International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 9/10/21 Joel Griffith 9/10/21

Did they know?

“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

It is so important to acknowledge that the accomplishments in our lifetime are really not much unless those directions have come from our Heavenly Father. The importance of ‘His’ work is far greater than what this world holds as important.

As of this writing, Trinity HOPE has feeding programs in over 240 Christian schools throughout Haiti; a milestone that I never imagined would ever be reached in my lifetime. There are thousands of young Haitian missionaries attending these schools, waiting to take to Gospel message to the lost throughout their country; bringing hope to the hopeless.

The attached photo is of a rather large cemetery on a mountain top near Chincheron in the Arcahaie District. The bones of both vodou followers and also Christians are planted here. When passing by cemeteries in Haiti the question of how many went to their grave not having had a Savior always came up in our conversation; back in the day, there were many more following the vodou priest than clinging to Christ.

Thank you so much for helping to feed those 240 schools and for following His directions to be a part of helping to provide over 52,000 daily meals that will help to prepare those children, those young missionaries, to share the Good News of a Risen Savior with the lost. Today, I’m going to close with the words from the hymn "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" that was written by Isaac Watts, 1719.

“Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal Home! Under the shadow of Thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in Thy sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Thy word commands our flesh to dust: “Return ye sons of men!" All nations rose from earth at first and turn to earth again. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day. Like flowery fields the nations stand, pleased with the morning light; the flowers beneath the mower's hand lie withering ere 'tis night. Our God, our Help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guard while troubles last and our eternal Home!”

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

Joel Griffith 9/9/21 Joel Griffith 9/9/21

A dirt cake.

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

Do you ever wonder or ask yourself, “why does our Triune God call us to work in places outside of our own backyard?” There are people that live within my city that receive their daily manna from the food bank and soup kitchen; why does the Holy Spirit nudge us to go outside of our city and State? When the hunger pains in a child living in Haiti become unbearable their cries can be silenced when their small stomachs are filled with a dirt cake. The small business woman in the attached photo is preparing quite a supply for her customers.

Hunger is a pressing reason why we go to Haiti but probably more important in the greater scope is combating the satan worship that was brought to Haiti on French slave ships traveling from Africa. The devil is alive and well within the vodou priests residing in Haiti casting evil spirits throughout local neighborhoods.

Satan will be cast out of Haiti from within by the young missionaries that are being trained and fed in the Christian schools today; with your help. The truth and light is being spread by the mouths and actions of the young children who are being fed beans and rice and not dirt cakes. Their witness is dispelling the fear of the vodou priest and is bringing hope to a country that has for so long been without hope.

Heinrich Held penned the words for the hymn “Come, Oh, Come, Thou Quickening Spirit” in 1664 and this particular hymn is one of those that goes on and on, so I have chosen to use the final three verses to close today’s devotion.

“Holy Spirit, strong and mighty; Thou who makest all things new, make Thy work within us perfect and the evil Foe subdue. Grant us weapons for the strife and with victory crown our life. Guard, O God, our faith forever; let not Satan, death, or shame ever part us from our Savior; Lord our Refuge is Thy name. Though our flesh cry ever: Nay! Be Thy Word to us still Yea! And when life's frail thread is breaking; then assure us more and more, as the heirs of life unending. Of the glory there in store, glory never yet expressed, glory of the saints at rest.”

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/8/21 Joel Griffith 9/8/21

Christ the life.

“The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him.” Matthew 26:64-67

I’ve been cleaning out boxes of ‘stuff’ that I brought here from Nebraska to Normal six years ago and came across a study from a series on the movie ‘Passion of Christ’ and it brought me to consider why Christ came here from Heaven and also who He came here to save.

Spend a few moments in time looking at this girl attending the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe. The first thing that you should know is that the children at this school wear uniforms, and she has none. In a country where families have very little earthly belongings; her family is just managing to exist. The bowl of food resting in her lap is her daily manna. I can only imagine that this child is coming from a vodou household and she daily hears contradicting words about what she is learning in school. Here she has the news of a Savior and is fed her meal for the day. At home there are no promises. The Son of God came to earth for this child. Jesus went to the cross on Calvary for this single child and for each of us. How great a sacrifice He gave for each of us and when considering what He accomplished on Easter what a privilege to share in helping to prepare this child to be His missionary. The hymn ‘Christ, the life of all the living’ was written by Ernst Homburg in 1659 and verses 1, 5-7 seem like excellent words to close this devotion.

“Christ, the Life of all the living, Christ, the Death of death, our foe, Who, Thyself for me once giving to the darkest depths of woe. Through thy sufferings, death, and merit I eternal life inherit: thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto Thee. Thou hast suffered men to bruise Thee that from pain I might be free; falsely did Thy foes accuse Thee. Thence I gain security; comfortless Thy soul did languish me to comfort in my anguish. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto Thee. Thou hast suffered great affliction and hast borne it patiently, even death by crucifixion, fully to atone for me; Thou didst choose to be tormented that my doom should be prevented. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto Thee. Then, for all that wrought my pardon, for Thy sorrows deep and sore, for Thine anguish in the Garden, I will thank Thee evermore. Thank Thee for Thy groaning, sighing, for Thy bleeding and Thy dying, for that last triumphant cry, and shall praise Thee, Lord, on high.”

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/7/21 Joel Griffith 9/7/21

The same mindset.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5

This passage from the Apostle Paul should be such a vivid reminder for each of us every day along our journey; to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. We shouldn’t be thinking in the ways of this world but be considering our thoughts, words and actions to be what Jesus would be doing in a similar circumstance.

Jesus didn’t appear on this planet to live for Himself. His entire earthly life was dedicated to serving us and giving us the most important gift of all; His life to rescue us from sin, death and the devil. It was all about Him for us, and we should strive to do likewise. Our world tells us it is all about ME and not about you, or our neighbor or about Jesus.

There are a few reasons of why Trinity HOPE seems to follow this example of service and why I enjoy volunteering my time and energy for them. Following the earthquake in January 2010 which devastated large portions of Port-au-Prince (PAP), the LCMS Disaster Response Team requested help from Trinity HOPE to provide food for families in PAP, as they purchase all their food from throughout Haiti. Trinity HOPE was able to get food from their vendors much quicker than shipping from the US and the local Churches could disperse food directly to their neighborhoods. Following the earthquake when the Typhoid Fever hit, Trinity HOPE again reached out to parents of school children with examples of how to protect their families from Typhoid with directives from a doctor with University of Nebraska Medical Center being translated into French and handed out at schools as the children could read, when their parents could not. In 2015 the Gideon Bible Organization asked Trinity HOPE to help them to give thousands of New Testaments in French to Lutheran school children throughout Haiti which was facilitated through Trinity HOPE feeding program directors. And last week, the Director of Disaster Response with the LCMS in St. Louis called to ask if Trinity HOPE might be able to help them with their efforts to provide emergency relief food to people within the hardest hit areas of Les Cayes and Jeremie; of course. Denise Gudlin and Keith Logan are in the process of working out a detailed plan that will allow their Haiti team, in conjunction with the Lutheran churches in Haiti, to purchase and distribute over 300,000 meals in these two areas over the next 60 days.

Would you consider helping to provide a meal for this young child attending the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe? There are those in this world that will tell you to send her clothes, a radio, a smart phone, an MP3 player and a host of other North America ‘necessities’ but what she really needs is Jesus and some nutritious food. Pastor Daniel Paul and a staff of teachers are providing for her Christian education and you can help to provide her daily food. Thank you for considering supporting children in Trinity HOPE school feeding programs.

I was given a piece of paper from Gov. Kay Orr decades ago and I found it in a book recently and it had a hymn that matched well with a recent Rev. Dr. Luke Schnake message and also a few other devotions that have crossed my path along my journey. The hymn is titled ‘May the mind of Christ, my Savior’ and these words were written by Kate Barclay Wilkinson sometime before 1913.

“May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling all I do and say. May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through His power. May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything, that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing. May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea; Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory. May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go. May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him.”

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/6/21 Joel Griffith 9/6/21

Will school begin?

“There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:38-43

School was supposed to begin throughout Haiti today. Last week, the local vodou priests told parents that the evil spirits they have called upon have closed every one of the schools in Haiti that teach about Jesus; no school today. And sadly, there are parents who will still believe this lie and keep their children home. How could they possibly believe such lies?

I read a new article from NPR that announced that the Haitian government had postponed the start of the school year. In the Southwest that was hit hard by the recent earthquake, school will start October 4 and for the rest of the country the start will be delayed for two weeks; September 20. And now, the vodou priest can proudly sneer, “see, I told you so!”

Imagine what your life would be like today if your grandparents, parents and friends told you over and over that Christ is dead; you would eventually give in to their sayings and lose hope. The attached photo of a vodou priestess kneeling before the altar in her temple that has a bottle of Haitian Rhum, a bottle of animal blood and a jar of bone fragments setting on the top, and a collection bowl is down in front her services. Possibly the most dramatic part of this photo is behind the altar where the cross is buried into the floor and this is to signify that Jesus is still buried in the tomb. Jesus is dead…no school today.

When visiting schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs throughout Haiti, your North American mind struggles to fully understand what many of the children are being confronted with at home. The story at many homes is that Jesus is dead and at school, they learn the news that He is risen from the dead. At home there is fear, emptiness and despair and at school there is hope, food and happiness that we have a Risen Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Thank you for helping to prepare the children attending Christian schools in Haiti. The message Christ gave us in Luke “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” is such an immense comfort to hear in this world of lies. A song by the Dove’s called ‘If that isn’t love’ was playing on my Internet radio today and its lyrics are a wonderful way to close on this first Monday in September.

“He left the splendor of heaven knowing His destiny was the lonely hill of Golgotha there to lay down His life for me. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth. There's no feeling like this if that isn't love. Even in death He remembered the thief hanging by His side then he spoke of love and compassion and He took him to paradise. And if that isn't love then the ocean is dry; there's no stars in the sky and the little sparrows can't fly. Yeah if that isn't love then heaven's a myth there's no feeling like this if that isn't love.”

Please, throughout today, say a prayer to our Triune God that schools will open soon and once again, time after time, the vodou priest and satan will be exposed for what they are; liars.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/4/21 Joel Griffith 9/4/21

God-pleasing living.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Ephesians 5:1–5

Turn on the radio, television or surf the web and count how many icons or popular programs or websites that are imitating Christ; it ain’t many…maybe list them on one hand. We live in a fallen world. We are so intelligent that we tell ourselves and this world that we can change most everything that God created…and make it better; we’re in control. Our Lord and Redeemer, we live in a world that's lost its way. We are impacted by it, we are influenced by it, and we are sometimes intimidated by it. So twisted is the thinking of the broken society around us in this global atmosphere that it is easy to begin thinking we are the weird ones and the world is thinking straight. Help us each day to put that in proper order. Purify us, Heavenly Father, forgive us and in the process, guard us from foolish pride and from a super-pious personality which comes across as fanatical, a personality that is truly disconnected from the real world. It's a tightrope we walk daily, Father. We need Your help to keep our balance, so that we don't turn off our neighbors with too much Scripture-quoting or turn away a partner in life because of too much rigid preaching and not enough reasonable living. Help us know how to relate in the business world without compromising solid ethics and integrity. Make us people of our word in the details of life; like keeping our promises, like paying our bills, like respecting others, like cleaning up our foul language.

We need help, Lord, to overcome the bad habits of the past, to resist wanting to be liked rather than doing what's right, to be popular instead of being pure. O Lord, in the process, may we continue to be easy to live with, winsome, like Christ, who was the most attractive individual who ever cast a shadow on earth. In great measure, Father, we trust You. Be with us, forgive us and point us home. In Jesus name. Amen.

Joel Griffith 9/3/21 Joel Griffith 9/3/21

Stop complaining, 102.

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” Philippians 2:14-15

I read a devotion recently that said complaining is a sure sign of spiritual immaturity, as a lack of faith is being shown by the person doing the complaining; OMG. The reasoning was that if we place our trust in our Triune God, He has our best interest in His plans. If I am constantly complaining about my provisions, my family, my house, my job, my pastor, my bank account, my life; then I cannot accept God’s will for life. The writer said that a complainer will cry, rant, kick and scream until they get their way and when that moment arrives they are generally still not happy.

A friend and I Zoomed recently and we talked about how this world seems to place so much time and content in negative thoughts, words and actions. Have you seen any positive 2022 political ads recently? Why are they starting these ads now? Have you seen any positive comments from either of the political television or radio programs in the past twelve months?

The opposite of complaining is praising. The opposite of grumbling with the gifts that God has given to you is giving thanks for all that He has placed on your plate. The child in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian. The smile on her face is a sign of happiness and giving thanks for somebody like you who has blessed her day with a meal; the only meal of her day. She won’t complain that she got rice and beans yesterday, today and will again tomorrow; it is food!!!

I close today with the words from the song ‘It is well with my soul’ that was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. He wrote the song following the sinking of the steamship Ville du Havre which carried four of his daughters which was crossing the Atlantic.

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.”

Been complaining lately? Consider all that He has lavished upon you.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/2/21 Joel Griffith 9/2/21

Stop complaining, 101.

Is it just me, or aren’t we all habitual, natural born complainers? It has been in our genes, our sinful genes, since Adam and Eve were ushered straight out of Eden centuries ago. Our Triune God gives us everything that we truly need to exist; food, shelter, clothing and family. He takes care of us each and every day but we still find time to complain about something. When I was still gainfully employed, I could usually find something to complain about with my work. Children complain about their parents, husbands complain about their wives and wives about their husbands. People in the pews complain about their pastors and those politicians; you’ve heard and seen them and will surely agree that they complain about everything across the aisle. From our ancestors in the Old Testament to people living in the New Testament to today, man has always found something to complain about.

I recall ten years ago when my grandson was a baby, he wanted me to hold him, put him down, hold him, put him down, hold him and I wanted to shout at him “Miles, what do you want?” but of course all he heard me say was “blah, blah, blah.” Miles, Audrey and Cara are certainly not perfect always grandkids, my daughters were not perfect kids, I was not a perfect father and am not a perfect grandfather, but Our Heavenly Father loves us just the way we are. He does not always give us what we may want but rather gives us what we need.

The children in the attached photo are from Cap Haitian and they are getting their Trinity HOPE lunch. They don’t need pizza, chicken nuggets, corn on the cob or hamburgers; they need nutritious food. This meal will provide them with all the nutritional elements that their young bodies need; their teachers provide them with a message of Hope from their risen Savior and a Heavenly Father who loves them dearly and continues to provide for them. Stop complaining.

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 9/1/21 Joel Griffith 9/1/21

A new month.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

The first day of ‘Septanm’; another month we have been blessed with to fully enjoy. Our Heavenly Father has given us some pretty awesome things to appreciate while living on this planet. Watching your children taking their initial breath and those first steps are truly special. Standing in awe of the vivid colors of the Grand Canyon, the expansive grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, the bright autumn colors in the Niobrara River valley and watching the waves of the ocean crashing on the beach of anywhere are memorable sights.

Simple things like watching a colorful sun dropping into the horizon in the evening or getting up early to catch the sun rising in the morning are also treasures to be captured. The attached photo was taken just after sunrise in the Arcahaie District one quiet morning in 2002 and it reminded me of God giving me another day to serve Him.

With every coming day, He has given each of us another opportunity to spend time here dwelling within His creation serving Him with the gifts and talents He has provided to each of us. As the sun rises in North America it is also rising in Haiti and children attending Christian schools are offering up prayers of thanksgiving for Him and for you and for the Morning Star who is the Savior of this world. The hymn ‘How Lovely Shines the Morning Star’ was written by Philipp Nicolai in 1597 and verses 1, 6, 7 are a wonderful way to close this morning message and begin this new month.

“How lovely shines the Morning Star! The nations see and hail afar the light in Judah shining. Thou David's Son of Jacob's race, my Bridegroom and my King of Grace, for Thee my heart is pining. Lowly, Holy, great and glorious, Thou victorious Prince of graces; filling all the heavenly places. Lift up the voice and strike the string. Let all glad sounds of music ring in God's high praises blended. Christ will be with me all the way, today, tomorrow, every day, till traveling days be ended. Sing out, ring out triumph glorious, O victorious, chosen nation; praise the God of your salvation. Oh, joy to know that Thou, my Friend, art Lord, beginning without end, the First and Last, Eternal! And Thou at length O glorious grace! Wilt take me to that holy place, the home of joys supernal. Amen, Amen!”

May God be with you…Jay

Joel Griffith 8/31/21 Joel Griffith 8/31/21

Prayers answered?

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:23-24

Back in the day, fifty-seven years ago, I learned in confirmation class at St. John’s Lutheran in Seward, NE that God always answers our prayers; yes, no or maybe. Now, decades later, it seems to me that may have changed just a bit. God still answers every prayer; yes, no or wait. Take a close look at these three girls standing next to a wall a few miles west of Les Cayes. They have been praying; before and after the earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace; they are waiting…waiting to see if their school will start next week.

If you need something in your life healed, created, changed or restored, I’ve learned that you need to first humble yourself and then admit you’re not in control. You can’t do it on your own! You need HIM.

Ask our Heavenly Father for help. How do you do that? Go to 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face . . . then I will hear from heaven”. There is this little bit of wisdom I have shared with a few people in the past few decades; after you pray, honestly realize that you’re not waiting on God, He’s always been waiting on you! Stop trying to do it by yourself.

Whatever you’ve wanted restored in your life, you need to be praying about it. Have you asked God for that kind of help? He is waiting for you to ask and by the way, HE knows even better than you do what you really need. It seems that there a lot of people that know they should pray for healing in their mind or their body or their marriage or their family, but they don’t know how to pray. Here is a good way to start; “Father…..”

Our Heavenly Father wants you to ask for anything in prayer because that’s the only way you’re going to learn how to trust Him. When you are finished talking with your Father, ask in Jesus’ name. In other words, ask on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross. He paid for everything you need. There is power in Jesus’ name because it carries the full weight of God’s grace and redemptive love. Keep on praying till God moves you to stop. Don’t pray one time and think, “Well, forget that, nothing happened.” Keep praying, believing God’s timing is perfect. God is responsible for the answer. You’re responsible to ask.

The children in the Les Cayes and Jeremie areas of Haiti will be praying that school will start on September 6. They may be sitting on the ground under a plastic tarp for a period of time, but if there is school, there is Jesus and there will be food. Please pray with them for their schools to start on time.

May God be with you…Jay