Questions for Atheists

Although it’s too late for an atheist to convince me that God doesn’t exist, my heart goes out to those who actually believe that this wondrous universe we live in (somehow) came from a singular explosion of primordial somethings.

Rather than arguing, I have some simple questions for atheists, questions which you may wish to ask doubters within your own sphere of influence. All of these questions have no legitimate answer, outside of “I don’t know-but God does.” Enjoy:

1. There are approximately two trillion galaxies in the universe. Each galaxy has about 100 billion stars.
Before coming into being, where’d the space come from to hold the stars?

2. Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. Which came first?

3. Matter exists as a solid, liquid, or gas. Which of these three forms came first?

4. Electrical charges of atoms are either positive, negative, or neutral. Which of these charges came first?

5. Sight, hearing, smelling, touch, and taste comprise the five physical senses. Which came first?

No doubt, you may have additional questions of your own to ask those you know to be atheists. Or at least questioners of God. The above five questions, when sincerely asked, could cause someone to think outside of his/her experiences. And at least contemplate the existence of someone we call God.

The seed you plant will be watered by someone else, but God will give the increase. Or maybe you’ll be the waterer of someone else’s seed. Either way, leave the results to God, and enjoy the above questions for atheists-or any thinker, for that matter.

When It’s Good to be Behind

Being behind carries a negative connotation of something happening that’s not good, such as any or all of the following: Behind in paying bills; behind in school; behind in getting ready for _______

You can add your own to this list, but you get the picture. Being behind is never a positive in today’s world. Or is it? Could there be an instance when it’s actually good to be behind?

The Bible, in Proverbs 3:5-6, tells us to trust in God with all of our heart, rather than our own (human reasoning). In all of our ways we are to acknowledge-recognize-God, and He will direct us.

No doubt every Christian wants God to lead, but how often do we either get so far ahead of God that we wonder where God went or get so far behind that “catching” up seems fruitless?

God’s way is for us to trust Him with not only His Plan for our lives, but each step along the way. Trusting Him with how to get to the destination is just as-if not more-important than knowing what God has for each of us.

If we’re out in front of God, we might not notice when He turns off the “road” we think He should still be on. Conversely, we could be so far behind Him that we missed seeing the “turn” He just made. 

God’s best is that we let Him lead, following close enough behind where we can see where He’s going. This is when it’s good to be behind. This is when there’s no chance of being left behind.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

What Time is Now?

Not what time is it now but, what time is now? Does “now” have a time? If so, what is it?

According to the Bible, faith is always now. There’s nothing past or future about faith. Jesus Himself said that when we pray for something (Mark 11:24) we are to believe that we receive the answer when we pray-then we’ll receive it in the future, whatever it is that we simply believed that we received when we prayed.

Once you receive the answer (i.e. finances, healing, job) you can stop believing-you’ll know it. You’ll have the finances in your hands, healing verified in your body; you’ll be working at your job. But faith is always now, never later, as is the case with hope.

As someone has said, there’s no such thing as later-on faith.

There are times when I’m tempted to look too much to the future. How long will it be until_______________? This recently happened, where I started to think about how many hours until my work week was over. To help keep my focus on the moment, the following phrase came to me: “now o’clock.” That, to me, was from God, spoken to my heart by His Holy Spirit.

God certainly cares about the future, but our focus is to be where we are right now, for what we say and do now creates our future. Focusing on now o’clock has helped me to major on right now, forgetting the past and trusting the future to God.

If, like me, you’ve been tempted to look too much to the future-or past-perhaps now o’clock will help your focus to be on your now.

What time is now? Day or night, it’s always now o’clock.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2018-2024

No Sequel Needed

Great books do not need a sequel; the original is sufficient in itself. Although sequels were done to them, books like To Kill A Mockingbird, Gone With the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz are, in my opinion, just fine as they are.

The greatest book ever written, and the one with the most annual sales is, actually, the Bible. Actually 66 books within the one Book, the Bible is history, a narrative of the life of Jesus Christ, and letters written to Christians. It also contains the book of Revelation, a lengthy vision that John, the last of the original disciples had regarding end times.

For centuries the Bible has endured criticism, derision, hatred, and questions concerning its sacred origins. It has survived countless attempts to eradicate it from the face of the earth, to be blotted out from all memory-all to no avail.

Jesus said that His words would not pass away (Matthew 24:35). The same is true concerning the rest of the Bible: what holy men of old wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) is as true today as when it was written. God says what He means and means what He says. No sequels, revisions, updates, or corrections are needed.. As I said in my book, Born To Win: A Study Guide for New Believers, God said it right the first time.

Much time is spent arguing whether the Bible is really God speaking to us today, or merely a work of fiction compiled from the pens of many men over the years. Any book that has changed countless lives over the last 2,000+ years is worth studying. It's the only book ever spoken by God through the lives of those who not only wrote what God said to write, but who first lived it.

Regardless of doubters, scoffers, and others opposed to God's Holy Word, the Bible's words were correctly written the first time. Unlike the afore-mentioned books, the Bible stands as the written will of God. As is. Forever. No sequel needed.

And that's more than enough proof for me to act upon the timeless truths of God's Word, the Book needing no sequel: The Bible.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

Watch Where You're Stepping

For those unfamiliar with cow and horse pastures, both species "do their business", whenever the occasion arises, resulting in the fall of manure upon the ground. Regardless of what you're wearing it pays to watch where you're stepping. The same is true in life. There's a lot of "stuff" that can fall along our life's path, things which the devil wants us to step in, so to speak,  things which God wants us to avoid. The only way to avoid the devil's messes is to watch where we're stepping, taking corrective action whenever necessary. So, how do we do this? How do we keep our steps clean?

Psalms 37:23 states that the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. In other words God has a plan for each person to fulfill, one planned step at a time. God never shows His whole plan to anyone, He reveals it one step at a time, expecting us to trust Him step by step. This is faith: taking the step you know to take without knowing where it will lead.

As I mentioned earlier the devil has "stuff" he wants us to step in along our way. Stuff like sickness, disease, poverty, unforgiveness, strife, doubt, and pride. None of these are good; none come from God. Being all wise, all of God's (wise) ways are ways of pleasantness; all of wisdom's paths are peace. Not always easy; not always simple.

Life isn't easy, nor is it always fair. God's ways, stepping where He says to, will sometimes seem too hard or just not worth it. Remember this, though: God always provides the way-the steps if you will-to accomplish His plan for your life. What may seem to be impossible to you may be the very step that God wants you to take, trusting Him to show you each next step, Yes, your shoes may stink at times, but God will clean you as you go, plus provide everything you need, including the right footwear.

If we're not careful, we can get sidetracked from the steps God has ordered for us. Steps which start out more convenient can quickly turn to regret. If this is you, don't go another step. Ask God to forgive you for stepping away from His path, then show you where/how to get back to walking in the step He's ordered (prepared) for you to walk in.

Watching where you're stepping doesn't mean ignoring what's around you. It means not letting anyone or anything keep you from being focused on stepping where/when God says, from walking in the way He wants you to go.

So, what's your next step? If you don't know, ask God to show you. If you do know, be obedient to to take it, trusting God with the outcome. And watch where you're stepping.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

Hank Potter and You

Colonel Henry (Hank) Potter served our country during WWll, as did thousands of other soldiers. What made Colonel Potter famous was him being the navigator for the lead bomber of Doolittle's Raiders, 16 bombers which bombed Tokyo, Japan, in April, 1942. The success of the mission proved that America could prevail against Japan's Imperial forces. As navigator, Col. Potter's job  "..was to plot a course and to give corrections to that course to the pilot during the flight and to keep account of time and distance and wind drift corrections as best he could.'', the standard description for all navigators at the time.

Hank Potter's job was to keep that lead B-25 bomber, piloted by James Doolittle, on its designed course, making necessary adjustments along the way. Without Col. Potter's expertise, the mission would have likely failed. Thank God for good navigators. In 2000, our youngest son, Jonathan, got to meet Col. Potter, then 82. What a treat when Jonathan was able to get his picture taken with this WWII hero. Col. Potter died in 2002.

Having the right navigator in life is of utmost importance. One who knows the way to your destination; one who can be counted on to make course corrections, as needed. I have found life's best navigator to be God Himself, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Only He knows which way I should go (Isaiah 48:17), as well as how to navigate my life as I go.

A lot of people apparently have the idea that becoming a Christian means giving up control of our life; everything's up to God. We're nothing more than righteous robots.

Righteous, yes; robots, no. Everyone, Christians included, has a choice. We can choose to live our lives our way; we can be the navigator of our own destiny. Some choose to do their own navigating when things are going well; crying out for guidance when things get rough. Some of us, though, have chosen the Holy Spirit to be our Navigator, in every situation.

God, through the Holy Spirit, wants to be our navigator each step of every day. God has a plan for each of our lives and, to be quite frank, is the only one who knows how to fulfill that plan. Only God knows where the bumps, turbulence, and other dangers are. But God's also a gentleman; He won't make us go somewhere or do something we don't want to do.

Those 80 men on that daring raid over Tokyo put a lot of trust in the hands of Colonel Hank Potter, trust that proved to be justified. How can we, as individuals, do any less in putting complete trust in the Navigator for each of our lives? God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, won't let us down; He won't lead us astray. He'll nudge us when it's time for "course" corrections. He won't fail us; He'll be our safe Guide in and through every storm.

If only we'll let Him.

As a Christian is God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, your Navigator? Is He the One Who both "plotted" the right course for you, and is being allowed to lead you to its destination?

If not, what's keeping you from saying, "Holy Spirit, You're my Navigator. I yield to Your guidance." If the Holy Spirit is your Navigator, how beneficial is that guidance?

 © Hubert Gardner Ministries 2016-2024

Your Mouth is a Dispenser

Back in the 1950s candy dispensers were popular with children, myself included. One would load the dispenser with rectangular pieces of candy, pull back on the head (often a cartoon character), and eat what the head dispensed. All that for a piece of flavored sugar. In a very real sense, our mouths are dispensers: dispensers of love, joy, and faith, or fear, doubt, and negativity. Instead of candy, however, our mouths are dispensing words. Those words are releasing sounds into the atmosphere, sounds which are being heard by those around us, as well as ourselves.

What kind of words are our mouths "dispensing" on an everyday basis? When a challenge presents itself how are we responding-or reacting-to the challenge? Are we dispensing words of "I don't know what to do", "Why is this happening to me?", or "This is __________fault." Or, are we training ourselves to respond with God's Words, such as "Greater is He Who's in me (First John 4:4) than this challenge (i.e.doctor's report, unexpected bill, loss of job) before me;" "God always causes me to triumph in Christ  (2 Corinthians 2:14);" "I'm more than a conqueror, through Christ (Romans 8:37)?"

The truth is our mouths are dispensing words of life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Every day our mouths are filling the atmosphere around us with what we say, either positive or negative; sometimes both. What's so interesting is that we choose what we say in everyday conversation. We are controlling the dispensing of words out of our mouths.

I think everyone wants to say right words; few are bent on being verbal "cesspools." For those of us who want to say the right words, it's a matter of guarding our words, making sure that our mouths are dispensing life, encouragement, blessing, and healing.

Your mouth is a dispenser, as is mine. I'm working on dispensing  God's Word out of the abundance of my heart, eliminating the negative being spoken out of my mouth. I invite you to join me in this profitable journey, for life.

What are some practical ways you're finding/have found to control the words being dispensed out of your mouth? What has been the result of the changes in your life?

Easter Egg Hunts in Life

As a boy, Easter egg hunts were part mystery, part tradition. The tradition was having them while being young; the mystery was finding all those colored eggs and candied "accessories." The hunt began with one written clue that, when properly understood, directed me to another clue in either our house or yard.The reward of finding and following successive clues resulted in possessing many brightly-colored eggs, as well as enough edible goodies to last at least a few days-maybe less. Our Christian walk is similar to those hunts of yesteryear. God gives us enough information to get us from one point to another in life. He never gives us the whole picture, so to speak-never gives us every clue at the outset. Doing so would eliminate having to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Doing so would cause us to take steps out of God's order, depending on our own wisdom and strength. In addition, we would miss out on the character development we acquire doing things God's way. Like the Easter egg hunt clues, God's steps are given in order, in order for us trust Him for the next clue, if you will.

The rewards for trusting God are more than any earthly Easter egg hunt ever promised. God not only rewards us in Heaven, but rewards us along the way, of obedience to walking in His steps.

What about your life? Are you trusting God for each life-step, or do you prefer to know all the steps at once, then hope you get them in the right order, each one taken at just the right time?