Lyle's Blog

Grace. Something we talk about but do we really offer as much as we could. We all have limits on how much we’re willing to give it seems. On the cross Christ asked the Father to forgive men because they didn’t really know and understand what they were doing. They were torturing and killing the creator of the universe. In their insane hatred they were mocking, whipping and crucifying God. It’s the same for us as followers of Christ. People do some unthinkable things. It’s down right wickedness. Lots of people suffer terrible abuse. But when we accept Christ as our savior we become His children. Jesus said “if the world hates me, it will hate you”. Some Christians suffer unthinkable things. And like Christ we must ask God to forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing. On the cross they crucified God’s son. When people persecute us they don’t know what they are doing. If they knew who we were, those thoughts wouldn’t cross their minds. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. God loves us. We are the “bride” of Jesus Christ. When we are persecuted it’s the same as persecuting Christ. We must ask God to forgive them. The world doesn’t believe in God or His son. People are not privy to eternal truth. It’s only when a person accepts Christ that the Holy Spirit begins filling them with truth and grace. So we are to give grace, that being undeserved and sometimes unwanted favor. Those that hate are lost in sin and unable to understand that they offend God and fall short of His glory. It’s up to us to show them the love of God and give them grace. Invite them to renew their mind and begin the journey that leads to life eternal. God so loved the world He gave grace; do we?

You never know when it’s too late. I’ve been gone three years from Spokane although I have made a trip back each year. There are just a few people I was able to see or should I say took the time to see. Time changes things fast. It’s only taken a couple phone calls to realize that if I want to see the people I care about, I’d better do it. If there is something I want to tell them, this trip is the time. One is rehabbing at home after a month in the hospital, another is dying of cancer, and that’s just two phone calls. I’m sure everyone isn’t in dire straights but it’s getting to that time in life when second chances aren’t always possible. This is just a reminder that today is the day you’ve been given. Don’t put off seeing those people you care about. Go ahead, make that call. Take the time to call and visit that one who needs to hear your voice. My pastor once said “you can pretend to care but you can’t pretend to be there”.

I was having coffee in a cafe on Petaluma Boulevard whilst my wife met with some old friends at Starbucks. There were two women chatting at the next table and I wasn’t paying them any mind. As I was leaving I heard the one say that a Hispanic couple were moving in next door and thank God because Sebastopol is to frikken’ white. Here was an old white woman (part of the hippie-slob generation) deploring her race being too dominant in the population of her town of Sebastopol. It is true that there are eighty eight percent white in her town. I know with all the laws against housing discrimination that the only thing keeping the town so white is probably that Hispanics really don’t desire to live there. Like all of California, Sebastopol is as liberal as any place else and maybe if this old lady spoke up some of those crackers would put their houses up for sale and make sure a non-whitey bought it. Furthermore if she herself were to move out or out of pure decency commit suicide, then there would be at least one less of those nasty white people to mar the landscape. As one looks around California you notice it’s run down and town after town reflects a population that can’t shake its hippie past and just hangs on to ideas that were birthed in drugs. We went by my wife’s old school. Unkempt, weeds two feet high, just third world looking. This is what you get when a bunch of Woodstock worshiping fools grow up and run everything. Nothings important, only the hair-brained thoughts of idiots are of any value. I’ll be back in Arizona next Saturday night and that’s not to soon

My son and I were at the park a couple days ago and we noticed person after person with there eyes fixed on their smart phones and it became apparent they were all involved in the Pokémon craze. I’m already irritated by people always staring at a little screen instead of participating in life, but here was the next stage in the creation of mind-numbed idiots. The little thing they hold in their hand is now programming them to be further addicted to control. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse; what more can I say? This is the hokey pokey and we all know, that’s what it’s all about.

Many years ago my wife by chance was offered a job. This wasn’t just any job. It was two houses away from where we lived. We had three kids and being I wasn’t especially talented with making money, she accepted the position. Over the years we were blessed beyond measure. We were so “lucky”. But it was who she went to work for that made such a difference in our lives. It wasn’t just the money but I do have to say they were more generous than they needed to be. It was who they were. Yes they were rich but they were more than that. They loved and followed Jesus Christ. They were Ron and Georgia Lee Puryear. They were an unbelievable Amway success story. The word Amway causes different reactions in people and you know what yours is. In reality it was really a testing ground and in Ron and Georgia Lee’s world a means to invite you into the kingdom of God. My wife and I attended many meetings, events, and of course were distributors of sorts. So we know a little something about the business. Ron was an excellent communicator. During the major events he would preach on Sunday mornings. Not everyone attended but the ones that did heard a message straight from his heart. I remember him saying at the beginning of his message on Sunday morning, “now here’s the real reason you’re here”. Why were so many there that weekend? To hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. To hear that God loves them and wants them to have a successful life; that they can live in confidence knowing that God has promised certain things and He can be trusted to keep his Word. Yes, they believed in the business of Amway, but they understood that without Christ you have nothing. You can make all the money in the world but you need Christ to live a fulfilled life. They exemplified Christ to us. They want you to have everything and Jesus Christ is everything. The last few years they attended our church when they could. They always sat in the back. I know that hardly anyone knew who they were. And that’s how they wanted it. Just two people who loved to listen to the Bible taught verse by verse. I could ramble on but I will save you that trial. I just want to say thank Ron and Georgia Lee; thanks for so much for everything. But mostly thank you for your unashamed testimony of what Jesus Christ means to you. That is the greatest thing you gave us for those words have ever lasting power. Thank you Ron. Thank you Georgia Lee. Thank you for Jesus Christ.