Spirit of the Living God.

“Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 4:10-11

I heard an arrangement by Vickie Winans on the Southern Gospel music on Alexa last Sunday that was called ‘Spirit of the Living God’ and the words continue to encourage me.  They initially brought me to consider how God has been working in my life for seven plus decades and then it began to impress upon me how our Triune God is working through the lives of the children attending Christian schools in Haiti.

The words to this song are “Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me, Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me.  Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me; Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me.”  Consider how these words describe the work of our Triune God is impacting these two young lives walking along the road to Les Cayes.

“Melt me.”  There is a point in their lives and in our life when we need to be melted down.  There comes a time in our lives when we are like an unused candle that has accumulated the dirt of this sinful world, and we need to be melted down and once again be purified; Christ accomplished this for us on the cross of Calvary.  These young lives have been under the weight of lies from the vodou priest; lies that are being retold to them by members of their family and playmates.

“Mold me.”  When our being was being shaped in our mother’s womb, we were given specific qualities and abilities by our Creator.  Some of us sing, some of us write, some of us are encouragers, some of us are builders; and the list of abilities is endless as He gave each of us special things to accomplish in this world.  These two young lives are being molded through Christian education at their School.  They are being molded to use their special gifts to accomplish His will for their lives while bringing more into the Kingdom.

“Fill me.”  I could interpret this as meaning their bodies were being filled daily with a meal of rice and beans from Trinity HOPE but that would not be correct; even though they are daily receiving such a blessing.  These two young lives and our lives too need to daily be fed the Word; we need to immerse ourselves in His Word daily to accomplish His will.  Our tanks need to be connected to our Heavenly Father each and every day to stay focused along our journey.

“Use me.”  May our work be His work and not ours.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will descend upon us and use us to do His work in this sinful world.  Our work should be all about Him and not about us, because without Him we cannot accomplish the work that He created for us to do.  Thank you for continuing to support these children attending Christian schools in Haiti.

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

Serving two masters?

“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.”  1 Corinthians 10:21

Have you ever been physically beaten, verbally abused, swindled or tormented by a bully?  I have known male and female human beings, neighborhood dogs and even a couple of barnyard geese that have been a bully to me.  After several months of living in Haiti it became apparent to me that the bully of Haiti lived in a building like the one in the attached photo.

The Haitian bully’s like to call their buildings ‘temples’ but always attach the word ‘Vodou’ before temple.  The temples have colored flags adorning long poles outside to show how powerful the vodou priest, vodou priestess or witch doctor are that practice their devil worship in their temple; but really they are nothing more than the bully of the neighborhood and of the Republic of Haiti.  They are doomed to eternal damnation, but the power they get from satan gives them power over the rest of the neighborhood; they have sold their soul to the devil. 

“If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?”  Matthew 12:26. The most recent estimated number of people practicing vodou in Haiti was about 65% of the population.  The children attending Christian schools know people who practice vodou; many have family members who practice devil worship.

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9.  The children attending Christian schools in Haiti hold the Hope of the future for Haiti; they follow the Savior of the World who conquered death and the devil on the cross of Calvary.  The children whose school has a Trinity HOPE feeding program have another promise, there will be food every day from God the Father.  They also learn about the Holy Spirit that is more powerful than all of the evil spirits at the command of the vodou priest.  “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7

When you pray for the children in Haiti consider the task before them and their families as the bully of Haiti continues to try to break their spirit, cast doubt in their minds and put fear in their hearts.  We pray for Haiti and also for our country as there are many who appear to be serving two masters.  May we be found worthy.

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

A valley in your life?

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Psalm 23:4

I was reading about History of the Holy Land on the Internet recently and read that in Israel, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, there’s a canyon called the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  In his day, King David, the writer of Psalm 23, probably traveled through it many times.  Some of the canyons along the road to Jericho were narrow at the bottom and as tall as 800 feet.  The only time you could see sunshine at the bottom was at noon when the sun was straight overhead.  In the Bible, valleys are often a metaphor for times of darkness, despair, defeat, or discouragement.  Ever been in a canyon like that?

The Bible teaches that God is not just a part of our celebrations, victories; your mountaintop experiences.  He is also with you in the valleys. There are three things you need to remember about the valleys.

First, valleys are a part of life.  Valleys are inevitable.  You may have just come out of a valley, are in the middle of one right now, or are headed into another one.  There’s no way to avoid valleys while you’re on this Earth. Instead, you can count on them.

Next, valleys happen to everybody, read the many stories about King David.  Valleys impartial.  Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people.  We live in a fallen and broken world, so we have problems. Nobody’s immune.  Nobody’s insulated from pain.  Nobody sails through life problem-free.  Look at our country.  Read the news from Haiti.

And lastly, valleys are unpredictable.  You can’t plan them.  You can’t time them.  You can try to prepare for them.  Problems typically catch you off guard.  In fact, your valleys and your problems usually come at the worst times; when you don’t have time, when you’re unprepared, and when it’s inconvenient.  Wouldn’t it be easier if you could schedule all your valleys when you’re caught up on your sleep, your health is good, your bank account has ample funds, your doctor gave you a clean bill of health and nobody is bugging you?  But life doesn’t work that way.

When you know what to expect in the valleys of life, you know how to better prepare for them and keep trusting in God’s presence and provision.

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

Discipline.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death; even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11

I read a devotion recently by Chuck Swindoll that shared an interesting quote from Tom Landry, the late, great head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. 

Coach Landry was quoted as saying, “I have a job to do that is not very complicated, but it is often difficult: to get a group of men to do what they don't want to do so they can achieve the one thing they have wanted all their lives,”

The way to show yourself as being wise is not so much by speech but by silence.  The way to stop a loud argument is by a soft-spoken word.  The most powerful rebuke is not a loud, negative blast, but a quiet, positive model.  The secret of helping others to become more mature is not more rules and stricter laws but greater trust.

Those who are most respected for their knowledge and the skill of drawing others into it are not those who have all the right answers but rather those who ask the right questions.  Those who give generously have much more than those who hoard.  One lovely flower, personally picked from the garden by tiny hands of your daughter or grandchild, can mean so much more than two dozen long-stemmed roses ordered from the florist.  A handwritten note of love and affection lingers longer in one's memory than a $5.50 embossed card from Hallmark.  Forgiveness is the key to handling our enemies, not revenge.  A brief, warm, tender embrace with very few words says more to the grieving than an evening's visit full of sympathy talk and long prayers.

God always has a way of bringing a boatload of wisdom.  God often delivers His best gifts to us through the back door of our lives.  In unexpected ways with surprises inside the wrappings.  Somewhat like the therapy He used when Elijah was so low, so terribly disillusioned.  Don’t be disheartened, if your challenge seems to big…God is there with His direction, His wisdom and 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

Back in the say.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28-19-20
Back in the day, while living in Haiti and visiting congregations and schools in the rural areas, it was not unusual to see this type of structure in the attached photo.  There were a few that did not have the palm branches covering the walls but did have sturdy wood poles or concrete pillars supporting a roof.  When you get into your vehicle on Sunday and drive to your home congregation consider where the majority of the Christians living in Haiti are worshipping on Sunday.  They either ride in a taptap or walk to church and their pew is generally a small wooden bench that is used for a school desk during the week.

No hymnals, no organ, no indoor plumbing, no electricity and their service will not be over in an hour or less.  The best way to describe why their worship services last for up to three hours is because they have so much to be thankful for…a risen Savior who is Christ the Lord.

When Jesus gave each of us the great commission, He closed by saying that “He is with us always, to the very end of the age.”  Imagine and believe that He is with you always and with them always…to the very end of the age.  Comforting, isn’t it?  He delights in our opulent filled sanctuary and also enjoys their simplicity.  Not interested in our surroundings, that is worldly, He is interested in our souls and tells us to go and win more souls and save them from the burning lake of hell.  Thank you for helping to prepare thousands of His children to answer His call.

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

Two stories.

“Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.” Genesis 47:27

I have a couple of stories for you this morning, first, I have a friend that whenever we meet, I ask “how are you doing Kelly?” and he always replies “richly blessed.”  How I wish that I had that feeling every time, because I too am richly blessed, but this world still tells me I am blessed, but certainly not “richly blessed.”  Hopefully, one day on this side of Heaven, I will be able to reply to people that I am truly “richly blessed.”

Part two of being richly blessed.  The attached photo was taken on a scorcher of a day in August of 2001 at the port in Gonaives, Haiti.  John Hall and I are standing next to a crate (John on the right, me on the left and the plywood crate is in the middle) that his congregation in Tennessee had shipped to Haiti that was full of clothes, computer things, cooking utensils, bedding, towels and other items.

Over the years, as I learned more about Trinity HOPE and my relationship with John grew closer, we would sit and talk about the program, where it would be best to grow next and how to lower the cost per meal.  It was probably a couple of decades ago following a Trinity HOPE board meeting in Nashville that we talked about growth and where God would lead the program next…somewhat concerned with financial growth matching the number of schools that were ready for a feeding program.

At that time, as I recall, roughly 8,000 children were being fed and we pondered on how many years it would take to reach 10,000 children being fed.  That level was attained not long after and we reached 13,500 children in 2011 and by January 2012 that number has grown to over 17,500 children in 91 schools and today; over 61,000 in 268 schools are richly blessed.  Beni Soit L’Eternal!!!

I don’t have the words to describe my shock while realizing that number, nor will my mind embrace the blessings that our Triune God continues to pour out on those children in Haiti.  You cannot ‘out plan’ God, you cannot out spend God and you cannot imagine where the limits of His endless love begin and end.

The feeding program continues to increase greatly in number.  From 46 children in Tarasse twenty-five years ago to over 61,000 throughout Haiti; young missionaries are being prepared spiritually and physically to go and share the Gospel message of our Savior with the eyes that have not seen, the ears that have not heard and the hearts that have been hardened.

Thank you for your continued support for these children through Trinity HOPE.  Give thanks to the One who has made this journey for these children, His children, who live in a land with so little but yet are filled with the joy of knowing their Savior and telling others how they are richly blessed with a meal each day from their Heavenly Father.

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

An LWML kitchen.

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”  John 21:15-17

The attached photo is not from one of my camping trips back in the day.  I like to call this photo “LWML kitchen” as this is the kitchen used daily at the Messif School in Ouanaminthe.  I can tell you that there are at least 225 other kitchens at schools throughout Haiti that closely resemble this cooking station.  Nothing fancy, a big pot of rice and beans setting on top of some burning embers just waiting for a horde of hungry children to come running and excited for their lunch.

Reading the exchange between Jesus and Peter draws me back to the day when I took that photo at that school.  Jesus basically tells Peter again and again “if you love me, take care of my sheep.”  Not a lot of direction, pretty simple, take care of my children, feed them…take care of them if you love me.

There is one element about Trinity HOPE that I have always admired, they are focused on feeding His sheep, all of the over 61,000 of them at the present time.  Trinity HOPE doesn’t build schools, dig latrines or wells, purchase school supplies or buy land with any funds from the support that is donated from people like you…they feed children.

While living in Haiti I witnessed too many well-meaning organizations try to do too much, go in too many directions, trying to please everybody in Haiti and in North America and they ended up being similar to the Platte River in Nebraska with their accomplishments…a mile wide and six inches deep.

Getting so spread out in different directions, doing so much but not doing it very well…using God’s resources in ways that were not the best use of the support that had been donated.  Christ told Peter quite simply to feed and take care of His sheep. 
Trinity HOPE has continued to do one thing very, very well…feeding children attending Christian schools in Haiti.  Thank you for continuing to keep the kettles at our schools in Haiti full of beans and rice every day.  Thank you for answering the call of our Savior in John 21.

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

Dorcas.

“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36

The seaport of Joppa will long be remembered because around 2,000 years ago a faithful church worker lived there, her name was Dorcas.  She is legendary because of her work for charity.  She was rich both in giving and in personal service, honoring God and helping her neighbor for Jesus’ sake.

During the midpoint of her lifetime, she became ill and died.  The grieving was hard by her fellow believers and we read on in Acts, “Peter went with them, and when he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room.  All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.”  She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.”
Have you ever met a person whose given name was ‘Dorcas’?  I’m sure that you have probably met someone with her attributes.  Along my journey, there have been many who are like Dorcas in their service to their Lord; women and men, young and old.  There are many children like the two girls from the Lutheran school in Pont Quenepe in the attached photograph who may have never met their “Dorcas” face to face, but will when their journey has ended and they receive their heavenly glory.  
There are many in the ranks of the Trinity HOPE supporters who could wear a “Dorcas” nametag when they get up and begin the next day of their journey, serving Him.  On behalf of these two children at Pont Quenepe in the Artibonite District, and the over 61,000 other children in the 268 Christian schools in Haiti, we say “Beni Soit L’Eternal!” (Praise the Lord!) for your continued support.

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

I AM with you always.

“Jesus said "... And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20b
From the mouths of His children come some of the greatest inspirations and insights that you can ever fathom.  Priceless pearls of wisdom or darts of brilliant light that help you to understand them and this world through their minds, words and actions.

I don’t recall the name of the boy in the photo captured over a decade ago, he wore the same shirt on the three days I happened to see him during one week in October.  He was one of the children chosen for our Trinity HOPE interview as we try to get an idea of how many of these children were eating at home and what they were eating.
This young boy was happy to be living in Ouanaminthe, in school and being fed.  He hadn’t eaten before he went to bed the night before school and his parents had given him a cup of coffee for his morning nourishment…no food.  When I asked what his favorite food was he said Trinity HOPE rice and beans.  What a great advertisement, “next time your mom goes to the store, tell her to pick up a box of the Trinity HOPE rice & beans”.

The boy was captured in another photo during the week and he was shown with two other children with a bracelet on his wrist.  He goes to school, perspiration popping up on his forehead, learning about geography, math…and Jesus.  His life will touch others in the coming years and decades with the message of hope for those who have not heard of Jesus.  Jesus tells us, “and surely I am with you always…”

You will meet many people in your life today and will prayerfully accomplish His work in many different ways along your journey.  You will have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many through your words, encouragement and love.  It is really important to concentrate on those times where we can truly make a difference in another life.  Thank you for making that difference in over 61,000 lives, preparing His children to go share His message of salvation with the lost in Haiti.
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

Do you love these two?

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

A recent morning devotion from the Portals of Prayer had the above scripture reading, a message that revolved around love and it seemed to pair well with the attached photo of two girls living in Ouanaminthe, Haiti and their smiles tell you they have a Savior and are eating Trinity HOPE food.  How can you help but not love this photo?
“Have you ever loved someone?  Love causes us to reach out to another.  It causes us to make sacrifices.  We sacrifice our time, our money and sometimes our own desires.  Love binds a person to the thing that they love.  Loving is a risky business, because sometimes the one that we love does not and will not love us back.”  That was the opening message this morning from another one of my devotions; loving someone, reaching out and making various sacrifices.  Trinity HOPE supporters love their Savior, their Creator and their Comforter…and His children.  We make sacrifices sometimes and other times we just give.  I am guilty of that, giving without really considering how special the life is that my gift is touching…reaching out to a life that doesn’t know I exist.

At those times, the Holy Spirit uses my gift, my ‘sacrifice’ to touch that life with a blessing that will prayerfully place an ear to ear smile upon their face.  Not often we get to see such happiness, as in the two smiles in this photo.  They are genuine, they are real, they are thankful and they truly believe that you are a Godsend to them.  I pray that your financial sacrifice, your prayers and your love will continue to touch girls in white ribbons and boys in plaid shirts living in Ouanaminthe.

Now, may God go before you to guide you...may His hands be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you.  And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you today and every moment along your journey until you reach Paradise.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay