The Heart of a Man

By Brenda Black

To hear him weave a tale of adventurous treks through Alaskan mountain passages will make your hair stand up on the back of a frigid neck just like you were in the icy elements. Coon hunting stories of harrowing midnight romps through Missouri timber is jaw dropping entertainment as I listen to my 74 year old thrill-seeking friend. It's a wonder he's still alive after all these years. Why, he's been risking life and limb since he was a pup himself, chasing everything from raccoon to grizzly bear and anything in between.

He's spry as a leprechaun high on Lucky Charms. He's quick-witted and articulate, unlike most fellas who spend much of their life in the woods. He's a horseman, cattleman, big game guide and one of the coolest old dudes to pert near every young boy in the tri-county area. He's taken them all turkey and coon and coyote hunting at one time or another. And the girls he wows with a ride atop one of his mules as he teaches them to plow or neck rein accordingly.

Arthur is just one of those colorful characters that gets in your head and steals your heart with his constant cheerfulness and quirky sense of humor. I've never heard him speak without a chuckle interspersed somewhere in his dialogue. I've never seen him without a smile. Even as he faces a challenging circumstance. And this time, it's pretty serious. Arthur is having his heart valve replaced.

If you have doubted my fair description of a man tough as nails yet tender hearted as Christ himself, I have a doctor's statement to convince you of its merit. Arthur needs a calf valve, not a pig valve, for his three-quarter century ticker, because it has to be strong enough to keep up with him!

That's just cool! As I wrap my mind around the amazing medical possibilities that our modern society enjoys, I'm more impressed with one who embraces life with such vigor. Somewhere along this delightful man's adventurous journey, God changed his heart and put fire in it for His glory, just like He promised to the people of Israel as reported by the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:26-28)

You see, what I haven't told you about my friend, is that he loves the Lord with that heart that needs some physical repair. And as God looks on that heart, he finds a faithful servant there. Sometimes Arthur is wise. Sometimes he is witty. Sometimes he is wise-cracking, but always he is a witness. That puts him in the same company with one like Solomon, when King David instructed: “Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you;...Be strong and do the work.” (1 Chronicles 28:9b-10)

Nothing short of a calf valve is strong enough for this one who has a heart for God. If your heart were diagnosed this day by the Lord Himself, what would He find? A servant's heart? A faithful heart? A committed heart? A strong heart?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) Through Alaskan mountains or Ozark hills, through trials and valleys and roaring rivers of life, make us strong of heart. May we please the One who gave His love and life that we might live wholeheartedly for Him.

The Purpose of Pentecost

By Brenda Black

“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.” (Acts 2:14)

He had no microphone, but the roar rising from the masses called for Peter to match its intensity so that he might be heard. On this day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ, a multiethnic crowd reacted vociferously to the strange commotion they witnessed and heard. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4) Peter then stepped up to seize the moment and impart explanation to the ever-restless and riled that were drawn together in bewilderment, for each of these visitors to the Holy City heard their own native dialect and they were “utterly amazed” (vs. 7).

Some heeded the miraculous event and curiously pressed for answers while others made fun and accused the disciples of drunkenness. The power of God had seized their attention, but it was up to Peter to capitalize on the moment and point their hearts in the right direction. He quoted the prophet Joel who generations earlier spoke of a fiery day like this. Then Peter began to tell them about Jesus – his life, his ministry, his death and resurrection!

They were perplexed. They were opinionated. Mostly, this eclectic crowd was pierced to their very core as Peter began to call for repentance. Remember, most of these people were in Jerusalem two months prior. Many then were among that crowd that called for Jesus' crucifixion! Conviction and fear gripped the ones who realized they had scorned and rejected and killed the Messiah for whom they had been watching and waiting.

The mobs had met the person of Jesus. They saw him die and watched the sky turn black. They felt the earth shake and heard of the temple curtain ripped in two. They knew!

If ever they needed proof of God's great power and authority, they saw it that day when Jesus died. They were still talking about the empty grave 50 days later and still no body had been recovered. They saw God-power again when Holy Spirit flames licked the roof top on this Pentecost day and unlearned men spoke in dozens of different languages penetrating ears and minds and hearts.

They knew the person, they saw the proof. And some responded. Those are the ones who discovered the purpose of Pentecost.

The rest of the story in the Book of Acts tells of a great response to the Truth message that Peter declared. “'Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'

“Peter replied: 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts. 2:36-39)

The good news is that about 3000 accepted his message and were baptized!

But what of the nay-sayers? They had to be spiritually blinded and ignorant. Think about it: If a drunk slurs his own name, how could the Pentecost cynics reason that drunkenness would make unlearned men articulate linguists! Their hearts were cold and hard so they believed that the Twelve were filled with wine instead of the Holy Spirit.

The sad news is not everyone that day repented. Some resisted the plea, rejected the person and refused to believe the powerful proofs right in front of them. Those who received salvation devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship and to communion and prayer. The rest – well, their decision took them a far darker way. Instead of being filled with purpose, they perished.

Pentecost had a purpose. It birthed the church. Today, the greatest story ever told has not changed. And people still get the chance to hear the truth and turn from their dark paths and walk in light and love when they repent and are baptized into Christ.

If you would like to learn more about this Jesus, I'll gladly be your Peter and tell you everything I know about him. Decide for yourself. Will you believe and be saved by God and filled by the Spirit? Anything less is as foolish as drunkenness and only leads to death.

Where Did You Get That Glow

Where Did You Get That Glow

By Brenda Black


I've seen blushing brides, glowing mothers-to-be, and beaming daddies. None of them, as I recall, ever frightened me. But in Exodus 34:29-35, Moses' afterglow shocked onlookers!

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” (Ex. 34:29-30)

After spending 40 days and nights basking in the Almighty's brilliance, Moses descended the mountain with his own face glowing! Obviously, the twinkle in his eye was more than just a glimmer. The flush in his cheeks far greater than any sun-kissed, wind-burned, ruddy tan. His face was painted an ethereal hue as if he were from heaven himself. And that frightened even those who knew him best. Not until Moses assured them of his humanity by speaking their names did they stop to take a second look.

“But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them.” (vs. 31)

The touch of God is rightfully a little scary. We're talking about the Creator of the Universe who deserves reverent fear at his approach! The people of God should likewise evoke a sense of wonder. We ought to look a little different as well since we're filled with the Holy Spirit who ministers in invisible and mysterious ways within our hearts, minds and souls! People should notice a change when a Christian spends time with their Savior. They should see radiance and detect His presence and wonder if the beaming believer is from this world or another.

Instead of causing folks to fear and flee, the reflection of God in us should draw the curious closer. Our transformation before the Heavenly Father can be positively contagious if first we embrace how he changes us so that we illuminate the benefits of his will in our lives.

“Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.” (vs. 32-35)

Unveiled before God. What a terrifying and terrific experience. How enlightening to be completely transparent before our Lord and bare our souls to the One who abides within us. What a marvelous way to lay aside humanity and absorb divinity. Fling off the coverings of pride or insecurity. Drop the pretenses and phony phrases we employ in prayer. Cast off the cliches. Forget protocol. Just come into the presence of the Holy of Holies knowing that He loves you unconditionally and wants to light up your life! God is waiting. He has wisdom to impart. He holds out healing. He offers grace and mercy, forgiveness and hope.

When we walk away from that kind of encounter, we are bound to affect this world with radiance. How can we hide the Light of the World once we bask in His presence. We shouldn't try. And maybe this is where I differ with Moses. I don't think I would want to cover what my God has created in me. I want everyone to see that He reigns in me and is the source of my “glow.”

Take off the veil that keeps you at arm's length from the Almighty. And keep it off when you walk away from prayer and back into the real world. Show that glow! When someone asks about your radiance – tell them you've just been with God and He is waiting to meet them too.