2020 Reasons to Give Thanks (Or At Least 5)

 In response to a challenge to identify 5 positive things from last year, I wrote down 5 reasons to give thanks, in 2020, 2021 and any year really. There are always good things to be thankful for at all times. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday because it focuses in on that attitude of gratitude. And that's something we should remember every day. That said, here are 5 positives for me from 2020.

#1 Above all- The Lord Jesus Christ. He is always my ultimate reason to be thankful and stay positive. By faith in His substitutionary death and Resurrection that paid for all the sins of the world, I know my many sins are forgiven and I'm delivered from the Hell I deserve and instead given the Heaven I don't. God has shown Himself faithful time and again and I am always ultimately thankful for His love and providence.

#2 Nature - I have long enjoyed exploring God's creation and I did a lot more of that last year and I am grateful for that opportunity to commune with Him there. Every so often, I love to get away to a quiet place outside by myself and spend a good length of time reading The Bible and praying, as well as writing down any insights The Spirit might show me. Those times of sweet surrender have always been good for me spiritually as well as physically in some ways too.

#3 Family - I am always thankful for my family and make an effort to keep up with them. I am thankful for the opportunities I had to spend with family throughout last year, whether just spending time at home playing games or going for walks and hikes or going to church in the park throughout the summer. (I would like that last one to be an option even when there's not a pandemic going on. :-)) I constantly pray God would bless and use me and my family for His glory and I praise God for all of them.

#4 Friends - I am blessed to have some wonderful, loving and caring friends who have stuck by me through the years and I hold them very dear, particularly those who are very close to me. As Philippians 1:7 says, I hold them in my heart. And I pray for them regularly. And I am thankful for the time I got to spend with them, whether in person outside at a distance or just on the telephone or video chat. I am also very thankful for the many options for staying in touch with my friends around the world. (It was particularly neat to be able to message friends on three different continents to ask for prayer in the middle of the night since I knew they'd be up- and they are some of my closest friends anyway, even though they are some of the furthest away. And I felt the power of those prayers and again thank God for answering as He did.)

#5 Finances - I am certainly mindful of those around the world who have had their lives so disrupted by C19 and have lost jobs and loved ones. I mourn for them and pray for them. I am very thankful to have maintained a job and had a steady income from that job and had my needs met. In fact, partially because of opportunities opened by the pandemic, I was able to save some money and earn extra money through working extra hours. I was able to accomplish some long-standing goals of paying off a number of debts! I am still not totally clear of all debt but I am in a much better place financially. I have been able to turn around and use money now freed up to increase what I normally give and be more generous in giving towards ministries and charitable causes. I am glad to be able to serve God more through investing in His kingdom more in that way.

 

There are many more things I could say as well, but those are some things I am grateful for about the last year and in every year, really. Praise God for His faithfulness! I look forward to seeing how He will work and use me for His glory in this year. And, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us- everyone! :-)

Love in all Seasons (song)

 Where does the time go? Steve Miller said it keeps on slipping into the future. He's right- time keeps marching on. Yet so many times it never seems the good moments in life are long enough. If I could have a little bit longer time in those sweet spots- carefree days as a kid playing on the playground, family time at home with Mom and Dad and siblings, dating that special someone, or just hanging out with my best friends in the world! 

   As another song says, we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. (Thanks to Terry Jacks for the memorable performance.) And there are sweet seasons in life we cherish and miss later on. Yet we are inexorably drawn forward in time. And we must learn to live and love every moment as the precious gift from God that they all are- and thank Him for all of them. And our love for those friends and family carries on as well, in as much effort as we are willing to put out. The love of Jesus is the one constant that carries us through the changes of time. He helps us "who belong to eternity stranded in time", as a Michael Card song says, to enjoy and live and love every moment. And He helps us realize that He is the One our hearts really long for in the end. And with Jesus in our hearts, no matter what stage we're at in this life or the next, we can enjoy Love in all seasons.

Love in all Seasons
copyright by Nathan Ludwick 1/17/2020
(Ecclesiastes 3, Psalms 90:12, Deuteronomy 33:27, Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24)

You thought it'd be forever
You thought it'd never end
The vows you made to stay together
And always be the best of friends
Oh, to be back in that place and age again

Chorus 1:
Everybody freeze! Put your hands up
If you want this world to stop
Let's stay 11 years old as long as we can
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
I don't want nothing to change my world tonight

Spin the time in a bottle and see where it lands
Count out 17 little grains of sand
Cruising down Lover's Lane with the one who caught your heart
Summer days with your best pal and your best gal at your side
What more do you need? Right here it's so good to be alive!

Chorus 2:
Everybody freeze! Put your hands up
If you want this world to stop
Let's hang out at the malt shop as long as we can
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
I don't want nothing to change my world tonight

Bridge:
Why do we move away and leave our best friends?
Why do we go to different schools and new jobs and new places to live?
Why do we marry, start a family and get wrapped up in our lives?
Why do we get old and grey and eventually die?
What we do with given time's all we must decide

Chorus 3:
Everybody leaves- splits the band up
And one day this world will stop
Let's enjoy our seasons in the sun as long as we can
Everlasting Arms deal those hands at the right time
The Ace up my sleeve holds every memory tight

Chorus 4:
Only God holds me when time hands me up
Now and on that day my world still rocks
For each time and season there's a reason- so love all friends far and at hand
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
Let my growth come from change- Love holds my world for all time

(Repeat Chorus 3 and 4 and fade)

...............................................................

Urkel's Brain (song)

I love Jesus first and foremost. I also enjoy a lot of classic television shows, particularly ones that remind me of Jesus. I can hardly think of a more Christlike character on television than Steve Urkel on "Family Matters". There is even an episode where Steve gets saved and gives his heart to The Lord! Of course, while that always brings a revolution in one's heart- and surely it did for Steve- he was still the prince of the geeks and nerds to so many. I can identify as one who's been called Urkel myself (and Irwin "Skippy" Handleman from "Family Ties", for that matter). I take both as compliments. Steve certainly had confidence and determination and I can definitely respect that. Laura came to respect it too eventually as she was finally won over by Urkel's charm, personality, morality and certainly brain.

"Urkel's Brain" 

(Parody of "Purple Rain" by Prince and The Revolution)

(Parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/5/2019)

(Proverbs 13:12)

I never meant to cause you any sorrow

I never meant to cause you any pain

I only wanted to spend time with (the) Winslow family

I only wanted to woo you

Laura with Steve Urkel's brain

Urkel's brain, Urkel's name

Urkel's brawn, Urkel's charm

Urkel's looks, Urkel's game

I know you want me (to leave you)

Wearing you down- Urkel's staying

All I ever wanted's to be your geek in armor

I always wanted to be more than just friends

Crazy for you! Could I steal you from another?

Don't feel the same? Our friendship never ends

All the same, you're my flame

Girl, you're sayin' Urkel's insane

Girl, I'm prayin' - Ride Love Train

I only want to be with you

Laura Lee, your royal pain

Harriette, Carl, Eddo 

Winslow- minds are changing

Richie, Rachel- shout out

Mom Estelle please, missing Judy

You take Stefan or Steve, girl

But though it seems (a) no-brainer, you'll find

Who loves you best- no contest

So yes- did I do that? Steve Urkel's saying

Girl, you're swaying (to) polka playing

(Has) Urkel changed or your heart changed?

Like Waldo and Maxine belong together

And 3J's on hand

Urkel's strange but rearranged

Your whole life- Want to see you

Happy- God blessed me! You'll

Wear Steve Urkel's ring!

............................................

Single-Minded

         "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22)
"I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (1 Corinthians 7:7-9)
(And just to clarify, I'm speaking as a single man.)
            Marriage is awesome! Of course, marriage is also a ton of hard work! Marriage can actually have some pretty awful, strifeful moments at times and seem horrendous! But the vow of love before God helps hold a man and woman together and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (as Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 talks about.) If The Lord decides to let me have a wife- cool. If The Lord decides for me to remain single- cool. As Romans 14:8 says, whether I live or die- I'm The Lord's- I live and die to Him.
        As to all the business about being called to be single and such- I know Jesus refers to this some in Matthew 19. And I don't know that I feel "called" to be single (I don't know that I feel particularly "called" to anything other than called to obey God and preach The Gospel, as God commands in His Word in The Bible)- but I do know that whether I feel called to be celibate or not, I sure better be celibate as long as I'm single because sex outside of marriage is a sin.
        So I can understand the despair and discouragement and despondency and depression (wow- a lot of "d" words are rather dreary....) for the unwilling single person- I go through that some at times myself. But I honestly usually don't care- it's not that I particularly desire to be single or whatever- I would like to be married to the right woman someday- but until such time that God grants me a wife, I'll be a single virgin man who seeks to serve Christ with all his heart, soul, mind and strength even though he fails miserably quite often but still keeps trusting Jesus to work in him as Philippians 1:6 promises that Jesus will do until I'm there with Him in Heaven.
         Here's another "d" word that's a bit more cheery- Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4) Which doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get married. It may mean that you truly do find your joy solely in The Lord (Nehemiah 8:10) and that you're not really all that worried about getting married.
         And let's not make marriage to be more than it is. Our society in the world at large tends to worship it to some degree and elevate it to a wrong status. If we're looking to marriage to fulfill all of our longings and desires for company and companionship, we're going to be sorely disappointed when we finally get it. Jesus Christ is the only One who truly can fulfill all desires of the heart- but even that will not be fully realized until we're in Heaven.
          So I just try to keep my focus on Jesus and not worry too much about marriage and such- there's no marriage in Heaven anyway [in the sense of a man and woman uniting as one before God], so why should I worry about the mistful vapor years I've got on Earth with that when I've got eternity ahead of me with more important things of the Kingdom to consider? (Not to say that marriage on earth is not important though- as I said before, it's awesome! And it can be pretty horrible at times too. It's certainly never easy.) But there is the marriage supper of The Lamb in Heaven, so I'm glad to be on the invitation list for that. And yes- the church is the bride of Christ, but it really doesn't work too well for single men to say Jesus is my husband. wink emoticon But He is my Lord, Savior and Best Friend Forever (yes- He really is my BFF and yes, I really made that cultural reference- lol) :-) and that's the most important thing.
          And I must say I really thank Him for family and friends and brothers and sisters in Christ who remind me of the fellowship that we all enjoy together in Christ now and will enjoy eternally and more so than we've ever experienced here when we all get to Heaven. :-)
           So just remember God loves you and it'll be alright. And take your pain and loneliness to The Lord- Job and David and Habakkuk and Hannah and Naomi and Jeremiah and tons of others sure weren't shy about it- and God knows all of our needs and He will provide for them all according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) He may not provide all our wants, but it may be that He'll help us learn to be content in all situations (as Philippians 4 talks about right before that famous verse in 13- the one about how I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me- the one that might be better read as I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me.) And don't forget that those who have given up families for Christ's sake in this life will receive 100-fold times in the next. I think sometimes God is saying to us- I want you to want Me. :-) And that's no cheap trick- look at all that God has done for us- He wants us so badly He went to Hell and back for us when Christ died and rose to pay for our sins! 1 Corinthians 10:31 commands us to do everything as unto The Lord and not just unto men. Thus, whatever I do, I want to be single-minded in purpose as I focus on bringing God glory. If I can do that better as a married man, praise God! If I can do that better as a single man, praise God! :-) (God is praised always regardless.)
I know I don't want God as much as I should- but I want to want Him and want nothing else. And I pray as Thomas Merton did that even that in itself is pleasing to Him. And He'll take care of the rest, as Keith Green said.
         Hope those ramblings help someone else who was born a rambling man (or a rambling woman, as the case may be.) Take care and God bless.

A Wider Grace Appeal (Share Christ Our Saviour- Zeal) (song)

In Hebrews 11 in The Bible, we read about the pantheon of heroes of the faith throughout the Old Testament. It's often called the "Hall of Faith" chapter. By faith, they did what they did in service to God and strove to be faithful to Him. Some of my personal modern day Christian heroes of the New Testament age would have to be my own parents. They were faithful to follow The Lord's call on their lives to serve Him as missionaries across the world- first in Spain, then in Trinidad & Tobago and later in South Africa- as well as serving in America. It's never an easy thing to do- they had to leave the comforts of home and family and make sacrifices. Of course, Jesus says that all those sacrifices for Him will be repaid a hundred fold in Heaven. I thought it would be a nice tribute to procure a parody song for them from the harangue that I can too easily slip into at times. ;-) Their example of Christlike selflessness and hearts for the people of the world were the first witness I had to the Gospel and my need for Christ. I am so thankful for their obedience to Jesus and the life that I had growing up as a MK as a result. It gave me so many experiences and friendships I wouldn't have had otherwise, but most importantly- it showed me a great big picture of the lostness of the world and the need for the Saviour- and how the love of God spreads to encompass all the people of the world. We must continue to make a wider grace appeal and share Christ our Saviour with zeal as a result. Thanks for showing me such a great example of that, Mom and Dad. This one's for you.

(And as a special bonus with this song, my brother Kevin and I have collaborated to provide for an audio file that you can stream or download for free, thanks to Karaoke Version and Tency Music, who provided the excellent karaoke tracks that we used! :-) Stream or download the song for free at Kevin Ludwick's Bandcamp page! And while you're there, check out some other collaborations Kevin and I have done (including original songs) and Kevin's collection of his own original songs.) You can also listen to it from this blog in the player below!


"A Wider Grace Appeal (Share Christ our Saviour- Zeal)"
(parody of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 8/22/2016)
(Tribute to Mom and Dad's missionary work)
(Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 5:8, John 3:16-17, Mark 10:24-31, Romans 10:8-17, Luke 14:25-35, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 19:23-30, Romans 1:16, Philippians 1:21, Acts 17:26, Isaiah 1:18, Zechariah 4:6, Revelation 7:9, Jeremiah 20:9, Jude 1:20-25, Matthew 25:20-21, Psalms 31:14-15, Psalms 138)

Bry mixed with (a) lime and flamenco
Churns cocktail chocked with years
Christ's been leading Dub and Susan
They're found, called out and steered
To do what's something harder
Than believers usually seek
When they're called out for another life
The Saviour God's mouthpiece

And Lord Jesus their Saviour-
Like a mirror tell His tale
That He paid with precious blood to
Turn to white our blaze red fails

He said, "Come, let us reason"
And He used for Spain to see
Ludwicks- (for) 5 years- through their faithful hearts
Jesus te ama- si!
Then they shift scenes at God's urgings
Ten years preaching in Trinidad
Holy Ghost moved- eyes were opened
Then Christ leads (to) America- make tracks

And on to South Africa
Great Commission drove them there
Taught for 8 years- Holy Ghost saved
"Turn to Christ"- they're sharing here

All for Jesus our Saviour
....................................................................
released January 15, 2017
Singing, mixing/mastering: Kevin Ludwick
Lyrics: Nathan Ludwick
Music: Karaoke Version (www.karaoke-version.com) and Tency Music (www.tencymusic.com)