David L. Winters's Blog, page 5

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David L. Winters

Buying Love Guilt-free

As generous persons, we sometimes get carried away with gift-buying and giving. Strolling through stores this time of year may lead to numerous thoughts of "that would be just perfect for Uncle Schmo and Aunt Hortense."Truthfully, most of us don't need another pair of mule-hair socks or one more electric tie. Our junk drawers are full of one-of-a-kind gadgets that were supposed to make life a breeze, but failed to deliver on their promises. While there is nothing wrong with exchanging gifts that you can afford, there has to be a better way. As Hal David and Burt Bacharach so appropriately noted in 1965, "What the World Needs Now is Love."Can We Buy Love?The big question: Can Love Be Bought? Unashamedly, the answer is yes. While trying to buy it with gifts is tricky, there is a much easier and cheaper way to buy love. Invest time in people who need love.Many years ago, an older lady friend of mine made me a very cute soldier out of a clothespin, two Q-Tips (TM) and some colored felt. As a mother figure, she had a track record of kindness to me. The little soldier included a bit of ornate string to hang the little guy on a Christmas tree. It looked like a nutcracker toy soldier, but probably cost less than one dollar to make. My heart was overwhelmed with her love for me. The soldier obviously took some time and care to make. It looked really amazing, made out of simple, household objects. The anxious look on her face as I examined it and teared up showed me just how much she cared about my reaction. Later, she also gave me a scarf or pair of gloves. I can't remember which because they didn't make much of an impression. But I still have that small clothespin soldier.Shine Your Love LightOur world seems to get colder and more cruel each day. Simple human kindness sometimes feels like it is a thing of the past. As Christians, our purpose is to shine our little lights through acts of love toward those who come across our paths. This holiday season, let me encourage you to love someone with a simple act of kindness and a little extra time. You might make a lifelong impression and fill up a very empty cup.**************************************************************************Need a gift that makes an impression, how about a personalized book? Check out our on-linestore.

Overcoming Grief with Thankfulness

Fred sat in the support group meeting, tears running down both cheeks. After composing himself, he began to speak, "She was my whole world. How could God take her away from us when we need her most. This was supposed to be our time to share and enjoy after all those years of hard work."Like many who have experienced the amazing Griefshare program (www.griefshare.org), Fred came to the group with a broken heart. His wife of 40 years died suddenly after a brief illness. Her diagnoses happened recently and her exit from planet earth jolted those around her.After many years working for a pharmaceutical firm, Fred was on the verge of retirement when Peggy fell ill. His employer afforded him substantial time off and he accompanied her through the early stage of chemotherapy. One morning, he awoke and she was lifeless. He called the squad, but they were unable to resuscitate her.Months had passed, but the reality had barely sunk in. The impending holidays loomed as a barrier that Fred wasn't sure he could overcome. So he came to the Griefshare class.Over the 13-week program, I was astonished to see how much God was able to do in Fred's heart. Somehow, Fred went from shock and anger to thankfulness and peace. Losing a loved one is tough on everyone affected, but God's Love is greater even than our biggest losses. God's Word leads us through dark times, sometimes like a floodlight and sometimes like a small flashlight. The result is the same: comfort. "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).In the United States, no month of the year is better for healing than November. There are reminders everywhere to be thankful. The way through grief is to find hope in thankfulness. Great love lost reminds us of our own mortality, but also of the bright, beautiful moments of the past. If God blessed us with a wonderful parent, spouse or child,  we can enjoy great thankfulness in reminding ourselves of joy shared. That joy forms the strength to move forward in hope. By doing the next right thing, we honor the memory of the departed.(Hi Friends, have you or someone you know lost a loved one, but haven't found your way through the grief journey. I strongly recommend the nationwide GriefShare program. It meets in churches and other locations nationwide. Small groups watch a video and discuss it. There is a nominal, one-time fee at most locations for a workbook. By using the workbook too, participants can better understand the road to healing and chart their progress. I've been a GriefShare leader at my church for the past year and find it very rewarding and personally healing.)

Work, Identity and Pain

God created work before the fall of man. He put Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden and told them to get busy. He knew that we needed something to do with our time and energy. We would want accomplishments and the rubbing of personal foibles against our neighbors foibles. This would mature us. Work was created to be a life-giving force in Man's world.God's grand design is that our work will take care of our fellow man and the planet that God birthed. Whether our job seems lofty or menial, it has the same basic purposes: to care for others and to support ourselves and our families. We add value and we get paid. We work diligently and experience greater rewards. We slack off and may experience less rewards. At least, that's how it is supposed to work.With the advent of the industrial revolution, compensation began disconnecting from direct labor. The man who waited for the machine to break down (so he could fix it) might get paid more than the man who fed wood into the machine. Though one job was physically much harder than the other, higher skill level might mean more pay. In present day, most workers never see money or a paycheck. Salaries are directly deposited in the bank. Like the wind, we only see the effects of getting paid: food to eat, a place to live and clothes to wear.Work tends to impart identity. I'm a salesman or a doctor or a information technology worker. Although Christians are supposed to be above things like pride, we take satisfaction in the perceived value of our jobs. It is one of things that identifies us. "Oh, you're Jane from Human Resources." What happens when our jobs cause us pain? Depending on the job, it might be mental or psychological pain. Suppose your job is stressful and keeps you up at night worrying? The very thing that is supposed to sustain you begins to harm you. The thing that gives you identity begins to rob you of life itself.Like all crises for the Christian, it is past time to bring the issue to the Lord in prayer. He cares about us, it says it right there in 1 Peter 5:7: "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." Pain can be an indicator that something is wrong. Our attitude is out of adjustment. Our priorities are messed up. O maybe, our faith needs a shot of adrenaline.What ever the pain at your work, take it to the Lord. He wants to hear about the good things too. If you have a commute, why not take November and practice praying on your way home. Thank God for your job, but also tell Him what's going on...from your perspective. He knows the Truth already, but tell Him how it all makes you feel. You just might find that He has wisdom to fix your pain.++++++++Psst. Driver Confessional is on sale, 33 percent off, for the month of November, right here on my website. Use coupon code: DC33. I will still autograph it and personalize it for you or a friend, if you prefer.

40 Years In the Wilderness

 After 40 years, everyone had changed. Life has a way of knocking us around and teaching us lessons we never wanted to learn.Last weekend, about 100 of us gathered back in Ohio for our 40-year High School Reunion. Some came from as far away as California, Las Vegas and Denver. Others drove in from Maryland, Virginia and Indiana, but most of those that made it still lived in Ohio.Some of my classmates had suffered great losses, like the unexpected, sudden death of a spouse or the  gradual passing of a sick child. Others seemed to have ridden a wave of prosperity, all the way from high school to the present day. Many were on husband or wife number two or three, and some have never married.For all the changes, many of the personalities remained unbent by time and life's troubles. The first night, many of us enjoyed a football game at our alma mater. We exchanged career notes and listed children and grandchildren. Night two was more in-depth as we chatted over hors d'oerves and paged through old year books. Laughter rang out from every corner of the TJ Chumps sports bar, as this one or that one had an aha moment about some childhood excess or memorable teacher.Looking back, the most telling predictor of earthly success seemed to be relationship with Jesus Christ. Those who found or held onto their faith in God mostly succeeded at life. They eventually found a husband or wife and built a marriage. They excelled in their careers and weathered the crazy storms that rain on every life. Furthermore, the brief conversations that dotted the evening left me much more appreciative of those who chose to serve the Lord. They said things that uplifted me and reminded me of what matters in life.By the end of the weekend, I was tired but so happy I came home for the event. It reminded me that I want to be the type of blessing that was modeled for me at the reunion. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." If our words can be acceptable to God, we can't help but bless those around us.Five Christmas Plays is published! Those who pre-ordered through this website, should receive their books this week. Those who haven't ordered one, check it out here or on Amazon.Order here for an autographed copy directly from me.Order here for Amazon.

Family of Love

Growing up in Ohio, one of the best times of the day was dinner time. Although our family included only five of us, it seemed like the supper conversations were often  lively, the food delicious and the smiles contagious.      As family members started breaking away, the nightly table got quieter and finally ceased to function as the hub our lives. The first to leave was my older sister who went away to nursing school. Then, my brother joined the Air National Guard and left for basic training. When he returned, he soon married his longtime girlfriend and moved out for good. Finally, Dad went on second shift at the auto factory. His primary motivation: to extend his work life, despite impending trouble with emphysema.      All was not lost. Everyone came back for major holidays and soon they brought along their children. Laughter returned to the dinner table in large quantities and blessings of family continued flowing.     Although I didn't think about it in those early days, I've since come to understand that strong family bonds require effort, attention to detail and considerable attention to the art of loving well. In our younger years, things just seem to be however they are. Perhaps we think it is luck or predestination. We were either fortunate enough to be born into a loving, functioning family or not. Later, we start to realize that our beliefs, attitudes and actions have a lot to do with the success of our family. By noticing families that aren't doing life well, we learn how critical it is to cherish and nurture our family moments.     Choices mold our relationships. If we choose to love our struggling siblings, they may choose to love us when it is our turn to struggle. If we choose to overlook transgressions (real and imagined,) we give our family room to grow. Conversely, a choice to travel the road of unforgiveness might invoke terrible consequences or even the dissolution of our  family unit.     They say your can't choose your family, but I disagree. We choose our family daily based on how much effort we are willing to expend in loving them. Take a few minutes to love your family today.

Losing My Religion

[image error]Jesus talked about a heart change that totally transforms the believer. Beyond a quick walk to the altar and a simple prayer of repentance, He anticipated an experience that transported mere humans from dead in sin to alive in the Spirit of God.     Am I the only one that sometimes fails to live up to that ideal. When I read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and see the words "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new," my latest pique of temper or discouragement doesn't feel like abundant life.      I will leave the weightier discussion of gradual versus instantaneous sanctification to better trained theologians. This blog is about the pain of not living up to my own expectations of myself and the christian life.     While my sins have improved over the years (at least on the sin-o-meters used by most denominations and the Roman Catholic Church,) there are times when I cry out to God and ask, "aren't I better than this by now?" Does my immaturity have more to do with self-indulgence or lack of faith? I wonder.     The writings of James hold comfort after the conviction drives me to the Word. "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." God knew we would not find perfection on this planet. The best we can hope for is to shoot for the mark of the high calling of God.      Lately, I've been saying the Lord's Prayer twice a day before breakfast and as I head to bed. Those perfect words have challenged me in a way I'd forgotten. Abiding in the Vine is a full-time job. As a sheep, I'm prone to wandering and forgetting. I really do need God to forgive my sins as I forgive those that have sinned against me. I need it every single day.     So as I get ready for bed. My religion returns to me, pure and undefiled...for who feels more like an orphan in need of grace than the believer seeking God's mercy.

Five Christmas Plays: With Joy Inside

My New Book!Five Christmas Plays: With Joy Insidewill release September 20, 2017. Biblically sound and written with a bit of humor, each play drives home a special message of hope for Christmastime. Whether you intend to simply read and enjoy them or perform the plays, they will warm your heart and get you in the mood for a bright noel.These plays were written specifically for churches, small groups, clubs or families. Each drama includes 6-10 speaking parts (mostly female), musical suggestions where appropriate and stage directions.Although approved for ministry use anyway, purchase six or more copies and receive a license for public performance and the right to charge admission.Here is a brief synopsis of each play:The Singing Trees Mimsy Watters gets carried away with planning the perfect Christmas for her extended family. With help from four singing/talking Christmas trees, everyone learns the true meaning of the holiday.I’ll Be Late for Christmas Joanie and her two daughters get worried when Dad’s Army deployment goes on longer than expected. Wise-cracking waitress Maddie and a heavenly visitor get Joanie back on track and teach important lessons about faith.Christmas Prayer of Forgiveness Single-Mom Marcella struggles to raise her little Trina after her husband disappears. Grandma and Grandpa focus their efforts on giving Marcella and Trina a terrific Christmas in spite of the curve balls life has thrown them. It takes a very special homeless person at the library to teach Marcella what forgiveness is all about.The Christmas Cabin Years ago, Beverly and Bill wisely invested in a Cabin getaway. With their two daughters, the Cabin has served them well as a special “family-only” sanctuary. This Christmas, traditions get turned on their ear when Bill brings an unexpected guest and everyone must quickly adjust.Grandma Louise’s Christmas Miracle The family is all together for Christmas when Grandma Louise decides to tell one of her exciting missionary stories from long ago. Little Paris likes the story, but is thrown into a funk because she believes her Christmas miracle is an impossibility. Then a very special St. Nick shows up on Christmas morning; everyone learns about the importance of leaving our happy endings up to God.Five Christmas Plays: With Joy InsideISBN: 978-0-9977797-5-7Suggested Retail Price: $9.99PreorderHere!

Christians vs. The Thought Police

Christian Writer Not Welcome  Funny thing happened as I tried to line up a book signing, the transgender scheduler at the bookstore decided a Christian author was not appropriate for their store. Though I have connections in the town where the store is located and could have brought them several new customers, Christian thought was too dangerous for them to allow in their store.   This led me to my blog topic for today. Progressivism threatens true Christian faith because it wars against God and His Word as presented in Holy Scripture.  At its founding, the United States was both a Christian nation and one that valued freedom. Religious liberty was one of our founding fathers’ reasons for coming to America. Certain religious freedoms were mentioned and enshrined in the early documents of our Country.   The first Continental Congress even thanked our Creator for a providential wind that helped the Army win a decisive victory against the British.Progressivism Lately, a new enemy of freedom has arisen and its name is Progressivism. At the heart of this new socialist belief system is an intolerance for all thought other than its own. One of its tenets is that inclusiveness (of sanctioned groups) is morally superior to other beliefs. Ironically, this tenet excludes other groups and encourages bullying, censorship and bad behavior toward its enemies.  The progressive contends that all who see their issues another way must be motivated by bigotry and hate. Am I the only one who sees trouble ahead when we ascribe motivations to the actions of others. I have no idea what’s going on in the head of progressives, so I don’t get why they think they know what I’m thinking.  There is no room in the progressive’s world for the Christian whose faith is based the Bible. Much of the past 30 years of LGBT thought has promoted the fallacy that only acceptance is keeping the LGBT community from happiness. As soon as most people accept LGBT behaviors as normal, then such ills as bullying, housing discrimination, lack of equal treatment under the law will be eliminated.Acceptance Equals Happiness?This leads to the tenet of the LGBT manifesto that any resistance to acceptance of these behaviors must be opposed at all costs. I would argue that Christians should oppose bullying, discrimination, etc. for any reason, but that we don’t have to accept lies in the place of Scriptural truth.   Since religion is as old as sexual behavior, certain LGBT apologists have accepted that we will always have God with us. So the next best thing to eradicating His Name is twisting Scripture to accommodate the LGBT worldview. However, this doesn’t work for many Christians who read Romans 1 (and several other old and new testament Scriptures) without an agenda. It says what it says.Don't Appease; Keep Making Sense Appeasement of LGBT thought police will not make them go away. They will grow stronger and eventually try to permanently silence Biblical teaching on any subject that interferes with their plans. For this reason, Bible-believing Christians must stand up in love and say, “Our beliefs are valid. We will not be silent just because it interferes with your agenda. There is happiness and joy in following God’s Word. We welcome everyone to our Churches and Bible studies. But, we are going to teach what’s in the Bible, not the doctrines of men."As For Me and My Books   The strange thing is that my books do not have anything overtly anti-LGBT in them. However, my books and I will find our audience as God directs. There may be bookstores or libraries that are afraid of certain thoughts, but my plan is to keep writing what I believe God wants me to say. As for me and my books, we will serve the Lord.

When Discouragement Rolls In

   In a few blessed lives, uninterrupted joy seems to fill every day. For the rest of us, life is a series of ups and downs. One day, we get an unexpected check in the mail. Another day, it’s an unexpected bill to pay. While spiritual maturity can even out our roller coaster ride, there remain seasons of life that are not pleasant ones.Hard Times   When my mother was going downhill physically and mentally to a lesser degree, it was easy to fall into pessimism about the future. Many of the happiest times of my life were spent with family and friends in her living room. While I knew God will always take care of me, it didn’t prevent some melancholy times thinking about all I would lose when she exited.   Although very different circumstances, my life included a significant period of unemployment right after graduation from college. Though I had done what life expected of me and finished a four-year degree, there were no professional jobs available. Fear and Discouragement are Best Friends   Discouragement came knocking on my door. Each time I fought off the negative feelings, my resolve got a little weaker. Would I ever be able to move out of my parents’ house and make my way in the world? Fear is best friends with discouragement. They went to the prom together. Many times, our melancholy relates directly to our fears.  Merriam-Webster.com defines discourage as “to deprive of courage or confidence: dishearten…to dissuade from doing something.” The enemy of our lives and souls wants to dissuade us from doing something. He wants to keep us from the things God has planned for us.God’s Plan   The good news is that God has another plan. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) God wants to take us in His big arms and hold us close when we are discouraged. He does this by rebuilding our defenses as we read His Word.   Deuteronomy 31:6 was written to people who needed to get their courage in gear. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”   Sometimes, God will immediately fix our problems. About eight months into my post-college misery, I was asked to travel to Chicago for a job interview. This gave me new hope and one month later resulted in a job which began my Federal career of 35 years.   In other situations, God will give us grace and courage through prolonged difficult times. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” 1 Peter 5:10