Get revenge!

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:17-20  

Revenge!  China sent this COVID 19 into our country and throughout the world; get revenge!  Been wronged by anyone recently or have you been on the other end of a bad situation where you are tempted to enact revenge?  Our Savior instructs us to just suck it up and realize that it is satan causing the problems in this broken world.  Don’t seek revenge, be nice to them.  It was our Savior who turned the other cheek.  

While reading this scripture from Romans 12 the song “love lifted me” came on the computer radio.  If you didn’t know by now, I am a Southern Gospel junkie; when you get to Heaven and can’t find me, head over to the Southern Gospel arena and I will either be singing with them or sitting and tapping my toe.  The words from this song give a nice response to the Apostle Paul’s words.  

“I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more, but the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me, now safe am I.  Love lifted me! Love lifted me!  When nothing else could help love lifted me!  All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I'll cling in His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing, love so mighty and so true, merits my soul's best songs, faithful, loving service too, to Him belongs.   Love lifted me! Love lifted me!  When nothing else could help love lifted me!  Souls in danger look above, Jesus completely saves, He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.  He's the Master of the sea, billows His will obey, He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.  Love lifted me! Love lifted me!  When nothing else could help love lifted me!”

Sometimes it is hard to think about being lifted by love, His love, but it happens every day throughout our lives.  Before COVID 19, it was happening in the life of the child attending Mammou Lutheran School in Port-au-Prince in the attached photo.  Consider the last verse that Paul wrote above ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’ and know that while she is a sinner, she is not evil.  Satan and the vodou priest don’t want her in school and don’t want you to even consider helping to educate or feed this one small child; that is evil and this world has plenty of that kind of thinking to go around.  Thank you for resisting satan and this world’s directions.  Thank for you supporting this child, this school and the other 30,000 children attending Schools in Haiti with a Trinity/HOPE feeding program.  

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

HE is here.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.”  Romans 12:14-16  

Much of this text that was written by the Apostle Paul goes against the grain of our world today; bless those who persecute me and bless, don’t curse?  Have you watched the television, read the newspaper or sat in a public gathering recently?  As Christians living in North America, we have our struggles just as the children attending the Lutheran school in Mammou have their struggles with simple things like having to listening to the vodou priest down the street sacrificing animals at night.  There is a song ‘He is Here’ by a Gospel group called the Talley’s that reminds me that God is in fact here and in Haiti and is calling out to each of us.  

“He is here! Hallalujah! He is here! Amen!  He is here, holy, holy, I will bless His name again; He is here, listen closely; Hear Him calling out your name; He is here, you can touch Him; You will never be the same!  I sense an awesome moving of the Holy Spirit; I see His countenance resting on your face; I know that there are angels hov'ring all around us, for the presence of the Lord is in this place.  He is here! Hallalujah! He is here! Amen!  He is here, holy, holy, I will bless His name again; He is here, listen closely; Hear Him calling out your name; He is here, you can touch Him; You will never be the same!  I searched for peace among the shadows dark and lonely, gave up on finding that strong and lasting love; I tasted all the things that sin could think to offer me, but today, I feast on manna from above.  He is here! Hallalujah! He is here! Amen!  He is here, holy, holy, I will bless His name again; He is here, listen closely; Hear Him calling out your name; He is here, you can touch Him; You will never be the same!”  

Rejoice with the children at Mammou, knowing that our Triune God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to rescue us from the lawlessness and sinfulness of this world.  He is here, with us every day and the ‘high and mighty’ of this world cannot separate us from our Savior.  

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

Eight dollars.

“Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”  Romans 12:9-13  

There are people in this world that always seem to know where they need to go and what they need to do and know only one speed; full speed ahead.  They epitomize the saying “lead, follow or get the hell out of the way” that was credited to Gen George Patton.  And on the other end of the spectrum are those who cannot seem to make a decision along their journey, reluctant to go, unsure that their spiritual gifts are sufficient for the task presented to them.  

The attached photo was taken at Mixte Lutheran School in Port-au-Prince.  The children are eating their noon meal; for some of them their only meal of the day.  In the early 1990’s we sang a song in church that was written by Daniel L. Schutte in 1991; if you are sitting on the fence and not sure of where God needs you, read the words and pray about your future.  

“I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.  All who dwell in dark and sin, My hand will save.  Here am I, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.  I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.  Who will bear my light to them?  Whom shall I send?  Here am I, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.  I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.  I have wept for love of them.  They turn away.  Here am I, Lord  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.  I will break their hearts of stone, Give them hearts for love alone.  I will speak my words to them.  Whom shall I send?  Here am I, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.  I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will send the poor and lame.  I will set a feast for them.  My hand will save. Here am I, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.  Finest bread I will provide, 'til their hearts be satisfied.  I will give my life to them.  Whom shall I send?  Here am I, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go, Lord, if you lead me.  I will hold your people in my heart.”  

What is your reply when our Lord calls you in the night?  There are thirty two hungry children sitting around these two tables in the photo.  Is the Lord calling you to help?  You don’t have to cook, you don’t have to get a passport and a bunch of shots and travel to Haiti and you don’t have to buy a bag of rice and beans and put them into a cardboard box and mail it to their school Haiti.  Eight dollars will cover the meal of every child in the attached photo for this particular day; nothing else would be needed from you.  It is almost too easy to say “Here am I, Lord, it is I Lord, send me!”   

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

Am I a blessing?

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”  Romans 12:3-8  

The words of the Apostle Paul should be on my bathroom mirror, my refrigerator door, on the visor of my truck and in my heart to daily remind me that God is intending to use me to do His work, His way and in His time; and not revel in the meaningless paper accomplishments this world gives to me.  

Is your gift listed in the above verses?  It must be there in those choices that Paul provides.  If you think that your mind, hands, eyes and skills you have been given cannot accomplish any of those choices consider the attached photo.  This is the bathroom that ‘somebody’ constructed at Petite Paridis Lutheran school in Port-au-Prince.  It may not look like much when compared to the standards of North America but it is a blessing to the children attending school there as they don’t have to go outside and squat in a nearby ditch.  

For the children attending this school you are the blessing, your blessings bring them food to eat each day as they are learning about a gracious God who is preparing each of them to go and do His work with what they have been given at birth.  Thank you for answering His call and using the blessings He has entrusted with you.   

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

Mother's Day

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Romans 12:1-2  

Mother’s Day was celebrated yesterday and the verses from Romans 12 had been part of my scripture readings last week and the lesson from the Apostle Paul just seemed to be appropriately matched for this weekend.  My mom’s last Mother’s Day was eleven years ago and whether you are a mother or a father or childless; Paul encourages each of us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to our Triune God.  This world gets into the ‘we deserve’ way too often as we are told we are supposed to be happy, supposed to get our way and we have a ‘right’ to be given more than we have.  With COVD 19 around us now you will probably hearing more chants of ‘we deserve’ from all areas of life.   The hymn “The day of resurrection” was sung recently on Easter and I found it online today.  It was put into a song by Henry T. Smart 1813-1879, and its words tell of what the blessings await at the end of our journey.

  “The day of resurrection!  Earth, tell it out abroad; the passover of gladness, the passover of God.  From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky, our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.  Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright the Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light; and listening to his accents, may hear, so calm and plain, his own "All hail!" and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.  Now let the heavens be joyful!  Let earth the song begin!  Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!  Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend, for Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end. “  

The attached photo is of the cook at Mixte Lutheran School in Port-au-Prince.  When this photo was taken years ago, she had been laboring over a pot of rice and beans in the morning in a hot kitchen, bringing food to children who have had none this day.  Her humble service is God pleasing.  No matter what your task is on this day, healing, cooking, cleaning, plumbing, building, checking computations or teaching young children; may your work be God pleasing and may your life serve Him and not this world.  

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

Take my life.

“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1  

Imagine for a moment what has transpired throughout your life since your conception.  When and where you were baptized; where you went to school, what your favorite subjects were and how closely you walked with Christ during those years; if you were like me your path was full of zigzags that took you off course for a period of time.  There were many lessons learned in our early years, how to crawl, walk, eat, talk, read and trust.  

Now take a good look at this child who attends the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe.  Imagine what has taken place in her life since conception.  Her steps have been no doubt been different than yours but still very similar; we all have strayed now and then away as we are tempted by this world.  Each of us in not an enigma to God; He has known each of us since conception and consequently, He does not reject or despise us.  Rather, He begins now to re-create each of us in His own lovely likeness; we are His children.  

He placed you here to read this devotion and think about sending a quarter to Trinity/HOPE to feed this child for one day as she learns about a loving Triune God who cares deeply for her.  At this point in your journey He has presented you with an opportunity to feed this child, or a couple of children or perhaps sponsor their school.  It is amazing to see how the hand of God has touched our lives and we in turn will accomplish His work by touching the life of this child in Haiti.  I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Take my life and let it be’ which was written by Frances Havergal in 1874.  

“Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.  Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love; take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.  Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King; take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.  Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; take my intellect and use every power as Thou shalt choose.  Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine; take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne.  Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure-store; take myself, and I will be ever, only, all, for Thee.”  

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

Count your blessings.

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  

Years ago, back in the day, the Christ Lincoln men’s chorus sang a song titled “Count your blessings” and the words were written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1897 and our version was arranged by Rev. Harold T. Stelzer, our director.  The words are as follows;  

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.  Are you ever burdened with a load of care?  Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will keep singing as the days go by.  Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God hath done!”  

Ever spend time at the end of the day, sitting down and writing out the blessings you’ve been given during your waking hours?  The two women in the attached photo are the cooks at the Lutheran school called Mammou in Port-au-Prince.  They have it pretty good; they work in an airy kitchen, have a place to sit when they need to get off their feet, casual dress code and believe me, everybody at Mammou loves these two women when it is lunch time.  They work for minimum wages, no health insurance and no paid holiday or sick leave; they are so thankful to have a job.   I love to share photos such as this with the cooks in North America; it really makes you appreciate what you have and think about what life is like in different parts of this world.  Count your blessings!  When we choose to count our blessings, we are telling God and the world that we value them.  The number one blessing that we have is Jesus Christ.  When we count our blessings, it should begin with Him; however, it cannot stop there.  By counting every single blessing that God has placed in our life, we discover evidence of the Hand of God in more places than we originally could see.  

The cooks at Mammou have a job, free lunch; they are blessed.  The children are blessed at Mammou as they have Jesus and food.  You are blessed as God has provided you with an opportunity to share His blessings through you to them.  

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

Blessed every day.

“The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.”  Psalm 67:6 NIV  

When you read this verse from the book of Psalms, your North American mind probably starts to consider what you have; the stuff in the asset column of your life’s ledger.  Important, well yes, but in our Bible study group back in Nebraska, we often talked about the Berkshire Hathaway meeting that annually took place in Omaha, and we all agreed that their view of the importance of North American blessings is not that realistic.  Bottom line is God blesses us today and will again tomorrow with all that we need; never fails and more importantly He has a home waiting for you in Heaven that will put your shanty here on earth to shame.  

The attached photo was taken at a Lutheran Church in the Plateau Central somewhere near a fence row of cactus about twenty minutes east of Hinche.  This group of people was the wedding party that had just concluded at about 9:30 in the morning.  I can’t tell you who are the bride and groom or parents or attendants, but they are happy, they seem to be blessed with happiness and fine dress clothes.  This is also the church where I took the photo of a Bible on the church pew that I have shared before; same day, same event.  As you can see, they had prepared for an overflow crowd as there are chairs set outside.  Those chairs are not like North American padded folding chairs, those chairs can get very painful on a soft Nebraskan derriere after a two-hour long service.  Those chairs are a blessing as the alternative is sitting on a board that is suspended by three branches.  

God truly blesses us, every day, in so many various ways.  I hope and pray that when you get back to sitting in the pew in your Church on Sunday, this photo will come back to haunt you.  Blessings from our Triune God can and are taken for granted so often throughout our life’s journey.  A daily meal of beans and rice for a quarter is such a blessing.  Two hours of singing and listening to a message is a blessing if you have spent a couple of hours walking to your Church; why would you want to leave after just an hour?  Count your blessings dear brothers and sisters in Christ.  

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

A green thumb.

(Jesus said) "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:2  

My daughter texted me and asked if I wanted to purchase any plants for my deck from her friend Shelly.  Probably a good idea as I shelter in place another month, but I declined the offer.  My grandmother Ada and her sister Esther both had green thumbs; flowers or vegetables, didn’t matter, whatever they planted it grew and produced bountifully.  My father was a farmer and mother had a large garden that fed our family.  I just don’t understand why my thumbs are not green.  Sure, the tomatoes and peppers did okay in my garden but give me a flower or house plant and all I have to do is look at it and it wilts.  

The attached photo is of school children attending the Lutheran school in Merrotte which is in the Arcahaie District and is about a mile North of the ocean.  Behind the children is a plantain crop that is flourishing and will provide a wonderful harvest; it does every year.  This is a meaningful photo as it ties into the scripture reading from John.  We too are like a fruit tree, meant to bear fruit and we get pruned from time to time so that our lives will be more productive.  The children attending this school are also like little fruit trees; being nurtured with God’s Word and a Trinity/HOPE meal at noon so they too will bear much fruit for the Kingdom.  

These children and each of us receive pruning from time to time so that our lives can accomplish much for our Heavenly Father.  Thank you for sharing of your fruits with these children as they bring more souls from Haiti into the Kingdom.  

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

Will anyone remember you?

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands” Psalm 90:17  

I heard Dr Dale Meyer give a message at Crown of Life in West Sun City, AZ several years ago following a Best Practices Ministry in Phoenix and it has amazingly stayed with me for years.  At the time, I was in my early 60’s and was one of the younger worshippers in that congregation on that day. He began by asking us to imagine that we had just experienced a Twilight Zone miracle, and at sunrise on Sunday morning, this church was just gone, vanished…poof.  Would anybody notice it missing?  Would anybody ask about you?  

I thought about that message for most of my drive back to Nebraska the next few days.  IF I had been a 75-year old member of COL, sitting in the padded chair, what would I have thought about his questions.  So, now I’m sitting here in Normal, brushing against this side of 70 and I’ve made it a practice to ask myself in the morning and again in the evening, “will anybody remember me?”  Years ago, I read poem by Amy Grant that brushed on the topic of aging.  I thought this might be a good day share it with you, as none of us are getting any younger.  

“It occurred to me this morning as I washed this face of mine, how quickly come the changes with a little passing time.  A wrinkle here, a hair turned gray a not so lilting step; I see me growing older, but i don't quite feel it yet.  At times I nearly feel my age, at others I'm, sixteen; so full am I of all the thoughts and feelings in between.  Who would have thought the road of life would twist and turn so much?  The journey makes me strong and weak and tender to the touch.  And so this day I face the choice, that I have faced each day; will I be open?  Teachable?  Unafraid of change?  Yes.  I will embrace this moment.  Forgive my past mistakes.  And remember that just showing up is sometimes all it takes.  I'll seek the kind of beauty that time cannot erase; wisdom and experience resting on my face.”  

The verse from Psalm 90 is such a good reminder.  Ask the Lord to guide us and use us with the tools He has provided for us.  Hopefully, if people do remember you, they will see His work in what you have done.  

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