International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 5/17/23 Joel Griffith 5/17/23

A simple 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

These words from the Apostle Paul should be posted on my bathroom mirror, my refrigerator door, on the visor in 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 sin filled world gives to me.

Is your gift listed in the above verses? Surely, 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 then my friend, 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 American schools, but it is a blessing to the children attending school there as now, 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.

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

Joel Griffith 5/16/23 Joel Griffith 5/16/23

A living sacrifice.

“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 in my homeland was celebrated a few days ago 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 today.

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 sin filled world gets into the 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.

Ascension Day is in just a few days and the hymn “The day of resurrection” was on my mind after reading a morning devotion today. It was put into a hymn 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. She has been laboring over a pot of rice and beans this 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 will be 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.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/15/23 Joel Griffith 5/15/23

I am trusting Thee.

“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, Haiti. Imagine what has taken place in her life since conception. Her steps have been no doubt been different than yours and mine, but still very similar; we all have strayed now and then as we are tempted by this sin filled world.

Each of us is 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 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.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/13/23 Joel Griffith 5/13/23

Where are the heroes?

“If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country; a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:15-16

In 1804, the African slaves in Haiti revolted against their oppressors from France and gained their freedom. There were slave heroes who stepped up, against all odds to rid their country of slavery. If you have been keeping current with the news coming out of Haiti, you are aware that some journalists have said that Haiti is just a breath away from another revolution. In the past two weeks I have read of numerous instances where residents living in the suburbs of Port au Prince have gotten together and are killing gang members. The residents are fighting for their freedom against the gangs since nobody else seems to care or wants to help them restore peace in their neighborhoods. There are new heroes in Haiti.

We having been praying for an end to the violent gangs in Haiti. We have been waiting. God is listening to the prayers from Haiti and around the world for a solution to the challenge. It started in one neighborhood with a group of 40 residents confronting fourteen-armed gang members in a van. Stones and machete’s in the hands of a few Haitian heroes rose up and ended the lives of the gang members. Like silent shadows in that neighborhood, the heroes of the faith began to right the wrong and have begun to speak words of courage. The memory of all those heroes from 1804 now places needed steel in modern day spirits; prompting the population to press forward; always forward.

As this challenging time of overcoming the gangs that steal, rape and kill, we continue to pray for these Haitian heroes to bring Hope into Haiti. In time, HIS time, may the next government in Haiti be led by Christian men and women who lead as they follow God’s directions. May the legacy of their powerful presence add depth and Hope to their country.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/12/23 Joel Griffith 5/12/23

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

Decades ago, our men’s chorus at Christ in Lincoln, NE 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 wages considered minimal in North America, have no health insurance, retirement plan 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 this sinful 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 and a 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.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/11/23 Joel Griffith 5/11/23

Overlooked blessings.

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

When you read this verse from the book of Psalms, your North American mind probably starts to consider what you have. You know, all the stuff in the asset column of your life’s ledger. Well of course, that stuff is important. Take a look around your home, your town, your state and I hope that your view of the importance of North American blessings is not that realistic. When compared to most of the rest of this world. The 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. The church doesn’t have AC or electricity and the temp inside was the same as outside; getting hot. 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.

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 old man’s 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 are 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.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/10/23 Joel Griffith 5/10/23

Facing adversity?

“Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1–6

I’ve been doing an online study of Job recently and my problems do not need to be spoken about or ever see the light of day. Reading about Job will cause you to really see the true extent of Job's honest dealings with God and his steadfast faith in the face of adversity.

After reading about Job, take some reflective time to honestly look at your own life and your own dealings with the Lord. Think about your past; those times of adversity in your own life. Were you able to look up, look ahead, and look within? Where are you now in your journey of faith?

We are experiencing challenges here in our country and our brothers and sisters are facing challenges of their own and at times they seem like they are climbing over the ragged rocks of adversity. Be still and firmly take His hand and let Him lead you through. In the midst of it all, the challenges this sinful world throws at you, is His touch which comforts and guides. And, if the road ahead is smooth right now, get ready. Watch out for falling rocks!

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/9/23 Joel Griffith 5/9/23

Been waiting?

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.” Micah 7:7-9

I listened to an early morning radio evangelist recently talk about the different seasons of life that he had lived through. Cold and hot, good and bad, challenging and smooth sailing. The Bible is clear that you’ll go through different seasons in life. One season that God talks about over and over is the season of waiting. How are you with the season of waiting? Sometimes it seems like that season lasts years…perhaps decades.

But over the years and decades, there is one thing that I have learned; you can trust that while you’re waiting, God is working. You probably won’t see it or hear it but there something inside of you that tells you that He is working. A season of waiting doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. And quite often, He’s taking you through that season because He’s using the time of waiting to work in your circumstances for your good. I’m 72 and I can tell you that you’re probably going to spend much of your life waiting. You need to get used to it and need to trust God while you’re waiting. IF you don’t, you’ll spend a lot of your life not trusting God.

There is waiting in Haiti today. Children waiting for a feeding program at their school. Parents waiting for the gang violence to end. They, like us, are probably asking; “When, Lord? When is it going to happen?” And God may be saying something like, “You can trust me with this.” Are you in a time of waiting? Are you frustrated with how slowly things are happening. We’ve all been there.

There is a promise in the Bible that not only tells you God is working but also how God is working. It’s found in Isaiah 60:22; “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” God sent Jesus into this world. The world waited thousands of years for Him to come the first time. And then He came at just the right moment. We’ve been waiting 2,000 years now for Jesus to come again. When will that happen? At just the right time; God’s time. That’s when he’s going to return. You can apply this same truth to your time of waiting. Remember that a delay is not a denial. When you think God is saying, “No,” he may just be saying, “Not yet. Will you keep trusting me through this?”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/8/23 Joel Griffith 5/8/23

We need strong leaders.

“The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:5-6

Last week, I read on The Guardian website that a fairly large group of people living in a suburb of Port-au-Prince had stopped a van with 14-armed gang members driving through their neighborhood. They bravely disarmed them, and then beat and stoned them to death. Then, as the police watched, they piled old tires on their bodies and burned them. In the days following that event, several more have taken place in other neighborhoods within Port au Prince. Perhaps this is how the gang violence will come to an end in Haiti.

The above verses that Moses spoke about leaders, certainly seem to apply here. A few leaders here in this Haitian neighborhood, men or women, got together and said enough is enough. God is with them. I know, the fifth commandment says ‘thou shalt not kill’ but it seems that if this group of neighbors didn’t stop this gang from more killing, raping, stealing and kidnapping, their families could be the next to suffer.

I came across the attached photo of a group of people who are my paternal ancestors. This is the family of Fred and Lucy Brinkmeier in Seward, NE. My grandfather Ernest is in the back row, second from the left side. Fred and Lucy took risks, coming to America from Germany in the 19th century. I think about my dad, mom and grandparents as leaders. I am not aware that they had to face the type of challenges as the people in Haiti are facing today. But, they faced their own challenges and led.

Leaders must be prepared for action. One cannot lead without energy or motion and must be ready to take a risk. Leaders are pathfinders, road makers, action takers and can calm or rattle a saber. Cowardice is an ungodly trait. God is not passive in the face of evil, nor is He indecisive. He is in control. Never is our Heavenly Father portrayed as a mild-mannered, passive Deity, hoping and waiting for things to happen. Always, He is aggressively engaged in an all-out war against injustice and inequity.

Righteousness and truth are causes to be fought for. That is what I think about when reading the story from Haiti.

In every generation, conflict is inevitable. It comes in different shapes and colors. And the ammunition for such conflicts? Having faith that if God is with us, who or what can possibly stand against us. Do you have that kind of faith? That group of neighbors in Haiti does. Do you take courageous action in the face of wrong? Will you stand alone, if necessary, and embrace a principle, even though it means you may lose friends or prestige? God is with us and with our brothers and sisters in the faith, living in Haiti. Trinity HOPE has been helping to prepare God’s children to lead the past 25 years in Haiti. I hope that His army of leaders will defeat the evil in the streets of Haiti. It is their time to lead Haiti and save the lost souls where possible and defeat satan where he is found.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/6/23 Joel Griffith 5/6/23

Green thumbs.

(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 grandmother Ada and her sister Esther had green thumbs; flowers or vegetables, didn’t matter, whatever they planted it grew. Those two could grow cucumbers on a sleeping dog. My father was a farmer and mother had a large garden that fed our family throughout the year. I don’t understand why my thumbs are not green. Sure, the tomatoes and peppers did okay last summer but give me a flower or 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 half a mile from the ocean. Behind the children is a plantain crop that is flourishing and will provide a wonderful harvest.

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.

May God be with you,

Jay