Withholding.

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.  What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty.  “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”  Haggai 1:9 

When visiting the Lutheran schools and congregations in the nine Districts in Haiti I was frequently asked by the District Presidents to give a message on Sunday morning to their congregation on the topic of tithing; not a great way to make friends at their church, but a wonderful way to plant seeds and share in the joy of tithing and the realized blessings that always came following. 

In my congregation in Nebraska, there was a man who always seemed to be angry at the world, angry at our country, angry at Christians and angry at God and the only time I ever saw him smile is when he stated that he had never given one dime to a congregation.  He doesn’t understand that what he is withholding from God is preventing him from enjoying a fuller relationship with our Heavenly Father and more abundant blessings. 

The attached photo was taken at Bon Berger on a Sunday morning; this was my home congregation while living in Haiti.  The average person in Haiti has an annual income of roughly $500 and I would try to sit in the rear of the Church on Sunday, not because that is how I was brought up, but I was curious to see what their offering plate looked like when it reached the last pew. 

These people who had literally nothing to live on placed a few coins into the plate and to them, it must have been like you or I placing $500 in our offering plate.  Our Heavenly Father's sovereign ways can cause our endeavors to succeed beyond our wildest dreams or they can defeat our plans to our own dismay and leave us looking for somebody to blame. 

With a simple touch of His hand, God can steer our vessel into a profitable channel or He can allow it to run aground in poverty and bankruptcy.  The Scriptures teach us that the Lord enriches the generous but leaves the miserly to discover that withholding their money only leads to poverty. 

Over the years, the offering plate at Bon Barger got fuller and fuller and even had paper money becoming more prominent than coins; the congregation is being blessed.  To the man that I spoke of earlier there is a verse in Matthew that says “Selfishness will always look first to its own home, but godliness will seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness."  May your tithing be a joy and not a hindrance as you return a portion of your daily blessings to the One who gave it to you.  William How wrote ‘We give Thee but Thine Own’ in 1854 and its words seemed like an appropriate way to close this devotion. 

“We give Thee but Thine own, whate'er the gift may be; all that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.  May we Thy bounties thus as stewards true receive and gladly, as Thou blessest us, to Thee our first-fruits give!  Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, and homes are bare and cold, and lambs for whom the Shepherd bled are straying from the fold.  To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe, to tend the lone and fatherless, is angels' work below.  The captive to release, to God the lost to bring, to teach the way of life and peace, it is a Christlike thing.  And we believe Thy Word, though dim our faith may be: whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, we do it unto Thee.”  

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Pastor Isidor; Beni soit L'Eternal!!!

“The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing.  And they praised the God of Israel.” Matthew 15:31 

When was the last time that you celebrated?  When was the last time that you clapped your hands, lifted your arms and joyfully screamed as loud as your blood pressure would permit?  The last time I experienced this type of celebration was back in the day when the No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team beat the No. 1 Illinois volleyball team in Lincoln. 

I don’t ever recall screaming ‘Praise the Lord!’ at the top of my lungs after I had received Holy Communion; that should take place every Sunday but it never has.  Too often we celebrate the events of this world that are trivial and only last for a brief moment in time.  We applaud sports teams, political candidates and social celebrities but not Jesus; it is not politically correct to do that.  Next Sunday take a moment to glance at His children returning from receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  If you were a visitor, would receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus seem to be a moment of joy to the communicant or a time of sadness? 

While living in Haiti one of my favorite times was visiting the Lutheran churches and schools throughout Haiti.  The attached photo was taken in 2001 in the Les Cayes district at the school in Chambellan.  At this point in time, there was a concrete footing with rebars pointing to the sky and that was a promise that a sound structure would be built one day soon.  As the camera was being prepared to capture this moment in time Pastor Isidor would always encourage the people to celebrate this moment and shout ‘Beni Soit L’Eternal’ (Praise the Lord) and lift their hands in jubilant celebration.   

A moment of joy, a moment of celebration.  Every time a school child raises a heaping spoonful of manna to their mouth that was filled by a Trinity/HOPE donor like you a ‘Beni Soit L’Eternal is celebrated.  Isaac Watts wrote the words to the hymn ‘Joy to the World, the Lord is Come’ in 1719 and this hymn should be sung more often than just at Christmas.  Celebrate what the Lord has done for you today! 

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!  Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing.  Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!  Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy.  No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.  He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.” 

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Thank you.

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17

 The children in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school in Bois Marchand which is located on the North edge of Gonaives on the east side of the highway.  It was about 11:15 when this photo was snapped and it must have been 100 degrees in this ‘airy’ building.  They had put down their school books, washed their hands from a white plastic bucket, said their prayers and their food was brought to them by the teachers. 

Visiting Trinity/HOPE feeding programs can sometimes almost make me weep when I consider what these children are going through every day; every day after day after day living in Haiti.  What do you suppose the little boy on the right side of the second desk is thinking about, he has a thoughtful stare on his face?  His name is Richard and he approached me before I left and through an interpreter, he thanked me for the feeding program as his school.  I gave him a big hug and my sunglasses prevented him from seeing moisture in my eyes.  Thank you, for the feeding program at his school and the other 140 schools in Haiti.  Richard places his trust in Jesus as every day this plate of food arrives at his desk in Bois Marchand at 11:15; a plate of hope where there is little hope to go around. 

Frances Havergal wrote the words to the hymn ‘I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus’ in 1874 and they provide comfort His children when this world tells us there is no hope. 

”I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, trusting only Thee; trusting Thee for full salvation, great and free.  I am trusting Thee for pardon; at Thy feet I bow, for Thy grace and tender mercy trusting now.  I am trusting Thee for cleansing in the crimson flood; trusting Thee to make me holy by Thy blood.  I am trusting Thee to guide me; Thou alone shalt lead, ev'ry day and hour supplying all my need.  I am trusting Thee for power; Thine can never fail.  Words which Thou Thyself shalt give me must prevail.  I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus; never let me fall.  I am trusting Thee forever and for all.”  

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

O, there's trouble.

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.  You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me” Psalm 138:7 

As a child of God living in North America, there will always be some form of trouble in my life as the evil foe will have it no other way while he is still unleashed, roaming through every crook and cranny on this earth. 

The child on the left in the attached photo is no doubt enduring more troubles in her life than the children next to her.  Her prayer time in Bois Marchand is reaching our Heavenly Father in the same amount of time that our prayers reach Him.  We think that her problems must not be like ours, but in truth they are as they were started by satan, in Haiti, in Illinois, in Tennessee all over this world; the evil foe brings trouble into the lives of those who call upon the Triune God; and also upon those who don’t.  Big difference here, we are saved, those still clinging to the lies of the vodou priest are not saved.  Horatius Bonar wrote the lyrics for the hymn ‘Thy works, not mine, O Christ’ in 1857 and they are such a wonderful reminder that our Savior is always near, always there when we call upon His name. 

“Thy works, not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart; they tell me all is done, they bid my fear depart.  To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?  Thy wounds, not mine, O Christ, can heal my bruised soul; Thy stripes, not mine, contain the balm that makes me whole.  To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?  Thy cross, not mine, O Christ, has borne the awe-full load of sins that none could bear but the incarnate God.  To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?  Thy death, not mine, O Christ, has paid the ransom due; ten thousand deaths like mine would have been all too few.  To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?  Thy righteousness, O Christ, alone can cover me; no righteousness avails save that which is of Thee.  To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?” 

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

How hot was it?

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 

Joel Osteen recently gave a message that centered upon the ‘garbage in – garbage out’ philosophy.  If we are spending the majority of our time watching the flat screen we are spending less time in His Word.  If we are spending more time feeding our bodies at the all-you-can eat counter we are probably taking away precious hours from our life of serving our Heavenly Father. 

The girl in the attached photo attends school at Pont Quenepe and she has a cloth next to her face, not to wipe away tears of boredom as she listens to my devotion but to wipe away perspiration on this typically hot early afternoon in March, 2010.  Her idle time is not spent in front of a television at home but is spent studying her homework because that is what is most important to her.  Her meal comes because of somebody just like you who has spent a quarter on her life so she could eat a meal of beans and rice for lunch.  Please take time today to consider how our Heavenly Father is either using your life today or is nudging you to go in one of His directions instead of the ways of this world.  Helen Lemmel wrote the words to the tune ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus’ in 1922 and seemed like an appropriate way to close the devotion today. 

“O soul, are you weary and troubled?  No light in the darkness you see?  There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free!  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.  Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; o’er us sin no more hath dominion for more than conqu’rors we are!  His Word shall not fail you He promised; believe Him, and all will be well: then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”  

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Sheep.

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” 1 Timothy 1:12 

While listening to “Focus on the Family” recently, I heard Sheila Walsh say “It is the Shepherds job to get me home” and those words and that program really caught my attention.  Nothing that you or I can do that will get us to Heaven, it is only what Jesus has already done that will get us home.  The Good Shepherd watches over us, the Holy Spirit encourages us and we are truly blessed that He considers us worthy to help to use our ‘gifts’ to do His work. 

When I was in high school and worked during the summer months in the alfalfa fields picking up bales I remember one farmer who happened to raise sheep instead of cattle as so many farmers in Eastern Nebraska did.  I will never forget the awful smell of the sheep; a pungent odor that caused the eyes to squint and face to wrinkle as the words ‘pee-ewe’ left my mouth.  The attached photo is of a Lutheran goatherd in Saltedere, Haiti.  These Haitian goats do smell like Nebraska sheep and they seemed to be just as smart as well; they needed a shepherd.   

We too are like sheep, our sinful lives reek of a pungent odor.  The children attending Christian schools in Haiti need the Bon Barger (Good Shepherd) and you and I too need that Good Shepherd to lead us along our journey.  The hymn ‘For all the Saints who from their labors rest’ was written by William How in 1864 and they are an excellent reminder of our journey to our Heavenly home. 

“For all the saints who from their labors rest, who Thee by faith before the world confess,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest, Alleluia! Alleluia!  Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, fight as the saints who nobly fought of old and win with them the victor's crown of gold.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  O blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; the saints triumphant rise in bright array; the King of Glory passes on His way.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia! Alleluia!  The golden evening brightens in the west; soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.  Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.  Alleluia! Alleluia!”  

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Bib la.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31 

The children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti are in His Word daily and are being prepared to go and share the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of Haiti who are foolishly clinging to the lies of the vodou priest. 

When you look at the attached photo of a ‘Bib La’ resting on a pew in the Central Plateau in Haiti it is important for you to know that an estimated sixty percent of the people living in Haiti cannot read or write.  On one of my visits to the Central Plateau I saw a large collection of new Lutheran Catechism’s in a box that had been translated into Haitian Creole by The Rev. Dr. Doris Louis.  I asked why they were in the box and not in the hands of the lay Pastors in the countryside and the reply was that they could not read them; the Pastors could read French, but not Creole as that language had been taught audibly. 

It is truly important for you to understand just how valuable your support is to Trinity/HOPE as over 28,000 children in these schools are learning to read and write; their impact upon the country of Haiti in the next decade will truly be monumental.  These children in Haiti will be the Pastors, teachers and missionaries who will share His Word with the country as their gifts of literacy will impact so many lives for Him.  Their witness will impact so many more than the witness of the present Pastors and teachers.  The hymn ‘Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word’ was written by Martin Luther in 1541 and those words are still applicable today and close this message. 

“Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word; curb those who fain by craft and sword would wrest the Kingdom from Thy Son and set at naught all He hath done.  Lord Jesus Christ, Thy power make known, for Thou art Lord of lords alone; defend Thy Christendom that we may evermore sing praise to Thee.  O Comforter of priceless worth.  Send peace and unity on earth.  Support us in our final strife and lead us out of death to life.”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Pride.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 

I went through a Chuck Swindoll Bible study recently and he wrote this about pride; “Pride is a terrible trait, manifesting itself in our passion for the ‘best seats’; insisting on recognition, wanting to be noticed, longing for prominence, smarting when we’re not consulted or advised, dominating social situations.  It displays itself when we resist authority or become angry and defensive when crossed or challenged; when we harbor grudges, nurse grievances or wallow in self-pity.  It’s the drive behind our penchant for associating with the rich and famous rather than the little people who make up most of our world.” 

The Creole word for ‘pride’ is lògèy.  Pride rears its ugly head all over this world as satan continues to encourage us about how special we are; we are god’s children and we are as smart as and sometimes smarter than god.  As I was typing Mr. Swindoll’s description about pride I was reminded of several people, even a Lutheran Pastor, who had some of those traits.  If I were to highlight the areas where my pride was described there would be several highlighted words.  If you tried hard, you too could possibly find one that would fit into your life.  These children in Haiti also have lògèy.   

I take pride in my daughters and my grandchildren; they are from God.  I take pride in the work that Trinity/HOPE is accomplishing in Haiti; it is all happening because of God.  The parents of these Haitian children take pride in their accomplishments; again, gifts from God.  Taking pride in what ‘we’ have done is ugly and can be dangerous to our relationship with our Triune God.  Taking pride in what God has accomplished through us, relating that it is all from Him for His Glory is beautiful and fulfills His purpose for our lives.  I close with the words to the hymn ‘The will of God is always best’ that was written by Albrecht von Brandenburg in 1553. 

“The will of God is always best and shall be done forever; and they who trust in Him are blest, He will forsake them never.  He helps indeed In time of need, He chastens with forbearing; they who depend On God, their Friend, shall not be left despairing.  God is my Comfort and my Trust, my Hope and life abiding; and to His counsel wise and just, I yield in Him confiding.  The very hairs, His Word declares, upon my head He numbers. by night and day God is my Stay, He never sleeps nor slumbers.  Lord Jesus, this I ask of Thee, deny me not this favor: when Satan sorely troubles me, then do not let me waver.  Keep watch and ward, O gracious Lord, fulfill Thy faithful saying: who doth believe He shall receive an answer to His praying.  When life's brief course on earth is run and I this world am leaving, grant me to say: "Thy will be done." by faith to Thee still cleaving.  My heavenly Friend, I now commend my soul into Thy keeping, o'er sin and hell, and death as well, through Thee the victory reaping.” 

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Priceless treasure.

“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?  Where then did the weeds come from?’  “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’  “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”  Matthew 13:24-30  

The soybean crop on my farm was harvested a week ago and placed into storage and the yields were not very good.  It is amazing to see what weeds and weather can do to a harvest; their affect can be very detrimental to the final yield.  What may be affecting your yield as you do work in His mission field? 

The boy in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school at Bois Marchand and he is a worker in the mission field of Haiti.  The weeds in his life are poverty, lack of water, disease and the lies of the vodou priest who lives just down the road.  Your donation helped to plant good seeds in this school and your daily support from prayers continues to bind the weeds in his life and in doing His work; you also are receiving blessings from our Heavenly Father.  The hymn ‘Jesus priceless treasure’ was written by Johann Franck in 1655 and its timeless words seem an appropriate way to close this message. 

“Jesus, priceless Treasure, fount of purest pleasure, truest Friend to me.  Ah, how long in anguish shall my spirit languish, yearning, Lord, for Thee?  Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!  I will suffer naught to hide Thee, naught I ask beside Thee.  In Thine arms I rest me; foes who would molest me cannot reach me here.  Though the earth be shaking, every heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.  Lightnings flash and thunders crash; yet, though sin and hell assail me, Jesus will not fail me.  Satan, I defy thee; death, I now decry thee; fear, I bid thee cease.  World, thou shalt not harm me nor thy threats alarm me while I sing of peace.  God's great power guards every hour; earth and all its depths adore Him, silent bow before Him.  Hence, all earthly treasure!  Jesus is my pleasure, Jesus is my choice.  Hence, all empty glory!  Naught to me thy story told with tempting voice.  Pain or loss, or shame or cross, shall not from my Savior move me since He deigns to love me.  Evil world, I leave thee; Thou canst not deceive me, Thine appeal is vain.  Sin that once did blind me, get thee far behind me, come not forth again.  Past thy hour, O pride and power; sinful life, thy bonds I sever, leave thee now forever.  Hence, all fear and sadness!  For the Lord of gladness, Jesus, enters in.  Those who love the Father, though the storms may gather, still have peace within.  Yea, whate'er I here must bear, Thou art still my purest Pleasure, Jesus, priceless Treasure!”  

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay

Harvest time.

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23 

The parable of the sower is so familiar and it should reach out to us as we consider how we are being prepared and used by our Heavenly Father to reap a larger harvest in the mission fields of this world.  For those of us who are Trinity/HOPE donors it is hard not to identify with the increase of seeds being sowed in the good soil when considering the growth of lives being touched throughout the mission fields in Haiti. 

The school in the attached photo is Tarrasse which is located in the Artibonite District, a few miles east of Gonaives and located near a canal.  From this humble beginning, 46 children were fed a meal of rice and beans in 1999, and the seeds were sown.  Today over 28,000 children in 141 schools with Trinity/HOPE feeding programs are being prepared to increase the numbers in the harvest fields of Haiti. 

If you, your family or your Bible study group is interested in joining us to increase the numbers of souls working in the mission fields of Haiti, please prayerfully consider sending your gifts to help us start another Tarrasse.  A man named William Williams wrote the song ‘Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah’ in 1745 and his words close this message. 

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.  I am weak but Thou art mighty; hold me with Thy powerful hand.  Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.  Open now the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow; let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.  Strong Deliverer be Thou still my Strength and Shield.  When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; death of death and hell's Destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side.  Songs of praises I will ever give to Thee.” 

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

May God be with you…Jay