-jumbo, I should not discard the ministry of people who do things a little differently from what I'm used to.

I have watched these people very carefully, and I believe they are genuine. I believe God has gifted this Reverend Coleman with the spiritual gift of healing. He gives God all of the glory and considers himself an instrument God uses to minister to His people. It is not the "Reverend Coleman Show" when he prays over people and preaches God's word. People are drawn to Jesus, not Coleman. He is a humble man of prayer, faith, and encouragement. He is a simple man who could barely read when God called him to surrender his life to the ministry. God's word was his reading primer!

Twice, Reverend Coleman came to Buddy and Karla's house, and the second time he came, he asked that their pastor come as well because he wanted to make sure the pastor understood he was not trying to "mess with another man's flock."

I still don't speak in tongues, and I don't plan on changing churches when I get home, but I feel my Christian walk has been stretched a bit.

The Christian life is not always neat and tidy. I am in the trenches right now believing God has healed Buddy of his cancer. As his body recovers from the chemo and radiation, I believe Buddy's health will improve more and more to the point the doctors will run a scan to find the cancer gone from his body.

I choose to believe this even though the healing has not manifested itself....yet.

Here is what I ask of you:

Please pray for Buddy's throat to heal as it is burned up pretty badly from the 22 radiation treatments he had on his left lung. It hurts him very much to swallow, so he's barely eating even though he is physically hungry.

Please pray for Buddy's paralyzed vocal chord to become functional again so he can speak "loud and proud" of all God has done in his life.

Pray for Buddy to rest well at night which will, in turn, help Karla to rest well at night. Karla is looking pretty haggard lately.

Pray for business dealings Karla and Buddy are involved in to work out in a way that will be honorable and fair for all, and pray for Karla to let it all rest in God's hands.

Pray that God will completely deliver Buddy from his smoking habit. He has drastically reduced his smoking but has not quit completely. He knows it's very important for him to quit and he really wants to do it.

I'm leaving in the morning for Dallas and will catch the plane for Seattle Thursday morning. As much as Satan would have me spend the whole Alaskan cruise worrying about my family, I will fix him by praying for the family everytime a worrysome thought pops up. Don't worry about anything but pray about everything, right??? :)

When I return, I'll blog about the cruise and all other exciting things God does over the next week.

Love,