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Losing Sight

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by Gordy McCoy

In studying the book of Acts with the other Elders, I read several things that are exciting and even scary to think about. One of the scary things is found in chapter 9: 1-18.

“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lords’ followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of The Way he found there. He wanted to bring them, both men and women, back to Jerusalem in chains.”

“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from Heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting! Now get up into the next city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one. Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there, blind, for three days and he did not eat or drink.Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision calling, “Ananias”.“Yes, Lord”, he replied.The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there ask for a man from Tarsus, named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”“But, Lord,” exclaimed, Ananias, I have heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! He is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for My Names sake.”So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Could you imagine what it would be like to lose your sight? Sauls was taken from him for three days, three dark days. Think about the scales that fell from his eyes. What they were like, maybe like scales from a fish. Like larger scales from a big bass or many scales like those on a trout or a salmon. Only Saul knows the details. The scales blocked his vision. Scary!

I think one of the most important things in these verses was that God had specifically chosen Saul to be his chosen instrument. We are also His chosen instruments to share His message. It is not a suggestion. We have a job to do, just like Saul. Just like Ananias. The One that has given us sight, gives us insight, to His agenda to spread His Word. He wants us to get The Word out about how much He loves His beloved people.

He will do whatever it takes because He means business about His business. Saul learned that God meant business and Sauls’ life was forever changed. He learned to look at his life thru Gods eyes. I want that perspective.

Matthew 28: 19-20

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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Are You On the Right Track?

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by Gordy McCoy

As most of you know, I spent a little over 40 years working on the railroad.  One of the jobs I had for about 15 years was being a “goat chaser”. A “goat” is a switch engine used for building trains in the yards. On this job I traveled thru out Seattle, Auburn and the Tacoma area searching for these “goats” to inspect them daily. One of the tough things about this job was finding the location of a particular yard and then wandering thru the yard looking thru the maze of tracks for all the “goats”.  I often wondered, “Am I on the right track?” When you have 20 to 30 tracks to choose from that are 1 to 2 miles long, it’s easy to get confused.

As believers, we need to ask ourselves from time to time, “Am I on the right track?” We need to follow our instruction manual, His Holy Word.  We need to allow Him be the Conductor of our lives. He knows where we should be heading. We are on the Main line that leads to Heaven.  He knows the road blocks up ahead, the dangers around the bend, the darkness in the tunnel, or whether the bridge up ahead is strong enough to bring us to the other side.

In Matthew 7:13-14 it says, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway (track) to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for all who choose that way. But the gateway to eternal life is very narrow and the road (track) is difficult and only a few will find it.”

Proverbs 16:17 warns us to keep our eye on the road (track). “The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path (track) is safe.” Also, in Proverbs 19:16 we get this warning signal, “Keep His commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.” We do not need to travel this journey alone. We have a community of believers, our forever family, to help us keep on the right track. They are here to warn us if they see something that we do not or they see us taking a dangerous side track. We need to be aware of what is up ahead. We need to make sure the light at the end of the tunnel is the Light of the Lord……not a train.

One of the ways to keep us from harm and disaster is being led by the Holy Spirit. He is here to lead and guide us. We will save ourselves from a lot of heartache and back tracking if we daily follow Him. Some of the mistakes along life’s journey can also affect our family and love ones. That is where confession is vital and asking Him to help us stay on track.

To illustrate this message I have included a clip that puts you behind the controls of a 4000 horsepower locomotive. We think we are safe. We ignore all the danger signs by getting too close to sin and we have the scars to prove it. Depend on your Safety Manual, His Word, obey it, and respect its power. Stay close to other believers that keep us on the straight and narrow path. Keep your eyes open and firmly fixed on The One who is leading you. Be thankful for the journey and the many things He has taught you along the way.   Shine your Light, honk the horn………..and praise His Holy name!! He is bringing us safely home.

Make sure when you watch the video, watch for the guy that jumps off the train. Corrie ten Boom says, “When the train goes thru a tunnel and the world gets dark and we can’t see ahead, do we jump off? Of course not! You sit and wait and trust the engineer to get you thru the darkness.”

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Joy Is A Choice

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by Gordy McCoy

I am learning that having joy has so much to do with attitude and that it is a daily choice to live in HIS joy. It’s not dependent on how much money I have, where I live, the job I have, how well I am liked, if life is going well, or not, it’s about HIM and me.

Now I am not ignoring the fact of the impact of lifes’ blows that rock our world. We need time to regain our focus when disaster, turmoil or heartbreak cuts us to the core. I’m talking about day to day life. When the storms come we don’t want the storm to overtake us. We need His stability, His direction, His presence so we don’t feel shipwrecked.

A poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, wrote:

One ship sails east,

One ship sails west,

Regardless of how the wind blows.

It is the set of the sail

And not the gale

That determines the way we go.

Regardless of how severely the winds of adversity may blow, we set our sails toward joy.

If we look at things thru God’s point of view, having confidence in Him, it helps when we are having a bad day. He is at work even when we don’t see it and good can come out of hard situations. We need to look hard, not at our struggles but ……at Him. He has a purpose and in the midst of our troubles we need to fix our thoughts on Him. Sometimes being determined to get to laugh again, realizing it’s a good medicine is healing. It’s much better than whining our way thru life complaining we never got a fair shake. We have the choice.

When the path before us looks easy, we made be tempted to go in our own strength instead of relying on Christ. This is when we are in the greatest danger of stumbling. We need to ask His Spirit to help us as we go each step of the way, never neglecting the privilege and power of this glorious source of strength within us.

Remembering that true joy is not dependent on our circumstances but a a by-product of living in His presence. Therefore, we can experience it whether in a palace or a prison. If we would make problem -solving secondary to the goal of living close to Christ, we can have the peace that doesn’t make any sense to the world.

Some days joy shines brightly on our path, glistening in the Son. Other days, it can be gloomy and foreboding and yet there is the Light shining thru to light our way and remind us of His presence. It is a sharp contrast to the dark trials we face. Joy is still attainable thru the trails. Not the happy ha-ha joy but the thankfulness that He is there and we are happy we belong to Him. Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why we are to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction. We give Him thanks and He gives us joy. That sounds like a fair trade to me.

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The Dorothee Tree

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by Gordy McCoy

Back in 2003-2004, Linda went to Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon. While there, one weekend, she was working as an aide for a seminar called “Chosen to be Handicapped.”

The guest speaker, Bob Cryder, was an individual who used to speak with Billy Graham. He had just found out that he had cancer, he was very ill, but insisted on being at this particular seminar. He told his secretary to clear his calendar of all his speaking engagements except for this one. He even brought his teenage son with him for assistance.

Linda was assigned to a little lady by the name of Dorothee, who was younger than her but looked 20 years her senior. She was born with cerebral palsy that was brought on by a mistake the doctor had made during her birth. Before she met Linda, she was able to communicate with a letter board but couldn’t any longer because her hands and arms were so deformed they were nearly immobile. The only way that she could communicate was to blink her right eye — once for yes and twice for no. Somehow, she managed to invite two friends to the seminar, they came, and they both accepted the Lord as their Savior. Linda spent the weekend waiting on Dorothee, changing her diaper and taking care of all her personal needs.

At the closing of the seminar with the Pacific Ocean and Haystack Rock as the backdrop, all of the students were at the back of the room to let the people enjoy the seminar. They were singing the song “How Great Thou Art” when Linda looked up, she was amazed to see Dorothee with her arms lifted to the Lord.

Ecola State Park, in Cannon Beach, OR has a short trail that you can take where you can look out over the ocean and see Haystack Rock, Tillamook Head Lighthouse, and all the other amazing rock formations with the waves crashing over them. Along this trail, there are several trees that appear to be dead, until you get closer, then you see they still have life and limbs reaching up to heaven. They, like Dorothee, have weathered many storms. Jeremiah 17:8 tells us, “for he will be like a tree planted by water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought.”

Dorothee was a woman that couldn’t even take care of her own personal needs, but who could praise her Lord and bring Him glory. Someday we will all meet her in Heaven and praise Him together. I can’t wait for the day to see hands lifted up … praising our Savior.

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Hebrews 12:12-13 “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

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Under The Rug

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by Gordy McCoy

With the construction work with the new carpeting, stage replacement, and the new wall being worked on, it reminded me of one of my favorite Christian musicians, Morgan Cryar. He sang and wrote songs in the early 80s. One of his songs is called “Under The Rug.” I thought it would be a perfect time to share the words to his song.

Lookin’ at the shortcuts
Takin’ the easy way out
Cleanin’ your heart house
You’ve got some sin hangin out
Then comes that knock at the door
A glance at the rug on the floor
There it goes
Under the rug
Under the rug
Hide your heart there
Think nobody knows
Under the rug
Gods gonna start there
Cleaning as He goes
Some guilt in the closet
A couple of pieces of pride
White wash the front door
So no one suspects whats inside
With one clean sweep
These shelves that you keep
Under the rug
Under the rug
Under the rug
Hide your heart there
Think nobody knows
Under the rug
Under the rug
Gods’ gonna start there
Cleaning as He goes

Under the rug and stage at Elim is a lot of dirt, grime, and cobwebs. The question we all need to ask ourselves is, “What are we hiding under the rug or in our heart’s closet?” Take time today to clean out under your rug and in your heart’s closet. Christ can clean any closet or under any rug. He did mine.

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Hidden horrors of hypocrisy

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by Gordy McCoy

It was once said by Mark Twain, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody.” How sad is that?

This dark side can exist for years behind carefully guarded masks. Most of us remember the Watergate scandal. I, like many others firmly resisted the thought of corruption in the Oval Office till the very end. Such corruption and compromise were unthinkable. Conversations with those who were there at the time and participated in the cover-up and books documenting those events forced me to accept what I once denied. Watergate wasn’t the only scandal that shook the American public. We can never forget the Clinton Era, and the news about other political leaders placing themselves in the proverbial hot seat.

Biblically speaking we know from Numbers 32:23, “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”

Mark Twain was partially right with his statement, but we as Christians need to remind ourselves to invite OUR LIGHT to reveal those dark spots that Mark Twain was speaking of. Going to OUR LIGHT source, we find in Psalms 119:105, “That Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” We need the flashlight of His Word to reveal the sin that so easily entangles us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

We also need to have someone we can be open and honest with. Someone we can pray with and seek His guidance. This shows accountability and vulnerability. It is not always an easy road to take but it is the best way. You can rest assured rattling skeletons don’t stay in closets … lies don’t remain private … and secrets don’t stay secret. It’s only a matter of time.

In closing, it reminds me of an old song by Keith Green, from Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. “

Hidden works of darkness always come to LIGHT.

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