Pictures of the Past; Visions of the Future

If your home is like mine, your walls are adorned with pictures of your family members.  Some of them are of family who died before I was born, like my mom's mom, Fanny Stevenson. She was from Winnsboro, SC, and my father loved her as the mom he never had.  There are pictures of my parents  after their marriage during World War II, reflecting a younger couple filled with hope, love and a future together.  There are wedding pictures of Steve and Vicki Mentzer and the joy of our marriage--Stefani.  These pictures represent the actions, intentions, and lives of God's creation. 

Hands

Last night as Stefani and I were at the Ohio Valley Mall finishing up our shopping for mommy, suddenly her hand slipped into mine.  I looked down at this beautiful gift from God and told her the story of how we taught her to hold mommy and daddy's hands when she was just a toddler.  I would at first say the word, hands, and placed her hand into mine.  When this had been done for a while, it became normal to put my hand down beside me and soon find a tiny hand in mine.  So, as we walked in the mall, daddy and daughter walked hand in hand as if it was the most natural thing in our life. 

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands Psalm 63:4

We now attend a non-denominational church, but from a baptist background, the raising of hands was not done in public worship.  I have since learned God desires his children to raise their hands toward him in prayer AND worship.  Just as a small child raises his/her hands to be picked up, God's children may assume the same posture.  Also as a child of God's I want to place my hands purposefully into his as a sign of submission and obedience.  This is neither a harsh submission nor a mandatory obedience, but one derived from the love I have for him because of the greater love he has for me. 

Jesus told his disciples to follow him and at times called them teknia, or little children.  I like the image of being a teknia of Jesus.  It is not the word used for a baby or newborn, but the word for a child under training.  I like the thought of placing my hand into his.  Stefani would at times take my hand to examine it.  She looked at my rings (wedding band and seminary class ring), my fingernails, or the hair on the back of them.  Why not?  She was placing hers in mine.  Likewise if I had the chance to see the hands of Jesus, like Thomas, I would stare at the hole in the center.  I would be amazed at the rough, calloused hands of the son of a carpenter.  Why not?  I was placing my life into his.

As I showed this post to one of the hospice nurses, she told me how when her daughter Ashley had been born they needed a sign for her name because the dad's side of the family was totally deaf.  Ashley's deaf sign was a closed hand (letter A) in the palm of the hand (as it was placed in her mom's soon after birth).  It is amazing what lessons newborns and toddlers can teach their grown-up parents. 

Things Lost Amid the Packages and Paper

Five years ago our daughter Stefani came down the stairs to a beautiful tree, presents, and family and the look was priceless as her eyes glimmered in the cascade of the white lights on the tree.  The living room was filled with toys and clothes for an only child/grandchild, and dressed in her Christmas footie pajamas was accompanied by her favorite pillow, Po.  He had for five years taken up residence in her crib and big girl's bed and had the Lord's Prayer on his face.  It was a long term member of the family having been Nan-Nan's mom's pillow.  As has been our tradition since she was born, we read the Christmas story from scriptures, lit a birthday candle for Jesus,  and sang Happy Birthday.  At the end of the day, five bags of trash were taken to the curb for the trash truck to pick-up the next day.  Suddenly, we discoverd Po was MIA (Missing In Arms) of a sobbing five year old little girl.  Daddy walks outside in bare feet and a cold drizzling rain to nearly empty the bags looking for a beloved friend and companion.  After long minutes, a dad had to walk in and hold Stefani informing her he could not be found. 

Is Christmas A Humbug?

In Dicken's Christmas Carol, the principle character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is famous for the phrase, Bah, Humbug! The word is also immortalized in the Wizard of Oz as the Scarecrow calls the revealed fake wizard a humbug.  The term means fake, false, deceptive or a hoax.  Ebenezer is rejected by his father after the death of his wife's giving birth to him.  He fills his life with money that is powerless to reject him.  Like his father, he rejects all forms of love, companionship, and family; rejecting them before they can do it to him.  In one of the staves or segments of the book, the husband of Belle, Ebenezer's former fiancee says he saw him in his counting house "all alone in the world."  It is said of Dickens , "His view of life was later to be described or dismissed as “Christmas philosophy,” and he himself spoke of “ Carol philosophy” as the basis of a projected work. His “philosophy,” never very elaborated, involved more than wanting the Christmas spirit to prevail throughout the year, but his great attachment to Christmas (in his family life as well as his writings) is indeed significant and has contributed to his popularity." (biography.com)  Christmas was a theme through many of Dickens stories and while his father was imprisoned for debt in England, Charles was forced out of school to work in a factory to help with the family and gained an understanding of the working class in England.  These events would find themselves as a basis for many of his characters and backdrops. 

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?  (Mark 8:35-37 The Message)

Scrooge tried to save himself into prosperity and rejected mankind, even the least of man--the poor and destitute.  Scrooge is a picture of anyone who believes that self is more important than others.  Scrooge lost his way, perhaps because of his upbringing.  In contrast to the harshness of his father he was introduced to Fezziwig, who showed a young man the joy of fellowship and Christmas.  So who was the real fake--Fred, the nephew who continually welcomed his uncle to his home or Scrooge who saw everyone and everything Christmas related as a fraud?

Miniature Minstrels and the Message of Christmas

As the school year gets ready for Christmas break (yes, Christmas break and not holiday break or Winter solstice) children seem to sense with hopeful expectation the time off from school and the coming of the red-suited Mr. Claus.  School music teachers have worked hard for weeks to put together a choral event for the parents and as a first grader at Pinelock Elementary, I remember attending in a red sweater vest knitted by my aunt.  I can’t remember the songs but I am sure they were a mixture then of secular and religious Christmas carols.  Parents set up elaborate video machines so they can remember little Johnny or Susie singing their heart out.  Some children fidget around while others are so shy they mouth the words hoping to blend in with the others.  It makes no difference to the parent; they just love watching their prodigy from the auditorium.  I am sure over the decades since I sang in my red sweater vest the programs have shifted from mostly Christian to mostly secular with the motivation of “so we don’t offend anyone”.  Those who change the focus of Christmas would never think of tinkering with other religious holidays, i.e. Ramadan, Chanukah, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, but target the celebration for the birth of Christ for ridicule and derision. 

Are You Dead From No Faith or No Works?

As I am frying up some delicious pierogies from Pierogies Plus in Pittsburgh, I was thinking about a question Stefani asked me the other day.  “Daddy, can I ask you a question?” she asked.  “Which do you prefer, being a pastor or a chaplain?”  I replied, “A chaplain.”  She said, “But you work with death!”  I had been thinking about this for a couple of days and then realized all pastors, counselors, chaplains, or missionaries work with death. 

Our Own Worst Enemy

When I envisioned doing a daily blog taking daily events and combining scriptural teaching, I thought it would be rather easy.  Often times though I find myself stuck with "writer's block."  Many events happen but I find myself glued to my keyboard unable to write.  I begin to wonder if people really read or enjoy my blog or if the things I write really help others as they help me in my Christian walk.  I at times can be my own worst enemy. 

Learning Faith at the Golden Arches.

I decided to get up at 4:30 each weekday morning so I can write my blog before work and I am now at my local McDonald’s restaurant with my usual Sausage McMuffin and unsweetened tea with Splenda.  The one thing about McDonald’s is consistency.  Ray Kroc bought the McDonald brothers’ business years ago and began the concept of franchising the name, products, and the famous “Golden Arches” to people who wanted into the restaurant business.  The guarded or proprietary secrets of the corporation are known to only a few people but they guarantee the Sausage McMuffin I am enjoying now will be exactly like one I would eat in Germany.  On my tray is a picture of the Big Mac and I know the sandwich’s “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” will taste the same in the over 1,000+ stores worldwide.  The success of McDonald’s is people can rely upon this consistency over and over again. 

WARNING!  I AM ABOUT TO BOAST!  PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Before I came into ministry, I worked in the hospitality industry.  I started when I was fifteen years old washing dishes at a six-hundred room hotel.  It took three of us to operate the dish machine to handle the dishes, silverware, and glasses for two restaurants.  I went to Johnson & Wales University and majored in hotel food and beverage management to the Masters level and spent one year in culinary arts.  Just before seminary I worked as a Director of Catering and we entered a local food competition showcasing our services to over five-hundred participants who would would vote on the best one.  We won People's Choice Award, beating fourteen other restaurants.  It was my recipe for New England Clam Chowder we entered. 

An Aroma Better Than Cologne

As a teenager of the seventies, I remember the various commercials for men's cologne.  There were such names as Hai Karate, Canoe, Jovan Musk, Brut, and my favorite, British Sterling.  I never could afford it as a teen, but I loved the commercial.  A man standing in the country is met by a beautiful woman in a rather low cut dress riding on a huge horse.  She bends down from the side-saddle position with a silver tray in her hand and presents to the man in a tweed jacket a bottle with a silver cap.  The end of the commercial goes this way, "All my men wear British Sterling or they were nothing at all!"  It was an effective commercial if I can remember is forty years later. 

Shining Like A Christmas Light

For over twenty-five years, Wheeling and the Oglebay Resort have been the hosts to hundreds of thousands of visitors during the holiday season as they travel through the three hundred acre park and the beautiful displays of color and motion. This display is one of the nation's largest and the six mile drive through the lights brings AOLTravel's designation as one of the "10 Best Christmas Light Displays in the US." (oglebay-resort.com) The colorful lights flash their color into the dark West Virginia sky and at times the demand by the public leads to traffic jams of those wishing to be part of the festivities. The displays are being retro-fitted with LED lights to reduce the cost of electricity by as much as 85% and last five times longer than the former incandescent light bulbs.

Trees, Tinsel, and Turmoil

Black Friday earned a new low when a woman used pepper spray on a group of other shoppers. "The attack took place about 10:20 p.m. Thursday shortly after doors opened for the sale. The store had brought out a crate of discounted Xbox video game players, and a crowd had formed to wait for the unwrapping. Valle says the woman began spraying people in order to get an advantage."(Huffinton Post.com)  Incidents like this filled newspapers and blogs across the country.  A man from West Virginia had a heart attack amid a crowd of buyers who walked around his unconscious body.  He would die later but did receive help from medical personnel who happened to be in the Target.  Black Friday got its name in 1966 by the Philadelphia Police Department "to describe the crowds and traffic jams associated with the beginning of the Christmas shopping season."  (About.com)  Retailers use this day to make massive sales and during the Great Depression, retailers asked President Roosevelt to move the Thanksgiving date to one week earlier in November to lengthen the shopping season.

Now, our family did go out to the stores on Friday afternoon and we were amazed by the hoardes of people still standing in line for the bargains.  Sadly, is this a sign the Christmas season has shifted further from the Prince of Peace to the purchase of packages?

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. Isaiah 9:5-7

Christmas is more than a season.  Isaiah identifies four titles of the Messiah, Jesus.  The Prince of Peace describes the fact he will establish, rule and be an example of the peace man can have with God because of the Child given to mankind.  The rush to save money, buy goods, and give presents usually causes many to wish for the end of this season sooner than December 25th, falling into their easy-chair that afternoon with a sigh of exhaustion.  Maybe they value the opinions of others as determined by the present and its cost more than the value of the Prince of Peace. God gave us the gift not wrapped in beatiful paper but in swaddling clothes.  These clothes were strips of cloth used in preparation for the dead.  Those on journeys would wrap these around their waists incase they died on the trip.  This sign, spoken of the angel gives us a clue this Child would suffer death in place of his parents, Mary and Joseph, and the rest of mankind who receive this Gift. 

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Quarterbacking for Christ

Jake Plummer is the former quarterback for the Denver Broncos who recently made some comments about the present quarterback, Tim Tebow.  "Tebow, regardless of whether I wish he'd just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he's a winner and I respect that about him,"Plummer said. "I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I'll like him a little better.  I don't hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff."  (AOL.Sportingnews.com)

Tim Tebow's extraordinary life in football speaks of a dedicated and hardworking player who excelled to become a professional football player.  The first ever sophomore to win the Heisman trophy, the accolades continued to roll in throughout his entire college career.  The son of a baptist missionary, Tim along with his siblings were home schooled by their mother until high school.  In college he was given the rare distinction of being selected by his teammates for three years as the most valuable player.  The quarterback leads the offensive players to victory by a list of plays which are either sent in by the offense coach or the head coach.  He follows the plays which have been instilled in him by rounds of study, drills, and scrimmages. 

You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.  Psalm 44:4-8

I only played school-boy football on vacant lots or on the playground at school.  Most of the time I was the last one selected because I was not very athletic.  Tim Tebow would not find a threat in me for his job with Denver.  However, each believer is part of God's team which will one day defeat His enemies: Satan, Death, and the Grave.  It will not be by our own efforts but taking the plans which God has given us and following them.  God trains us, develops us, scrimmages us, and then encourages us as any good coach to take the name of God, I AM, into a dark world.  Living his faith in a public way has made a target of Tim Tebow from those who reject or ridicule his God.  As a running quarterback, he is accustomed to having the enemy chase him when he carries the ball. 

Well teammates, the ball is also now in our hands.  Hike! 

What Trails Are You Leaving in this World?

This morning I watched as two planes flying thousands of feet in the sky left long, white streams of clouds called contrails.  A contrail gets its name from the words condensation trails.  As the plane flies in the frigid air, the moisture from the exhaust of the engines condenses into puffy white streams.  If the atmosphere is dry this moisture might be absorbed and no trail would be seen.  These trails can remain depending upon the upper level winds and when your eye follows them you might even find the plane which left the stream across the blue sky.

Like following the direction of the contrail across the beauty of God's heavens, the nation of Israel followed the cloud God brought to lead the people during the day and a pillar of fire by night.  As anyone who has ever tried instructing a child to do a task, doing it so they can see always has a better reward. Why?   Students with a visual learning style rely on sight to take in and understand information. They remember what they have seen.

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, Psalm 107:2

This past weekend at the Vineyard, the pastor baptized over forty people during four services of the church.  As the person stepped into the baptismal, they moved the waters.  As they were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they moved the waters.  And as they were raised to a new life as Paul said, they again moved the waters.  These are the beginnings of the contrails the believer should make as they travel through this world.  The redeemed of God are to tell their stories of how God saved them from death and the grave, and if they need, they should use words.  As we helped to collect food for the House of the Carpenter, a feeding ministry in Wheeling, WV, Stefani asked me why people would refuse to purchase even a can of soup to give?  I told her they may not know the "Greatest Gift of God" and how this gift changes our hearts of stone for hearts of flesh.  We knew it and it gave us joy to help.  It also was a contrail of our life showing the world and giving testimony of our redemption. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

How Would You Fair in God's Audit?

For the last couple of days our office faced the audit from the state of Pennsylvania.  When I worked in the restaurant industry years ago, a health inspector would come in monthly to check the sanitation we provided in serving our customers.  Some people would get flustered as they escorted the inspector around the building as they looked into every crack and crevice.  Others, trusting in their management skills knew they had a clean store and would pass the inspection with perhaps minor adjustments. 

We fear the word audit in business, perhaps because we think we are in an uncontrollable situation and either our jobs or reputations are on the line.  During my interview with the auditor I knew the work I had done, previously having been reviewed by our company's own auditor, would meet the state's muster.  The auditor asked procedural questions and my answers were accepted.  Today, my boss told me my section of the audit was very good.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. Romans 5:1-2 NIV

Paul tells us God "credited" righteousness to Abraham because he believed God would do what he promised to accomplish in him.  The "crediting" is also to those who believe God raised Jesus from the dead.  This righteousness is not our's and if we were to stand before God's audit without it, we would be in a world of hurt.  But, when the day comes for us to stand before God, not by works or by the law, but by the "credited" righteousness of God, we will not need to panic.

A Daunting Task or Undaunting Faith

Twenty-three days before the Nazis surrendered in World War II, a protestant pastor was executed for his stance against the Nazis' policy toward Jews.  From the doctor at the prison, "“I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer ... kneeling on the floor praying fervently to God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.(Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, p. 927)  As a member of the Confessing Church in Germany, you could imagine the thoughts, fears, and dread others of this church felt. 

Now go back nearly two-thousand years ago to a room holding those disciples of Christ who had been told to wait in Jerusalem by Jesus.  These men and women had seen their friend, mentor, and teacher die, resurrected, and now ascended into the heavens.  What next?  Jesus told them they would be witnesses throughout the known world and here they were still afraid of arrest.  Then, the presence of the Holy Spirit comes upon them and The Church begins.  Century upon century it still continues, not because of men or women, but the power of God's Spirit in the lives of those believers.

Men and women of the Vineyard in Wheeling, you have begun a study in small groups which studies this magnificent launch of the body of Christ and you may wonder, "What is my role in this?"  The answer is easy but the application can be daunting.  No it is not a mystical or magical power but the very real power which brings salvation to the sinner and support for the saint.  It is a power which proves the very presence of God in your life and mine. 

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord... Ephesians 5:18b-19 (NIV)

Some translations of the passage use such words as "be filled and stimulated by the Holy Spirit" to convey two parts.  The first requires the daily filling.  Just as cars do not move without fuel, Christians cannot be propelled into the world to be witnesses without the filling of the Holy Spirit.  In addition, the filling leads to the next step--motion.  Witnesses are on the move for the Lord, with their spiritual radar watching for the next opportunity to testify. 

One when I was a new Christian I was hitch-hiking to get to college.  When a car pulled up beside me to give me a ride and the driver said he was going in my direction, I said, "Praise the Lord!"  He asked me if I was a religious nut and I said no.  I regret to this day the choice of a car instead of Christ.  I have learned with growing faith, nothing is worth Christ.  Keep studying in your groups and I look forward to meeting you in the coming weeks.    Steve

Do You Remember Where You Were?

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BLOG, WATCH THE FIRST VIDEO STREAM. 


I was sitting in my office after only nine months as the pastor of a church in West Virginia.  My representative from our Missions and Ministers Board was sitting directly opposite of me talking about the financial security my family would have with retirement, etc.  I got a phone call from my wife with a panicked sound in her voice.  Since she was a school teacher, a call during the day was odd.  She told me about the first plane crash and they were bringing in a television to watch the coverage in her classroom when suddenly she said another plane had it the other tower and I knew our lives was about to change.  We prayed in my office for the situation and I had wanted to rush to the house for a strange reason but I had offered my help with a funeral for a friend.  It would not be for several hours till I could get there, but when I did, I went to the nursery and picked up a sleeping little Stefani, only three months old and held her close to my chest.  Life in America had changed--for me at 45 and her at only three months.

Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.  Psalm 28:4

The stories of strength, faith, and endurance for the nation will be repeated over and over this weekend.  The first body removed from the debris was a chaplain for the NYFD.  While this year the mayor of New York will have no religion at the event, you will never be able to remove from the minds of those who survived the mercy and grace God showed that day.  If you were shocked into disbelief by the actions of those terrorists, go, hug a fireman, a police officer, medical personnel, and your child no matter how old they are, and remind them, God is still on the throne. 

The Grow Groups of The Wheeling Vineyard

This is a special note to those who are meeting in the Figaretti/Koehler Grow Groups.  Last night we met with your hosts/leaders for a time of prayer and fellowship.  We prayed for the groups, you and your leaders and the wonderful things we believe God will do in your lives over the next few weeks.  I was asked to be a coach and I hope these words of encouragement and our prayers will find you well.  Our door is always open and we look forward to meeting you all over the next few weeks. 


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11



In His Service,

Steve and Vicki Mentzer

God’s GPS (Glorified, Perfect, Son)

In West Virginia until a few years ago, driving the back roads was usually by visual reckoning.   You might hear such directions as, “drive till you get to the fork in the road by the Jones place, but they don’t live there anymore, but we still call it that, and go till you see…”  Five years ago after complaining about getting lost going to visitations, my wife got me a GPS for Christmas.  I was so excited I went out to my car with a five year old Stefani in tow.  When the system was powered up, the female voice came on directing me to the next screen.  Stefani pipes up, “Daddy, now you have three women to listen to!”  I said, “Three?”  She continues, “Me, Mommy and GPS.”  My GPS is well used as a chaplain and at times, I have gone my own way with the GPS repeating, “Recalculating…recalculating, etc.”  One day I expect it to say after I have refused to listen to it, “Fine, I will just sit here on the dash and you can find your own way!” 

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:3-5

(NIV)

Many times in the Gospels you see Jesus saying, “He who has ears, let him hear…”  We need to understand to the people of the Bible the word hear was more than sound waves vibrating on the ear drum.  Hearing included the required action of doing.  In twenty years of ministry I have heard people remark they did not get anything from the sermon.  The problem is they had no intention of putting the sermon to action in their lives.  As Christians we at times ask God for more and more understanding of his plan but have we put into use the things he has already revealed?  Just like my GPS will give me directions to a particular place, unless I am willing to follow them, why use it to get directions? 

God told the three disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus to hear his Son.  Jesus is God’s Glorified, Perfect, Son and he has already given us the words, principles, and instructions of what God has for us if we follow the directions.  Don’t let what you know God wants you to do sit on the dashboard, put them into use to get where he wants you to be. 

To those who have ears, let him hear~!

God's Welcome Mat

As a hospice chaplain I travel to many different homes and knock on many different doors.  What are so different are the mats which welcome you to the home.  Some of the mats feature the image of the family's favorite sports team.  Of course as a Patriot's fan I would never walk on the symbol of my team, but would consider walking on another AFC team’s logo.  They may have purchased a mat with the family name blazed across the middle welcoming guests to their home.  Then, some may just have a mat which has a more the utilitarian purpose of cleaning the shoes before they come into the house.  While some mats may be carpeted, others may be of recycled materials and even others may be heated for those who live in northern climates. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:10-11

Peter’s letter begins with reminding the weak and the strong person of faith of the power which has been given over to them so they can live a godly life.  The presence of this power in the life continually helps the Christian to evaluate and reevaluate his or her walk.  Matthew Henry’s commentary of this passage says we should turn the promises into prayers for the purifying and transforming by the Holy Spirit.  Like welcome mats which clean the feet of the person entering a home, this power helps to clean away impurities from the disciple.  At the Passover before his Passion, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.  While ritual bathing would have been needed before the meal, the washing of the feet was a welcome ritual for anyone entering a Jewish home.  God gave us a welcome mat in the form of his son.  The Messiah’s Atonement was the reconciliation of man to God through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah.  The word reconcile has the understanding of a set of scales which are no longer weighted on one side by the sins of man against the holiness of God, but are now brought in balance so man can have a relationship once separated by sin. 
When you walk in a home you might need to look down to see you do not trip on the mat.  To enter into the kingdom of God one must look down upon God’s mat, Jesus Christ, and remember it was my sin which brought him down to earth to die a horrible death.  No one will enter into the kingdom of God unless they use God’s Messiah’s Atonement.  All others will trip over it into judgment. 

 

Old Friends and Old Favorites--I Must Be Getting Older

Last night I got a phone call from my old college roommate of twenty-eight years.  DJ and I lived together for two years but our friendship has faced obstacles, hardships, joys and loss.  I was his best man for his wedding and was there years ago when he and Verda faced a major surgery.  When he called it was as if we had never been apart and were back at Minden Hall, our first dormitory in college.  I was a new Christian and he was my mentor even though he was younger than me.  He held me accountable and helped me to grow.  One day sitting in our room talking about our pasts, DJ opens his trunk of memories.  He showed me his prom pictures and one made us both laugh.  DJ was dressed in a white tuxedo with platformed shoes, cane and his fro was picked out to its fullest.  I told him I had a fro just before college and wore leisure suits, but fortunately there are no incrementing pictures.  Twenty-eight years and now he is a grandpa, his wife has retired and went back to school to be a teacher, and his baby is entering tenth grade.

 
This morning I was looking for another favorite.  Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter!  Peanut butter and banana sandwiches! Peanut butter and Fluff!  Peanut butter and apple butter!  Perhaps the reason I like Peter Pan is its logo—the image of a flying boy who never wanted to grow up.  This nearly one hundred year old product followed me to school just like Mary’s lamb.  I don’t usually eat it, but every once in a while I just have to eat a peanut butter sandwich. 

When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11

I am no longer the young Christian I was twenty-eight years ago.  I have experiences which have been God’s method of maturing me.  My first pastorate I wanted to please people and so build a church to me.  I have learned I am there to serve God and not myself.  I can’t be a friend to God and the world, no matter how I might have wanted its approval.  I have grown to trust less in myself and more of God.  I may have put away my Christian childhood for Christian maturity, but nobody better take away my Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter!

Toothache, God, and Me

As I lay in bed typing this blog, I have taken both pain pills and an antibiotic to begin to deal with an abscessed tooth.  I left early from work because of the pain to get the needed medicine while I await the dentist on Monday.  I like our dentist because he is a Christian brother and we both go to the Vineyard Church in Wheeling, but I hope he knows when he sees me on Monday I will be a walking bowl of Jell-O.  Even though I hear of the advances in pain control in dentistry, the next forty-eight hours of waiting to see Keith may be as painful as the tooth.  I am a self-confessed dental coward so please pray for me. 

Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray.  Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.  Psalm 19:13-14  (The Message)

At work we have a team of nurses, a social worker, aides, and me to extend care to our patients.  I am not permitted to do anything medical or discuss medical conditions or treatments our patients face because in the field of medicine, I am not equipped.  I am also not equipped to be GOD, even though I might try.  When I gave my life to Christ, it was more than to save my soul from the wages of sin.  I ceded over to him the control and accept with humility his right to change my agenda any time he desires.  Once I have reminded myself of his sovereignty, I am like the sheets my mom washed and hung outside to dry; linen which is clean with a fragrance which only comes from hanging in the fresh air.  These thoughts of his ultimate control of me and the desire to be clean before him are the basis for my prayers. 

As the pain pills are having their effect, I am relaxing almost to the point of sleep.  With GOD I do not need medicine to relax.  Unlike Monday’s dental appointment, I have nothing to fear!

Growing Like A Weed? No. Like a tree.

Today a cool morning reminded me of the soon coming fall.  In New England where I went to college, the fall comes so quickly the leaves change seemingly overnight into the canopies of red, yellow, and orange.  The leaves fall and the tree moves into winter repeating their patterns for years on end.  The trees stand strong in the winter winds and shoulder in their branches the heavy snow and ice.  Sometimes weaker branches break under the weight but the healthy trees will soon send out shoots for next year's leaves. 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 92:12-13 (NIV)

One type of palm tree for the land of Israel is the Judean date palm which is known for its food, shade and shelter.  In fact, recently a preserved seed of the date palm from two thousand years ago from the digs of King Herod's palace on Mount Masada, was recovered, planted and now is growing. (SFGate.com)  The tree would grow in the desert and unlike the grasses which dried up; in drought the palm would continue to grow.  In the times of the Bible, owners of fine homes would plant trees in the courtyard.  In the gospel of John, Nathaniel is told by Jesus he saw him sitting under the fig tree, a common place for prayer.  The cedars of Lebanon were known for the fine, straight, wood with a wonderful scent were used for the wood needed in palaces and temples. 

In Psalm 1, those who do not sit, stand, or walk with sinners and meditate upon the Word of God are like trees which are planted by streams of water.  In both cases, the word planted is used.  These trees do not grow wild or get there by wind-carried seeds.  They are planted as a course of action so the owner will receive the fruit from the trees in their season.  If you have ever planted a garden of flowers you try to have them blooming throughout the season so as to have something to enjoy.  God knows when and what fruit we will produce and he is patient.  The picture of a tree for the righteous is compared to the grasses of the wicked.  They will dry up and blow away, but the trees will endure even in harsh times of drought.  A mushroom can sprout almost overnight but has no roots.  Trees like the cedars can withstand the winds on the mountain tops of Lebanon because the wood is straight and strong and deep rooted. 

Keep growing everyone, slow and steady and strong. 

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

The highest award of our country for gallantry is the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Since the first medal awarded to Private Jacob Parrott during the Civil War, there has been 3,457 given to heroes of extraordinary courage.  The most recent soldier to be awarded this country’s highest honor was Sergeant First Class Leroy A. Petry, who saved the lives of his comrades when a grenade landed among them.  Without thought to his own safety he picked up the grenade and tossed it, losing his hand in the process. 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.  Hebrews 11:1and 2 (NIV)

In Hebrews 11, the author declares twenty-three times the phrase, “by faith” to describe the actions of these heroes of the Old Testament.  However, the word, commend, comes from the Greek word for witness: martyr.  Like those who gave the “last full measure” and died showing heroism, these witnesses of the faith are said to have been “living by faith when they died.”(v. 13) What is a hero and are there still Bible heroes today? Heroes are not people who do extraordinary things but those who act during extraordinary events because of a set of beliefs or values.  A Medal of Honor winner lays down his life for his/her belief in their country or for the love of his friends and is commended for his actions.  He has given testimony by his sacrifice of what he valued.

Yes, there are still Bible heroes today and many never are recognized for their acts of biblical heroism.  They are living each day “by faith” trusting in God’s provisions and not afraid of the wolf at the door.  They are the unsung hero who is not afraid to tell others of Jesus and “by faith” does not fear rejection or humiliation by those who resist the Word.  They are the Christian custodian who goes to work each day and “by faith” does his/her job as if they were doing it for Jesus.  They are the pastors of small churches who must work at a full time vocation to care for his family while working full time and a half for his avocation—the body of Christ.

There are no medals for biblical heroes but there is a commendation for their sacrifice:

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Honesty Is More Than Truthful Speech

If you have ever stopped by a fast food restaurant you might find a yellow or red box with a glass front displaying today's newspaper.  The fact is the newspaper company trusts you and me for picking up just one paper.  Also implied in this transaction is the faith we will not allow someone to take a paper without paying.  This act of trust may seem old-fashioned, but there are other opportunities of proving honesty all around us.  There is a golf driving range where I live run by an elderly gentleman.  He has the balls in the wire baskets on the porch and a basket with a rock in the office.  He has on the wall the prices of large and small baskets expecting you to put in your money before going to the range.   

Honesty is a way of life which seems to have disappeared over the years of my life.  When I was a child I heard the story of George Washington saying, "I cannot tell I lie, father.  I chopped down the cherry tree." 

Whether this is true or not the aim was to teach children the importance of honesty.  If you got in trouble by your parents it was more problematic if you compounded the crime with a lie.  Years ago schools had honor codes and you signed a pledge that you did not cheat on tests or exams.  Honesty is required in relationships as well and none can continue when lies are present. 

An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. Proverbs 14:5 (NIV)

Honesty is more than speech; it is a way of life which is far different from the world.  Jesus teaches our yes should mean yes and a no means no.  People lie to spare feelings or escape punishment or shame.  But do we live a life of honesty?  Do we give our employers a full 8 hour day?  Do we fail to help someone when it is in our power to do so?  Do we give our pastors a "fib" when he asks us to serve when the real reason is we are not happy with him?  Do we give our full tithe instead of tipping God with a few dollars?

How will  you know if you are living a life of honesty?  Ask God to try your heart.  He has all the answers.

How To Refresh The Master

Growing up in Florida I would mow lawns for extra money.  The deal was my brother and I could charge $2 a lawn and had to give half to my mother to pay back Sears for the purchase of the mower.  One time she got us a job for some friends who lived about a mile away.  Robert and I walked the mower to their house and our jaws dropped as we saw the lawn had not been mowed in at least three weeks.  It took us three days to complete the job in the hot Florida sun but Mom would not ask for more money from the people.  Robert and I almost cried as we looked at the single dollar bill.  I tell this story to introduce this passage of Scripture because for three days we drank and drank and drank plenty of water. 
Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master... Proverbs 25:13 (NIV)
God sent the most trustworthy messenger he knew to tell the world of himself--his Son.  His Son knew his father's words, actions, thoughts as well as the image of the Father in bodily form. He would not do anything without God's direction or speak on his own but the words of his Father.  Many of us have seen people make all kinds of statements and promises of what a particular thing can do.  I love those Christmas commercials for such things as the Clapper et al. which are cheap commercial gimmicks to get impulsive people to purchase inferior products.  Jesus as the trustworthy messenger just spoke what he knew was true. 
The word witness is the Greek has been taken today to mean someone who has died for their faith--martyr.  Jesus tell us we are to be his witnesses and all we have to do is to report to others what we have seen.  Of course I have never seen Jesus or the wind, but just as I welcomed the cool breeze cutting the lawn, I did not doubt its existence.  I can see the changes in me and can show others the existence of God, His Son and the Spirit by a sustained walk.  No hype! No false claims! Just the real truth and trying to be a trustworthy messenger and provide a refreshing to the One who sends me.   

Which Cross Will You Pick Up?

When we see the image of Calvary often times you will not only see the Cross of Christ but the crosses of the thieves who died beside Jesus.  In Luke 23 the discourse between the three records that while one thief challenged Jesus to save them the other thief rebukes him and turns to Jesus for help.  All three of them where under the same sentence of death but while Jesus died unjustly, the two thieves were being punished for their crimes.  The thieves are described as malefactors instead of just thieves.  Since Barabbas was to died for insurrection, it is possible to believe these two were part of the underground movement to rid Israel of the Romans.  These zealots would kill not only Romans, but are said to have also dealt with Jews who worked in unison with the gentile oppressors.  In Matthew 25 Jesus speaks of dividing the sheep on his right side to the goats on the left.  The goats on the left were banished into eternal fire along with Satan and his angels.  The sheep however are blessed and are invited into the kingdom planned for them since the creation.  In my mind then, I see the one thief on the left hand of Jesus spitting hatred to the crowd and rebuking Jesus to save them without thought of the accountability of his actions. I see the one on his right side, repentant and fully aware this punishement was because of their actions.  He knows there is no escape and that Jesus is dying an unjust death.  It is to this innocent man he turns and asks Jesus to remember him when he enters into the kingdom and Jesus grants his desire. 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.   Matthew 16:24-25.  (NIV)

Every person will face the death of this body but some will face what is called the second death, the banishment into eternal punishment.  God arranged for his Son to face the consequences of our sins so we can enter into the kingdom.  Each of us will pick up a cross, but the question is: "Which one will you pick up?"  If you want to save you life like the thief on the left, not fearing God by refusing to account for your sins or asking for help, then you have picked up the cross of death.  If you reject this life, accept and acknowledge your sins and the need for Jesus, you will have picked up the cross of life.  Death is the requisite for sin and all have sinned and yet God's son tells us to pick up a cross and follow him.  If the thief on the left had been saved he would probably return to the life he had chosen.  The one on the right chose Jesus instead and gained eternal life. 

Which cross will you pick up?

What Would You Say In Your Final Letter?

What Would You Say In Your Final Letter?

What Would You Say In Your Final Letter?

In a letter by Major Sullivan Ballou of the Union Army's Second Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, he writes to his wife Sarah of his love for her and his country.  He volunteered for service and his ultimate sacrifice on July 28, 1861 cost Major Ballou, 32, a lawyer and father of two small boys, Edgar and Willie, what President Lincoln declared "the last full measure".  If we had a few hours notice by God of our demise and the chance to write a letter, would it include such profound thoughts as:

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have oftentimes been! 

and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/28/major-sullivan-ballous-letter-to-wife-sarah/#ixzz1TQl3x73H

Would we retell of our love for a spouse or child?  The closeness of death might render an opportunity to say the words and declare the feelings long held in by fear, shame or regret.  Would we ask for forgiveness for past wrongs and misdeeds?  Would we release others by offering our own forgiveness instead of leaving them still chained and bound?  Why is death the motivation which causes us to finally act?  We can see the words from his heart and the anticipation of the next few hours and days might bring to him and the two-thousand men with him.

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Ecclesiates 7:2 (NIV)

We need to be reminded of the closeness of death and the fact we do not have an idea of its approach.  The approach of death should not cause the movement toward forgiveness and reconciliation.  It is the duty of all believers to live as if death is near.  Jesus told us to take up our crosses and only the condemned like Jesus carried a cross.  Death is the destiny of everyone and we should take this to heart to determine our course in all relationships. 

The Bee in the Spider's Web

I was talking with a hospice team member about something he saw in his garden one evening as a bee got entangled in a spider’s web.  The spider was much smaller and yet he was undaunted in his attempt to subdue the eventual dinner.  The spider began encapsulating the bee with the silken protein strands which have a tensile strength of high grade steel and yet a strand long enough to circle the earth would weigh about eighteen ounces. (Wikipedia--Spider's Silk)  The bee was desperately fluttering its wings but the crafty spider began to cover the wings and the helpless bee was history.  Spiders cover the prey with a digestive juice which liquefies and consumes the insect from the inside out.

But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15 (NIV)

While the example may seem harsh, it is a good example of the helpless condition of man with sin.  If we tried to face down the Enemy by ourselves, we would be like the helpless insect.  Growing up without a Savior I found my life darting like the errant flight plan of the bee.  The bee may know the directions he is to take but a gust of wind can impede his progress in the plan.  I knew right from wrong but was powerless to resist the wrong or do the right.  Anger, hatred, and malice where just some of the webs that found me and no matter how hard I tried, I became enticed by evil desire flourishing into full-blown sin.  As I struggled I became more and more entangled by the very sin I hated.  The Enemy slowly wrapped me up in his web because like Paul said in Romans 7:15-17 (NIV), it was the sin which lived in us. 

Paul calls us more than conquerors through him who loved us.  We are not merely a strong army, but an empowered force by him who loved so we can resist the Enemy to an overwhelmingly powerful victory.  Jesus said the “gates of hell” will not be able to resist.  Gates are for defense and not for offense because they cannot move from their foundations.  We are the super-conquerors and we need to take it to the Enemy.  We are no longer in the trap—he is the trapped foe of Jesus, struggling now in the last gasping hours before his eventual defeat.   

Running the Race

As I drive to work, I am often met with heavy tractor-trailers with a "wide load" sign across the end of the rig, moving slowly up and down the West Virginia hills.  Often these mammoth trucks have escort cars leading the way with yellow warning lights to alert others of the slow moving convoy.  These cars have poles raised to the height of the truck and its load so they will know if approaching overpasses will prove to be a problem and force the convoy off its planned path.  As the truck lumbers along the highway, other trucks and cars are forced to move farther away to avoid being clipped by the extra wide contents.  Many Christians try to run the race of the Christian life like these trucks--over burdened by sin and things of life which keep them from running as swiftly as they could.   

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,   (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

A few years ago I led a youth weekend retreat called "Running the Race" with Hebrews 12:1-2 as the theme verse.  We went to a ten-thousand acre Christian retreat center called Faith Ranch in Scio, Ohio.  As we arrived, we gave each teen a painter's bucket and told them the rules of the event.  Each time they grumbled, complained, or showed disrespect to each other or an adult leader,they would get a load of lava rocks for their buckets.  They were required to carry these buckets 24 hours a day and if they tried to abandon the bucket, more rocks.  If they went to the bathroom--the bucket was with them.  If they went to bed--the bucket was with them.  The only place it did not go was on the horseback rides, but, they were placed at the entrance to the corral waiting for them when they finished.  As they left they had to pick up the ever increasing volume of rocks in their buckets--they were of course--teenagers. On Saturday night at the foot of a cross erected at the retreat center, we showed them it was not just sin which could come between them and the Lord.  These things, such as friends, family, technology, and even church activities, could hinder or slow ithem down in the Christian's race as a teenager. We had a prayer for these things and they laid the rocks at the foot of the cross and the word, FORGIVEN, was written on the bottom of the bucket and given to each student. The burdens of sin or the things of this world weigh us down and prevent us from running as we should.     

In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner John Stephen Ahkwari was the last runner in the marathon.  He came in about an hour and a half after the winner, practically carrying his leg, as it was so bloodied and bandaged. He was asked,  “Why did you keep going?” He said, “You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.”(SpeedEndurance.com)  God did not save us to start the Christian race but to finish it and we need to make sure we run the race well and not lumber along. 

Does God Laugh?

A recent controversy has occurred over Pastor Joe Nelms prayer at a NASCAR race when he thanked God for his wife.  In his prayer, “Lord, I want to thank you for my smokin’ hot wife tonight, Lisa" followed the example given by Will Ferrell in the racing movie, Talladega Nights.  “I want to get somebody’s attention, so that’s been our desire every time we’ve been up there, to try to make an impact on the fans and give them something they’ll remember, and maybe they’ll go home on a Friday night or a Saturday night and say, 'Maybe I ought to get up and go to church in the morning,'" Nelms said.  (Fox News.com)  Of course there are those who may grumble under their breath at what this pastor has done.  We never see the image of a laughing God.  He is seen as stern, expressionless, and void of any emotion.  Did  Jesus, who is God in the flesh, ever crack a joke with his disciples; did he laughed or smiled in his lifetime here?  In Psalm 2, God is said to laugh at the thoughts and plans of sinful man. I was told by a seminary professor when Jesus told his disciples to give the hungry something to eat, it was stated in a joking manner since he knew they could nothing about the need.

In the world today someone is going to be offended by a believer's prayer.  A veteren's cemetary in Houston, Texas has a director named Arleen Ocasio who has banned the name Jesus or God in any service conducted at the cemetary. 

“Local veterans say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers, banning them from saying the words “God,” and “Jesus” during funeral services at Houston National Cemetery.  Three separate organizations have come forward complaining the cemetery’s director and other government officials are violating the First Amendment. Members from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion and the National Memorial Ladies all complain of “religious hostility” at the cemetery.” (Kaffir Kanuck)

God is definitely laughing if man thinks they can stop anyone from saying his name or the name of Jesus.  When the Berlin Wall fell, Western Christians presumed they would have a bountiful harvest of converts from seventy years of communism.  Suprisingly they found an underground church movement alive and well, and all the while God laughed at the communist government's futile attempts to stop him.  I may not have thanked God for my "smoking hot wife" on national television but I am thankful for Vicki.  God knew the pastor would say what he did, and I wonder if God is more like the Morgan Freeman's character of God in Bruce Almighty, with humor and a smile, and less like the picture of God as a heavenly cop with a baton waiting for us to mess up. You decide.

Circumstances Change in A Blink of An Eye

Yesterday I received an email during church and since I was on call, I had it on vibrate if I had to leave for a patient or family with hospice.  When opened, it was from a nurse now in labor having her first child.  We had joked about setting a date and I choose August 1, which is my birthday.  Her text made me smile because she apologized because it was happening one week earlier.  At lunch with my wife, I sent someone a message I would be visiting her father in a facility and she replied she was in the middle of a crisis and call her friend, a team member for more information.  The lady's boyfriend had a swimming pool injury and had been sent by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital.  Vicki and I considered driving the seventy miles to be with her but God sent a cousin of the injured man, a pastor, to be with them and have prayer. 

Sometimes the events of life fall on us like rain and we cannot escape them but continue to walk eventually being soaked to the skin.  We wonder where God is and why he does this to his children.  The Bible says "all" things work for the good, but in the turbulent times of life we may wonder why.  No one is exempt from the troubles of life. 

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;  Psalm 34:19

Troubles happen no matter who we are--believer or non-believer.  Some of the troubles are self-created from wrong behavior, attitudes or ethical choices.  Others may be sent from the enemy but used by God to refine and perfect us.  Then again, some may just happen because of the fallen condition of this world and everyone in it.  In the Psalm 34, the very word, deliver, refers to being snatched or drawn  out, such as a shepherd would do with a sheep which had become entangled in briers or a pit.  While Psalm 50 tells us those who have forgotten God do not have someone to "deliver" them, we can be assured God will deliver us. 

Lastly, we know the God who delivers is also the God who plans.  In those plans he has the best for us--prosper and not harm and for hope and a future.  Prosperity does not mean wealth as today but the Hebrew speaks of understanding and insight.  What a great gift God gives to those who love him--insight and understanding of his acts and actions.  Just as Joseph understood the dreams God had given him which led to his position as second to Pharaoh, those who have been given understanding then can see God's actions clearly.  He also gives to those a second promise--no harm.  If deliverance speaks of salvation, then harm would be destruction and God gives us a future. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

The circumstances of our life may be like the ups and downs of the ocean, but don't worry, for Jesus calmed the storm, both the winds and the waves, and his disciples wondered what sort of man this Jesus was.  You know!  The tomb is empty and you have a future because the tomb IS empty. 

I enjoy trains so much my desire was riding in a real locomotive.  A friend of mine was a superintendent for a short line in South Carolina and invited me to visit his railroad anytime I was in the state.  A few years ago on the way to Florida, we stopped and he took us out to the yard where a 250,000 pound engine sat.  I boarded and sat in the brakeman's seat when Rich offered me the other seat--the engineer's!  I sat down and he instructed me how to operate the engine and slowly I moved it forward and backward in the yard.  I was overjoyed and was able to cross one more thing off of my bucket list.  We all have seen various train cars sitting on the siding waiting for the locomotive pick them up and bring them where they are to go.  Going back and forth to college years ago I took the train from Newport News, VA to Providence, RI and whether it was diesel or electric powered, without the engine I would never have arrived at my destination. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

Various writers have suggested the fruit is converts or the ethics of the Christian life.  In the IVP Commentary of the New Testament for John, one writer said the fruit is the knowledge of God.  In the picture of the vine and the branches the branch produces fruit, but without the support of the vine there would be nothing.  The vine provides nutrients and water for sustaining the life of the branch. With this support from the vine the branches can then do what branches do: make fruit.  A believer can share in the thoughts, emotions, intentions and power of Christ if they chose to remain in him.  As Christ has full knowledge of God the Father, a believer chooses to remain in Christ and this knowledge thus produces the fruit of converts and ethical behavior. 

To remain in Christ requires submission.  In my book, Broken Vows Shattered Lives (Xulon Press, 2009), I speak of submission within marriage following the submission we see in the Trinity.  Christ is in submission to the Father and unable to do anything except the Father showed him.  Also, he said the Holy Spirit would not speak on his own but what Jesus told him to say.  While the word, submission means obedience and yielding, the opposite is resistance and defiance.  God provided the initiative and the means so man can have the full knowledge of him.  It is our response to this intiative and the desire to remain in Christ which determines fruit. Without him, we could do nothing. 

  

Even Broken Pieces Are Useful

My first sermon was on Jeremiah 18 and the Potter's house as God shows the prophet his power to form the clay of his creation into a useful pot.  You can imagine the potter taking a lump of clay and with constant spinning of the wheel, begins to form it into a vessel he has planned in his mind.  With both hands in the lump, his nimble fingers feel the clay to find foreign material which would make the pot useless. If it remained it would cause cracking in the pot during the firing process.  God removes imperfections from us in the formation process to have a useful vessel. 

A potter would not make something to leave on the shelf but something which is useful.  If it was his business and his reputation, the quality of the pot would speak of his abilities.  If he tried to pass a pot which had imperfections as quality, his reputation would suffer.  God's reputation is on the line in each and every one of us and he is continually working with both hands, one inside and the other on the outside, to form us into a vessel of his workmanship.  He continually reforms us into the image of his Son by the quiet teaching of the Holy Spirit as well as people on the outside.  The continual pressure of these two things are God's loving way to take a lump of clay and form it into a priceless vessel.  

But what about the broken  pieces?  Years ago in a restaurant they were laying a tile floor.  The boxes of tiles arrived and the workers immediately began to break them into hundreds of pieces in a wheel barrow.  I was perplexed until I saw them lay the tile as a mosaic and with the sandy grout made in the restaurant a slip-free flooring.  God also takes the broken pieces of our lives and forms them into a useful product if we will let him.  Nothing to waste!  The broken pieces and the perfected pot both speak of his powerful plan as the Master Potter. 

The Proof is in the Bread

Before I entered into the ministry I earned my Bachelor's degree from Johnson & Wales University with an emphasis on food and beverage management.  Part of my degree involved culinary arts and one class I had was breads with Chef Barstein.  When you scale out the ingredients from the formula (baking is a science and requires exact measurements and temps.) you place them into the mixer to begin the process of bread making.  When the ball of dough separates from the sides of the bowl, you cover and allow the twenty or thirty pounds of dough to proof.  The first proof, also called proving, means the rising of the dough due to fermentation by the yeast.  It requires a warm and moist area for the dough to rise to its optimum.  Then the baker will take his fist and punch the dough to release the gases for the beginning of the final proof. 

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. (John 6:35-36 NIV)

Just as most breads are proofed or proved, so did the Son of Man prove himself by the very fact of his first coming.  He chose to give up all the glory, power and worship from the hosts of heaven to put on the confinement of human flesh so we could know God.  He lived the life man was originally to have and showed us the way those who eat of this "flesh" can live.  He loves with such a love that he was willing to die for us. Just as any good baker knows before the final proofing or proving, the dough must be punched. Jesus was himself punched by evil men who laid hands upon him, beat him, spat upon him, whipped him, crucified and buried him in the tomb. 

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:10-11

Then the second proof or proving is the Resurrection and the power behind it which comes from God.  The resurrection is the one proof of Christianity and the blessed hope of overcoming this dead and dying mortal body in which we live. The Spirit which gives life because of the righteousness of Christ brings to believers a freedom from the fear and curse of sin and death.  So, the proof is in the bread--The Bread of Life. 

Clydesdales-A Statement on Four Legs

This week the famous Budweiser Clydesdale eight horse hitch will come to Wheeling, WV and we will be on hand to see the over eight tons of horse flesh pull the red, white and gold beer wagon. With its riders, this tradition started directly after Prohibition was repealed when August Busch Jr. bought the first hitch team for his father, August Busch Sr.  The addition of the dalmatian dog started in the fifties because dogs were used to keep people from stealing beer from the wagon during deliveries. (www. seaworld.org)  The horses became an instant hit and are routinely featured as part of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company's advertising with the Super Bowl.  Horses have also been used in warfare since the time of the Sumerians around 2500 BC.  From the lighter calvary horse to the heavier class horse used for the well armoured knight of Europe, the use of horses aided armies as a tool of warfare but today are used for ceremonies and demonstrations instead of active combat. 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall,but we rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:7-8 (NIV)

When Moses asked God his name, He simply replied, "I AM THAT I AM!"  This name refers to God's mercy and his condescension toward man while Elohim is the God of Creation with power, strength, and justice.(http://www.hebrew4christians.com/)  While his name is above all others, most of the time the names are used to refer to a divine characteristic of YHWH.  One such name is Yeshua, or the God who saves his people.  Jesus came as God in flesh and Isaiah 9:6 tells us:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of ^"Peace.(Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

The Busch companies have to keep a farm to continually raise new horses as others retire and die.  War horses can be killed or the captured could be used by the enemy against you during a conflict.  Those who trust in the name YESHUA, will be saved and will stand firm.  After all, horses need to be bred to remain calm in the face of the enemy, Jesus stood toe to toe with Satan and didn't flinch in the desert, but rebuked him with the very words of God.  Why not!  They were his to begin with.

Faith, Fireworks and the Darkened Night

Last evening a small group of our church met for a fellowship meal and conversation.  The group included newly-wed couples to those with college-age children. The group brought an assortment of foods, backgrounds, interests, hopes and dreams but the one thing which united them into one was faith.  Jesus calls the people who have seen and followed the light, ekklesia, or those who are called out  or a special assembly.  Formerly a political word, it has entered into the Christian lexicon to mean church.  Like a formal church, this small group is made up of believers with each one gifted to become servants for Christ.  We met at Darrin and Tammy's home, complete with swimming pool and hot tub and the group settled in for several hours of conversations of various topics until dark.  Darrin and Tammy have a fireworks business and before we left, several men went with Darrin, a trained and licensed pyro-technician to set up and launch various fireworks into the dark night.  It was then, looking around I saw this dramatic display in the sky playing out in the lives of these people of faith.

For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. "But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. Job 5:6-8 (NIV)

All of mankind is born for troubles like the sparks coming off of the the flare used last night to ignite the fireworks display. But when a sinner comes to Christ in faith they become like the light from the pyro-technics.  As the believer grows in their faith, supported and nurtured by other believers, they rise like skyrockets into last night's  darkness.  At a time of God's timing, their faith explodes to the oohs of others sitting in a dark and sinful world watching the power of God change their lives.  This visible light show reflects the actions of the church sending forth small pictures of the perfect Light and the power to save. 

As we were about to depart, Psalm 133 was read:

How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It's like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron's beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It's like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that's where God commands the blessing,ordains eternal life. Psalm 133 The Message

One couple told the teachers of the marriage class they would not be were they are both spiritually and professionally if it was not for The Marriage Course taken at the church. Faith, food, and fireworks--a picture of the work of Christ in the life of believers. 

Need A Rest? Need Some Down Time?

At my desk is a picture-postcard brought back by our social worker when he and his wife went to New Orleans.  The picture features a horse-drawn carriage in front of the Chateau Le Moyne, a beautiful one hundred and sixty plus year hotel in the French Quarter.  While they were there at Brennen's, they shared a $200 breakfast, walked the historic streets of New Orleans and listened to dueling piano music at Pat O'Brien's.  There is much to be said for rest and relaxation.  Within a short distance from this scene still rests devastation from Hurricane Katrina.  This storm and the floods which followed made this storm not only the most expensive natural disaster, but also one of the deadliest.  With over 1,800 dead and billions of dollars to rebuilt, it is no wonder why parts of New Orleans are still uninhabited. 

The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:22

In American we fail to understand the reverential fear of coming face to face with a king or sovereign of a country.  We see some of the pageantry of royal weddings or state funerals for presidents and can only begin to imagine the reverential fear due God.  The awesomeness of God is also seen as a fear to those who do not pay him the respect and loyalty due the God of Creation.  I can rest in contentment with the "fear of the Lord" if I understand his care and concern for me.  Jesus tells us in Luke 12:7 God has the number of hairs counted.  If he is so precisely interested in me and knows the smallest detail of my life, why should I be fearful when life's events come my way.  I am content to accept the circumstances or the pattern for what is happening. 

In hospice one of my duties for those who have a religious background is to remind them of their faith-tradition in accepting their body's decline and eventual death.  If we accept God's sovereignty to save us, should we not accept his plan to lead us?  We are willing to seek him out to escape the final judgement and may not be willing to accept his judicious decisions for the days leading up to the end.  Today, I accept what God has for me and hopefully it will be pleasant.  If I find later something happened which I may not like, I hope I can remember the "fear of the Lord" leads to life--wherever that may be.