The Habit of Eating

Luke 7:34 says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’”

If an unbeliever invites you over to dinner at his/her home, do you accept?  If you do accept, does your presence at their table mean that you agree with all of their values?  Well, if you were a good, righteous Jew in the New Testament, you absolutely did not.  Jews did not associate with anyone of a different religion or different social class.  For example, a Jew would not eat with Gentiles or Samaritans.  That’s why, in John 4, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, it was so radical for Jesus to ask her for a drink.  Jews did not ask a Samaritan for anything.

But Jesus turned the rules upside down.  Jesus ate and drank with sinners, drunkards, fraudulent tax-collectors, and prostitutes.  In Luke 19, Jesus attended a dinner at the home of a fraudulent tax-collector named Zacchaeus.  There is no evidence that Jesus criticized or condemned the tax-collector's business practices.  After the dinner, Zacchaeus felt convicted and announced that he would pay back everyone he cheated and pay them back many times over.  He also said that he was going to follow Jesus.  

Michael Frost tells the story of a Baptist pastor who told him that his neighbor claimed to make the best margaritas in the whole state, & regularly hosted margarita & poker nights in his garage.  All the men in the neighborhood attended, except for this Baptist who never accepted an invitation to join them, believing that to be a strong witness to his faith. Michael asked him how many times his neighbor had asked him any questions about his faith in Christ.  He said, Never.  Michael asked how often he’d ever shared anything of his faith his margarita-making neighbor.  Again, the Baptist said, Never.  You see, it’s not questionable when a Baptist refuses to attend a margarita & poker night.  It’s expected.

Michael challenged this Baptist pastor to accept the next invitation he received, & he did.

His neighbor almost fell over in shock.  The Baptist joined the gathering in the garage, & true to his conviction, he just drank soda pop.  No one minded.  He ended up having more conversations about faith than he’d had in ages.  A Baptist pastor at a margarita night is a surprise, & it led to questions about faith. 😊

Now, I’m not recommending that you need to go a margarita night.  But I do believe that the Lord would have us eat with unbelievers.  Don’t feel a need to judge the lifestyles or habits of others.  See it as an opportunity to just share a little love & grace as you build relationships. 

Follow Jesus’ example of sharing a meal first & see what it leads to.

God of the Oppressed in Spirit -mental illness

Our understanding of people has changed a lot since the days when Jesus walked on this earth.  Back in those days, people with symptoms of what we call mental illness were viewed as demon-possessed.  Today, terms like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, trauma & eating disorders are terms that many of us heard of.

Some leading Biblical characters showed symptoms of what we today would call mental illness.  Job, Jonah, Elijah, & Jeremiah all experienced such deep anguish that they wanted to die.  Job 3:11 says, Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came out of the womb?  (See also Job 7:11, Jonah 4:3, I Kings 19:4 and Jeremiah 20:18.)  Yet they are all considered great examples of deep faith.

King Saul's behavior suggests that he may have been bipolar, according to an article by George Stein in the British Journal of Psychiatry (March, 2011).  He cites I Samuel 10:10-13, 16:23, and 19:23-24. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer had a period in his life when his reason left him, according to Daniel 4:36, but this served to teach him that God Alone is in control of life.  The Psalms are full of anguish, especially Psalm 88.  So there were mental illnesses in the Scriptures, although they were not understood as that back then.

Psalm 34:18 says, The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  Yes, God is the God of the oppressed in spirit.  If you are feeling despondent, or low in spirit, remember that promise.  God knows what it's like to be crushed in spirit, because his Son Jesus was crushed in spirit when he died on the cross.

Here are several suggestions from Teresa Lockhart Stricklen:
Remember: STORE UP SCRIPTURE.  Memorizing verses like these can help subdue thoughts that affect one's mental health.  If you struggle to memorize things, write them down where you will be reminded.  Memorizing them or repeating them helps our souls to absorb it like a sponge absorbs water.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

I John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

BREATH PRAYERS consist of repeating a phrase with every breath, to plant the prayer thought deep in your soul.  You can pray one of the previous verses.

GOOD THINKING: The Bible instructs us in Philippians 4:8, 

Finally, brothers & sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

  -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

As ambassadors of Christ, who heals our infirmities, we have spiritual medicine to offer alongside medical treatment.  

God seeks to be reunited with his children.

A couple years ago, I read a book (The Radio Signal) by a German-American - Friedhelm Radandt.  Friedhelm Radandt was a child in Germany during Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s.  His father refused to enroll him and his older brother in the Nazi school for teenage boys, and because of that, his father lost his job, & their family had to move.  Friedhelm also had 2 older sisters.

In the early part of WW 2, Friedhelm's older brother enlisted in the Nazi program for teenage officers, against his parents' wishes.  Shortly after that, he disappeared on the motorcycle the Nazis provided for teenage officers.  Friedhelm was about 7-8 years old when he too became separated from his family because an approaching army, but was reunited a day or two later.  His sister was a children's nanny for another family when they had to flee a quickly approaching army.  His siblings were separated from his parents because of the war, as many families were separated in Europe during WW 2.

At the end of the war, Friedhelm and his parents were living just West of Germany.  Like many fathers who had been separated from his children, his father wanted to see his young adult children back in his home again.  So he began writing letters to any government official in any place that any of his children might be.  He wrote letter after letter after letter after letter.  When a returning letter informed him of where one of his children were, he traveled to that place to rescue his child and bring him home again.  After months and months of this, Friedhelm's 2 sisters were reunited with his family.

Then they learned that Friedhelm's brother was being held in prison along with other German soldiers just East of Germany, in an area occupied by the Soviet army.  His father traveled across the area held by Allied forces, to just across a river from the prison.  The river along the prison was the line between the Allied forces and the area held by the Soviet army.  Friedhelm's father sent a secret message to his son who snuck out of the prison during the night & managed to escape across the river without being seen, to be reunited with his father, & together they traveled back to join the rest of their family.

The point is that Friedhelm's father went through many steps, some of which were costly & risky, to be reunited with all his children after the war.  In a similar way, God went through many steps to be reunited with his children.  Sending his Son to be born in humble circumstances was the costliest & riskiest thing that God did, to rescue his children & be reunited with them.

We're separated from God by our sin which is like cancer; it's awful, painful & destructive.  Prior to Christ, in the latter part of the Old Testament, it became clear that the old Jewish system of sacrifices, was not enough to restore God's people to Him.  That system had become abused by selfish people who took advantage of the poor & gave special privileges to the wealthy.

In the journey of life, sometimes one reaches the point where one wishes to be reunited with lost family members.  Would you like to be reunited with your spiritual family?  Would you like to develop a relationship with your heavenly Father?

If you've come to the point in your life where you can see your need for help to overcome your problems & sins, you can be reunited with your heavenly Parent through the help of Jesus.  Admit your sins and weaknesses, to be reunited with God, and trust in his Spirit to help you.  If you want to learn more, read the Gospel of John in the New Testament in the Bible.

Jesus Comes for the Humble

At Christmas, God's Child gave up the majesty and beauty of heaven, to come down to this earthly, broken world.
Consider the person God chose to bear his Child in human form - Mary, likely a teenage girl from a poor family.  Mary had little in what we consider advantages for a teenager - education, things,- but she had faith and a willingness to serve.  That's all that one needs, to be used by God - a trust in God and willingness to serve.

Look at whom God's angels first announced the divine birth to - the shepherds.  Really!?  Shepherds?
There had been a time, centuries before, when shepherds were good, honest, upright people.  Maybe you're familiar with the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23.  That was during Israel's good days.  The priests were also called shepherds, those who cared for Israel's spiritual needs & represented the people before God.

But as the years went by, Israel's shepherd-priests were not always faithful.  In fact, by the time one gets to the Old Testament prophets, shepherd-priests were criticized for their faithlessness & misleading the people. Jeremiah 10:21 says, The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.  Jeremiah 23:1-2 says, “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:2 says, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

By the time of the New Testament, shepherds could not enter the temple, because living out in the fields with the sheep, they did not keep the Jewish laws of cleanliness.  Because they were seen as untrustworthy, they were not allowed to testify in court.

Yet, when it came time for God to announce the birth of his Son to the world, God sent his angels to shepherds out in the fields - amazing & ironic!

Perhaps you have felt or done faithless, dirty or untrustworthy things, like the shepherds.  The great news is that God's Son has come for people like that.  The message of Christmas is for lowly, humble people whom the world looks down upon.

Then look at the setting in which God's Son was born - in the stable (a barn), a place where you find animals and manure.  Not a place for a royal child to be born.  A manger is a feeding trough for animals -not the place for a royal Child!  You'd expect to find God's Child in a majestic place, a place fit for a king, not an animal in a barn.  When you go out to the barn, you don't expect to find a child in an animal feeding trough, much less the newborn Son of God!

The whole scene seems so mixed up.  Or is it?
Is it possible that God specifically chose this scene for his Child to enter the world?

Instead of announcing his Son's birth to kings, presidents or the news media, God sends his messengers to the lowest of the lowly, the shepherds.  God doesn't announce it to a full crowd in the temple, or even at a college bowl game.  No, God chooses some of the humblest people on earth, in a dirty, earthly setting.  The whole scene shouts HUMILITY - Mary, shepherds in a pasture, a manger in a stable. 

God's making it clear that his Son is coming for lowly, humble people.  No, Christmas is not about being the best, or the brightest or the biggest or the loudest.  No, Christmas is for those who are lowly, humble, faithful.  Maybe events in the last year or two have humbled you, and perhaps you feel lower than you've felt in a long time.  If that's true, then Christmas is for you.

God's sending his Son to earth at Christmas, was God's way of pursuing his people, because God longs to have a relationship with everyone, including you.

Mary was a humble servant of God, who was willing to serve and be used.
The scene of the manger in the stable was a humble setting for God's Son to be born.
God's angels announced the royal birth to lowly, humble shepherds who accepted the message & went to Bethlehem to see & worship the newborn Jesus.
God sent Jesus to those who are humble.  Jesus comes to the humble.

The question for each of us is, do we have the humility to admit that we cannot overcome our sins on our own, that we need help from a Higher Power.  Do you have the humility to bow down before Jesus as the shepherds did?

O come let us adore him; o come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Let us bow our hearts & heads before the newborn King.
Come & worship, come & worship, Christ the King!

What Jesus could teach men about masculinity, by Daniel Fusco

He was the most powerful person in history. But instead of exploiting relationships to fulfill his selfish desires, he humbled himself and served others.

With each passing day, I see another headline. Another well-known person is accused or fired. I’m talking about sexual harassment. Sexual abuse. We can’t miss it. It's running rampant in our culture. And it’s sickening.

None of us had any idea how bad things would get. Every day we are waiting to see who will be next. It has reached far and wide, from talking heads on TV shows to celebrity chefs to the highest office in our land. Then it dawns on us … the news is only reporting the cases of abuse that involve famous people.

What is worse is that sexual abuse has been everywhere for a long time. Long before the mainstream news media reported these atrocities and long before the balance of power moved from the perpetrators to the victims, many women were reporting abuses to their superiors with no recourse, or suffering in silence. But, thankfully, that is changing.

When we hear these stories, our hearts break for the victims. As a person of faith, this concern extends as well to the oppressed and marginalized. I am grateful that moving forward, men using their positions of power and influence to harass, demean or objectify women will be unacceptable. The “boys will be boys” idea, or whatever ways people try to justify this behavior, is finally seeing its long overdue demise.

As a pastor, it’s not lost on me that this is coming to light at the end of the calendar year, at a time we commonly know as the Christmas season. This special time is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Whatever people’s feelings about Jesus, the reason for the birth of this child was to demonstrate what real humility looks like. God coming to our world as a child and ultimately dying on a cross for the forgiveness of humankind … that is the message of Christmas. And it rings out today as a unique sound, in light of all that is happening.

Any time a person is abused or harassed, it is wrong. And it’s even more alarming when abusers leverage positions of power as opportunities to prey on people. Yet even as human culture has celebrated many thousands of Christmas seasons past, we have yet to really grasp the message of Christmas, and the message of Jesus.

When we consider Jesus, we realize he was the most powerful person in history. He had the most influence on people. And yet, instead of exploiting relationships to fulfill his selfish desires, his life was always about God’s will for him and God’s heart for people. Jesus humbled himself and served others. He showed up as a helpless child. As a grown man, he chose to die on the cross. He ultimately shows us that power does not have to be a means to a selfish end. God wants our positions of influence and power to be an opportunity to humble ourselves, and bless and serve our community and our world. Jesus, rather than seeing himself as superior to others, fully identified with our human condition and served us.

When I think of Jesus and the message he brought at Christmas, I am troubled that 2,000 years after he walked on the earth, masculinity is still trying to figure out its appropriate and proper expression. Far too many men feel that an oppressive, objectifying and demeaning view of women is just how we are — when the whole time Jesus is there, serving as the ultimate example of masculinity, for us to understand and emulate.

Our culture might not realize it, but it is crying out for real masculinity. And Jesus has always been that. I am hoping we will look at him with fresh eyes this Christmas and ask God how we can take on more of the qualities of Jesus. A heart to stand in the gap for other people, to see them in whatever state they are in, and push away any other thought than: God, how do you see this person, and how can I bless them today?

On the other side of the coin, this Christmas I am especially reminded that Christmas is a message of hope. Jesus not only came to show us a new way of living, he ultimately came to bring forgiveness. I am not recommending any get-out-of-jail free cards for anyone who has perpetrated these evils that are being exposed. But we cannot forget that all of us are in need of forgiveness.

Even on my best day, I fail in innumerable ways. I don’t always get it right, and I can hurt others. We all struggle and we are all in process, and the reality God brought at Christmas was a celebration of taking the next step in relationship with God and responding to his desires for us.

I am so grateful that Jesus isn’t done with me yet. And for everyone who has victimized others, I pray this Christmas they will find the way to true spiritual renewal, through the message of Jesus.

Daniel Fusco, author of Upward, Inward, Outward, is the pastor of Crossroads Community Church (Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore.), and hosts TV show Real with Daniel Fusco on the Hillsong Channel. Follow him on Twitter: @danielfusco

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/12/12/what-jesus-could-teach-chefs-celebrities-president-masculinity-daniel-fusco-column/942295001/

Running Water & the Living Water

One time a water line leak meant that all water to our house had to be shut off for 30 hours.   We were able to fill the tub & some containers with water before it was shut off.  We also had 6 gallons of water stored in a closet.  We had to pour water in the sink to wash up with.  My wife heated water on the stove to wash the dishes.  It reminded me of growing up in a house without running water, when my Mom heated water on the stove daily, to wash dishes.  According to my wife, my mmother was a saint.  Imagine pouring water into the toilet to flush.  We took showers at other places and used a neighbor's hose to refill containers. 

All things considered, it was an inconvenient adventure that we survived.  We learned a new appreciation for running water.  Do you remember the survivors of Hurricane Katrina?  Water was one of their biggest needs.  It’s possible that one day, you and I may lose running water due to a disaster.  Have you ever heard what the water supply is like in a third-world country?  Clean, running water is not to be taken for granted.

Our water experience made me think of the Water of Life.  In John 4, Jesus told the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again.  Anyone who drinks the water I give will never become thirsty again.  The water I give him will become a spring of water, springing up to eternal life.”

Later, in John 7, in a festival in Jerusalem, “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, the same as the Bible says, streams of LIVING WATER will flow from within him.’  By this he meant the SPIRIT, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”  (See Isaiah 12:2-3, 44:3-4,  and 58:11 for the blessings of life-giving water.)  Only the Messiah could promise the LIVING WATER of the Holy Spirit to all who believed, and Jesus showed that He was the Messiah, the Savior who came to save his people from their sin.

The baptismal water represents a means of God’s grace.  We Christians believe different things about baptism, but we all agree that the water represents the cleansing mercy of Jesus, to wash one’s sins away.

If you live without running water for a day, you’ll gain a new appreciation for water.  It’s just as hard, if not harder, to live without the life-giving water of Jesus.  Go to Jesus through prayer and the Bible.  Confess your sins, and ask for forgiveness for your sins.  Pray for the help of God’s Spirit, to live as He wants us to live.  Pray for the life-giving water of Jesus, the WATER OF LIFE.

Clean, running water is not to be taken for granted.  Neither is the Water of Life. Appreciate the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, the water that comes from Jesus.

Resurrection Renewal

Signs of spring are all around us – green grass, the sound of lawnmowers, birds singing, buds blossoming, and warmer days.  We celebrated the resurrection of God’s Son, our Savior, on Easter.  God offers us new life, hope, victory over sin and death, and joy through Christ’s resurrection.  Now, like the first disciples, we seek to understand what that means to us in our daily lives.  

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

Does the resurrection mean that our problems dissolve?  Our health improves?  Our debts decrease while our income increases?  Or that home improvement project gets done without our effort?  Not necessarily.  But Christ’s new life can give us strength to face those issues, or hope and strength to stand up in the face of our problems, if we keep seeking the Master of Life.  In over 15 years of living with chronic back pain, I’ve found that God’s new life and power give me the hope and perseverance to keep moving forward.  God’s new life and hope can give you and me the strength to face issues we’ve been avoiding or fearing for years.   

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."  Romans 6:8-11

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that [at] the last he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold, and not another.   (Job 19:25-27)

If God could take a valley of dry, dead, human bones, and make them into living, breathing humans again (Ezekiel 37), God can certainly renew your life and mine.  The key is looking to the Creator of Life to re-create our lives and hold us up in the face of difficulties.  Let us trust the One who has power over life, death, and sin.  Let us bow our heads and hearts to the Master of Life everyday in praise and prayer.  

Thoughts on the Savior's Death

Today is the day called Good Friday, the day when Jesus died.  Jesus will be dead within hours.  It seems heartbreaking, at least for those of us who loved Him.  We can blame the Jews of Jesus' day or the Roman soldiers, but actually, it was our sins.

For those who loved Jesus, there was nothing good about the day Jesus died a slow, agonizing death like a convicted criminal.  They felt confused, lost, severe loss & grief, afraid, but nothing positive or even close to "good."  For them, & I hope for some of us who seek to follow Him, that day was and is Black Friday or Death Friday.

In the words of the Lord's Supper, also called communion, we believe Jesus was the Bread of Life, broken for you and me.  The blood of Jesus was shed for us.  We believe the cup of communion represents the water of life welling up into eternal life.

Jesus is dead.  The only "good" thing is the new life that we can receive because of His death.  But if we skip the agony, grief, and darkness of these days when Jesus' body was dead, I don't believe that we fully appreciate that new life on Easter.  In a similar way, denying the grief of losing a loved one is not healthy.

Isaiah 53: 3-7 says: He was looked down on and passed over,

    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.

One look at him and people turned away.

    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—

    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

    that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

    Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

                on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,

    but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

    and like a sheep being sheared,

    he took it all in silence.  (The Message)

May Jesus' suffering motivate us to look at our own sins, our sins that caused His death.  I feel deep regret for my own sins, and my Savior's death makes me long to turn from my sins.  Our Savior's death can lead us to change our ways, to live as the Master desires us to live.

When we truly feel some of His pain & suffering, the sunrise on Easter morning will mean new hope and new strength, and a new stage in our walk with the Master.  I look forward to the Spirit's work in my life and yours.   Peace & grace to you.

Maundy Thursday:
After Jesus had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them."
– John 13:12-17

Why Do We Suffer?

This winter has been for some, a struggle to survive.  During Lent, we Christ-followers turn toward Jerusalem & the Cross, as we remember Jesus' sacrificial suffering, for us.  Remembering the Savior's sufferings, can be a time to reflect on our own suffering.  Why do we suffer?

Billy Graham deals with why God's children suffer in his book, Hope for the Troubled Heart.  One reason we all suffer is because we sin or disobey God.  Graham writes:  "If a Christian loses his temper, tells a lie, or commits a sin of any kind, he will suffer God's judgment... just as a child needs correcting, so God's children need correcting."

Sometimes, like a loving Parent, God needs to discipline us, his children.  Graham tells about his father punishing him as a child, but he knew that his father loved him.  Jesus says, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline."  (Revelation 3:19)  A wise person considers whether his problem is deserved as God's discipline. 

Graham asks: "Can we profit from pain?"
        Remember Job?  If ever a man had trials, it was this fellow.  But this is what he         
        concluded: When God has tested me, I will come forth as gold  (Job 23:10)  This is    
        reacting positively to testing, building on it, rather than criticizing it for interfering   
        with life's normal patterns.
  
       Trials often come {because God} seeks to make us into the sort of person He   
       planned  for us to be when He first thought of us.  Like a sculptor,  He begins with a   
       lump of marble.  But He has in mind a picture of what He intends to create.  He 
       breaks, cracks, chisels, and polishes until one day there emerges His vision, like   
       Michelangelo's David.  At the moment, His sculpture of us is incomplete.  God has   
       not yet finished with us.  (page 91)

Sometimes we bring a problem on ourselves.  Ever know a man who has an affair, and then his marriage fell apart?  She smoked for years, and now she has breathing problems.  A parent allowed a child to what whatever he pleased for years, and now wonders why he cannot be managed. 

Suffering deepens our relationship with God.  Graham writes, "Nothing will drive us to our knees quicker than than trouble... God hears our prayers, but our prayers must be in accordance with His will." (page 92)  Our problems can cause us to ask if we're praying for the right things.  Our struggles force us to look deeper.

Take another look at these causes of suffering, and ask yourself: Why am I suffering?  Accept responsibility for what you've said or done.  Seek to learn from your suffering.  In this season of journeying toward Jesus' sufferings and death, let us remember His prayer on the night before He was crucified, "Not my will, but your will be done."  Our problems keep us humble and cause us to pray.  Struggles can lead us to us to a deeper relationship with the Savior.  Let God's Spirit lead you.

Christmas & Fathers: 4 lessons from Joseph

By Dr. Corne J. Becker  Published December 24, 2014

Mary, the mother of Jesus, features prominently in our Christmas celebrations. Christmas carols, greeting cards and nativity reenactments all celebrate the important role she played in the birth of the Messiah. But what about Joseph? What does the Christmas story say about the role of fathers?

The Gospel of Matthew, written in the second half of the first century to a predominantly Jewish audience, places Joseph at the center of the birth of Christ. Complimentary to the Gospel of Luke where most of the activity centers on Mary, Matthew reports that it is Joseph that is instructed by an angel in a dream not to call off his impending marriage to Mary. Joseph is pictured as a decisive leader, protector and provider for his family in this Gospel.

The birth narratives of Jesus in Matthew, not only highlights the importance of family as the building block of a stable society, but also communicates the importance of fathers in the raising of children. With Joseph as our example, four lessons for fathers can be taken from this Christmas story.

First, to be a father is not just a biological description. Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus, but as instructed by the angel took Mary as his wife and provided a home for Jesus. Being a father is a matter of the heart. Joseph is a great role model for those fathers that have chosen to raise non-biological children as their own. Fathers create homes for children by enlarging their hearts and providing a safe and nurturing environment for them.

Second, fathers model good values to their children. Matthew calls Joseph a just man. This is in sharp contrast to the wicked Herod in the same Gospel, who kills numerous boys in his narcissistic rage as he attempts to remove the pending threat of the birth of the King of the Jews. We are inundated with so many painful recollections of fathers that did not match the expectations of their children.  Good fathers embody the moral and hopeful ideals of their children. They model the way.

Third, fathers do all in their power to protect their family. Joseph, warned in a dream about the murderous plans of Herod, moves his family to the safety of Egypt. This selfless act of Joseph illustrates what good fathers do best – they place the interest of their families above their own.

Lastly, fathers provide a future for their children. Once again, Matthew records that Joseph in returning from Egypt scanned the environment and decided to move Jesus and Mary to Galilee, far from the watchful eye of Archelaus, the ruler that succeeded Herod. Good fathers recognize that fathering does not end when children turn of age. Fathers consider the future of their children beyond their own mortality and work to provide a prosperous and successful future for them.

Perhaps the time has come to reconsider the role of Joseph in our celebration of Christmas. May we rediscover not only his good example, but the stabilizing and transformative effect that good fathers have on children, families and societies.

Dr. Corne J. Bekker is a professor & Dept Chair of Biblical Studies & Christian Ministry at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/12/24/christmas-and-fathers-four-lessons-from-gospel-matthew/   

Scoundrels in the Stable

            

In Jesus’ day, shepherds were thought of as shady, disreputable, untrustworthy, irreligious, but not good.  A shepherd was sneaky, shifty, and likely a thief.   Shepherds were despised by religious leaders, since living out in the hills, they were unable to wash regularly and observe the ceremonial and dietary laws.  Shepherds were not eligible for judicial office.  They were not permitted to be a witness in a court because they were so untrustworthy.  They were not allowed to enter the temple.

                                   

For Jesus to say, “I am the good shepherd” sounded strange, like a contradiction or oxymoron.  Imagine someone today saying "I am the good thief," or "I am the good drug dealer."  Maybe Jesus identified with shepherds because He too was scorned by the establishment.  Jesus knew what it was like to be despised, to have people watch you with squinty, suspicious eyes. 

           

Somehow it seems only fitting that the first visitors to see the Lamb of God were shepherds.  They hustle to the stable and are first in line to touch the hem of heaven.  God communicated first to the shepherds in the fields.  Not the pure and holy, not the high and mighty, not the Bethlehem ministerial association, but the sneaky, low-life shepherds.  I guess God sees the good in the worst of us and the bad in the best of us.  I guess we should think twice before we look down our noses at present-day shepherds.

Shepherds were the first to hear the Good News of the birth of God’s Son.  Shepherds were the first to visit and honor the baby Jesus in the stable with Mary and Joseph.  If God could allow scoundrels like shepherds in the presence of his Son, I guess there’s hope for people like you and me.

            

Your School Needs Jesus

My wife welcomed her new 3^rd graders at our local elementary school last week.  Our communities’ students, teachers & school staffs need prayer as they begin a new year.  I believe that they need Jesus’ guidance and blessings this year.  Every year, teachers continue to learn new educational tools, methods, & skills.  Administrators and staff face new challenges in meeting the needs of today’s students.

The first 5 books of the Old Testament were called the Torah or the Law.  Rabbi’s back then taught the Torah to their young students, so that children grew up knowing that God had created the world and done marvelous things through Abraham and Moses.  As the decades and centuries went by, God’s Spirit lead the Israelites to add the books of history and poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) to its sacred Scriptures, and the prophetic books came later.   

In the New Testament, Jesus was known especially for teaching; He was a Jewish rabbi.  He taught outdoors as well as in the synagogue.  He taught hard, new ways to interpret the Old Testament, especially in Matthew 5-7, his famous sermon on the mountain.   Each gospel presents a different side of Jesus’ ministry; so take the time to read each of them.  Some of his stories made religious leaders look bad and outcast minorities look good, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan, or the Pharisee and tax-collector who prayed in the Temple. 

I appreciate the time my employer gives me for continuing education, to keep learning.  No matter how old we get, there’s always something more to learn.  I hope to keep learning for many years, partly because learning new things keeps one young by introducing new things into one’s life, no matter what your age.  No matter how old you and I get, there’s always more to learn about Jesus and following Him as our Savior and Master.  To learn about following Jesus, read the first 4 books of the New Testament and spend time praying to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  A church in your community can also you learn about Jesus.

Pray for the school in the district where you live.  These are challenging times for students and everyone involved in educating them.  Every school needs Christ and his Spirit’s guidance, protection, mercy and gracious love.  Your local school needs Jesus.  Pray that every Christ-follower in your local schools will be a light in a dark world.  

A Place to Meet God

Our deck was aging and sagging badly; it was like walking across a trampoline.  In May, I received help in tearing it apart.  Turns out there was a reason for the sagging - most of the support framework was rotting.  I decided to use 4 x 4 posts in concrete in holes in the ground for the new deck.  While building the deck, I learned about post footings, pier-blocks, ledger boards and joist-hangers; I also learned about sore muscles, pinched fingers, and 60 lb bags of concrete!

Working on our deck reminded me of God's detailed instructions for the Tabernacle (Exo. 25-26).  Tabernacle means tent, dwelling place or sanctuary.  It was a portable holy place where God would meet with his people during the decades they wandered through the wilderness.  The Tabernacle was where people and their leaders worshipped and offered sacrifices to God.  Do you have a place to meet personally with God?

There are numerous other Biblical building projects, including:

-Nehemiah & his Jewish recruits rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, to protect and secure the city where God’s people rededicated themselves to God.

-A carpenter made the manger (an animal trough) that held the newborn Jesus in the

barn behind the crowded inn.

-The cross on which Jesus was crucified.

All these building projects were part of God’s work or intended to honor God, which raises the question: Will our new deck be used to honor and glorify God?  Will it be a place to meet with God?  Our backyard is to some extent a place of nature with grass, plants, trees and a few flowers – a place where one can spend peaceful time with God.  My wife helped me a lot in the building process, and we didn’t have a single disagreement!  So God’s already blessed us through the building process.  What about your latest project?  Is it part of God’s work or intended to honor God?  How will it affect your relationship with God?

The stone that was rejected by the builders (I Peter 2: 4-9) turned out to be Jesus Christ!  Jesus was rejected by many who were too attached to the standard religious practices of their day.  Peter wrote: Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life.  The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor.  Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.  (The Message)

Without God, the supporting framework of our lives, tends to rot like our old deck.  But one can build a new life based on the greatest cornerstone – Jesus.  If you’re tired of your old life and ready for a new life, start building your life on Jesus!  

Jesus Left But is Still Present

Thursday, May 29, is the 40^th day after Easter – the day when Jesus ascended into heaven.  Read Matt. 28:16-20 and Acts 1: 1-11 for the story.  In John 16: 7, J prepared his disciples for his leaving by saying, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 

How is Christ’s leaving an advantage for us?  Most p would say the opposite –that Christ’s presence would be our advantage.  Wouldn’t faith be easier if the Lord was still among us in the flesh?  Imagine if Jesus had an office where we could go to see Him?  Or an 800 number so people could call him for advice and counseling?  If we could actually speak with Jesus, wouldn’t that be to our advantage?  No.  Jesus says, It’s for your good that I’m going away.

One advantage is that all people in all places can know Him.  Jesus in the flesh was limited by space & time. He could not be in 2 places at the same time.  But now He can do that.  Through the Holy Spirit, He’s there with you, and He’s with people across town and across the globe.

Thomas a’Kempis once wrote about how the Lord’s Supper would be treasured if it was offered only once a year in one place.  Think of the lines!  That easy access to the Lord’s Supper blinds us to its enormous value and importance.  That’s true about our access to Christ too.  If Jesus had an office somewhere, people would wait in line for weeks and months to come into his presence.  And yet, we’re never far from Jesus now.  We can visit Him anytime, anywhere, in faith.

Now we’ve got to grow and mature on our own.  There’s a responsibility and maturity that comes with that.  A father told me that his 2^nd son Jeff had matured so much after his older brother (the first son) had moved away.  I wonder if the Lord sensed that He had to leave for the disciples to mature.  They had Him to settle their differences, answer their questions, and make all their decisions.  If Jesus did have an office next door, would we ever grow and mature as his followers?  Or would we be like little children who never learn to walk by themselves because their parents carry them everywhere?

Thank God that we don’t have to learn to walk without help.  We have a lot of freedom, but we’re guided by the Holy Spirit.  We have the advantage of Christ’s presence through the Spirit.  And maybe that’s the best advantage of all – now that Jesus has left us, we know that He’ll never leave us!  We don’t see his body anymore, but His Spirit is with us always!

Giving the Gift of Life

Sarah Farkas was a seminary student assigned to care for members of a nearby church.  While there, she met a man, Duke Guy, who was on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant.  But no matching kidney had been found.  Sarah was praying one night that a donor would be found, where when she heard God say to her, Why don’t you give him one of your kidneys?   She immediately began to tremble and weep but felt a sense of peace. 

Sarah spoke to several people who encouraged her to do it.  After 3 months of wrestling with God and agonizing, she went through a number of medical tests that determined she was a  perfect match for Duke.  On January 13, she and Duke were wheeled into side-by-side operating rooms, and Duke received one of her kidneys, which is now functioning in his body.  He is no longer living with the kidney disease that plagued his life for over 30 years.

Sarah says, In hindsight, it seems fitting that God asked a question.  After all, God gives us opportunities to answer and step out in obedience several times a day, but often we aren’t listening or even paying attention.  God does not ask everyone to donate a kidney, but He does ask that w e slow down, close our laptops, turn off our televisions, and silence our cell phones so that we can give our uninterrupted attention to Him and to the people He has chosen to place in our lives.

We are called to be the light of the world, and our light shines a little brighter when we take the time to listen, because when we listen, heaven and earth collide.  

We all have a terminal disease called sin.  Unless we receive a transplant from the Savior, our lives will wither and end.  Jesus offers us each a fresh start, a new life, a heart transplant that leads to eternal life. 

Hope is like a ship's anchor...

Hope is like a ship's anchor that secures our soul in the Holy of Holies in the Temple - the inner presence of God Almighty. This happens only thru Jesus' death on the cross.

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf..." Hebrews 6:19-20

For those who live in SE OK, our Maundy Thursday potluck is tonight at 6 pm, & the service at 7 pm.

Easter Sunrise is at 7 am, with the church men serving breakfast afterward.

Our regular Easter service, w/ the Lord's Supper, is at 10 am.  

Christmas With the Shepherds.

It’s finally here.  The event we’ve been waiting for – the birth of Mary’s son, Jesus.  At first, Mary and Joseph had their baby all to themselves.  Then Luke 2 says that an angel appeared to the shepherds in the field, announcing the birth of God’s Son.  So the first visitors to the humble birthplace were shepherds.

In ancient Israel, shepherds were dirty, unclean and thus not allowed to enter the temple.  Shepherds were not trusted; they were not allowed to testify in a court of law.  Shepherds were looked down upon by good, upstanding Jews.  You wouldn’t want your daughter to marry a shepherd, or even bring one home.  A shepherd could follow you into a revolving door and come out ahead of you – that’s how shifty they were.  If a shepherd appeared in your front yard, you’d look around to be sure that everything was still there.  Shepherds could not be trusted.

Yet God’s messenger trusted the shepherds with the message of Jesus’ birth.  Shepherds were the first to hear the great news of a Savior born for all the world.  Think of someone that you look down upon, someone who’s not on your level.  Then tell yourself that God’s angels first told people like this person; they were the first to hear the Christmas news.  If we want to see what God is doing, maybe we need to pay more attention to people like the shepherds.  Let’s spend part of our Christmas with someone like a shepherd.  

Things Are Changing. Are you changing?

I hate getting older, dieting or getting fat, quitting bad habits, children, updates to computer programs when I just got the hang of the old version.  I do like some changes.  I like the feel of my new athletic shoes.  I like watching the Green Bay Packers pound the ball this season.  

Things are changing.  Life is like a river; the water is always flowing and moving.   Some objects are carried downstream.   Erosion happens.  In November, the days are getting shorter.  The nights are getting colder. 

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  He does not change; so we can count on his faithfulness to his promises, and if you’re trusting Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin, He promises to be with you always (Matthew 28:20). 

But God does expect US to change our ways.  In Matthew 18:3, the Teacher said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Children tend to have a humble approach to life; children have to depend on others for food, clothing, shelter, transportation, love, attention, and nurture.  But some of us adults use negative words to describe others with whom we disagree.  Or we look down on those with less or who are different from us.  Jesus hung around with tax-collectors, prostitutes, drunks, and other sinners.  Do we spend time with others to help or share something with sinners?  Or do we ignore them?  

I was recently at a conference in which we were taught, nurtured, & encouraged to consider how we might change; we were given significant freedom in how to change.  I wrote a plan to change my life, and am seeking to incorporate those into my life.  Someone once said, You’re either changing, or you’re just getting older.

So do you want to change?  I hope you’ll trust the God of heaven and earth during this season.  If you’re already trusting Him, how do you believe the Master wants you to change?

Receive God's Treats on Halloween

Christians have been divided over how to handle Halloween for as long as I remember.  Most acknowledge that the worldly history of Halloween; the controversy is over whether today's Halloween practices (trick-or-treating, costume parties, decorations, etc.) are sinful or not. 

When our children were younger, my wife and I allowed them to participate in a limited amount of trick-or-treating, but avoided the devil and evil-type of costumes and decorations.  We now live in a neighborhood that receives hundreds of kids trick-or-treating, and we enjoy greeting children, many of whom know my wife at a local school.

Our church will offer GOD'S TREATS on this Thurs, Halloween, at 5-6 pm.  The best treat that we can offer is Jesus Christ who offers the treat of eternal life, forgiveness, and hope all year round. 

Put your trust in the One who can save you from evil, and forgive your sin if you ask for his mercy for your sins. Don't let the devil influence you; Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Please call me at bluesky09 at juno.com if you have questions.  God’s biggest treat for you on Halloween is his grace in Jesus Christ.