Oh, the Places Where God Has Been with Me

 Oh, the Places Where God Has Been with Me

In October 2017, I had my first-ever angiogram so my cardiologist could look at my heart to discover the blockage and damage that had occurred. I was afraid. My blood pressure was high as I lay on that surgery-room table. And God was with me.

In December 2017 I had open heart surgery resulting in three heart bypasses. God was with me through it all.  As I lay in the surgery prep area the attending nursing staff had to shave the front part of my upper body. I was afraid. I was tearful, and God was with me.

I’ve gone through bankruptcy and wondered if I’d ever repair my credit rating again. God was with me through all of that.

I’ve had love go sideways, and God has been with me.

When the creditors called and wanted to repossess my new Ford Taurus, God was there.

In job changes, in job losses, in the pursuit of career paths, God was there.

In the hard decisions – about careers, homes, cities to live in, whether to move or not, and a dozen other decisions that are tough to make; in every situation, God has been the steady hand, the guiding still-small-voice always looking on and always prompting, always impressing me as to which path to take.

There are some giants that I have admired during my years of living – men and women I have and still do look up to. Billy Graham was one. Here’s what I read one day a few years ago.

God spoke and said, “I don’t need Billy Graham more than I need you.”

What? But I’m not a famous person. I’m a nobody in the grand scheme of things. And yet, God said He needed me just as much as Mr. Graham. How can it be?

I’ve read of numerous accounts in the scriptures of how God has used ‘nobodies’ and made them useful.

Mary was a peasant girl, perhaps fourteen, and God used her to birth the Christ-child.

He used a prostitute or two as examples – one of which was the woman about to be stoned. His words were simple – “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

He used David, a striking, good-looking lad who later committed adultry and then had the woman’s husband killed in battle. That’s a long fall from grace, and David came back and was claimed as, my words, “The apple of God’s eye.”

Peter denied Christ three times and look at the impact he had on Christianity and the spread of the gospel.

Do you see the places where God has been with people down through history? He goes to the depths of the mud and back to bring redemption and grace, forgiveness, and healing. And He gives peace and His presence in the middle of the mundane moments of our lives.

I know what it is like when the presence of God invades an operating room with His peace and settling presence.
I’ve experienced His calm assurance in the middle of trauma, in family crises, in the death of family members, and when in financial need. God has met me in these places, and I am a living witness to His grace, mercy, and peace.

I am nothing special. I’m not famous. I’m not rich or influential, and I don’t own the largest house in the city, and yet, God has been with me in the good and the bad times of life.

And this same grace is available to you, regardless of your name, rank, serial number, bank account balance, skin color, language you speak, or status in society.

You are loved and graced with the presence of God, who watches over you. He never sleeps. He never takes His eyes off you. He never takes a vacation, and He cares for you oh, so much.

One of the strong Bible verses that has stood the test of time in my life is Joshua 1:9.

“Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God

will be with you wherever you go!”

That is indeed an encouraging word for today.

Internet Church

P Michael Biggs 

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Is God Mad at Me?

 Is God Mad at Me?

What a strong question that one is. Does God get mad at us? Does He write us off after some slight mistake, sin, forgetfulness moment, or if our check book gets out of balance?

Let me tell you about a conversation I had.

Cindy and I were talking one day at work, and she was complimenting me on some of my blogs that she had read recently. I casually asked her what she thought of God, and here is what she said.

“Oh, He’s kind, and loving, and forgiving, and my best friend.”

I stopped her at that point and said, “That’s all well and good, but what do you really think about God?’

She paused a moment and then said, “I think God is mad at me.”
Oh, my. What a statement. I asked questions and she filled in the blanks.

“One day, I was cooking spaghetti and had a large skillet of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. My ten-year-old daughter, Jenny, came into the kitchen and grabbed the handle of the skillet and poured the spaghetti all over her body. She screamed in pain and blisters began popping out all over her body. God must hate me for that to have happened to Jenny.”

I sent up one of those quick prayers for immediate help and wisdom and then answered.

“Oh, Cindy. No, no, no. God is not mad at you. Jenny was an innocent girl, whose curiosity got in the way, and she just happened to pull the handle of the pot down upon her body. God didn’t make her do that, and God is certainly not mad at you. Oh, please believe me. I could never in my wildest imagination picture a God who would do something like that.”

We can assign to God some strange and interesting acts, but is God really at fault?

The simple answer ... we humans have a will, and we get to make choices. That is our greatest power, and one that God will never take from us nor override in our lives. We Chose!

The great news is this: God is not mad at us.

God is not an ogre. He is not looking for us to step out of line just even a little bit so He can zap us. And He’s not looking for the smallest of reasons to put us in time out.

The most famous Bible verse of all time is John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, And whoever believes in Him shall be saved.”

God loves the world. That means any evil person you might name, your contrary neighbor who puts his garbage can in the middle of your driveway, that customer that is always snarly and never smiles, and your curious daughter who just might happen to pull a pot of hot spaghetti sauce onto her head. God loves us! A reminder ... God never promises to keep bad things from happening to us, but He does promise to be with us in the middle of the bad things.

Remember what I wrote 2 paragraphs above? God is not an ogre. I want to borrow this thought from Ann Lamont and her great little book Help ... Thanks ... Wow.

“Prayer is talking to something or anything with which we seek union, even if we are bitter or insane or broken. (In fact, these are probably the best possible conditions under which to pray.) Prayer is taking a chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up. The opposite may be true. We may not be able to get it together until after we show up in such miserable shape.

You see, in my 73 years of living, I have rarely had it all together. I’ve had moments of brilliant spiritual living, and I’ve had the dogdays and months and perhaps years of missing the mark, falling short, stepping out of line,

and wanting my own way. And all through the good and the bad, God never stopped loving me. He never, to my knowledge, got mad at me, and he never caused a bad thing to happen to bring me back into line.

I’ve caused bad things to happen because of my choices. I’ve acted foolishly, said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and treated others with less than grace and love, but never has God gotten mad at me.

I’ve disappointed God. Oh my, don’t let me count the ways.

And His love keeps on flowing down to me. His grace and mercy are ever present and abundant in my life.

Are you wanting to blame somebody for the bad that happens in your life? Don’t blame God. Blame Joe, my neighbor. He’s not doing anything worthwhile. He cusses, he goes to places he shouldn’t, and he drives like a mad man. Blame Joe. He’s not doing anything.

Look at this amazing verse:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us; that we should
be called children of God! And that is what we are!
I John 3:1

Again, the question: Is God mad at me? Not in a million years.
But He does love you with furious love!

Internet Church
P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

 Dear Friends:

I'm still alive and kicking. Just wanted to let you know you and your support as loyal readers are not forgotten.  2021 was a rough year for me medically. I had to have 5 surgeries, and then again just 2 weeks ago - Feb 25 I had another one on my left foot. 

I had to endure an amputation of my toes on the left foot in 2021 and then subsequent fallout from that.  I'm doing well, able to walk, am in a boot.

I have been putting my creative energies of late into podcasting.  I'm approaching my 100th podcast soon and am going to make it a longer form an include greetings from many of my friends and supporters.  Be watching all social media sources, and if you don't follow me, I love for you to do just that. 

My user name is P Michael Biggs. 

Here's the link to my podcast:  Up-Words Podcast

Best Regards to you all!

P Michael Biggs

 December 12, 2021 

I Bring You Good News!

Congratulations! You have won the lottery!

Mr. Jones, I’m happy to report that your car repairs only cost $1000 and not the $3000 I originally quoted.

We are happy to offer you this position at a starting salary of $123,000 per year. How about that?

You’re pregnant. Congratulations. You’re not pregnant. Congratulations.

Good news comes in all kinds of word wrappings, doesn’t it? And my, how we love to receive good news.

In the Christmas story, the Angels proclaimed this “good news” to the shepherds on the hillside. Hope had come. The birth of a Savior was, indeed, good news.

Mary received some good news when the Angel came to her and told her about her coming pregnancy. This bit of good news said, “For with God, nothing is impossible.”

Joseph received some good news in Matthew’s gospel. The angel appeared to him and said,

Good news abounds in the Christmas story. Hope is there, as is peace, and joy, and of course LOVE! Oh, don’t forget about love.

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give

birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f

] because he will save his people from their sins.”

What “good news” would make you jump for joy today? Are you longing for an answer to some of life’s dilemmas? Do you have a need that is severe? Perhaps you’ll find some ‘Good News” in the Christmas story from the scriptures this year.

I find hope this Christmas.
I find joy, and peace this Christmas. And I especially find and receive LOVE.

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. A Savior has been born this day.

Internet Church Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Little Is Much

Little Is Much

Large acts are good, or can be. Some people are destined to great acts, great feats of physical strength or mental agility and can do the seemingly impossible.

But what about those small acts? The acts that go unnoticed except by a few, perhaps even only by one or two. Do those acts matter also?

Take heart, for I believe they do matter. And not all of these ‘acts’ are of the spiritual nature.

Twenty-two years ago, I was an insurance salesman. My friend John reminded me of selling him a policy for his new-born daughter. It was a small life policy and was what we called in those days a “twenty-pay” policy, meaning John would pay for the policy for twenty years and then it would be paid in full, yet the benefits would last for the life of his daughter. In the grand scheme of things, that policy was one of the smaller ones I sold that year and yet, twenty-two years later he remembered, and wrote to thank me for giving his daughter this gift he passed on to her for her future portfolio.

A small, $10,000 life insurance policy was remembered. It was one small act. It was enough at that moment in time.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s I served as a music minister in a church in Seattle. On a particular Sunday night, I asked a small girl named Sadie to sing a solo. Years later, her father thanked me profusely for that one moment in time, for you see, Sadie died as a young teen and Loren still held that memory of her performance. It was a small thing for me to schedule her to sing on that particular night. It was a huge memory for Loren thirty- five years later.

Little is much.

Do you feel as if you have a small contribution to offer? Take heart, give it to God and allow Him to add to your gift in whatever measure He desires.

I’ve directed large choirs and orchestras. I’ve sang some great solos and duets. I’ve written nearly one-thousand blogs and produced 80 podcasts. Some are my personal favorites and, I feel, have lasting significance. However, no one remembers the greatness of those moments and creative sparks.

But they remember how some of those moments made them feel at that moment in time.

Little is much.

I’m reminded of this great quote.

Are you willing to do the small things and leave the rest to the wise God?

Internet Church Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

God Doesn't Have Stubby Arms

God Doesn’t Have Stubby Arms

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 Internet Church

In what situation do you find yourself today? No matter where you are, God’s arms can reach you and lift you up.

This is ONE strong and encouraging thought.

~Are you soaking in an alcoholic stupor? God can reach you.
~Are you so in debt you can’t find a way out? Call out to God.
~Are you in relationship conflict with someone? Let God help you with a remedy.

Regardless of the human predicament in which we find ourselves, God is still able to reach out to us and bring deliverance and help in our time of need.

I was reminded of this verse last week when a close friend of ours came for a visit. Leanne had been studying this particular verse in her women’s Bible Study group.

And the Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Numbers 11:23

This concept of God is a strong part of my own personal God-concept. However, remember this important part of the equation. We have to call out to God for help and we have our own part to play in this work of deliverance.

That is, perhaps, the part we sometimes want to skip over, and yet it is true. Are you and I willing to do our part along with God reaching down to do His part?

At present, I am recovering from having my toes amputated on my left foot. At the seven-week mark I am doing well, and it is because God is reaching out to me AND I am doing the smart thing of eating better, bringing my

medical numbers down into proper range, losing weight and moving about as my scars and body allows. No one can do that for me except me.

I’ve recovered from divorce. Of course I felt God’s presence with me in those dark moments, however, I had to do my part and do the acts of recover from those painful experiences. I had to read books, talk with trusted advisors, and set my mind on a future with hope in the middle of the pit in which I found myself. And God’s arms were continually reaching down to me and pulling me along.

I hope you are finding God’s arms to be long enough for whatever predicament you face in these days.

He truly does have strong and long arms!

Internet Church Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Sometimes We Think God Is Sick

 Sometimes We Think God Is Sick

Sometimes we think God is sick. I read differing news feeds and social media posts and I sense fear and angst, despair and a great lack of hope. It is as if we have come to believe in the fallibility of God.

I suppose I hear voices that cry out ... God, are you sick?
Are you on your death bed?
Can you still work in this day and time? Do you care about us?

Are you still in the miracle business? Are you with us, still?

My word for all of us today ...
Don’t despair.
Have faith.
He (God) neither slumbers nor sleeps.

He may not answer our prayers, our calls and our cries of desperation the very minute we cry out, but take heart, He hears and sees every need, every situation and every crisis that rears its ugly head all over this planet.

God, in His time, will act in ways that are in keeping with his nature and His timing. Remember, He is master of the MASTER CLOCK.

The greatest Bible verse I could ever offer is this:

“Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Remember, this is a promise, not for deliverance from, but sustainability through all circumstances.

Let your faith find its footing in this promise.

Internet Church Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration