Being in church.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

The season of Advent is upon us; check out the blue candles.  Advent services during the middle of the week may begin in your church, depending on COVID-19 restrictions.  Children will begin practicing their reading parts and songs for the Christmas program, again, depending on the COVID-19 restrictions in your town.  Christmas trees are being brought into the sanctuary and decorations are now shining brightly throughout the community.  It is the time of the year when some people make their annual journey back to Church; to celebrate the birth of their Savior.  They may even give you a look that says “what are you doing in my pew” that they were staking claim to last year.

I read a devotion recently that was written by D.L. Moody and the topic was the importance of Church attendance.  He shared a wonderful object lesson comparing each Christian as an ember in a fire place.  When we are nestled in the firebox with others, in God’s Word daily, we are glowing and our heat brings comfort to others.  When an ember is removed from the firebox it remains warm and slowly loses it heat and eventually is useless.

Take a piece of charcoal out of a grill some time and place it under a pan of water and see how long the water will boil.  Being present in Church during Advent will not keep your fire burning all year long; your warmth will not bring comfort or strength to others who come along your life’s journey.  The children in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school in Osse (Oh-say) and their embers are hot all year long.  Thank you for your continual effort to support children attending Christian schools in Haiti.  As you remain in the firebox at your congregation your gifts continue to keep the fire in their lives burning brightly before the people chained to vodou.  The words of the hymn ‘For All the Saints Who from Their Labors Rest’ which was written by William W. How in 1864 at the age of 41 and seems like a proper way to end this devotion.

“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!”

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

Greener on the other side.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent; things are going to be getting better.  Pandemic restrictions easing a bit…oh but wait ‘Omicron’ is coming soon, supply chain may or may not be losing its grip and Christmas is just a few weeks away.  Things always look better on the outside.  The old saying that the “grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” got repeated quite often this year.  Since I began volunteering with Trinity HOPE back in the day, I have visited many of you and may I say that you are richly blessed.  You have a really nice house, well furnished, and I assume that your neighbors are in awe of your life. 

Material possessions in North America mean a lot to us; the more stuff that you have the better your life is or so this world tells us, the higher up the totem pole you have risen.  The children in this photo are not from North America but judging from their smiles they must be doing very well.  They have on clean clothes, go to school and get a daily meal as they attend a Trinity HOPE fed Christian school. 

Their outside appearance looks pretty good; too bad you cannot visit their home as your opinion might be different if you knew where they lived and what was in their closet, kitchen cupboards and bathroom.  My guess is that few of them have any of these three conveniences in their home.

Satan tells us that we need more of this and that; more money will bring us more happiness.  His lies keep nagging at us and it is good to visit the lives of children in Haiti to bring us back to reality.  There is a reason why today there are literally thousands of Haitians coming to and through our Southern border; the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.  They don’t know about the problems we are facing here while living in green grass.

True happiness comes from knowing and living for Jesus Christ; that happiness is eternal.  Don’t be blinded by the lies of this world.  Don’t let your ears and mind be numbed by the words of the liar of this world telling you that more is always better.  You want true riches and greener grass; turn to Jesus.  I close with the words from the song ‘Shout to the Lord’ that I heard Randy Travis sing recently.

“My Jesus, My Savior, Lord, there is none like You; all of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love.  My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength; let every breath, all that I am never cease to worship You.  Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing.  Power and majesty, praise to the King; mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name.  I sing for joy at the work of Your hands, forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand, nothing compares to the promise I have in 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

I am weak.

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God.  For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

It is difficult to admit that we are the weak one; our pride gets in the way.  We are full of accolades, accomplishments, trophies, wealth, promotions and so much other clutter that this fallen world keeps telling us is really important.  Father, we all struggle with weakness.  We're reminded almost every day that we don't have it all together.  We need You, especially now during Advent; living in this fallen world.  We have heartaches and disappointments that haven't gone away; the grief of broken relationships, a still relenting pandemic, illnesses, and recent deaths.  We invite You to enter in, Lord.  Enter into all of our weakness on our behalf. Through Your presence, may we find relief and release from that which has bound us, tied us up within.  We're able to take only so much, and sometimes we come to a virtual breaking point in this fallen world filled with lies.  In our times of physical and emotional weakness, we need Your comfort and Your strength.

We are also stalked by sin.  We need Your grace.  Sin has taken a terrible toll on the human condition.  And though we are well-versed in every possible way of ignoring it or explaining it away, today we come to terms with it.  Surely, we have failed or fallen in some area just this week or day or moment, and the ache of that nags us and troubles us; some needless words, some outburst of anger, some lingering resentment, or some caustic response.  Lord, thank You for the blood of Christ that keeps on cleansing us from all sins, including these.  Forgive us, our Father.  Remove from us the enemy's desire to make us ashamed and to drag us under the load of that failure.  May we remember that in Your grace, You not only forgive, You wipe the slate clean. Thank You that You know our weakness and love us nevertheless.  In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be still.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

I thought about writing something that pertains to Black Friday today, but it’s really not that important to me this year; past memories are.  When I was a young child the focus point of our Thanksgiving was pilgrims, Indians, turkey and giving thanks for all of our earthly blessings.  I still recall how awesome our house smelled and felt when the turkey came out of the oven.  That was six decades ago and now the focus of thanksgiving seems to be fading as our some in our culture are telling us how evil those pilgrims were and still there are others who are preparing us for Christmas, all the while our fallen world is focusing on vaccine mandates, CRT, supply chain shortages, inflation, kidnappings and online companies are proclaiming that sales are starting NOW; be still.

Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti, this North American holiday celebrated on Thursday, ‘thanksgiving’, was not celebrated in their country.  And, it probably still is not even though I am still receiving ‘happy thanksgiving’ messages from a few of my Haitian friends to this day.  Back then, the Haitian office staff knew this and asked if I would prepare a thanksgiving meal for them with mashed potatoes and gravy; something that they had never experienced.  We fried a freshly sacrificed Haitian chicken and I made mashed potatoes and homemade gravy like my mother and grandmother used to make with the lumps of the ‘goody’ left in the frying pan; recalling thanksgiving in Nebraska while living in Haiti brought me memories of the reasons for which I was thankful.

Our Heavenly Father has ordained many traditions and specific rituals to teach His people proper responses to His love and mercy.  Our Lord Jesus fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, and because of His ultimate sacrifice, we no longer must practice the laws that were in place to teach us of our shortcomings.  But Christ clearly promoted special times of giving thanks, and the teachings of Paul include turning our attitudes constantly towards gratitude.  The girls in the attached photo attend the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe and they are giving thanks for their loving Savior, their school, their teachers, their meal and for you.

Our Heavenly Father is not the God of hustle and bustle and stressful preparations that we North Americans have come to know.  He taught that we should quiet down and sit before Him. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  Perhaps the best way for us to experience this thanksgiving season is to make a special time for Thanksgiving prayers and heartfelt meditation.  We close today with the words from the hymn ‘Christ, by Heavenly Hosts Adored’ which was written by Henry Harbaugh in 1860.

“Christ, by heavenly host adored, gracious, mighty, sovereign Lord God of nations, King of kings, Head of all created things, by the Church with Joy confessed, God o'er all forever blest, pleading at Thy throne we stand, save Thy people, bless our land.  On our fields of grass and grain send, 0 Lord, the kindly rain; o'er our wide and goodly land crown the labors of each hand.  Let Thy kind protection be o'er our commerce on the sea. open, Lord, Thy bounteous hand; bless Thy people, bless our land.  Let our rulers ever be men that love and honor Thee; let the powers by Thee ordained be in righteousness maintained.  In the people's hearts increase love of piety and peace.  Thus united, we shall stand one wide, free, and happy land.”

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

On level ground.

“My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.” Psalm 26:12

With a pandemic, a shortage of many things, inflation, kidnappings, tension in our world; level ground is certainly something to be thankful for in this season of Thanksgiving.  Back in the day, when a surveyor was staking out a highway their steel  ‘chain’ must be plumb and not follow the lay of the land or the measurement would be inaccurate.  When a parent is sharing a lesson of life, they admonish their children to stay on the straight and narrow path and not venture off onto side trails that are steep and dangerous.  When we grow old and our feet, ankles, knees and hips begin to show the great number of accumulated steps taken along our life’s journey and they cry out when we leave the level ground and have to walk down a simple hill.

Our lives are filled with many hills and valleys and when we reach the level ground it is time to give thanks to God for bringing us to this place; a time to be thankful when we leave behind the darkness of this fallen world.

The child in the attached photo lives in Cap Haitian and attends the Lutheran school there; she has seen her share of hills and valleys in her young life; today she is on level ground.  She is very thankful that you have been an answer to her daily prayer as your blessings have provided a meal for her at school.  She gives thanks to our Triune God for you while living in a land without much hope.  Today I have chosen Hymn No. 568 from my 1964 Confirmation Hymnal.  The hymn ‘We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator’ and was found in 1624 without the name of the author; what a great way to serve our Heavenly Father, blessing others with your work and not needing to receive any credit.  Kind of like feeding children in Haiti; share your blessings with them is what is really important, doesn’t matter if they know you but more importantly, they, and you, know Him.

“We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring; we lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee, we bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing.  We worship Thee, God of our fathers, we bless Thee; through life's storm and tempest our Guide hast Thou been; when perils o'ertake us, escape Thou wilt make us, and with Thy help, O Lord, our battles we win.  With voices united our praises we offer, to Thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.  Thy strong arm will guide us, Our God is beside us, to Thee, our great Redeemer, fore'er be praise.”

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 and have a blessed thanksgiving…Jay

The call.

“…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17

This passage from Isaiah may cause some to imagine that by claiming to be a child of God will make you invincible; no weapon, kidnapper or angry tongue will harm you.  I have not found this to be true yet in my life as I have been on the losing end of a few beatings and have received the lie filled lashings of several tongues.  After the evil in this world has beaten you down and you have picked yourself up from the dirty floor don’t ask God “why did this happen?” but rather look for the blessing that will come from this event; a lesson or quality of yours that will be improved because you did endure the suffering from this sinful, fallen world.

The weapons and lies will not prevail; the blessings that come from our Heavenly Father will be victorious.  This month and next month are typically months when the vodou priests in Haiti are very active seeking out young lives to overpower, conquer and use as sacrifices in their vodou ceremonies.  And if you keep up with Haiti news you also are aware of the dramatic increase in kidnappings by gangs in Haiti, not just foreigners, but middle-class Haitians as well are in their cross hairs.  At times it appears that the prince of lies is duplicating his efforts in Haiti to squash the believers living there; gangs and vodou priests, both seeking to devour.

People in our sinful world may ask “why do we waste our money feeding children in Haiti?” and I ask you to look into the eyes of these two girls from Gonaives who learn more every day about their risen Savior.  Their young lives are in danger from the evil foe that resides in the vodou temple and in their neighborhood.

There was a news article on the Internet recently that told of police in Port-au-Prince discovering several severed heads of children in a vodou temple and a bag with school uniforms in another room nearby.  The weapons and evil of this world may cease their earthly lives, but more importantly their Heavenly Father has called them home to be with their risen Savior Jesus Christ.  How important is the relationship that we have with our Heavenly Father when times of trial come along our journey?  Are you ready for the day when the call to come home will arrive un-announced to your door? 

Thank you for helping to prepare the children in Haiti to learn about our risen Savior and continue to share the message with ears that have not yet heard.  The hymn ‘Softly and Tenderly’ was written by Will Thompson in 1880 and it’s words close the devotion with a reminder we are being called and as we heed His call we also strive to help others to also hear His call.

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; patiently Jesus is waiting and watching, watching for you and for me!  Come home! come home!  Ye who are weary, come home!  Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home!  Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me?  Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, mercies for you and for me?  Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me; shadows are gathering, death-beds are coming, coming for you and for me!  Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised, promised for you and for me!  Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for 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

Live for Jesus.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Living your life in Christ; doing things for Him because you desire to out of love and not because you have to.  Paul encourages us to not live for Jesus for an hour on the Sabbath but throughout the entire day, every day until our days are no more.

The congregation members in the attached photo are worshipping at Bon Berger (Good Shepherd) in Caredeux, my home congregation while living in Haiti, and they generally spent three to four hours in the Sanctuary on the Sabbath; Bible study started at 8, worship at 9 and fellowship time at 11:30.  I never saw them glancing at their watches or a clock on the wall wondering to themselves “how much longer will this service last?”  Parking was never an issue as nearly all of these people walked to church.  Too often the evil foe squeezes our patience glands when enjoying time with our Heavenly Father and entices us to get back into this fallen world, his fallen world, and start ‘living it up’ again; it’s our life and we are in control of it.  I close with the hymn ‘Let us ever walk with Jesus’ that was written by Sigismund von Birken in 1653.  May these words of wisdom bring your life of service encouragement.

“Let us ever walk with Jesus, follow His example pure, flee the world, which would deceive us and to sin our souls allure.  Ever in His footsteps treading, body here, yet soul above, full of faith and hope and love, let us do the Father's bidding.  Faithful Lord, abide with me; Savior, lead, I follow Thee.  Let us suffer here with Jesus, to His image, e'er conform; Heaven's glory soon will please us, sunshine follow on the storm.  Though we sow in tears of sorrow, we shall reap with heavenly joy; and the fears that now annoy shall be laughter on the morrow.  Christ, I suffer here with Thee; there, oh, share Thy joy with me!  Let us also die with Jesus. His death from the second death, from our soul's destruction, frees us, quickens us with life's glad breath.  Let us mortify, while living, flesh and blood and die to sin; and the grave that shuts us in shall but prove the gate to heaven.  Jesus, here I die to Thee there to live eternally.  Let us gladly live with Jesus; since He's risen from the dead, death and grave must soon release us.  Jesus, Thou art now our Head, we are truly Thine own members; where Thou livest, there live we.  Take and own us constantly, faithful Friend, as Thy dear brethren.  Jesus, here I live to Thee, also there eternally.”

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

Encouraging words.

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.  Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” 2 Timothy 3:10-12

I seem to recall that I read once that the second book of Timothy has been referred to as “Paul's last will and testament" and this is certainly fitting as it was probably the last letter Paul wrote before his earthly journey came to an end.  It is thought that Paul had most likely been killed by Roman soldiers before this letter of encouragement actually reached Timothy.  His words of encouragement still hold true for you, me and these children attending the Lutheran school in Pont Sonde in Haiti.  We can daily learn so much from Paul through his words as we identify with his challenges and blessings each and every day.

In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul writes “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” and encourages each of us to do the same as we serve our Heavenly Father with our lives, our talents, our time and our treasures.  The hymn ‘Take my life and let it be’ was written by Frances Havergal in 1874 and it seemed like a good match for Paul’s letter and also a reminder for each of us today.

“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

Dealing with anxiety.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4–7

If you keep up with the current news on CBN or News Nation instead of other cable news programs, your level of anxiety may be moderate, but not high…high anxiety.  There are still missionaries being held hostage in Haiti for a million dollars a person; they are feeling anxiety.  Our fallen world, whether in the US or in Haiti or really anywhere seems to be losing control or the desire to do what is right in the eyes of our Creator.  Father, how helpful it is to be reminded, nevertheless, that we are to celebrate Your name, Your work, Your power, Your character, all day every day in this fallen world, so that we might come to the place where we come to be in Your presence.  What a grand reminder it is that Your Son could come at any moment.  Father, find us ready for that.  Lord, at times it is difficult for us to be ready for Your Call, as long as anxiety lives enthroned within us, so we pray that You will begin to do a work right now in the lives of those who love to worry.  What a waste that we have spent so long in our lives fretting and worrying.  Remind us today and in the days to come that prayer can truly displace and dissolve our worries.  Time with You can become such a magnificent turning point, not only in this moment but in this day, so that we might begin to realize the power of Your peace as it settles us down.  Help us to be still.  Give us the ability, the discipline of mind, to meditate on and focus our attention toward that which is true and noble, reputable and authentic, compelling and gracious.  In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Think about such things.

“Finally, brothers and 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.” Philippians 4:8

Of all of the words that were attributed to the Apostle Paul, this verse has always been one of my favorites.  These words describe the qualities of a life that we all should strive to model.  These words are an excellent way to start my morning prayer.  Prayer is one of the unlimited resources that each of us has; the world will not send us a monthly bill for this service.

When this fallen world attempts to strangle us with its directions, ‘wisdom’ and lessons, prayer never changes and is always the correct direction to proceed when we turn our focus to the Cross.  In our daily prayers we set aside the troubles, trials, agendas and pains of this world and let God’s wisdom and directions become our priorities as we receive His abundant blessings through a myriad of means in our lives.

As the children in the attached photo who attend school at Mammou in Port-au-Prince give thanks for their meal, we too give thanks in our daily prayers for His continual providence in our lives and for the Heavenly Home that is promised to each of us through our Savior Jesus Christ.  The hymn ‘I'm but a Stranger here’ which was written by T.R. Taylor in 1836 closes the devotion for today.

“I'm but a stranger here, Heav'n is my home; earth is a desert dread, Heav'n is my home.  Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand; Heav'n is my fatherland, Heav'n is my home.  What though the tempest rage, Heav'n is my home; short is my pilgrimage, Heav'n is my home; and time's wild wintry blast soon shall be overpast; I shall reach home at last, Heav'n is my home.  There at my Savior's side, Heav'n is my home; I shall be glorified, Heav'n is my home; there are the good and blest, those I love most and best; and there I, too, shall rest, Heav'n is my home.  Therefore I murmur not, Heav'n is my home; whate'er my earthly lot, Heav'n is my home; and I shall surely stand there at my Lord's right hand.
Heav'n is my fatherland, Heav'n is my 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