The Stickman's Understanding...

  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; -James 1:29 God bless you, Happy New Years, TGIF and yes we have made it to the cliff of 2021 and I for one am so ready for a New Year.  A year which we should follow with more diligence the prescription written above.  Many times our own frustration has derailed a perfect    purpose of God’s plan for us. We are in good company.  Brother Moses allowed his frustration to keep him out of the Promiseland. In a frustration fueled act, he neglected his chief role in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, which was to procure the glory for God and not self.  In todays society of self over others and self promotion most of us would fail the test and declare it is of our own abilities that a God size task was achieved.  Why? Frustration of not being appreciated, frustration of being wronged, frustration of… Frustration drives a wedge between all relationships...

  Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. -1 Samuel 10:22 God bless you and Tremendous Thursday! Here is a bold statement that is encapsulated in the life of Saul.  Insecurity shows there’s a lack of integrity further it creates vulnerability and thus instability.  The scripture above is found where Saul is introduced as the first King of Israel. When the people wanted to see him, he shivered in fear hiding among the supplies.  As we follow his life the other failure attributes show; integrity pulls and he becomes more vulnerable until it all collapses and God replaces him as King.   It is so important to have the Lord root out sources of future heartache and failure. And God is faithful enough to do so. David said search me and create in me a clean heart.  A clean heart being void of integrity and insecurity issues and therefore is stable and c...

  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. -Romans 1:16 Good morning and happy hump day!!! How many know of and quote this scripture? People leave the faith    because of church hurt, disappointment in leaders or a sense of not measuring up.  Really consider what the scripture above should speak to you. First it gets into your personal space by using the personal pronoun of “I”. You can’t get any closer to you than “I”. So a responsibility is assigned.  Paul while suffering did not allow the shame of it to stop him from glorifying Christ. Many who will and have suffered much less allow shame to drive them away.  The thing that did not allow shame to supersede was the truth that is in the gospel. The object of affection is Christ and the strength is the truth. Hence love destroys shame.  Not being ashamed means that you aren’t flighty and...

  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, -Philippians 3:8 God bless you on this terrific Tuesday.  I  remember the story of a Army General getting radically saved. He graduated first in his class from the US Military Academy and excelled in all his assignments.  After years of military service which included both the Korean War and the Vietnamese war, he had a wonderful life with a wife and great children but something was missing. He had been early selected in every rank and an exceptional commander. But something was missing still. He was empty inside.  A life long Catholic, education and life experiences had him leaning towards agnosticism. He was invited to an Evangelical church by one of his senior officers and while there the preacher began telling his story.  When the call went out fo...

  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. -2 Corinthians 9:15 Blessed Christmas Eve to you. TGIF! As a young child before Christmas the three youngest siblings would have a conversation.  We would discuss Christmas past, present and future. What we got vs what we wanted was a feature of our talks. Surely this year I’d get that one gift, I wanted all my many years of life or maybe socks were in this year.  The one gift that was not as often spoken of is the one gift that counts. The Apostle Paul    wrote of this gift and in his heart, receiving such a gift left him at a loss for words.  In the background as I write a secular Christmas song is playing. All I want for Christmas…now we all know the singer is speaking of a mere man, not the divine, but oh what joy it would be if we would begin to speak of the unspeakable gift and accept the grace.  Merry Christmas and go fellowship, we all need it.  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact...

  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. -Matthew 22:37 God bless you and Tremendous Thursday to you… I have a dear friend, mentor and elder statesman preacher, who always begins sermons by singing “Oh come all ye faithful”, not The whole song but the one line “Oh come let us adore Him”.  I first met and attended worship with Him in the month of October and found it odd but refreshing that he started Christmas caroling so early.  As November came nothing strange about it and of course December and January, it was still Yuletide in my mind. But as February became March I found it alarmingly cute, then spring hit and his song was still… In early July before the 4th of that year I discovered why he sang the song. He said why should just one season we adore him and that settled my thoughts.  Jesus is not just the reason to celebrate one season but the very creator of all seasons. We can’t ju...

  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. -Luke 6:38 God bless you and happy hump day! In a few days wrapping paper will fly, boxes will stack up and what was so meticulously selected will end up in the abundant toy boxes of our children.  Not that any of our children were on the “naughty list”, after all aren’t they all angels, all the time 😉 ? Therefore, didn’t they deserve it all, without much work or input of their own? This is the pattern of people and is reflected in their daily lives.  People want much blessing but not much sacrifice. They put a pound of ground chuck in the freezer, but try to pull out 20 pounds of the choicest steak. They churn a gallon of Ice Cream but try to get a five gallon bucket. If you are still feeling generous after that shot of caffeinated coffee with “reality r...

  4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.                           -Rev 2 Good morning, God bless you, and terrific Tuesday. Anyone else besides me excited about Christmas? The gifts, the decorations, football, parades, TV shows    and of course the food.  As I mused in my heart about It this morning the Lord lead me to the scripture above. I immediately knew why He lead me there. A question could be asked, what is the source of our joy and why do we love the day?  If the source is the material things, then we have missed the point and if our love is directed by the same then what is it we truly love?  Jesus speaking to John expressed the great things about the church of Ephesus and though they did those things, the most important thing was they had forgotten why they did those things.  So as we go about our day and prepare to celebra...

  2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,  though  thou be little among the thousands of Judah,  yet  out of thee shall he come forth unto me  that is  to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth  have been  from of old, from everlasting. -Micah 5 God bless you and happy Monday! This weekend my wife went to purchase the Christmas vittles and my stomach came into agreement with a hearty amen.  As I unloaded the metal mule (aka her car) of its burden my mind drifted back to the prophecy shown above. It hinted at a journey which would take place several centuries later of a real mule laden with a mother with child.  The child inside was the bread of heaven. And by definition, Epratah means bread and Bethlehem means house. So the true bread would displaced something called bread.  The mother no older than a young teen, likely was slight except for the womb, along side her a wiry man named Joseph, all headed to the small city of King Dav...

  He must increase, but I must decrease. -John 3:30  God bless you and TGIF! Exactly what does it mean to decrease for Christ? I’ve had many discussions with people who do not know what it means to decrease for Christ.  In their assessment perhaps a remanent of the prosperity gospel, any subtraction is contrary to being blessed.  John the Baptist knew his place and knew he had to relinquish self for the sake of Christ. Jesus further said “If any man come after Me…deny himself, pick up his cross.”  I once heard a conversation saying “Wives should apologize sometimes”. It was countered by another who mistakenly said, following the statement was a way to get manipulated.  It’s called self denial, by denying your right to get revenge we become more like Christ who forgave while on the cross.  All this said, done, inspired by Him to teach us of the detriment of flesh. As our flesh decreases our spirit increase and we become more like Him.  Go fellowshi...

  The Joy of the Lord is your strength.”                                       -Neh 8:10 God bless you and Tremendous Thursday.  What does God’s joy look like? What value is His joy? Those questions come often especially when the waves of life crash up against our boats.  We are often given the prescription of the scripture above, but not nearly often enough are we told the background of this scripture. Simply it comes from when the wall builder Nehemiah was trying to protect the city but the neighbors didn’t want the wall built.  That said Nehemiah encouraged the people not to have a negative or fearful attitude. He wanted them to know that God was pleased with their efforts, even joyous.  As we go through life building projects, surely challenges will come and the enemy will attempt to remove your focus by attacking your strength.  You are encouraged to keep the...

  5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.           -Psalms 37 Good morning and happy hump day. Is it me or are more people trying to comment themselves to the Lord than truly commit? Consider social media comments. One moment a person post about how they are going through but they know God has got them…the next moment everybody is on blast.  A friend recently said in a nutshell, if you ask me to pray, stop doing those things which has caused you to need prayer.  Beloved I want to be encouraging but the same truth that sets you free, is the same truth that if put against the lies you believe and are practicing binds you.  Your ways or the actions you take places you on one path or the other. You can rebuke until you have no breath in your lungs but unless your ways are commit-tingly pleasing to Him…half-hearted ness does not move God.  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at: drsch...

  Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. -2 Timothy 1:6 Good morning and God bless you on this terrific Tuesday.    I believe that God gives everyone gifts. And since he gives those gifts without repentance, regardless of how or if you ever use them, He has given them to you.  There are both natural gifts and spiritual, which the latter Paul is referring to in the scripture above.  So often I’ve seen people with natural and spiritual gifts that do not appreciate them. Some openly disdain and display total resentment towards it.  While others marvel, they negate its importance, describing    it as simply “nothing”. Beloved perhaps this was the case with Timothy. Paul had to say use your resources. King David understood the assignment and used streams from every source.  My heart to heart advice to you is to reassess those long dormant abilities, dig deeper into thi...

  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7 God bless you and happy Monday. An old sailor and his young shipmate were in the middle of a storm. The older man seemed quite calm as the ship was tossed to and fro, which was much to the chagrin of the young man on his first journey to sea.  The older man then spoke with great confidence a reassuring quote saying, It is not the water outside the ship that causes it to sink, it’s what gets in.” Many complain about what is around them but it isn’t what’s around you as much as what gets in you.  David understood this and did not allow what was in the valley to stop, slow or speed up his walk, in other words what was in the valley wasn’t allowed in him.  Simply put it is not the environment around you that causes great failure as much as it is if and even how you internalize it.  God bless you and command your day!!!

  5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; -2 Corinthians 10:5 God bless you and TGIF! Overthinking is dangerous.    It’s    most dangerous if the wrong source of thought is dominate. The Bible tells us to let the mind of Christ be our mind and further to bring every thought under subjection.  Therefore the importance of thought life is really emphasized in the Bible and should be emphasized in our daily actions and reactions. “Thoughts become words, words become action,  action becomes habits, habits become character and character becomes destiny. ” And there will be things that shake your faith I’m not talking about your faith in God but things that make you ask the question of God am I on the right track, am I doing what it is that I’m supposed to be doing at this particular time? I pray your day is blessed and the ro...

  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28 Good morning and God bless you on this tremendous Thursday. I was talking to my wife this morning and from our conversation the phrase “Scripture Isolation (SI)” came to my spirit.  Scripture Isolation…We are all guilty of it. When we zoom in on a given popular and pious sounding scripture or two and then anchor ourselves there without proper understanding.  SI can occur when you skip scriptures before, scriptures afterward or pick just a part of a given scripture as people do with the scripture above.  to them that love God  (John 14:15) is not understood and therefore isolated. The very harmony of the Bible is called into question through this practice, many are destroyed but do not understand why?  How often have you heard “money is the root of all evil”? Or other scriptures taken out or rather abused out of contex...

  4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. -Phil 2 Good morning and happy hump day!  In the scripture above the apostle Paul gives some very sound advice in terms of having healthy relationships.  Relationships should start as reciprocal and continue in that way throughout the life of the participants.  A relationship that is one sided in terms of listening or talking is bound to have problems. The Lord has clearly stated and shown us that we are designed to interact, coexist and work together, and without healthy relationships that task becomes more formidable.  For one to have a friend he must first show himself friendly and no friend wants to always listen but never speak and no friend should want to always speak but not listen. Doing so shows a lack of interest in and little respect for what the other says, likes, dislikes, and creates a chasm between participants in a relationship.  Examine your re...

  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. -Psalms 91:8 God bless you and Terrific Tuesday to you.   As you see I’ve been reading Psalms 91…again and yet I see another correlation. Needless to say but deserving of it…God is awesome!!! In Exodus the children of Israel are peacefully residing in the Egyptian providence called Goshen.  And though they are at peace, this madman who they had known as a rogue prince, claiming Hebraic    roots, was now raining down great heartache on the rest of Egypt.  So as the plagues rained down and losses were great in greater Egypt, the sizable group of Hebrews felt no loss.  Many were mournful and many were in prayer and God had reached out to Moses (which is an Egyptian name). So in essence the eyes of the righteous were beholding the reward of the wicked.  Beloved in our lives I am sure we have seen the same, even when the wicked will not acknowledge the compensation and attr...

  9Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.                           -Psalms 91 God bless you and Happy Monday. On last evening in my home town Memphis, we had a terrible storm. Though the winds were not high, the rains poured, thunder boomed and lightning flashed.  It is times like this that makes me happy that my God rides storms and my soul is anchored in Him.    Often people quote verbatim verse 10, but they omit our obligation in verse 9. That verse tells us we must have a portion in Him.  Our refuge and habitation may be the same place physically, but habitation infers a place of consistency.  A refuge is more of a place to get out of the storm, habitation means more than a standing reservation, who makes a reservation at their own house to sleep in their o...