Jimmy Locklear's Blog

Heart Journey: Following Jesus to the Heart of God: Thirty Studies in the Gospel of St. Matthew with Stories on My Journey

This is a recent review of the second book I ever published. My publisher, WestBow Press recently sent this to me. Love it!

Heart Journey: Following Jesus to the Heart of God: Thirty Studies in the Gospel of St. Matthew with Stories on My Journey is an insightful and enriching exploration of faith, designed to guide readers through the teachings of the Gospel of Matthew while interweaving personal anecdotes that make the experience deeply relatable and transformative. Locklear’s ability to blend scriptural study with his own life experiences invites readers into a journey of discovery, allowing them to witness how God’s profound love influences everyday life.

One of the book’s most compelling aspects is its focus on the gifts of God, particularly His love and presence. Locklear emphasizes that God’s ability to tune our hearts is a significant aspect of spiritual growth, enabling us to hear His voice and respond with authenticity. This principle resonates throughout the thirty studies, either as he elaborates on Biblical passages or shares personal stories that illustrate his journey of faith. The narrative reminds readers that showing up and being open to God’s direction can lead to remarkable transformations, even in the midst of life’s challenges.

Locklear’s reflections on his own difficult times provide a heartfelt backdrop to the teachings of Matthew. He shares how those moments of adversity shaped not only his understanding of God but also his capacity to serve others with compassion and grace. This dual perspective—rooted in scripture and personal experience—offers readers a sense of hope and reassurance that God can indeed use their struggles as a vehicle for helping others. By sharing his journey through brokenness and restoration, Locklear illustrates the profound impact of surrender and faith in the healing process.

Moreover, Heart Journey encourages readers to undertake their own spiritual explorations, presenting the Gospel of Matthew as a roadmap for understanding Jesus’ teachings and how they apply to our lives today. Locklear invites readers to actively engage with the text, not merely as passive spectators but as participants in their spiritual growth. This interactive approach cultivates a deeper relationship with God, urging individuals to reflect on how their stories intertwine with the broader narrative of faith.

The structure of the book, with its thirty studies, makes it an excellent tool for both personal devotions and group discussions. Each study is thoughtfully crafted, providing a balance of scriptural insight, reflective questions, and practical applications that encourage thoughtful engagement with the material. This layout allows for a comprehensive exploration of Jesus’ teachings while fostering a community of faith and support among readers.

In conclusion, Heart Journey by Jimmy Locklear is a beautifully written and impactful guide for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the Gospel of Matthew while navigating their own spiritual journeys. Through poignant stories and scriptural insights, Locklear illustrates how God’s gifts shape our lives, calling us to embrace our purpose and witness His love in action. This book is a treasure trove of inspiration and encouragement, making it an essential read for those eager to follow Jesus and discover the heart of God in their own lives. It is a poignant reminder that every journey, whether completed or ongoing, holds the potential for growth, connection, and divine purpose.

My hardest writing assignment — my brother’s obituary

 

A Short Remembrance of William “Bill” Thomas Locklear III
June 30, 1950 – August 15, 2025

Billy was born in Chattanooga, TN, to W.T. “Buddy” Locklear, Jr, and Louise Jones Locklear who were recently married in 1949. He was born with a great curiosity and enjoyed learning how things worked. Early on while living in Hixson, TN, he was introduced to horses by his grandfather Dutch Jones. Horses would become a great love and a favorite hobby of his for many, many years. He became an accomplished cowboy winning many blue ribbons in the quarter horse category and learning to train and care for horses. He also became a cobbler while in high school and managed to balance his many sports activities with schoolwork, horse showing and hanging with his buddies. Most of his horse activities, including learning to shoe horses and blacksmithing took place in rural north Georgia in and around Chatsworth, GA where his grandparents (Dutch and Lillian Jones) had a large farm. Bill was the big brother to Jimmy Lockear of Decatur, GA, Debbie Locklear Buchanan of Marietta, and Jody Locklear of Port Townsend, WA.

Under the tutelage of Dutch, he learned many skills including farming, hunting and carpentry. He was an outstanding athlete and excelled in football and baseball for the Hixson community. His football prowess led to all-conference honors in Chattanooga and an opportunity to play in college at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Going to school in Clarksville led to Bill meeting the love of his life Bernedetta “Bernie” Senick. She was a local girl with lots of business skills she’d learned from her mother. They married and moved to Atlanta where Bill had a job with Eastern Air Lines. They would live most of the next fifty-three years in Atlanta, although they moved to St. Louis and Houston for short stints for Bernie’s work in fashion buying.

Bill and Bernie have two daughters: Kimberly Anne Locklear of Atlanta and Kyle Locklear Hartman of Marietta, GA. Kyle and her husband Andrew Hartman have two daughters who are Bill’s two granddaughters – James and Hannah. All of these girls and women brought much joy and happiness to Bill throughout his life. He worked hard in a variety of jobs to form a career that led him to excel in sales in the home remodeling arts and sciences.

Bill was a faithful friend to his Hixson buddies and to Bernie’s friends from Clarksville. Together they crafted a life of family, friends and fun. They had their struggles, but even in the most difficult times, they stuck together and overcame all obstacles. They enjoyed music and dancing along with sports. Bill was an accomplished cook and enjoyed hosting others. In his mid to late 60’s, Bill was hit with early onset dementia that would take away his mental and emotional light that had burned so brightly. It was a gradual decline that ended recently with his transition to heaven where he lives brightly again. Faith in God came in times of need for Bill. When he was a senior in high school and concerned for his future and asked for God’s help, and later in adult life when he struggled with addiction and needed help from the Creator to overcome destructive habits. With the help of God, AA and his parish priests, Bill had a rebirth of freedom.

He is survived by Bernie, their daughters and son-in-law, and granddaughters; the aforementioned siblings, his cousin Mickey Green and many nieces and nephews spread across the country. He is, also, survived by his aunt, Sue Green, of Marietta who has always been one of his biggest fans. Truly, loved and enjoyed by so many, Bill will be missed by so many. Our memories of him will never fade.

A Memorial Mass for Bill’s family and friends will be held on Monday August 25, 2025, at 10:00 AM at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. His family will host a BBQ lunch following at the Garden Hills Community Building.

Weighing 175: Why God Doesn’t Work in a Straight Line

Introduction: During 2024, I spent 34 nights in three hospitals in the Atlanta area. As I reflected on each experience that caused my need for in-patient treatment, I was reminded of God’s providence and the personal plan that he has for our lives. Time after time, I’ve seen God rescue me according to a timeline that both surprised and amazed me. Over the next few weeks, I plan to share a variety of stories that I hope will encourage you to trust God on your journey of faith.

 

It was the afternoon of Thursday, August 1, 2024. I was on a hospital gurney outside one of the operating rooms at the Emory University Hospital Main Campus in northeast Atlanta. Reportedly, Emory doctors perform about 10,000 surgeries and procedures a year. Technically, I was awaiting a procedure to be done by my urologist. I had a large blood clot in my bladder, and it needed to be broken up. I had been in and out of the hospital several times during the Summer of 2024 primarily dealing with BPH – Benign Prostate Hyperplasia.

My prostate had been observed to be enlarged for probably ten years and I had a high PSA. Prostate Specific Antigen is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland that sits below the bladder in males. Because of a high PSA number in my annual blood tests, I had had exams and occasional biopsies performed to check for tumors or cancerous growths. Mine had all been benign.

But now, my prostate had gotten so large that it was pushing on my bladder and preventing the flow of urine. Two months previously, medical staff had inserted a balloon catheter into my bladder through my urethra to allow urine to flow out. I was not able to urinate at all on June 6, 2024, while in Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital after suffering a seizure while trying to titrate off of anti-seizure medicines at the prescription of my neurologists after taking Keppra for five years. I was on Keppra after suffering a seizure in 2018 that was diagnosed to likely have been residual from a previously undiagnosed stroke. My cardiologist believed it likely occurred in 2013 when I had a major heart attack while attending a work conference in Montreal.

After experiencing no seizures for five years while on the Keppra, my medical staff determined I could go off of the medicine. That turned out to be a bad idea when I suffered a seizure while folding laundry in our guest bedroom on the evening of June 5, 2024. Because I had fallen and hit my head, I was taken to the trauma center at Grady by the EMS truck. Broken glasses and a black eye were that extent of the damage it seemed. But, the next day in my hospital room, I couldn’t urinate. Sometimes a bladder freezes up as a result of a seizure, but a couple of days later things should’ve loosened up.

Along with going back on Keppra, I left the hospital with a foley catheter with a bag attached to my leg to collect the urine that was now flowing through the rubber tube out of my bladder. Both of these developments were a total surprise. I had very little knowledge or experience with any kind of catheter and none with a Foley catheter. After returning home, and within the next couple of days, I had the catheter collapse, which induced bleeding and a trip to the ER and my urologist’s office to discuss next steps. And a few days after those trips, I landed back in the hospital with a very stubborn and dangerous urinary tract infection that kept me in the hospital for four days on I-V delivered antibiotics.

While in the hospital, doctors took note of my reduced kidney function that had started in November of 2023. So, I had my first of two echograms of my kidneys, which showed that there was a chain reaction from my enlarged prostate pressing on my bladder, which was reducing the free flow of urine out of my kidneys. More on that later. But, back to August of 2024.

As I was waiting for Dr. Ogan and the OR team to prepare everything for my procedure, I was thinking about how challenging the past couple of months had been. In just the few days leading up to this clot, I had experienced multiple times when my bladder and prostate were bleeding and there was blood flowing out of me. The clot was trying to slow some of that, but the clot had to be broken up.

And, yet, through it all, I was given a peace and presence that could’ve only been from Jesus. So much so, that when I was transferred from the ICU to a regular floor or from one area of the hospital to another, the medical staff were disappointed that I was leaving. I talked briefly about this with my urology physician’s assistant Caroline Szyperski who had come by to check on me while I was waiting. She said, “There are lots of people who love you, not only your family, but many others.” Like I’ve experienced before, her words were a reminder from heaven of God’s love and presence. They were timely given in the midst of signing various permissions for the procedure and what measures might be taken if there was a life-threatening event.

After I was wheeled into the operating room, I was transferred to the operating table, then a central line was inserted into my right arm in the event that I needed to receive more meds in a hurry that couldn’t be handled by the standard intravenous line that I had. The anesthesiologist then explained that I’d be given medicine to put me asleep and that they would insert a tube down my trachea to administer anesthesia and help me breathe during the procedure. Dr. Ogan would be inserting a tube up to my bladder to deliver an electric current to the area of the clot and to cauterize the area to prevent further bleeding. The procedure went smoothly and the clot and bleeding area in my bladder was found quickly and dealt with. I woke with a new foley catheter in place and a bit of a sore throat and right arm from the intubation and central line, respectively. The plan was for me to be discharged on Saturday to rest and wait until my HoLEP — Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate – was scheduled in the coming days with Dr. Brendan Browne, the only urologist in the State of Georgia certified to do this procedure to reduce the size of my prostate from the inside and fix the root problem of my recent health problems.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the bleeding and clotting restarted a couple of hours before I was to be discharged on Saturday. My wife, Jenny, was in my hospital room waiting for the discharge orders to be signed when I started having some bleeding when one of the urology nurse practitioners was flushing out my catheter. The hospital internist assigned to me came to observe and decided that I wouldn’t be going home any time soon. Too much bleeding.

I had my first meeting with Dr. Browne on July 27, 2024, and he talked through my situation and his belief that I was an excellent prospect for the HoLEP procedure and that we would schedule me as soon as possible. Maybe in about a month. My heart sank. I was ready to be done with this catheter and leg bag situation. In fact, I suggested changing to a straight catheter that I could insert myself when I needed to empty my bladder. I thought that would relieve some of my discomfort of having a bag strapped to my leg for some two months. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Within a couple of days, I was back in the hospital with bleeding and clotting in my bladder. After a new foley catheter was re-inserted, I spent a couple of nights with doctors and nurse practitioners trying to break up the clots through flushing water through my plumbing. Watching has a flow of blooding pouring out of me for hour after hour was quite traumatic and eventually led to the need for two transfusion to restore my red blood cells and hemoglobin.

In God’s providence, all of these complications led to my being moved up the list for the HoLEP procedure that I needed to deal  the root of my problems.

Heisman Moments of Faith

March 9, 2024 – A Heisman Moment of Faith

Ever since I had a massive heart attack on January 9, 2013, while attending a professional development conference in Montreal, God has used health challenges to bring me into sacred moments with Him.

Similar to having a last-minute score to win a game that turns into a Heisman moment for a college football player, there are sometimes moments in our lives that define a season or bring out the true character of a person. As far as our relationship with God, there are sacred moments that attest to the constant power and presence of God’s Spirit to show us that we are loved no matter how dire our situation may seem.

These near-death experiences have been neither joyful nor pleasant, yet they have provided experiences of profound awareness of God’s nearness and accessibility. No matter how scary our situation, we have access to God because of the presence of the Holy Spirit of God who resides in the heart of those who trust him with their lives.

So, on Saturday afternoon on March 9th, Jenny and I were watching a British crime investigation series in our family room. I had been sick on and off for a couple of weeks with a cold and a sinus infection. Antibiotics had alleviated the sinus pain, but I was still a little congested. I had done a home Covid test a couple of days before that was negative.

I started feeling warm and changed from a long sleeve shirt to a short sleeve. I continued to feel warm and said to Jenny that I thought I needed to go to the hospital and get checked out. Within a matter of minutes, I began to feel worse and started to have some difficulty breathing. Jenny asked if I wanted her to call 9-1-1 or drive me to the Emory ER. I asked her to call 9-1-1. I tried to check my blood pressure but kept getting an error message. I put a fingertip pulse oximeter on my finger and the reading was in the 80s and dropping.

I was gasping for breath as Jenny was on the phone with the emergency operator. As happens with respiratory failure, I was trying to cough up anything while gasping for breath. Once the EMS and Dekalb Fire and Rescue were on their way, I was gasping for another breath. Jenny had her arms around me asking God to help me breathe. On three different occasions, I felt the life going out of my legs and arms. Should I pass out and succumb? As Jenny was praying, the chaos inside me was like radio static. Then, there was a second of silence as the Holy Spirit was listening to her prayer. Again, I felt my life slipping away, then, a pause and there was silence. The chaos paused. The Spirit of love was stopping the life from flowing out and was keeping me awake. She continued to pray. Our son Jed had run across the street to our neighbor who is an interventional cardiologist to see if he could help. He was not home. I was sitting on the floor in the family room pounding on the floor and the couch in frustration of not being able to breathe. I was holding on by Jenny’s prayers and similar to focusing on taking one more step while running a race, I kept taking one more gasp of air to keep from passing out. I kept just taking one more breath. Feeling Jenny’s love and feeling that God was near kept me going.

In the distance, we heard the sirens. Jenny said that the EMT’s were about to arrive. She went and opened the door to our family room and returned to hold me. Shortly, there were two firemen and two EMTs coming to my aid. Initially, they hooked up a small duo canula, but SP02 was still in 50s. Switched to a larger CPAP mask and breathing continued with crackles but was stable enough to transport. EMS took me to the emergency department at Emory Hospital Decatur. One of the firemen circled back to our house to tell Jenny where they were taking me. Even with the oxygen support, I was gasping for every breath. How had this happened so quickly? Upon arrival, the medical team switched my oxygen support to a bi-pap machine, injected Lasix via I-V and monitored my breathing. For the next hour, the discussion was around whether I could continue to process my own breathing or if I needed intubation and a ventilator. I continued to want to breathe myself. The staff glued on a condom catheter with the hope that the Lasix would begin to lower the fluid levels in my lungs. An x-ray had show substantial fluid in both lungs.

Jenny had arrived at the ER and was sitting beside my bed holding my hand.

My troponin heart protein was normal, so the doctor overseeing my care did not suspect heart attack. I had recently had a non-semi heart attack on November 18, 2023, that led to a catheterization that showed no blockages. Also, white blood count was normal so there was a lower suspicion of pneumonia. At some point, I gave the doctor a thumbs up indicating that my breathing was improving and there was no need for intubation. I felt that as long as I was conscious and could handle one breath at a time, then I did not need a ventilator. My blood oxygen levels were still abnormal, as were my blood gas levels. I was urinating, and that, along with the need for continued Lasix and oxygen support, I would be admitted to an ICU if they could find a room for me. This is during a pretty brutal flu season and Emory Decatur had no ICU rooms available. The doctor came by and said that she had found a room at an Emory hospital in Lithonia. Jenny said, “Lithonia? Are there any rooms available at Clifton?”

Jenny advocated for a Clifton Road room because of proximity to most of my doctors. Shortly, the doctor returned and said, “Your prayers for a Clifton Road room have been answered.” At this point it’s around 1:00 AM Sunday on the morning when we were about to “Spring forward.”

So, a call was put into the EMS to request a truck to take me to Clifton Road and a room in the ICU. As we waited, I continued to work for each breath and encouraged Jenny to go home and rest since the ambulance was on its way to transport me.

I arrived at my room in the ICU when it had just become 3:00 AM with the time change from 2:00 to 3:00. Testing and observation continued. They did a series of tests for flu, Covid, pneumonia and RSV. They expected to be able to eliminate those, but instead I was positive for COVID 19. Consequently, that meant that I had to be moved to a new ICU floor and my treatment would now become two-fold. I would now be on the hospital regime of drugs for COVID and continue on oxygen and Lasix for the respiratory failure. It didn’t take long to find me a new room in an ICU on the other side of the hospital.

I want to pause at this point to reflect on those anxious moments when Jenny had eyes of faith praying on my behalf when others may have given up. I felt like the paralytic whose friends carried him to Jesus or Lazarus whose sisters begged Jesus to come and heal their dying brother. There are many stories of people interceding with Jesus on behalf of others. There was a holy conversation taking place in the midst of chaos. And the Holy Spirit heard the prayer of his dear one asking for help. Over the past few weeks, I have come back to that few moments on several occasions and thanked God for hearing and holding us.

An Invitation to Pray, Live, Think and Walk

{A Personal Spiritual Exercise for July}

Greet the God who is Rebuilding you 

As you come to the Lord for restoration and hope today, remember that you are encountering the one who holds the future of all time and eternity in His hands. Regardless of how you are experiencing life today, open your heart to the Lord of all and receive love and redeeming grace. Your future is secure because of the finished work of Christ Jesus. Breathe in that security and peace.

The Lord Invites us to Come to Him with our Anxious Hearts

As you read this passage from one of Paul’s letters to the early churches, consider it a personal invitation from the Holy Spirit to you. He invites you to bring your anxieties, burdens and joys to the One who made you and is restoring you to wholeness.

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (NIV)

Feel free to write down Paul’s suggestions. What stands out to you? Please read it as many times as it takes to understand all of the instructions packed into these verses.

What reason does Paul give us to rejoice and be kind?

Do you ever think about how near the Lord is to you and your situations?

What might rejoicing look like in your journey?

Are you ever shy about doing the right thing in a public setting? Paul suggests that our “kindness be evident for all.” What might the impact of public kindness be?

Overcoming anxiety in our hearts.

What does Paul suggest we do instead of living in anxiety?

What attributes does Paul use to describe our prayer and petitions?

In this letter and in other parts of the Bible, God tells us that it is not enough to hear the truth, but we must put it into practice if we want to see the benefits of the truth. What do you sense the Holy Spirit is calling you to put into practice this month?

One of the keys to overcoming anxiety – after prayer – is what we choose to focus on or think about. What does Paul teach us to focus on? Which area of focus is most relevant to you this month?

Go Forward in peace

Instead of anxiety, Paul says that God will provide peace. What would peace look like for you? Ask the Lord to help you walk in peace this month.

Pray for those closest to you and for everyone in your community. Pray for each one to rejoice in the Lord and to take their burdens to Jesus.

Pray for a month of focusing on: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—… anything … excellent or praiseworthy.

Make July a month of rejoicing in the Lord and turning to Him that is near to you.

Excerpt from NEW Devotional Book — Going Forward in Love

[I’m finishing a new devotional book: “Heart Journey 2: Going Forward in Love.” I plan to publish in November. Here’s an excerpt!]

Day 14

Greet the Lord as one who is dependent upon His love today.

Settle down in the presence of the One whose essence is Love. And you are His most prized possession. You have been bought for a very high price and He wants to meet with you! As you address the Lord today, express your heart to Him. No matter if you are feeling awesome or defeated or neither. Share with Him how you feel.

Read and reflect on the truth of God’s message for you.

The Apostle John wrote this letter to all people who were following Jesus. In some ways, it his gleanings from spending so much time with Jesus and being at His side most of the time. John is sharing from his personal wealth, guided by the Holy Spirit to help us live in the complexities of life and relationships. You can see John’s tenderheartedness in the language he uses to talk about the Lord and us.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:7-21 ESV)

Read the passage one more time and write down a thought or two that particularly resonates with your heart.

You might want to reflect on just a few truths as you consider what this means for you.

You might want to focus your reading on a phrase at a time and read them a couple of times. Let’s do this together.

Two truths struck me. The first is “abide.” John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” If we abide in God, we are following and obeying Him. It has to do with respect and trust. There is a time aspect that shows up when abide is used as an adjective. God’s abiding love lasts for a very, very long time. So, we have this parallel in John’s letter that if we confess that we trust Jesus then God will stay with us forever. If we abide with Him, He will abide with us.

How does that make you feel toward God?

Do you feel pressure or anxiety? It’s possible you may feel both of those emotions. Take your feelings to God and see what He says.

The second truth that pushed me was the precept that it’s not about a hollow love or abiding. John is very clear that we can’t say, “Hey, I love God, but pretty much everybody else can take a hike!” If we say we love God and abide in Him, then we’re going to love our brothers and sisters. We’re going to take on the same love that God has for people. That’s how we show our “abiding” and “loving.”

This is a bit more difficult. I don’t naturally love everybody. How about you?

Let’s talk to God about that, too.   

Going forward in love

As you can see, this passage really brings the theme of these reflections home. “Going Forward in Love” is our mission. We don’t want to go forward pushing our own agenda and running over people. There’s no proof of our faith in Jesus in that style.

Let’s ask the Lord who needs our love today. We need His love, but who needs our love.

Lord, help us to abide and love as we go forward!

What is biblical meditation?

“Through meditation we can let the words of Jesus descend from our minds into our hearts and create there a dwelling place for the Spirit. Whatever we do and wherever we go, let us stay close to the words of Jesus. They are words of eternal life.” — Henri J. M. Nouwen

Meditation is used to describe a variety of exercises, behaviors and activities for the person seeking to grow their spiritual or inner life. We hear the extremes when meditation is being described, which go from thinking about nothing and clearing your mind to filling your mind with spiritual words and the writings and quotes from the Bible and other books considered sacred for us. One could say that it is a combination of clearing our minds of the clutter of the mundane messages regarding cleaning products and automobiles so that we can focus on the truths from God that apply to all of life. As Henri Nouwen describes in the quote above, “through meditation we can let the words of Jesus descend from our minds into our hearts.” That is the goal of our times of daily reflection with the scriptures in this book.

It is as if we want to allow God’s words to go from the reading to the transformation of our thinking and acting. For truths to affect our wills, we have to contemplate meaning, truthfulness, applicability and outcomes. We may ask ourselves questions that address all of these topics. Questions like, what does this mean? What happens if I do this? What will be the results if I act on this principle?

Jesus spent time daily in prayer to His Father. Jesus often said that He was only doing what the Father had told Him to do. It was as if Jesus checked in constantly to see how His activities were matching up with what the Father and Spirit wanted Him to teach and do. Observing this daily habit of Jesus, led Nouwen to say that solitude — being alone with God — was the furnace for change. We connect to God through the Bible. We hear His words as we read and think about all that He has done for us as we meditate on His words. All of this leads us to change how we think and act. Otherwise, we have no truth coming into our lives. Jesus needed a daily time alone with the Father. Are we any different? Are we just as needy?

God gives us instruction as far back as Genesis concerning the need to meditate, but the book of Joshua is perhaps the most specific and simple concerning the absolute necessity of meditation.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 ESV)

If this were the only thing that God ever said about meditating on Scripture, it would be enough. It is quite clear that if we want to experience success in life — according to God’s economy — then we need to meditate on the laws of God. That was Jesus’s pattern and it was the Lord’s clear instruction for Joshua. Of course, the Psalms of David are full of promises regarding meditation. In fact, when David thinks about preparations for war, he chooses meditating on God’s truth instead of developing battle strategies. He says, “Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.” (Psalm 119:23 ESV)

Let us join together, then, daily to listen to God’s wondrous works and allow them to change our minds and hearts as we ponder, answer questions and think about how to go forward in love!

— From my forthcoming book, “Heart Journey: Going Forward in Love” due to be published in December, 2017.

100 Ways to Answer Your Prayer

6/18/2017

When you pray, do you only have one answer that you will accept? Or do you leave open the idea that God may have another way to answer your prayer?

Two perspectives have led me to see God’s plan meet my deep desires. It struck me one Sunday morning as I walked into worship. God answered my prayer, but not in the way that I expected. Thankfully, I had a pen and notebook with me and I immediately began to write. Here’s what I wrote.

I recently heard Frances Chan share a story of how a young, Christian friend was not disappointed when a prayer was not answered as they had expected. Chan was surprised by such a mature response from a young believer. The woman’s response was, “God is the Creator and He has 100 ways to answer my prayer, so I’m sure He has a better plan.”

I, also, heard Dr. Derek Grier say in a sermon, “If Plan A doesn’t work, there are 25 other letters in the alphabet.” And, finally, I read this quote from author Stephen King: God is the only one who gets it right the first time.

So, with that as background, let me share a story from my life. A few years ago I made a run at becoming a church staff member and thought about going to seminary. Much earlier in my life I had been a campus minister and had applied to and was accepted at a major seminary. My path went a different route. Now, many years later, I see a different plan being worked out in me and for me. I’m a pastor-at-large through writing. Every day, I receive Biblical content and re-present it through writing in an effort to engage people in learning about God and getting to know God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I am challenged to make sure the truth of Scripture is presented in a way that is winsome, interesting and helpful.

So, it is a sacred calling, which gives me joy, a sense of responsibility and peace. Thus, my writing is easy. That’s right; it’s easy. In the same way that Jesus invites us to take His burden and give Him ours, I feel as though I’ve been given Jesus’s “light” burden in exchange for my heavy burden of doubt and regret regarding whether I’m doing what God has called and gifted me to do. I believe we too often live with heaviness because we are putting worldly expectations on God instead of allowing His heavenly expectations to embody us, to fill and infuse us.

How do you infuse tea with fruit?

Steep your green tea with fresh fruit as another way to add a fruity flavor to the tea. When you steep green tea bags, add lemon wedges, strawberries, raspberries or peaches to the liquid. As the fruit soaks in the warm water, it will draw some of the flavor into the tea.

How to infuse medicine into your body?

Using an IV we allow a liquid to flow into a vein, as a way to get the medicine or liquid into our systems.

How does the Spirit infuse us with God’s being?

As we soak in God’s Word and open our hearts, we are infused with His perspective and principles. He also supernaturally puts His Spirit in our hearts so that our whole lives can be infused with guidance, peace and gifting.

So, as we open ourselves to God and worship Him and desire to bring ourselves fully (all the parts) to Him, He infuses purpose, talent and fruitfulness into our lives. As that infusing changes us, it allows God to lead us into the places and vocations He wants for us. In the process, God wants to build our faith in Him. That means we will go through times when we can choose to take our burden back or continue to carry the light burden. It’s an amazing, but difficult process. Some never learn it and carry a heavy burden of their own and other people’s expectations and regrets. Others learn it and carry Jesus’s light burden. It’s never too late to learn it and live it. On God’s timetable, we have a lifetime to learn and live and be conformed to the image of Jesus.

Therefore, I feel that I’m the beneficiary of one of the 100 other creative solutions to my desire and prayer to be a pastor or a spiritual director or a monk or a professor.

I am the most blessed person I know, because I have seen it from the inside out.

Suddenly

January 9, 2013

Suddenly.

My heart is broke, not working.

Under attack, from within;

Relentless pain and confusion reign

As slowly clarity emerges.

What happened to me?

Did I do this?

Denial.

My God, my God, why?

But. Wait. Spirit is present,

As slowly calm emerges.

Life is present.

Wholeness preserved.

Friends are present speaking prayers,

Speaking love

As slowly comfort emerges.

Plans have changed.

Life is reborn and saved.

Anxiety, fear, future and hope–

Crazy.

As slowly a new day emerges.

©Jimmy Locklear, 2013.

Repentance in a Culture of Analysis & Why We Struggle to Reunite with God

Fast Repentance: Peyton Manning, Taylor Swift & Jesus: Repentance in a Culture of Analysis and Why We Struggle to Reunite with God

by Jimmy Locklear

Link: http://a.co/fGZ9HLd

One of my goals for the new year was to learn to publish on the Kindle Direct Publishing platform. After publishing a small book on the prayers of Jesus from the gospels, my son Jameson suggested that I publish a book a month. After thinking about it, I decided I loved the idea. I’m not the best at publishing a regular blog, but many of the topics I’ve written about in the past are themes that I’ve continued to research and think about and live by as time passes. So, I decided to re-visit some of those and see if there wasn’t more that I could share from my readings and experiences. The Fast Repentance essay I wrote in July of 2015 was one that received a great deal of positive feedback regarding looking at Jesus instead of dwelling on our sin and shortcomings. It has a catchy title, too!

So, I’ve added a handful of additional essays and pulled them together for my February publication. You can preview the book here: 

Hope it is a help and encouragement to you.