Landon Tyler Farmer

Born at 27 weeks into his mother's pregnancy, May 14th, Landon came all of a sudden to the surprise of every person in the family.  Heather, Landon's mother, and Tim, his dad, knew Landon was a boy and they had already been using his name when speaking of him.  We, as a family, were all excited that the youngest of our family would soon be a daddy.  Heather's family with Heather being the oldest reminded us of the excitement of that first grandchild, nephew and an additional cousin in the mix of family.  We were all looking to August.  I prayed daily and multiple times each day for this new family unit being united in love and joy.

Landon, as of this writing, has been through the things that premature babies go through.  He was diagnosed with Patent Ductus Areriousus (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pda/).  The surgery went well and everything is pointing right now towards a continued stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care at St. Paul's hospital in Dallas.  Other things could come up as his stay continues, but those are things we just will have to deal with as we have so far.  Needless to say, Heather and Tim have been strong because of a bond of love that exists between them.  They have been strong when others have been brought to tears of worry and anxiety. Now, I am not saying that they aren't worried, they are.  I know that they are.  But today, Landon reached out and held his mother's finger.  The first time that this has happened, and it wont be the last, but that is the time that she will remember forever and share with anyone who will listen.  She will cherish that in her heart and will be forever changed by that moment.  She is a mother.  She is a strong mother.  She is a proud mother and as far as I am concerned, a great wife to my son Tim.

Landon is my sixth grandchild.  He is the first born to my youngest son Tim.  He is my grandson and I am so proud to be his grandfather.  He has five cousins on our side of the family who are praying for him as he continues his life.  He has uncles and aunts along with so many others who are praying for him and waiting patiently for him to be able to be out of the hospital where we can all hold him and love him as a part of our family.

Heather's family has also been so supportive and I am so proud that Tim has Heather's family to give them strength as well. Please thank God for them for me if you would.

I know that I am writing this with an understanding that as you read it you read this through my eyes as a grandfather.  Yes, I am!  I am proud to be the grandfather, father in law, and father to this family.  I am proud that my children are concerned for their youngest brother and are keeping close tabs on what is going on.  May God bless them all with the grace He has to offer.

Thanks for reading this.

I'll see you later!

Jesus and Your Talents

Michael Hollinger wrote once: It’s a good thing that God is less concerned about our ability to value resources than he is concerned about our ability to use them. In our lives, however, we tend to have the reverse problem. Sometimes we overvalue ourselves. Generally instead of overvaluing our own resources, the problem tends to be that we overlook what we actually have.It’s very easy to think that because we don’t have as much money as the guy down the street that it should really be up to him to fix it. 

We think that the other guy is smarter, so he should be the one to solve the problem. We think those folks are more spiritual, so we’ll let them pray about it. Therefore we believe that since that church has more people, they are the ones responsible for evangelizing this part of the world, I’ve done my part.

The point is pretty simple actually: Don’t focus on what you do not have. That’s not important. Focus instead on what you do. As a child of God, you have a loving Master who, from the beginning of time picked you as his special child, worthy of doing good things for him. As Ephesians 2:10 says: He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. I know that the One who gives us a job to do is never going to put his own child out to pasture without the resources needed to do the job.

We just need to remember that ultimately it’s the Master’s resources in the Master’s time that bring the increase to our church families and our own personal families.  We are actually sitting on a spiritual gold mine as children of God. We have a great pool of talent and resources that just needs to be used.  It may mean that we shift our focus to the people in our neighborhoods or in our areas. There are people herein your neighborhood and with whom you are friends who need the Gospel, and you have it. You just need to use what you have to get it to them. 

We can sit around here all day doing assessments of what we do and do not have, silently mourning our state, or we can get out there and use what we have to the glory of God.  We can't sit and say, "I'm the only one doing anything.  Others help would make it go that much better." 

In the end, the results are up to our God, Jesus and our choice. He isn’t going to hold us accountable for the numbers or the money that we do or do not have – just our faithfulness in using what he’s given us. 

Are you ready to be a part of something new and exciting? 

It is time to use your talents for God. 

Seeking New LIfe

“Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do." - Steve Goodier, Quote Magazine, in May, 1990 R.D.

I am amazed a how our so called "Christian Family" can be at peace with themselves when they are constantly on the lookout for the rotting meat in a desert of sinful brothers and sisters.  Yes, we have people in our churches who sin and make mistakes.  Some have gone on to be great men of the church.  Paul would be one example, and he was a murderer.  Peter was accused by Jesus as an agent for Satan.  I believe that they were forgiven.

Those who cast stones and feast on the death of the past need to remember that God is a forgiving God.  He takes vengeance upon those who attack His family.  If you are the one determining the validity of a Christian brother or sister's relationship with God and their sincere remorse for their sins by attacking their past you are a vulture who craves to dine on death and putrid rottenness.  

We, those of us who are in Christ, need to repent and turn back to God and once we have done this, live for Him.  We can never go back and change the past, but we can, with God's help, move forward in the knowledge that we are still children of God and forgiven.  We seek a new life everyday.  I am so thankful that I have no man to answer to for my salvation.

When we attack a brother in Christ, no matter the reason, we sin!  Love keeps no record of wrong is what Paul told the church at Corinth.  How are we doing? 

My Prayer for the Christians of America

The sad thing today is that many Christians live their lives based on their status and well being in this world. Don't get me wrong, God has blessed us to live in this nation and we are a blessed people for it. But, when we see this world as the most important part of our existence, we are not walking in the Light. Sure, less taxes and better living conditions, the less threat of gun violence (or any violence at all) would be nice. But, isn't that the heaven we are looking forward to? I believe it is the next world we are promised the beauty we are seemingly seeking here on this earth.

I am really concerned about the lack of knowledge and the lack of desire for the word of God.  We have to become more studious in our lives and in our desire to walk the paths of God.  We need to be concerned about our nation, our freedoms, but truthfully in the end, our spiritual lives are so much more important.  

We as a nation are sacrificing our children, not just through abortion, drug abuse, free and open sexual disobedience, but through negligence in our sharing the spiritual nature of life.  

It is time we stand together and truly share what we believe about God.  Or maybe, we already are! 

Sad to think and even sadder to say it.  But, I believe that statement may be truer than any other. We are showing the world what we believe about God by our concern more about what is wrong with our economy than what is wrong with our society and it's lifestyle.

My prayer is that God will take away from us whatever is keeping us from being His children in the way we need to be in this world.

Then, my favorite verse 1 John 5:17 will be true for not only the few but the many. "...in this world we are like Him."

How are you doing?

I'll see you later!

The Old and New Way of Looking Ahead!

Waking up in the morning to the Star Spangled Banner playing on the radio at 6:00 a.m. on KEES Radio in Longview, TX was the way I started my day as a youth.  Sometimes I would have to go and turn off the radio as it blared on with no one else stirring or trying to turn it off.  It was time to rise, get ready to start the day.  I was always ready.  Wasting time in staying in bed was not my thing at that time.  There was too much to do, to much to accomplish just waiting on me to begin.

Then I grew a little older and that excitement seemed to wane a little as I began to live a life that was leaving me beaten down and not as excited about the new adventures that were just outside the door.  To me, outside the door was danger.  Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually.  I had started striving to be a "good" Christian and began realizing that it was so difficult because I couldn't conquer the sin in my life.

I had always been able to do anything I set my mind to do.  My dad had taught me that and I believed it, and still do!  He was a wise man.  He may not have understood what his statements concerning this meant to me in my young life.  In fact, I didn't realize what the meaning was until a few years ago.

As I have now had my children and drilled into their heads that they could do anything if they set their minds to it, I hear them talk about their children and the problems that they face in raising them and I still see them the way my father saw and I believe to some extent still sees me, still his child.

I understand that I can't be perfect and that God doesn't want my perfection on a daily basis.  He wants me to love Him on a daily basis and let Him know about it.  The new adventures of the day can only come when I have allowed myself to realize that each day is new and fresh, and being a child of God, I get to start each morning fresh and new.  The excitement of the day is in His hands.  Turn it all over to him.  Don't stop looking for the new in each day.  Also, don't forget to let the bad in the past stay there.  There is something new each and every morning for you to do.  Begin by basking in the sunlight of God's love, guidance and the leading He offers.

I'll see you later!

Work the Program

I am so thankful to be able to continue learning at my age, and I don't think that I am all that old, yet! But it is a breath of fresh air to see God at work in my life leading me to study and learn even more than I ever would have thought possible.

As most of you know my son Anthoney is an addict in recovery.  I am so proud that he is seeing himself in a different light than ever before.  He is smiling and seems happier with himself and who and whose he is.  He is jumping in with both feet, getting involved spiritually and emotionally with God and that to me is wonderful.

One of the things that I have learned from being a part of the recovery process that he is undergoing is leaning about the "Twelve Step Program" that he is using to become more dependent upon himself and God and less on drugs and alcohol.  Their statement of "work the program" means to find the way to sobriety. 

Working the program can also be a good way for us as Christians to look at our spiritual needs and desires. 

God wants us to be active and working in His kingdom.  When we have problems with our lives, we need to "work the program."  We need to admit our sin and look to Him for the forgiveness He offers.

When rehab is completed and the addict or alcoholic leaves, one of the things that they are encouraged to do is to attend 90 meetings in 90 days to help them continue in overcoming their addiction.  Wouldn't that be a great way for us minister to each other and move out of a life of sin and into a life of Godliness?  90 meetings in 90 days.  Seems like a lot of commitment doesn't it?  Is it to much to ask to strive to walk closer to God?

I'll see you later.

The Cruise!

Well, let me start by saying that I never thought I would ever go on a cruise and that at first it did not appeal to me at all.  However, hind sight is 20 20 as they say!

It was great.  Everything about it was wonderful.  We traveled with two other couples from church and had more fun and relaxed more than I believe I have relaxed in years.  To lie in bed with the door to the balcony open so we could sleep to the sound of the ocean was more than I can describe.  Then on our second night out of port to stand on the deck of the Triumph Cruise liner and see nothing but water on any side was awesome.  It was also humbling.

I serve a God that has  allowed me to go half way around the world to Europe and Africa.  I have now been in the Yucatan of Mexico and I am so looking forward to going back.  I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.

Now, let me also say this.  I would never have done this on my own. My beautiful and loving wife made the decision to go on this cruise and set it all up.  She paid for it and planned it and I am so thankful that she did. It was great.  (In fact, when we got in the car to come home she immediately started looking for other cruises for next year. She is hooked.)

Thanks Lisa for a great week and Christmas.

I love you.

I'll see you later!