Steve Sikes Blog  

       
My brothers’ names start with the letters ‘St’ and my sisters’ names begin with the letters ‘Sh’; even our milk cow’s name was Shirley.  My question: Have you ever heard of anyone being killed because they couldn’t pronounce the ‘Sh’ sound?  Drastic but true!

In Judges, chapter 12, the inhabitants of Gilead fought and defeated the men from the tribe of Ephraim.  The Ephraim survivors fled home, only to find the Gileadites waiting for them at the Jordan River.  In order to identify that a refugee was from Ephraim or not, the Gileadites came up with a test:

They had each captive say the word, ‘Shibboleth’; if they couldn’t pronounce the ‘Sh’ sound and said ‘Sibboleth’ instead – they were killed!  Forty-two thousand Ephraimites died from failing to pass the ‘Sh’ test!  SHa-BANG!

For your information ‘Shibboleth’ is a Hebrew word that literally means the part of a plant containing grains, such as an ear of corn growing out.  Had any Jersey corn lately? Best ‘Shibboleth’ I’ve had! 

“And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil… The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head…he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)  It seems like all my spiritual family’s name begins with ‘Sh’! 

Can you say, SHIBBOLETH?!!  God is good all the time!  Mr. Steve

“One-Liners”
The Matt and Susie Downing family do a lot of ministry behind the scenes; one such ministry is to weekly change our marquee in front of our church building.  (Hint: I hope our new building has a big one!)

Anyway, kudos to the Downing’s for a job continually well-done!  It’s amazing how much truth can get packed into one line!  Here’s a selection of some one-liners:
  *Give God what is right – not what’s left.
  *A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
  *We don’t change God’s message – His message changes us.
  *Never give the devil a ride – he will always want to drive.
  *Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.
  *He who angers you controls you.
  *God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Jesus said more than a few one-liners in His three and one-half year ministry.  Here “go” three of them:
  *Go and sin no more (John 8:11).
  *Go, your faith has made you well (Mark 10:52).
  *Go therefore and make disciples… (Matt 28:19-20).

And, here’s one of my very favorite one –liners:
  *God is good all the time and all the time…  Mr. Steve

   
Reflecting on this past weekend, here are my personal observations of four different parents, all in four very different situations.
.     Last Friday: Patti and I sat by Carlotta Jones and watched her and Chris’ two children star in the play, Seussical the Musical!  Great job Christopher Jr. and Sharnice!  What talent!
.     Last Saturday: I traveled into Philadelphia and sat by the hospital bedside of a young lady who had been hit by a car while riding her bicycle in downtown Philly; she remains in a coma.  I talked and prayed with her mother who resides with her husband in Indiana.  God, please heal Alice Hershey!
.     Last Sunday: Patti and I witnessed the wedding of Courtney Wilson and Joe Pollard.  I watched Ray walk his daughter down the aisle and caught a glimpse of Bonnie’s radiant face as Courtney’s mother.  Congratulations, Joe and Courtney!
.     Yesterday: I cried by the bedside of my daughter, Jessica, who has endured migraine headaches almost 24/7 since she was 12 years old.  Her 26th birthday is today and her last few months have been the worst ever.  God, please heal our Jess!
. Parenting can be so exhilarating, excruciating, enchanting, and exhausting!  Parenting is more than joy & sorrow, celebrations & hard work; it is a lifetime commitment, but N. C. I. S.  (No Chance I’d Switch) with any other role in the universe!  I’ve learned so much about life as a parent and so much about parenting as a life.  See Luke 15:11-32!  GIGATT!
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Last Sunday we enjoyed two LOVE CIRCLES, one at each service!  (A love circle is what we do as a Pitman church family after every baptism.  We form a huge human chain encompassing the entire auditorium.  Then while holding hands we share encouragements, scriptures, and exhortations to our brand-new baptized brother or sister and pray over them.) 
. Here’s a small sample of the LOVE CIRCLE encouragements shared last Sunday to Linda and Vanessa:
• Always seek 1st the Kingdom -Matt 6:33
• Ask, Seek, Knock (Pray! Pray! Pray!)  -Matt 7:7
• Press on! -Philip 3:12-13
• Hide God’s Word in your heart -Psalm 119:11
• Give thanks! -Psalm 105:1-8
• Learn to be still and wait on the Lord -Psalm 46:10
• You can do all things through Christ -Philip 4:13
• Do not worry -Matt 6:31
• Set your mind on things above -Col 3:2-3
• Fix your eyes on Jesus -2 Cor 4:18
• Remember you are in a spiritual battle -Eph 6
• Hold unswervingly to the hope we profess -Heb 10:23
• Nothing can separate you from God’s love -Rom 8
• Me casa su casa!  We love you!  Happy Birthday!!
. Circle up!  God is good all the time! 
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A dear sister came by the office today.  She was recognizably in a great deal of pain.  She is trying to go about her days as normal as possible.  What courage & faith!
. How many members of our little church family live in constant pain without any relief?  I assure you, it is more than a handful!  Now, can you imagine living each day with no respite, no let-up, no reprieve? 
. Eliphaz, a friend of Job, couldn’t have been more wrong when he came to one of the most ridiculous conclusions ever made in the Bible, “ the innocent do not suffer.”  OF COURSE THEY CAN AND MANY DO!  Eliphaz’s spiritual world-view was found wanting when he opened his mind to Job, “According to what I have seen”¦(Job 4:7-8).  Truthfully, Eliphaz hadn’t seen much! Conversely, my dear ones in pain, HOLD ON!

God is God…

“He sees and hears all our troubles, all our tears. Soul, forget not, ‘mid thy pains, God o’er all for ever reigns… For this life’s long night of sadness He will give us peace and gladness. Soul, remember, in thy pains, God o’er all for ever reigns.” (Spurgeon)                         
. GIGATTAATTGIG!

Isaiah 7:10-11 “Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ˜Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
. In the last week I’ve listened to three children pray asking God to heal their daddy from cancer, and I’ve listened to prayers asking God to give a three year-old daughter a new heart.  Two different families; two HUGE prayer requests!
. Sometimes my prayers are pretty weak and shallow, even though I serve a Father in heaven who says that He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21). 
. Just imagine a HUGE God who answers HUGE Prayers! 
.     On the other hand, NOT praying HUGE prayers tries the patience of God (Isaiah 7:12-13)! 
.     By the way, the parents’ HUGE prayer request for their daughter’s new heart was answered early Tuesday morning.  We now expectantly await God’s answer to the HUGE prayer request of three children for their daddy.
. PRAY HUGE!  GIGATTAATTGIG! 
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Last Sunday morning, Dr. Carl Brecheen shared with us that the Hebrew word, Shema, means “hear” or “listen.”  Listen to the beginning of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
. • You shall love Adonai your God
• With all your heart, with all your soul,
• And with all your might.
• And these words
• Which I command you today
• Shall be in your heart.
• You shall teach them diligently to your children
• And you shall speak of them
• When you are sitting at home
• And when you go on a journey
• When you lie down
• And when you rise up.
• You shall bind them as a sign on your hand
• And they shall be jewels between your eyes
• You shall inscribe them on the doorposts
• Of your house and on your gates.
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The SHEMA (pronounced shuh MAH) is the Jewish confession of faith which begins, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut 6:4). The complete Shema is found in three passages from the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41.
. According to Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “The first of these passages stresses the unity of God and the importance of loving Him and valuing His commands. The second passage promises blessing or punishment according to a person’s obedience of God’s will. The third passage commands that a fringe be worn on the edge of one’s garments as a continual reminder of God’s laws. This collection of verses makes up one of the most ancient features of worship among the Jewish people.”
In Deuteronomy 6, an inspired Moses gives at least SEVEN very good reasons why the Jews were to daily follow the Shema.  Observing and obeying the Shema for the Jew was literally the difference between life and death!
. Why observe?  HEAR THOU:
1. So you won’t forget the Lord who delivered you! (6:12)
2. So you will fear only the Lord your God and worship and revere Him! (6:13)
3. So you will NOT follow after any other gods! (6:14)
4. So you won’t be wiped off the face of the earth! (6:15)
5. So you won’t test God! (6:16)
6. So it may go well with you! (6:17-18)
7. So you can share your faith story of deliverance with your children! (6:20-25)
. What does any of this have to do with us today?  LISTEN to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40; “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
. He who has ears to hear, let him ‘SHEMA’!  God is good all the time!  Steve

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We both grew up in Southwest Oklahoma; my parents and his parents were spiritual leaders in the same church family.  Twenty years later, I was married to Patti and he was married to Smitty.  I knew him by reputation as being part of one of the best marriage enrichment (Brecheen-Faulkner) tandems ever put together.  Patti & I were blessed to attend several of their seminars.  In 1990, Carl was a professor at ACU and I was a graduate student and full-time preacher.  After my graduation, Carl asked if he could mentor me in presenting marriage enrichment seminars.  We worked together between the years 1992-1996.  God is good all the time!
. It is not often you are blessed to work side-by-side with one of your heroes of faith; I have been blessed!  Here are FIVE wisdom nuggets I received from Carl over the years.  They’ve made a positive difference in my marriage/parenting. 
. 1. Read a chapter of Proverbs to your family every day.  (Whatever day of the month it is, read that particular chapter. Today is July 12, so read Prov. 12 & discuss).
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2. Remember the four most important minutes of the day!
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3. Pray.  Pray.  Pray.  (Ask me about the four minutes!)
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4. Enrich your marriage by going to a marriage seminar, encounter, or get-away with your spouse every year.
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5. Lead!  (Carl gave me my 1st copy of Point Man in 1992.)
. Thank You, God, for Carl & Smitty!  “Give Me Five!”  Steve

Generally when Americans think about a day in which we celebrate our freedom, we think about July 4.  However, there is another independence holiday that is celebrated in the United States that I had not heard about until four years ago – it’s called “Juneteenth” (also known as “Emancipation Day” or “Freedom Day”).  It is a holiday observed on June 19 across the nation, but for over a century was mainly celebrated by African Americans in Texas and parts of Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.  The name “Juneteenth” was probably derived from the slang combination of the words June and nineteenth.
. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 and again on New Year’s Day, 1863, during the American Civil War.  This proclamation ordered the liberating of all slaves from every state.  However, without Union troops to enforce Lincoln’s order, slavery continued in the South for over two more years.
. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger and his 2,000 troops marched into Galveston, Texas and publically declared that slavery in America was ended.  History notes that the reaction of the slaves hearing about their freedom for the very first time was mixed, ranging from shock and disbelief to jubilation! 
. Can you imagine being decreed free but not knowing it for over two years?!  I know I wouldn’t want to be a slave one second longer than freedom’s declaration!  Really?
. Have you not heard?  You were created for freedom (Gal 5:1)! 
. God is good all the time! Steve

“An Ephesian 6:4 father is the compass boys read to find the correct path to masculinity and girls read to find the right road to femininity.”  Steve Farrar, POINT MAN
. Bob Keesee is our oldest son’s father-in-law.  He’s quiet, unassuming and always serving.  I saw Bob again several weeks ago in Chicago at our son’s medical school graduation and reception weekend.
. Two of Bob and Sharlene’s three daughters were in Chicago for the weekend’s festivities (of course, one of them is married to our son, Jordan!).  I watched Annie and Jacqueline sit on their dad’s lap, hold his hand, rest their head on his shoulder, laugh at his corny jokes, sing and pray with him, walk beside him, etc.
. I was reminded of a particular chapter in Steve Farrar’s book, Point Man, entitled: “How to raise masculine sons and feminine daughters.”  All three of Bob and Sharlene’s daughters are godly, spiritual, serving, kind, caring, respectful of others, and feminine.  Sharlene, their mother, has a lot to do with how her daughters turned out but so does their father, Bob. 
. “In gender role development, the evidence points to fathers as having the more important influence, not only in fostering a male self-concept in boys, but femininity in girls.  Mothers do contribute to their daughters’ adoption of the feminine role, but have little influence on the masculinity of their sons.”
. The above is a quote Farrar takes from Ambrom & Salkind’s book, Child Development.  Farrar goes on to say that he believes the key scripture for daughter’s becoming feminine and sons becoming masculine is Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” 
. The following are several of Steve Farrar’s points about this particular passage:
• Fathers should raise their children in fairness (NOT embitter/provoke their children)
• Fathers should raise their children with tenderness
• Fathers should raise their children with firmness
• Fathers should raise their children in Christ
. Six ways fathers can embitter their children:
1. By overprotection
2. By favoritism
3. By discouragement
4. By forgetting that the child growing up has a right to have ideas of his own, and need not be an exact copy of his father
5. By neglect (SPEND TIME WITH YOUR KIDS!)
6. By bitter words and outright physical cruelty
. Four tips that can help a man develop tenderness with his children:
1. Listen to them and respect their feelings
2. If you have been wrong or too harsh, admit your wrongdoing and ask their forgiveness
3. Listen to the input your wife gives you about each child
4. Be “high touch” and dispense liberal doses of encouragement to both sons & daughters

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OH, DID I FORGET TO MENTION BOB’S DAD (the girls’ grandpa)?!  He was a compass to his kids before Bob became a compass to his; an original POINT MAN who kept pointing his life and heart toward the perfect compass  JESUS!
. GIGATTAATTGIG!
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I drove it between the years 1967-1970.  It was a dark blue 1957 Dodge Coronet, with push button gears and big rear fins.  We proudly called it the “Batmobile”.  When started up, it blew out a big cloud of white smoke.  I thought it was cool to sneak in and turn the ignition while my classmates were talking and leaning against it at school.  Man, did they cough!
. This past Sunday, Greg Krinks handed me my birthday card.  (Many of you reading this have received individualized BD cards from Greg.  His is an amazing ministry!)  Anyway, this year’s card really got my attention!  It had a look-a-like picture of my ‘57 on the front with embossed words that read: “May the warm winds of His grace greet you at every turn.”  Amazing!  Not only did my BD card include a picture of my ‘57, but it came with an encouragement of grace as well!  Greg went on to personalize my card even more with added words of encouragement.  What a special gift of grace! 
. Turning 57 this year reminded me that I have become my “Dodge Coronet” in more ways than one!  So, I’m tooting my horn for Greg Krinks – a shepherd of grace, majoring in words of grace, transformed by the God of all grace (I Pet 5:10)! 
. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!   
GIGATTAATTGIG!
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I received my order to report for my armed forces physical examination in January of 1973.  I was a junior in college at Harding University.  Several of my college peers had already been drafted and since my draft number was “81” out of 366—I suspected I would be following them soon.
. My letter stated that I needed to report at the Searcy, Arkansas bus station at 6:00 am on Friday morning, January 26, 1973.  I remember getting up early that Friday and going down to the bus station and reporting.  I showed them my letter expecting them to hand me my bus ticket and send me on my way to Little Rock.  However, after several minutes they came back to me and said, “Mr. Sikes, for some reason we cannot locate your information and ticket.  Go on back to school today and we will get in touch with you some time next week.  I breathed a sigh of relief, said “Thank You, God” and returned to campus.
. For those of you knowledgeable about the Vietnam draft – it was suspended the next day on Saturday, January 27, 1973, the day the Vietnam peace pacts were signed!  I never heard from anyone again about going to Little Rock and taking my physical or about being drafted into the military for the Vietnam War.
. Why was I spared from going to Vietnam when others better than me, godlier than me, not only were drafted but were maimed or killed?  I have no idea.  But ever since 1973 I have felt a great indebtedness to all those who have served in the military, during times of war and times of peace.
I didn’t deserve to be spared from war.  I know that.  I didn’t deserve NOT to be drafted, when so many homes were torn apart by the draft.  I know that.  I still don’t understand all that happened and didn’t happen to me in 1973, but the above events have fostered, along with the Bible, my theology of GRACE.
. Have you read Deuteronomy, chapters 7-9 lately?  Why did the Lord God choose the Jews to be the people that would bring forth His Son?
. 1. Because they were the strongest nation?  No!  There were 7 nations stronger than them!  (Deut 7:1)
2. Because they were more numerous than other peoples?  No!  They were the fewest!  (Deut 7:7)
3. Because they were the most righteous?  No!  They were a stiff-necked people surrounded by wicked nations!  (Deut 9:4-6)
. “Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (6)
. The Jewish nation was chosen by God by GRACE!  There was nothing they did to deserve God’s blessing!  God called them to be faithful, to follow and obey Him, and if they did, they would be blessed!
. You and I have been chosen by God by GRACE!  “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”  (Eph 2:8)  We have all been given much GRACE!  How then should we live? 
. GIGATTAATTGIG!
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When I was in grades one, two and three – he was one of my best friends.  We sat in the classroom, played baseball and swam in the pond together.  I moved at the beginning of my fourth grade year and didn’t see Ricky until college, nine years later.  Being reunited was such a blessing!
. During the end of our first semester as college freshmen, Ricky talked to me about his leaving school and joining the armed forces.  He did and was killed in action the next year.
. Vietnam was an ugly war, but then again, all wars are ugly.  Wars maim, kill, destroy people’s lives, take loved ones away, and leave devastating memories that for many survivors result in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  I miss Ricky; I’ve gone to the Viet Nam Memorial Wall twice to find his name.  There’s always been a crowd of people around –  rubbing a loved one’s name on a piece of paper, leaving flowers, taking pictures, crying…
. Our congregation has more than a few who have defended our country and the freedoms of other nations.  I have utmost respect for our servicemen and women.  Whatever one thinks about war, one thing I do know – freedom is expensive. Ask Jesus. God is good.

If you haven’t heard yet, our youngest daughter, Crystal, will be interning with the Pitman teens this summer!  Her first day “on the job” is May 18. 
Crystal is 22 and a student at Rochester College.  She has also worked two years as a Para-professional in an elementary school.
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Crystal has a heart for children and a heart for God.  Plus, she has a sense of humor!  Crystal’s always used words that “sound” close but don’t quite fit the situation. 
. My favorite humorous story along this line is the time Crystal was in the 3rd grade.  On this particular day, I drove to pick her up after school had been dismissed.  Crystal hopped in our GEO and without missing a beat said, “Dad, a terrible thing happened at school today!” 
. What thing? 
. “One of the boys in my classroom got sick and the teacher had to call his parents and they took him to the doctor!” 
. That is pretty bad, Crystal. 
. “But that’s not all, Dad.  Tomorrow they’re going to take him to the hospital and take out his INDEPENDENCE!” 
. I laughed till I cried, but my prayer this summer for Crystal, the teens and all of us, is – “God, take out our ‘INDEPENDENCE’ (Luke 9:23).” 
. GIGATT! 

I remember as a teenager going out the back door of our farm house at 5:30 am to feed the hogs, milk the cow and walk my show-calf.  I had to pass through the dining room to go outside, and many times that’s where I would see Mom… sitting at the dining room table with a lamp shining over her head reading her Bible before the sun’s rising.  I didn’t think so much about it then – it wasn’t an uncommon sight for me to see.  But now that “Polaroid picture” of Mom reading her Bible early in the morning goes across my mind quite often.
. Mom’s days were always full with: helping Dad with the secretarial work at the children’s home; being the home’s chorus director; being the children’s home barber of the 65 boys, including our family; being the mom of 13 children; etc.  Jam-packed days!  Yet, Mom still found time to start her mornings with reading and prayer.
. I’ve never met a more positive person and servant than my mother.  Her infamous line, when asking someone to join us for a meal or a place to sleep, has always been (as long as I can remember), “There’s always room for one more.”
. When I was preaching in Texas and going to graduate school at Abilene Christian University, I took Patti to a good old fashioned beef & beans country cookout with guitar music.  The proprietor of the establishment came over to our table and we began talking.  I discovered that at one time he had been a preacher and he discovered that I had grown up on a farm on the Texas/Oklahoma border.  He then began to share a story about the time he was in preaching school and had gone with a group to a town not too far from our farm to knock on doors and share the gospel.  He said on the way back home their car broke down and they walked to the nearest farm house.  I’ll let him tell the rest of the story in his own words…
. “We walked up to this farm house around 8:00 pm and knocked on the door.  When the door opened there was a mother holding a newborn baby in her arms surrounded by a whole passel of children of all different ages.  When we told them our car had broken down, up the road a piece, she invited us all in.  She and her husband fed us, gave us a place to sleep and helped us get our car fixed the next day.  I’ll always remember what this mother told us that night before we accepted her invitation to come in and spend the night, “Please stay with us.  There’s always room for one more.”
. I looked at that proprietor and said, “You stayed at my farm house!  That was my mother and my family at the door that night!”  (Mom had just returned home from the hospital with a newborn baby!)
. The older I get and the more I read my Bible, the more I realize that the heart of God can be summarized by Mom’s same words of hospitality, “There’s always room for one more!”  Listen how the apostles, John and Peter, describe God’s heart of redeeming hospitality:
. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
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Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers of hospitality! God’s arms are wide, His table is spread, and truly “There’s always room for one more!” God is good!  Mr. Steve
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