Mary Said, "Let It Be Done"

This is the final weekend of Advent, a season of preparation to receive the Christ, the Babe of Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, the King of kings. Maggie and I have had some fun in visiting other congregations the past few months. Since she had to work Sunday (December 21) we decided to visit our good friend Fr. James Cooper at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Osceola on Saturday night. I know Pastor Cooper to be an excellent preacher with some dry wit mixed in. The Gospel for this weekend is the Visitation of the angel to Mary. The story tells us that the angel greeted Mary and called her "favored" or "blessed." She was to have a baby, who would be called Jesus and he would save His people from their sins. The problem is that Mary and Joseph were not yet married. If she turned up pregnant it could mean death by stoning. Plus Mary simply didn't grasp the concept. She told the angel that she was yet a virgin and this seemed impossible. The angel assured her that with God all things are possible. She replied "Let it be done...." Father Cooper pointed out that in Latin the word for let it be done was "Fiat." He likened it to the automobile company "Fiat," and stated that Mary was a vehicle. Mary would become the Mother of God, but she would not be God. Mary was a vehicle by which the Light of the World entered into our human story. She was the vehicle by which God became flesh and dwelt among us. Because of her agreement to fiat, a vehicle, our world has not been the same, thanks be to God, nor will it ever be the same again.

Most Christians will agree that Mary became the vehicle by which God took on human form in the person of Jesus the Christ. While I believe in the virgin birth, I acknowledge that not everyone believes that way. Regardless of your personal conviction, Mary was the vehicle. I don't believe God would have chosen a woman who had already known a man, but that is my conviction.

Regardless, Mary was a human being. She was a living, breathing, 98.6 degree person who was like you and I. She was mortal like us. So, if God used this young woman as a vehicle what would make any of us believe that we are not vehicles? God wants to use each one of us as a vehicle of grace and mercy and kindness and compassion and helpfulness and peace and love. This Advent I have been thinking a lot about family and friends. I always do, but I think this year I have done so more than usual. I also think a lot about how blessed I am. I have a wonderful family. We are all well fed. We are all normally healthy. We all have a roof over our heads and a warm comfortable place to live and sleep. So then I think about the little child who is abused by a parent or family member. I think about the little girl or little boy who will go to bed hungry on Christmas Eve. I think about that child who will not wake up on Christmas to Santa gifts under the tree. I think about the child who has a terminal illness, who may not see the next Christmas. I think about the child who has lost a parent or was abandoned. And I think, "Am I a vehicle of God to this child?" "What have I done to show the Christ Child to this child? Am I a fiat?

Then I think of the old man or woman, somebodies little child, somebodies brother or sister, somebodies mother or father or grandparent that is homeless, alone, hungry, cold, sick, huddled over a steam vent. I remember several years ago in Kansas City a bitter cold spell like we are having now. Many homeless people froze to death. The missions were far over full and most of the church doors were locked. What kind of fiat, what kind of vehicle, was the church? It had placed more value on their precious brass than on the life of a homeless person. I think of the victims of warfare in places like Iraq, Palestine, Pakistan, India, and a dozen other places. I think of the parent who has lost their entire family and I ask, "Am I a fiat of God's love to that person?"

I wonder, if the Angel came to me......to you......to the Church (which is all who claim the name of God) and said, "Behold, you are the chosen fiat. You are the chosen vehicle to bring peace to the battered family. You are the vehicle to bring healing to the sick. You are the vehicle to feed the cold, sick, hungry homeless person. You are the vehicle to open your doors to the cold, the sick and those that mourn. You are the vehicle to bring God's forgiveness to the abuser, the sex addict, the thief, the murderer. If the Angel came to us as the people of God, as the Church, as said, "You are the vehicle," would we say "fiat -- let it be done." Let's ask ourselves that very important question. The Baby was born in Bethlehem many years ago. The way he is born again day after day and year after year is when we say, "Fiat......let it be done," and become God's vehicle.

God Bless You and God Bless America!
Have a Blessed and Holy Christmas.......Go forth and be God's vehicle.

I Saw God Today

A friend recently said that she experienced "God with skin," after another had offered her a special prayer for strength. I thought about those three words a lot and wondered what it would be like to see "God with skin on." What would God look like? Would God be tall or short, slim or plump? Hmm, "God with skin on." Would God be male or female, young or old, dark skinned or light? God with skin on. What an interesting thought.

This has been a difficult few days in the life of our small rural community. A fallen warrior, an American soldier, son, brother, husband and father was taken from us in the fight for freedom in a place called Afghanistan. He was critically injured by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Captain Rob Yllescas was only 31 years old, far too young to be taken from his wife and daughters, other family members, friends and comrades.

The service for Captain Yllescas was the most stirring I have ever witnessed and that's saying a lot since I have been an ordained pastor for more than 23 years. I saw many service men and women who either had been deployed or will be. Some were officers others non-commissioned officers and others of lesser ranks. Some were female and others male. Some were very young while others had been in the service for many years. I looked at those brave souls who all volunteered to put on the uniform of their country, take up arms and protect the cause of freedom her and abroad and I saw God with skin. I saw VFW and Legion members from every war from WWII to Korea to Vietnam and others in between and I saw God with skin on. I saw the Patriot Riders on their motorcycles in sub-freezing weather and I saw God with skin on. I looked through my tear clouded eyes and saw young and old with tears in their eyes and I saw God with skin on. The shortest verse in the Bible is only two words, "Jesus wept." And today I saw God with skin on weeping. I am so proud of those men and women who serve and have served. I hope you will join me in always thanking them for their service. Today, I visited with a major and an E-6 and thanked them for their service and their reply was, "Thanks for paving the way." I saw God with skin on and he was weeping, he was proud, he was grieved, he was clergy, he was wife and daughter and son and brother and friend and hero. That's it isn't it, God is one of us.

Sunday morning we awoke to the horrible news that a young man named Jason Haack had been killed in a motor vehicle accident while apparently checking cattle. Jason was one of the finest young men you could ever hope to meet. Like the famous Will Rogers, Jason never met a stranger. I coached him in track for a time until chronic injuries forced him to stop. When I would see Jason with that big cowboy hat and boots I saw God with skin on. Jason like Rob was far too young. Now I see his classmates and those of other classes in shock, trying to make sense out of a senseless tragedy. I see them searching for someway of expressing their feelings and I see God with skin on.

It is true that God had and has skin on. God put skin on and became Jesus Christ. That same God with skin was beaten beyond recognition, nailed to a cross, mocked, died and was buried for Rob and Jason their families and for you and I. God put skin on to show us what real hope looks like. God with skin on was a tiny baby in Bethlehem, a carpenter's son in Nazareth, a teacher a brother, a son and friend who came for one reason and one reason only......for each of us. Scripture said, "He died once for all." He didn't die just for the Jew or the Greek, but for the young soldier and the teenager and the heros on motorcycles and YOU AND ME.

Hmmm. God with skin on. What an interesting thought. Some are so hung up on stereotypes of God that they fail to see him when he puts skin on. While I believe that God is gender neutral because scripture tells us that God is spirit, I also believe when I looked at Robs wife and daughters I saw God with skin on. There is a song, "What if God was one of us......a slob like one of us?" Well, my friends God is one of us. Several years ago during a morning Bible study for mostly older women someone asked, "If Jesus were to come today how would you know it." My beloved second mother, Marge Haggard, said, "It's easy. I've seen him." She was saying in a sense that she had seen God with skin on. Would you like to see God? You can and it's easy. Look at the widow, the widower, the child, the wounded warrior, the person next door. Look deeply and you are likely to see God with skin on.

Yes, it's been a difficult few days for our little spot on planet earth. But wait a minute......it's also been a wonderful few days because "I Saw God Today," and God had skin on.

God Bless America and God Bless You and God Bless the American Soldier!

God Bless America! -- and He has

You may have noticed (hopefully) that I end every blog with "God Bless America." That's okay, almost everybody says that. We sing for God to bless America. We pray it in our churches, at civic meetings and on and on. This morning I was thinking about that as I drove to my office and it came to me, "God has already blessed America." I want you to consider some of the ways in which The Almighty, Jehovah, Allah, The Great I Am, or any other name you might use for God has blessed this "home of the brave and land of the free."

America has just elected the first Black president and there were not riots, no towns on fire, no militia in the streets. It was a democratic election and the majority spoke. Look were we have come. I mentioned it in a previous blog, but just 40 years ago there were race riots taking place in this country as blacks struggled for equality. People died during this turbulent time, but not so today. Our children are growing up "color blind." And God has blessed America. We have come so far in the short history of this nation. The civil war was primarily a race issue. The white land owners in the south wanted to continue the use of slaves while the north argued for their emancipation. Brothers fought against brothers, but in this year we have elected a Black man as President of the United States. I voted against Barack Obama and I did all I could to convince others to do the same, but not because of the color of his skin. I argued against many of his plans and positions, but I am proud that we have traveled so far that a black family is going to occupy the White House. God has already blessed America!

We are going to have a peaceful transition of power, something that the vast majority of nations does not understand. In many countries the current government uses fear and violence to prevent others from taking over. Some presidents simply extend their term of office. But not so in this country. President George W. Bush is going to hand over the power to President Elect Barack H. Obama on January 20 without this nation skipping a beat. God has so blessed America!

In this country, bloggers and politically active persons such as myself can criticize our President, our Senators, Representatives and can even say pretty tough things about them. Nobody is going to censor my blogs or arrest me for speaking my opinion. Now that Barack Obama has been elected the FBI isn't going to rush in and arrest me because I called him a Marxist. Tell me, don't you believe that God has already blessed America.

As I drove to my office this morning I saw field after field that just a week ago held enough corn to feed the world. The soy beans that were there a month ago can provide enough nutrition to save tens of thousands of lives in countries where there is a famine. I saw two deer standing in a pasture next to a herd of cattle. They were actually eating the same grass. I see pheasants, turkey, eagles and all sorts of wildlife on a daily basis. My friends, God has already blessed America.

But PLEASE do not take it for granted. God has blessed us in so many ways, but let's pray we never become blind to the blessings. Last evening while driving back from Lincoln on highway 34 my "low tire pressure" light came on. I didn't think much about it and nearly didn't even stop. But I was only about 6 miles from Seward so when I got into town I pulled in under some lights and saw that my left front tire was nearly flat. I found a station with an air hose and I tried to fill it, but the air was going out as fast as I put it in. So, I grumbled as I got that "donut" tire out of the trunk and changed the tire. But it occured to me that God blessed me by getting me into town on concrete under lights rather that on a dark highway with a muddy shoulder. You see, that's a personal blessing but as with our corporate blessings we can grumble and complain and when something good happens say, "Man that was lucky," or we can realize that GOD HAS ALREADY BLESSED US!!

Take just a moment to think how God has blessed this nation. Then ask how God, through us, can bless another people. Think about Barack and Michelle Obama and ask God to bless them. Think about George and Laura Bush and ask God to bless them. And, since this is a conservative blog and I need to insert some attempt at humor, think about the Republicans and ask God to bless them in two years and four years. Okay, that was a feeble attempt. But this is a great land, a free land regardless of color, national origin or religious beliefs. This is the land of the brave where black, brown, and white all fight together as one. God has blessed America indeed.

God Bless You and God Bless America! and He has.

Don't Forget To Say Thank You To A Vet!

Let us Never Forget
Their Service

Veteran's Day

Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.
Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free.

Many of you who are reading this are veterans and I want you to know that I am forever grateful for your service. I recently sold an item on Ebay and when payment came it was just like all other transactions. But through further communication with the purchaser I learned the young woman was on active duty in Iraq. I wrote to thank her from one veteran to another for what she was doing to preserve freedom for America and from a struggling democracy. Her reply, which since I don't have her permission, brought tears to my eyes as I realized the courage, dedication and devotion this young sergeant possessed. She wrote back thanking all who had previously served this one nation under God. That's the way true veterans are. They don't think of their service as something they need to be thanked for. Their motivation is much greater than that.

I remember as a boy looking at my dad's campaign ribbons and medals, still pinned to an old uniform hanging in the basement. Dad never said much about WWII. I would ask him about it and he usually told me a funny story, but never talked about what he saw or about the buddies who didn't come home. Dad has been gone for about seven years, but to this day I still communicate with one of his last surviving "Army Buddies." He has told me more than dad ever did. And he sent me some pictures of dad that I had never seen. I framed those and put them on the wall where I see them first thing every morning when I come downstairs. I see him in that uniform and a sense of pride comes across me and my heart swells.

I have a lot of friends who went through Vietnam. I was never deployed overseas and for a long time I felt a great sense of disappointment and some shame, although I know I shouldn't. In fact, I felt that way until last week in Denver. There was a gentleman who I spotted. He was jolly, cared deeply about others and I marked him as a pastor. Finally, on my last day I went over to him and asked if he was clergy. He asked what made me think that. I replied that I could see God with him when he walked in, I could see Christ in him as he talked to paid staff members and encouraged them. He shared with me how he had felt a strong call to the ministry and then he was drafted and sent to Vietnam where he served as a medic. He said that when he came home he didn't like people very much and so he never pursued his calling and felt badly about that, but had seen too much. I told him that I was clergy and always felt bad that I hadn't been deployed. He said, don't feel bad, but thank God. At that point we hugged, two men in a crowded room. No words were spoken and none needed to be. He was my pastor that day and I was his. Two veterans hugging with a quiet sense of what it meant to serve.

I could go on with stories I have heard. I could tell you about how Vietnam veterans were not greeted as heros. I could tell you about veterans I have ministered to who to this day cannot talk about what they saw....World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and all the other wars. I could tell you about men and women who were just teenagers when they were given a weapon, a uniform and orders to a combat zone. But I don't need to tell their stories. Our freedom as Americans tell it loud and clear. We just went through an election that in many countries would have involved riots and killing, but not so here because of our veterans.

Several years ago I adopted a policy that I would like to encourage you to do. I never see a man or woman in uniform without going over to them and saying thank you for their service. Please do that also. It means so much to them, although they will generally just say, "It's my pleasure." Tomorrow is Veteran's Day and I encourage you to join me in saying thank you to all our veterans. And whatever you are doing tomorrow at 11 a.m. stop and say a prayer. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

Thank you my brothers and sisters for what you have done, for what you do and for why you do it.

God Bless You and God Bless America!

God Works Through a Fortune Cookie

The title of this blog may sound strange. No, I know for a fact it does sound strange. But then we know that God works in strange and mysterious ways. Recently a former employer of our grandson became angry and called him an idiot. Then this individual went on to say, "You can tell your grandparents too. Then they can shoot me dirty looks since they are such upstanding Christians."

Being a human being and a grandparent, my initial response was "pay backs are hell." I wanted to strick back, get even, take revenge or get someone in trouble. That proves the humanity in all of us, because most parents and grandparents have had those "pay back" moments. I remember years ago, seeing a man stand between a greyhound dog and a coyote. The hound was so intent on catching and destroying the wolfe that the man didn't slow it down and the man was seriously injured. I have sometimes, in my human moments, said, "You can say what you want about me, but don't you dare attack my kids." Thankfully, my wife is much wiser than I and usually tells me it's like Exlax. Wait until the next day and see if I still need it and often I find that I don't. The anger has somewhat subsided even if the hurt hasn't.

So what does a fortune cookie have to do with this? Today I had lunch in an oriental restaurant and after I finished eating I opened my fortune cookie. I wish I had actually kept it, but it started out by saying, "You are not bitter....." I said yea, I am too. But then I thought, "How did God give me that exact fortune cookie?" I almost always wonder how God did whatever. It is beyond my understanding, but then He does work in strange and mysterious ways in case you hadn't noticed. I then remembered part of Jesus' sermon on the mount in the section from Matthew 5 known as "The Beatitudes," where he said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." The world "blessed" actually translates "happy." That's why Dr. Robert Schuller calls them the "Be Happy Attitudes." Imagine that.....be happy when people say hurtful things because they know you are a Christian. Still, if we are honest with ourselves, the human side kicks in and says, "I'll be a lot happier when I get even." But the truth is we are not happier. The only way to be happy is to say, "Thank you Jesus that they recognize You in me." Jesus says, "Pray for your enemies." Strange thing......when you begin to pray for your enemies you wake up one day and realize they are no longer an enemy. How does that happen? It's a change of heart that can even start in a fortune cookie.

That forgiveness is not instant oatmeal. Sometimes it takes a while, but it happens when we pray for those who insult us, hate us, try to hurt us, tell lies about us. So, I invite you into a little experiment. Think of those who have treated you unfairly and pray for them everyday. Think of someone you may have judged for something they did and pray for God to forgive you and show you how you can help heal them. I grew up in the 60's generation and I remember one of my favorite songs was "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." What we need the most is the sweet love of Christ, healing, forgiving, strengthening, granting peace and restoring relationships. Love as Christ loves us......and think we killed him.

God bless you and God bless America. Next blog goes back to the political side of me.

The Eye of the Storm

Hurricane Ike came ashore late Friday night on the Texas coast completely covering much of Gavelston Island. Saturday it remained a category 1 hurricane bringing destructive wind and flooding into parts of interior Texas. In Plaquemines Parish, near New Orleans, a sheriff's spokesman said levees were overtopped and floodwaters were higher than either hurricane Katrina or Rita. Unfortunately many people, either by choice or circumstance, rode out the storm. It was surely a terrifying experience.

This weekend we have also heard of a horrible head-on accident between a passenger train and a Union Pacific frieght train. There were many souls lost and many others with critical injuries. Those are just two of the disasters we read about or heard through the media. And, to top it off, last Thursday we remembered the tragic events of September 11, 2001. I think we all remember where we were on that fateful morning and what we were doing. As for me, I was at a men's prayer breafast at Hoke's Cafe in Ogallala, Nebraska. One of the men received a call from his wife when the first plane hit. We all prayed believing it was just a freak accident. Almost before the Amen was out of our mouths we learned of the second plane and then a third and then a fourth and we knew that America was under attack. I still get tears and chills when I think of that. People were jumping from the towers, people were stunned.

And then there are those personal and family disasters we face without any media coverage. It sometimes feels like we are trapped on a barrier island with a raging hurricane bearing down on us. But have you ever noticed that when the eye of the storm is upon us it is calm and clear. There are no winds, no rain, no panic, no fear, "no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain..." That's how the Bible describes the eye of the storm. Scripture says, "behold the old is gone and the new has come." Again Jesus says, "Behold I make all things new." In this world, my friends, there will be many storms. Some of life's storms my only be a cat. 1 but others will reach cat. 5 and the devastation will be significant. Christ promises to keep us safe in the eye where it is peaceful, although the storms are raging around us. This is not to say that there will be no storms in life, because we know there certainly will be. What Jesus does say is, "My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." You see, in the eyes of the world we may be getting pounded. We may be facing catestrophic illness, financial loss, the loss of someone close to us but there is a "peace that passes all understanding." The world does not understand that, but we understand it because we know that our Lord keeps us in the "eye of the storm." Jesus tells us that "those who believe in me will never perish." Our body, or our "earthly tent" as scripture says, will certainly be destroyed. We all know that this life is only temporary whether we live a few years or more than a hundred. From dust we came and to dust we will return. But our life is not in the physical body. Our life is in Christ and the Holy Spirit that indwells us and "we will fly away." Our citizenship is in heaven. From God we came and to Him we will return. Jesus asked a man, "do you believe this." To that the man replied, "Yes Lord, I believe. But help me with my unbelief." That is our cry to him. Help me Lord where my faith is weak. Increase my trust in you. My grandmother used to say, "If you have to see it to believe, then you really don't believe." I now know that she spoke the words of Christ. She also used to sing to me, "It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others He'll do for you." And no truer words have ever been spoken. God will take care of you. He didn't bring us this far to let us drown in the "Red Sea."

Let God through Christ keep you safe in the "eye of the storm." Remember, He died just for you. Read John 3:16 and in place of world insert your name. If the storm is beating you up and you can't quite feel the calm in the eye, talk to your pastor or priest or Rabbi. Ask a friend to pray for you. Just get on your knees....lift up your eyes and your hands and simply say, "Lord I need to feel the calm in the eye of this storm I am in." See what a wonderful peace he has to offer you.

God Bless each of you and God bless America. And please remember this is "one nation under God." Finally, if you have been blessed and have a few extra bucks please share them with those who are suffering today. You can do so by going to:

http://www.salarmy.org

http://www.redcross.org

Stand Firm or Move Ahead?

There are times when faced with a huge decision or a difficult speed bump on life's road I tend to "freeze." I just stand there as if I am waiting for a Divine sign or message. In scripture the disciples said, "Lord show us a sign." His rebuke of them was swift and sharp. Faith that requires sight is really not faith at all. "Faith is believing in that which cannot be seen." Yet, firm I stand......motionless......frozen in time......paralyzed by fear or indecision. One of my favorite stories takes place in the great Exodus where God chose a known felon, a murderer, to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. God was delivering them from slavery. In this case it was slavery by the Egyptians. Slavery is seldom a good thing. We know that from our own American story. But slavery can sometimes seem safe. It is predictable, it is something known and so people choose to remain in bondage. I have seem women remain slaves to the abuse handed them by a spouse or significant other. I always encourage them to leave the abuse and beatings, but more than half the time they don't. Why? Because it is familiar. It is predictable and leaving means moving into the unknown. How will I pay the bills? Where will I live? What if I can't make it? So they stand firm.....trapped between "heaven and hell" if you will. The same is true with an addition. For many years I drank and smoked. I knew I should quit, but I didn't want to. I would have to find new friends, when, in fact, the booze and smokes were my friends. They were there when I wanted them. They never criticized me. They comforted me. And thus, for years I stood firm while I nearly destroyed that which was most important......my family and my own life. I got rid of the old friend "Chevaz Regal" and good ole' "Bud" about 35 years ago. I don't know what happend to them, but I know what happened to me. I moved on and found new friends.....my wife, my kids and lots of people I never had time for before. But you see the old friends, the bottle, the smokes (which by the way I kicked out of the house also) are so comfortable so we stand firm.
In that Exodus story the people of Israel were trudging along in the sand not knowing all the obstacles that would disrupt their lives.....all those things that would make them want to turn back. In fact, God knew so He confused their journey and made them wander around in circles for 40 years. God knew they would turn around if He didn't do that. They would go back into slavery. Why? Because it was comfortable.....it was predictable and known. So when they came to the Red Sea and looked on the ridge behind them as saw the army of Egypt about ready to destroy them they were paralyzed. They asked Moses what to do and Moses said, "Stand firm. Today you will see the Lord fighting for you." Now it is a fact that God fights for us every day and every second of every day. But when Moses went over to speak with God, the Lord said, "Tell the people to move forward." Moses said, "Don't you see the water? They'll drown." (Italics mine). What God was in effect saying is you need to trust and get your feet wet. Guess what? When they stuck a toe in the water, the sea was parted and they walked across of dry land. But when the Egyptian army gave chase, God closed the sea and destroyed the enemy.
As I said, I often tend to stand firm and say, "God you do this." But God says, "Oh you of little faith. Get your feet wet and I'll take care of the water."
What about you? Are you standing firm today, paralyzed by fear, hatred, resentment, an addiction, a broken relationship, a dark secret (which God knows by the way), of some other Red Sea? If you stand firm I'll tell you what happens. I remember basic training in the service of Uncle Sam's army. I saw young men (no women at that time) stand at attention too long with their knees locked. They fell over because the blood circulation was cut off. Standing still is not a positive experience most of the time. When I would do a wedding service, I always told the wedding party to flex their knees every few minutes so they wouldn't faint. I am telling you the same thing. Don't pass out from fear, suffering, doubt, lack of money, a bad relationship, or whatever you may be facing. Move forward and watch God part the waters. Now, the Israelites also faced other minor inconveniences such as deadly snakes, a lack of water, etc. Life's journey is not a "cake walk." Life is tough sometimes. It's the Forrest Gump "box of chocolates," where you never know what your are going to get. But please remember this. The Israelites got through the wilderness and so will you if you allow the God of creation to lead you. I got through my addictions and so will you. At the recent summer olympics I saw a young gymnast fall from the uneven bars. She had two choices......1) walk away in shame or 2) get back on the bars and finish the routine. Thankfully, she chose the later. She didn't receive a medal but she was a winner because she refused to stand firm. She moved forward and in God's eyes she was a winner and so are you.
Scripture say, "I know the plans I have for you," 'says the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for evil. Plans to give you a future and a hope." God has good things planned for you. The going will not be easy.....it seldom is, but God wants to do something awesome in your life. Don't prevent him by standing firm or by going back into slavery. Go ahead....put your toe in the water and see what great things God will do.
God bless you now and always.

Good Fruit

It has been four years since I have been able to have a garden. At our last home there simply wasn't room, so I was excited to get the ground worked and my plants and seeds in the soil. There were a couple things I didn't take into account, however. First, I staked out the spot where I wanted the ground tilled. It looked big enough to plant a large garden on with tomatoes, beans, peppers, onions, squash, etc. But when I purchased all my plants and seeds I soon discovered that I should have made it larger. Isn't that the way it is in our personal lives? We don't leave ourselves enough room to grow, to expand. Jabez prayed that God would increase his territory, his coastland, his opportunities for ministry. Jabez wanted all God could give him and he allowed sufficient space in his life. He tilled, he fertilized with God's Word and God planted seeds enough for a huge harvest. Sometimes we only set aside part of our lives for God and fill the rest with "stuff" so there in not enough room for expansion. We have to learn to get rid of that which is just "stuff" so God can increase our territory for ministry.

The second mistake I made with my garden was that when I planted the trees still had not leafed out. When they did, I found that my garden only had partial sunshine at best. Most garden plants and seeds need lots of light. In the same way you and I need Light in our lives. We spend too much time in the shadows. We try to hide in the dark. But Scripture tells us that God's light sees even in the dark recesses of our lives and no amount of darkness can survive against light. We have to let God's like shine on every part of our life ALL THE TIME if we want to grow and produce the fruit that God wants for us. We need light for spiritual nourishment. We need light for personal and spiritual growth. My tomatoes have finally grown. They are healthy strong plants bearing dozens and dozens of tomatoes. But they are the only part of my garden that receives the afternoon sun. The rest grew into nice bushes and vines, but there is very little or no fruit.

Most of us seek after happiness. We look for peace, the kind that "passes all understanding." When it doesn't come we blame God. But it is not God's fault. God said that the "Light came into the world but people preferred darkness over light." Get out of the shadows my friends and let God's like shine upon you. Then "let your light shine before people," so they will also learn to seek God's light. Sun light can burn and cause some health problems. But Son Light brings health and wholeness and happiness.

God Bless,

Ray

Blessings in Small Packages

It was 6:30 am on February 16, 1987. The place Osmond General Hospital. That was the time and place that my wife and I first became grandparents. I had just been appointed to serve a church in that community when we learned that our single, 16 year old daughter was going to have a baby. Oh my, did I ever go on a pity party. I knew that the church would ask us to leave, that my career would come crashing to an end, that we would be humiliated, etc. You see, I had a vision problem......if was all about "I" and not my daughter, my grandchild, my wife OR GOD. I was only concerned about what it might do to me. That's not the first pity party I have hosted, but it was certainly the most selfish. You see, I believed this was a bad thing.......a sort of curse. Now certainly, nobody wants to see their 16 year old single daughter get pregnant, but it turned out not to be a curse, but the greatest blessing God could ever give my wife and I. Our daughter, was not able to care for the child, so we raised her. When she was about 4 we adopted her. Let me insert here that there has never been an unwanted adoption. With the adoption came a new birth certificate showing my wife and I as the parents. It was NEW! God said, "Behold the old is gone and the new has come." Again He said, "I make all things new." This child has taught me how to love at a deeper level. God has taught me that Satan tries to tell us that something is a curse when all along it is a blessing. Satan is the father of lies and conceals his lies and makes them look like truth.
I could, and perhaps should, write a book about this experience and how our family and my life changed as a result. But what I want to tell you is that God can turn a perceived tragedy into a blessing when we allow Him to do so. Blessings don't just come in big packages, but most often in small ones that grow larger. As I drove around the corner on Highway 92 and approached the Platte River I had to stop for two adult turkeys with their chicks. One adult was in front and the other behind and the chicks were trotting across the road between the two. I was struck by the beauty, the simplicity, and the love lesson I saw. Truly it was a miracle in small packages. I couldn't have traveled more than 400 yards before I saw the most beautiful deer standing about 10 meters off the road. Another miracle, another gift from God. I love to garden and when I pick a ripe tomato off the vine it is a miracle. Only God can produce that fruit. I only plant the seed. But God also asks us to bear good fruit. He says to us that we will do "greater things than these." Let your blessings, large and small guide you into bearing fruit as you plant those seeds in others that are searching to see a blessing. I once did a funeral for a man who died much too early and on the same day as the funeral he became a grandfather. A baby was born and one was given back to God. Blessings abound. If you feel like you have more curses, more tragedy than you can stand, let God turn them into blessings, joy and peace.
God Bless You,
Neskypilot

When Do You Stop Worrying?

I remember as a boy, I would spend much of the summer at my grandparents who lived in the same town. That was because two cousins from another community would come for the summer. On Saturday nights we would go to the movies which was just across the street from our grandparents. When the movie was over I could always look across the street and see grandma looking out through those old blinds. I thought how silly that was. Later, as a young married adult, my parents told me if they were traveling that grandma wanted them to call when they reached their destination. How silly that was. Fast forward now about a dozen years. I realized that it wasn't silly at all. It was an act of extreme love. Grandma wasn't being nosy, she simply loved me, my cousins and my parents with a love that could not be expressed in words.
As a parent myself and a grandparent, I know understand that love. We want to make sure our family is safe. We have an unconditonal love, although my teenage children doubted that. We would easily give up our life for theirs. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. I have worked with many families who have lost a child or grandchild. There are no words that can comfort them. It's out of sync! Parents are supposed to die before their kids. Our kids are not supposed to suffer, to feel pain, to feel alone, lost and empty. But they do. When I have heard someone say to a grieving parent, "You'll get over it," I sometimes chime in by saying, "No. You will never get over it. You are not supposed to." I have heard people say, "God needed them more than we do." Nonsense!! Nobody needed that son or that daughter more that the parent and grandparent. Yes, they are certainly in a better place, but we want them with us. To say that God needed them more depicts a mean God that I could not worship.
But I can tell you this much, when we hurt God hurts. When we weep, God weeps. The shortest verse in the Bible says, "Jesus wept." Two words......Jesus wept. He cried. He felt the inner pain and he felt it for us. Jesus does not take away the pain, because pain is part of life. But he does give us a "peace that passes understanding." And God understands what we go through. He watched as his Son was rejected, as he was spit upon, as he was beaten and as he died. God's heart was broken. But God also watched on that glorious morning as the stone was rolled away and as his Son came back to life. And that's what he promises us. In this world there is pain, there is sorrow and suffering. But as Christ rose from the grave so shall those who believe. The grave is "the valley of the shadow of death," but it is not the final destination. "Yea, though we PASS THROUGH the valley......" Hear that, we pass through. If you are a parent or grandparent you absolutely know what it is to hurt for your child. You know what it is to worry. And sadly, some of you know what it is to get that dreaded call or knock on the door. Words cannot describe that pain, but remember "Jesus wept." He wept for you, but he also rose from the grave for you and for those you love.

A Fish Out of Water and Other Flip Floppers

Like many of us, I have been watching the Presidential campaigns with interest for a number of months. It now appears to me that we have two choices. We can elect someone who is inexperienced and someone who will say or do whatever is necessary to get elected, or we can choose a proven leader who has always said what he believed, even when it was unpopular. I am sure that Obama is a fine man who loves his country. I think to question his patriotism is absurd. Yet, being the fisherman that I am, I have watched many a fish out of water flip flop around in an attempt to get back in the water. That's what Obama is doing. He will start bringing troops home on his first day. Wait a minute, now it could be 16 months. He is against off shore drilling, but suddenly it might be considered as part of a broad program. He will definitely accept public campaign financing, but now he has changed his mind. He wrote his policy on the war in Iraq before he visited that country. He wants to raise taxes. Don't believe me, read his program carefully. He will raise your social security tax, your capitol gains tax and on and on. He is for smaller government, until you really take time to see what he is proposing. It isn't small, but larger government. America cannot afford an Obama Presidency. Voters......make sure you vote but also make sure you take time to become informed voters.