International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 7/13/23 Joel Griffith 7/13/23

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“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,” Hebrews 12:1

There is a saying that life without God is like an unsharpened pencil; it has no point. I have given this saying a lot of thought recently, have watched three funerals online within the past couple of weeks; guess that I am reaching that point in time. Sitting at home in Normal during the celebration of life services and looking at people who I don’t recognize anymore and don’t know if they too are redeemed or are just there at this service in honor of the departed.

These children in the attached photo are a small group of the 644 children attending school at Fonds Parisien and they, like you and me, have God’s Word, and we should be moved to put all that hinders us from sharing His Word with the lost in this sinful world. It should be easy to do but satan continues to make it difficult.

“When you carry the Bible, Satan gets a headache. When you open it, he collapses. When he sees you reading it, he faints. When he sees that you are living what you read, he flees and when you are about to share the Gospel news with others he will try and discourage you.”

Thank you for helping children like these with you prayers and support as they take the saving message of Jesus Christ to the lost into their neighborhoods.

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 7/12/23 Joel Griffith 7/12/23

Ou fe yon sel.

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:11

“Ou fe yon sel”. What image comes into your mind when you consider the message from our Savior in John 17 that says “we are one”? During a recent Charles Stanley message while in my recliner before church and looking down, gazing at my wooden Haitian Cross, I thought about the people that would be in the pews at Our Redeemer Lutheran in Bloomington and the image of ‘we are one’ was present.

I was having a cup of coffee with a friend recently and I was sharing that another Lutheran told me that a young man from a non-denominational church in Normal had told them when finding out they were ‘Lutheran’ that they were not Christian. Being a Lutheran is not being a Christian?

While I was living in Haiti a member from another Lutheran Mission Society that supported a Lutheran Pastor in Haiti indicated that the Lutheran Pastors that I was working with were not ‘really’ Lutheran Pastors. Being a Haitian Lutheran Pastor trained at the Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne didn’t mean that they are ‘Lutheran’?

The election is sixteen months away, and political parties are now putting ads on the airwaves telling how good their candidates are and how bad the opponents ‘really’ are. It seems that our society has become very prolific at pointing fingers, spreading facts that may or may not be true and proclaiming that ‘my way’ is the high way and you are wrong. What is happening in our world? We all can’t be right all of the time and we all can’t be wrong; all of the time. We were all there when the crowd shouted for Pilate to release Barabbas. We were all there during the scourging. We were all there when the nails were being driven to hold our Savior on the cross. We were all there when He said ‘it is finished.’ We were all there; He died for all of us.

The children in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school in Ouanaminthe. These three boys and three girls are like me; Lutherans and Christians. Doesn’t matter what this world may say about them and me, Christ died for our sins and now He is risen; risen indeed!!! Ou fe yon sel; we are one! Thank you for joining me in supporting the Trinity HOPE feeding program at their school. I thought that a good song to close this devotion today would be the words to ‘We are one in the Spirit’ that was written by Peter Scholte.

“We are One in The Spirit, we are One in The Lord. We are One in The Spirit, we are One in The Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our Love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love. We will work with each other, we will work side by side. We will work with each other, we will work side by side. And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand. And together we'll spread the News that God is in our land.”

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 7/11/23 Joel Griffith 7/11/23

In the remaining time.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14

In my remaining time on this earth, I never want to forget that the LORD has been merciful and gracious to me. He has proved Himself again and again to be slow to anger and continually abounding in steadfast love. When my patience grows thin when my life takes yet another wrong turn, when my basket of golden eggs shrinks before my eyes, when my life is full to overflowing with troubles, challenges and enemies, I can take hope in what God has accomplished for me on the cross of Calvary.

Our Triune God who sent His son to die for you, these children in Haiti and also for me, will always keep His promise and not leave His children hopeless in whatever ailment life may be pouring into our buckets. As these children in Cap Haitian wait for their noon meal from Him, we too listen to the words of David and ‘wait for the Lord, be strong and wait for the Lord.’

While sitting in the recliner on Sunday morning listening to Alexa before leaving to church, I was thinking about how blessed I am to be here, with Him and without thinking about it as I began to sing along to the song ‘Nothing but the blood’ that was written by Robert Lowry in 1876. The words express so well how wonderful it is to be washed by the blood of Jesus.

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; what can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my pardon, this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus; for my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus; naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus; this is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Now by this I’ll overcome, nothing but the blood of Jesus; now by this I’ll reach my home, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Glory! Glory! This I sing, nothing but the blood of Jesus; all my praise for this I bring, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/10/23 Joel Griffith 7/10/23

Our relationship with our Lord.

“Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.” Psalm 27:7-12

The tenth verse of Psalm 27 reads “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me”. This has always caused me to consider what that means to not only me, but also to children living in Haiti. The journey of both my parents has ended and they have received their Heavenly reward; their relationship with me has ended but the relationship with my Heavenly Father is ongoing and will never cease.

The relationship that I have with my daughters continues and will prayerfully be continually blessed in the coming years. The children in attached photo attend the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian and their relationship with their parents is unknown to me, but their relationship with their Heavenly Father is assured.

The relations with their parents will be the last to desert them, but if their parents should happen to desert them for their denouncing of vodouism, there is a Father who never forgets and never departs. Some of the greatest of the saints have been cast out by their families for their coming to Christ, and have been persecuted for righteousness' sake. It has happened to Pastor Revenel Benoit in Gonaives and has probably happened in the lives of other Haitian children who have turned from vodou to accept Jesus as their risen Savior. Thank you for keeping them in your daily prayers.

I heard a song on Alexa recently titled ‘Things like that’ by Joe Nichols and I was able to locate the lyrics. It is a country song, not written in the 1800’s; not a song out of the Lutheran Hymnal; but it sure has a message that needs to be heard today as it touches on the value of relationships with our children and with our Heavenly Father.

“His daddy taught him all about huntin and fishin, how to work on that old truck when it needed fixin, how to say sir and how to say mam, how their ain't nothing wrong with getting dirt on your hands. Have mercy on all of the kids out there who haven't been raised to even care about things like that these days. His momma used to cook every meal in the kitchen, she helped with his homework and taught him religion, she laid down the law and he let her know where he was going and when he'd be home. Have mercy on all of the kids out there who haven't been raised to even care about things like that these days. As the years changed him from a boy to a man he was blessed with a generous heart and a plan wherever life takes him wherever he's at he's gonna find some way to give something back. Now his weekends are spent doing what he loves most with 12 little angels who call him coach; some have nothing and some are spoiled rotten but when they're with him they're not forgotten. Have mercy on all of the parents out there who haven't been raised to even care about things like that these days. As the years changed him from a boy to a man he was blessed with a generous heart and a plan wherever life takes him wherever he's at he's gonna find some way to give something back.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/8/23 Joel Griffith 7/8/23

Being safe.

“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.” Psalm 27:5-6

When a North American drives through the countryside of Haiti there is one thing that will cross your mind as you observe houses without glass in the windows and just a simple cloth for a door closure; there is no security. Back in the day, when I was living in Haiti, there was no AAA to call when I had a flat tire and no 911 or Onstar when there was danger or an emergency.

The safety of believers living in Haiti is not within the walls of their houses, but is found in the Triune God who brings them comfort throughout their daily activities. To the children who attend Christian schools and live in a home similar to the one in the photo that was taken a few miles outside of Ouanaminthe; they have been placed upon an impregnable rock by their Eternal Father where the vodou priest cannot snatch them away in the night.

The children in Haiti, you and I need to join the men of the Old Testament who prayed in faith, nothing wavering, and spoke of their answer to their prayers as a certainty. Our Heavenly Father has promised the generations of believers that He will be with us daily. David was by faith so sure of a glorious victory over all those who beset him that he arranged in his own heart what he would do when his foes lay all prostrate before him.

There are over 62,000 answers to prayers each day when children come from their small homes walking to a school where they learn more about a risen Savior and receive their daily meal. In the same manner that Christ defeated satan on Calvary, the vodou priest is defeated when a child of God is trained to share the Good News and is fed their daily bread; a reason to rejoice!

May our God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/7/23 Joel Griffith 7/7/23

Whom shall I fear?

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:1-4

How often do you stop and look at what is going on in this fallen world and ask yourself “what the heck is going on here?” Professional football and basketball players and team owners bickering over how to split up billions of dollars; BILLIONS of dollars. Icebergs melting faster than ever before recorded. The debt in our country grows deeper and deeper every minute while our government is still spending money like there is a forever flow of resources. People with and without foreign passports are coming into our country to kill us with weapons that our country sold to their country. Our country chooses just two people to run for President of the free world and a panel of five to judge fifty contestants to serve as Miss America for a one year term. Stop the bus and let me off.

To the small child in the attached photo, none of the news in the above paragraph is news to her. The most important news to her is that she has a friend in Jesus who defeated the vodou priest down the street; even though he will not acknowledge that truth. What matters to her is that she is saved, has a home in Heaven and gets a noon meal at her school in Cap Haitian. Tomorrow may be her moment in time to share the news of her Savior without another friend in her neighborhood who still lives in fear. Thank you for helping to prepare her for this moment on her journey.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/6/23 Joel Griffith 7/6/23

WOW!

“Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul.” Psalm 146:1

How often during our normal day do we stop our commotions and pause to praise the Lord? What is there that has taken place in our lives to bring us to look up to the Heavens and gaze in amazement at what He has caused to happen in our lives? We give thanks for food, family, shelter, possessions, wealth and sometimes even challenges. But what about a moment when a small sliver of unbelievable proportions takes place in our life when something just really smacks us with a “WOW” look at what God just did?

It happened to me at the rim of the Grand Canyon, at 110 feet under the surface of the Pacific Ocean, at the Trailridge Road Pass, at Niagara Falls, at two Hospitals in Western Nebraska watching my daughters being born, delivering a calf in the Sandhills and standing in doorway of this Lutheran school in Cap Haitian.

Looking at these children who make up just a sliver of the more than 62,000 children that are being fed every day in Haiti by you and me is a reason to say ‘WOW, Praise the Lord’ because it is an awesome sight. All those young missionaries being sent throughout Haiti; “WOW” Praise the Lord. One of the Hymns sung at a funeral I watched online recently was ‘It is well with my soul’ that was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. The life of the departed was also a God thing as I had a chance to reflect on how God used this man bring a piece of the love of Jesus Christ into my life’s journey before his journey ceased to exist. Feeding children in a small country that many will never visit is also a God thing in your life and in their lives. You are bringing a small piece of the love of Jesus into their lives each day.

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul, 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. It is well, it is well, with 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! It is well, it is well, with my soul. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: if Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, the sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! It is well, it is well, with 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. It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/5/23 Joel Griffith 7/5/23

Save others.

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear; hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Jude 22-23

Snatching souls from the fire sounds like work for a fire department, not a Christian child living in Haiti. The children in the attached photo attend school at Christ the King in Merrotte which is in the Arcahaie District in the Northern claw of Haiti. They have just received their plates of rice and beans and are headed back to their classroom to eat lunch as they prepare to learn how to go out into their world and save souls.

How were you prepared to seek and save lost souls from the fires of hell? Did you have formal training? Thinking back, I didn’t give a lot of thought to going out into the mission fields of this world and actively save souls, but that is what the Son of God has instructed us to do. The children in Merrotte are facing the evil foe in the form of vodou priests and people who just don’t know any better and continue to follow and believe his lies and the lies of the great deceiver, satan.

There is a familiar hymn “I am trusting Thee Lord Jesus” that was written by Frances R. Havergal in 1874 that was one of the childhood songs that I was taught when being prepared to go out into the world and seek and save souls. Hope that it will bring back memories for you too and remind you of your calling.

“I am trusting Thee Lord Jesus, trusting only Thee; trusting Thee for full salvation, great and free. I am trusting Thee for pardon; at Thy feet I bow, for Thy grace and tender mercy trusting now. I am trusting Thee for cleansing in the crimson flood; trusting Thee to make me holy by Thy blood. I am trusting Thee to guide me; Thou alone shalt lead, ev'ry day and hour supplying all my need. I am trusting Thee for power; Thine can never fail. Words which Thou Thyself shalt give me must prevail. I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus; never let me fall. I am trusting Thee forever and for all.”

Be certain that your support is making a difference in the lives of His children in Haiti as they go about doing His work of rescuing lost souls from the fire. Be thankful that our Triune God is using your life to continually be used to rescue lost souls from the fires of hell.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/4/23 Joel Griffith 7/4/23

Give thanks for freedom.

“Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food; you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.” Acts 27:33-35

Have you ever been on a sinking boat? Challenges in our lives can often seem like our boat is going down. In this reading from Acts the Apostle Paul had just survived a strong storm on the open sea and their ship was battered and he and the other prisoners, guards and crew had been tossing back and forth in the ocean for weeks; without hope. No radio, radar or emergency warning device to send for help…only prayer.

You cannot help to consider the news these days of our country being financially challenged and being tossed back and forth and seemingly being damaged again and again; we are in a similar situation as the Apostle Paul. In our personal lives there have been times when our journey was battered again and again by this sinful world and nothing that we can do seems to help…only prayer. The attached photo is of three children who attend a Lutheran School in Gonaives which is located in the Artibonite District. They have survived hurricanes, floods, gone without food and been battered by the lies of the vodou priest and have been held hostage to gangs. Their hope and our only hope comes from our risen Savior Jesus Christ.

Following in the footsteps of Paul, we give thanks for our blessings and pray for our Triune God to rescue His children from the calamities of satan and this world. On this day that we celebrate our Independence, it seemed fitting to share the words from the hymn “Eternal Father” which was written by William Whiting in 1860 and joined with music by John B. Dykes in 1861. These are words that our country needs to remember, draw hope from and give thanks to our Triune God for being with us and ask for his deliverance and blessings.

“Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who biddest the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep; oh hear us when we cry to Thee, for those who peril on the sea! O Christ, whose voice the waters heard and hushed their raging at Thy Word, Who walked on the foaming deep, and calm amidst its rage didst sleep; oh hear us when we cry to Thee, for those who peril on the sea! Most Holy Spirit, who didst brood upon chaos dark and rude, and bid its angry tumult cease, and give, for wild confusion, peace; oh hear us when we cry to Thee, for those who peril on the sea! O Trinity of love and power, our family shield in danger’s hour; from rock and tempest, fire and foe, protect us wheresoever we go; thus evermore shall rise to Thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 7/3/23 Joel Griffith 7/3/23

Wisdom.

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:11

This Scripture reading was used recently in a devotion from the Lutheran Hour Ministries and as I was reading the words of Solomon they moved me into a different direction then the Pastor had written.

While working for the highway department in Nebraska for 38 years there were several occasions when some project I designed was now being replaced with something bigger and ‘better’ as the volumes of traffic have increased over the years. Not sure that it was totally meaningless when the hours that I had spent calculating and designing; it served a purpose for a time, but now it is useless by today’s measurements.

Solomon was filled with much wisdom; he constructed elaborate buildings, bought large numbers of slaves, cattle and was without a doubt the richest man on the planet. These things turned out to be meaningless, didn’t bring him the happiness that he was needing so he then added many women to his harem; all this left him still shaking his head and searching for something that really mattered.

The attached photo was taken at the kitchen serving area at the Lutheran School at Merrotte. A table with 24 plates filled with rice and beans for His children on a hot, humid day in the Arcahaie District. Meaningless, nope, certainly not a feast that Solomon would have eaten; or probably many people living in North America. I guarantee that this plate of food will bring happiness to the Haitian child who holds tightly onto this priceless treasure.

Each one of the 421 children at this school has a purpose from their Heavenly Father. Probably like us, they don’t know what that purpose happens to be at the moment, but He knows. This simple meal is not meaningless. Their Christian education is not meaningless. Your support of His children is not meaningless; you are taking part of their legacy and leaving a legacy of your own for others to follow. I listened to a song on Alexa yesterday called ‘Just one more Soul’ by Greater Vision. The words seemed like a good way to wrap up this devotion, reminding me, and hopefully you as well of the urgency in saving just one more soul.

“The preachers are weary the singers are tired; the church as we know it is losing its fire. Some are discouraged from bearing the load but we must determine to keep pressing on , cause if just one more soul were to walk down the aisle it would be worth every struggle, it would be worth every mile. A lifetime of labor is still worth it all if it rescues just one more soul. So preachers, keep preachin’ and singers, go sing. Laymen, keep sharing that Jesus is King. The angels have gathered, they’re surrounding the throne and they’ll start rejoicing for just one more soul.”

May God be with you,

Jay