Some of you reading these words have visited Peter & Rebekah Laue in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. You may even have spent a few, quiet days in the Upper Room guest apartment with Jesus. You may even remember the deck and the steps that allow guests to come and go without having to go through the main house. You might also remember the three aspen trees that hug the railing of the deck and steps. During the summer the deck looks and feels like a tree house. This paragraph and the picture to the right will set the stage for the story that follows. For several years magpies and crows and ravens have used a particular branch that hangs over the deck area as a perch. These birds visit extensively with one another while sitting on that branch. They also use the deck as their toilet. Every few days I have needed to bring a hose and scrub brush to remove the nasty bird droppings. Well, the other day I finally got fed up with the whole thing. I got angry and motivated enough to get my ladder and a saw and cut off the favorite perch these scavenger birds like to use. It did not take long to do this.

Now it is done and chances are that the aspen trees will never be able to grow another branch that hangs over the steps and deck. But if they do, I will not allow several years and a lot of frustration and anger to accumulate before I act aggressively. As I was cutting off the offending branch, I was reminded of unwholesome relationships that needed to be cut off. In one case I allowed an unwholesome relationship to devitalize and deceive us for 20 years. It was a reenactment of the story of the five wise and five foolish virgins as told in the Book of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 1-13. We had one of those foolish virgins in our life that never took care of her own oil and lamp. When this person needed help and answers, she went to the phone instead of the “Throne.” It was our own fault that we kept on answering the phone. No more! I was also reminded of TV programs that needed to be silenced - I was reminded of the evening news in particular. I saw this picture in my mind’s eye.

I saw reporters scouring the world for tabloid type news. I saw them with a mop in their hands mopping up a lot of filth - anger, fear, panic, bloodshed, murder, turmoil, lust, etc. and etc. And then I saw the news anchors squeezing the mop over my mind and emotions and the minds and emotions of millions of others. At the same time I saw the pharmaceutical industry peddling their sleeping pills, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and tranquilizers to help calm our agitated minds and emotions. And I was shown that it was my choice whether I would allow the news media and advertisers the option to poison my mind and peddle their pills and potions day after day. I had a choice. I could turn off the news or continue to listen to it. It was up to me if I would allow these unholy and unwholesome words and pictures to influence my thoughts, conversations, and dreams. It was up to me whether or not I would act violently, decisively, and quickly. No one could do it for me. No one should do it for me. For seven years, while our children where growing up, we had to get rid of our TV. Our children kept bickering about what they wanted to see and how much they wanted to see. The only way we knew how to silence their bickering was to put an axe to the TV. Believe me; our decision was not popular with the kids. And today there are the computers, computer games, and the Internet in addition to the TV! We are being bombarded with junk and solicitations that shape our lives, buying habits, and values. The Bible has been defamed and is no longer presented as the absolute standard of right and wrong, black and white. It’s not the WORD of the LORD for many or presented that way by pastors, priests, teachers, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, social workers or judges. And for that reason it is no longer that “two-edged sword” as referred to in the Book of Hebrews, chapter four. The Bible has become just another book. Rebekah and I are not alone in the very unpopular decision we made in 1973 about the TV. Read these words penned by our friend Frances Roberts in her book: “Come Away My Beloved.” You cannot risk giving your thoughts free rein. They will never choose the right path until you bridle them and control them by your own disciplined will. You are master of your own house. You do not have to invite into your mind the foul birds of evil thoughts and allow them to nest there and bring forth their young. Whatsoever ye sow in your secret thought-life, that shall ye reap. Sow love and kindness, and ye shall be rewarded openly. Sow charity and forgiveness, and ye shall reap in kind. Sow generosity and gratitude, and ye shall reap in kind. Sow generosity, and ye shall never feel poor. Sow hope, and ye shall reap fulfillment. Sow praise, and ye shall reap joy and well-being and a strong faith. Sow bountifully, and ye shall reap bountifully. Sow! ye shall see your seed and be satisfied.

So, I offer this story to anyone who may have an occasion to share it with others. There are times we must act and speak decisively. Nothing else will do. Everything else would be a compromise and considered as lukewarm by Jesus. “Nice doesn’t always cut it.” Being gentle and yet strong is like trying to mix oil and water. It can be done; but it cannot be done successfully without the grace and help of JESUS, the Carpenter from Nazareth - the Messiah - the Door to LIFE, the GREAT COUNSELOR. Jesus is the only door to LIFE. And, it takes revelation knowledge and courage to proclaim HIM to others that way. Only when we honor Jesus as “The WORD” can and will “The WORD” be able to do the counseling and the “cutting off” of lies and deception. But I also hasten to add: The TRUTH without grace & mercy is ruthless. I am not a counselor. I thought for a while that I was. I even received a degree in psychology but never made use of it. For a while I had an unwholesome awe for those who walked around with a PhD at the end of their names. How mistaken I

was. The Word of God made alive through the Holy Spirit is to be our Counselor. My life experiences, my ups and downs created a heart filled with compassion, not my head knowledge. At 73 I have hit quite a few bumps in the road. These bumps taught me many of life’s lessons that I enjoy passing on in story form. Jesus defeated the devil by quoting the WORD to Satan and so must we. Jesus also quoted the WORD to comfort the brokenhearted and set the captives free. The Word both heals and “cuts.” The WORD is sharper than any two-edged sword. These words are our gift to you and a gift back to ourselves. We often fail to recognize the treasures that are hidden within us until someone provokes us to pour them out.

Peter The Lord’s Scribe & Storyteller e-mail: lukefour18@gmail.com www.stretcherbearers.com

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All writings by Peter, the Lord's Scribe and Storyteller and all paintings by Rebekah, the Lord's artist are copyright free.