Daily manna.

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

Ah, its Saturday morning.  Did you have a special breakfast today?  Ham, eggs and a banana muffin?  A dirt cake?  Why does our Triune God call us to work in places outside of our own backyard?  There are people that live within my city that receive their daily manna from the food bank and soup kitchen; why does the Holy Spirit nudge us to go outside of our city and State?  When the hunger pains in a child living in Haiti become unbearable their cries can be silenced when their small stomachs are filled with a dirt cake.  That is right; a dirt cake   The woman in the attached photo is preparing quite a supply and you could purchase five for just a few cents.

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

Satan will be cast out of Haiti from within one day, by the many young missionaries who are being trained and fed in the Christian schools today…with your help.  The truth and light is being spread by the mouths and actions of the young children who are being fed beans and rice and not dirt cakes.  Their witness is dispelling the fear of the vodou priest and is bringing hope to a country that has for so long been without hope.  The next school year is supposed to start on Monday throughout Haiti.  It is doubtful that will take place as gang violence is still rampant in many areas.  Please continue to pray for an end to this turbulence and a new beginning of peace within Haiti.  Heinrich Held penned the words for the hymn “Come, Oh, Come, Thou Quickening Spirit” in 1664 and this particular hymn is one of those that goes on and on and the final three verses will close today’s devotion.

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

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 young missionary.

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

Back in the day, did you see the ‘Passion of Christ’ movie?  The above passages from Matthew caused me to consider why Christ came here, and also who He came here to save.

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

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

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

Is Christ dead?

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

Imagine what your life would be like today if your grandparents, parents and friends told you over and over that Christ is dead; you would probably, eventually give up hope.  The attached photo of a vodou priestess kneeling before the altar in her temple with a bottle of Haitian Rhum, a bottle of animal blood and a jar of bone fragments are setting on the top and a collection bowl is down in front.  Possibly the most dramatic part of this photo is behind the altar where the cross is buried into the floor and this is to signify that Jesus is still buried in the tomb.

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

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

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

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

Bon Berger.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23 (KJV)

Call me old fashioned, or just call me old, but I really enjoy reading some favorite scripture passages in the King James Version.  The Creole word for ‘Good Shepherd’ is ‘Bon Berger’ and you will see that name being used at several Lutheran schools in Haiti.  The majority of the children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti know of an actual shepherd and perhaps many of them have fathers or relatives who are shepherds tending to goat herds.

Our Good Shepherd gave up His life for each of us when it was given on the cross of Calvary.  There are many instances where men and women have given much, even the great sacrifice of their lives for their families and perhaps for strangers to save somebody else’s life.  I heard a story recently of a young girl who had a serious illness and needed a blood transfusion or she would die.  The doctors determined that the only person who could donate this life giving blood to this young girl was her little brother.  The parents and doctors asked the little boy if they could use his blood to save his sister and he gave it much thought; several hours to be exact.  He finally told them that he was ready to give his blood to his sister so she would live and asked how long he would live after they had taken his blood.  He didn’t understand that both she and he would live.

There are children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti who are being fed dirt cakes at home from their mothers as they cannot afford food.  The woman in the attached photo is a vendor of dirt cakes.  Some of these children are slowly passing away because of this ‘food’; their life lights are growing dim.  They need Jesus for their Spiritual welfare and you to help to fulfill their daily food.  Thank you for reaching out to these children, giving of your talents and treasures.  I close today with the words from the hymn ‘The Lord my pasture shall prepare’ that was written by Joseph Addison in 1712.

“The Lord my pasture shall prepare and feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply and guard me with a watchful eye; my noonday walks He shall attend and all my midnight hours defend.  When in the sultry glebe I faint or on the thirsty mountain pant, to fertile vales and dewy meads my weary, wandering steps He leads, where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, amid the verdant landscape flow.  Though in the paths of death I tread, with gloomy horrors overspread, my steadfast heart shall fear no ill, for Thou, O Lord, art with me still; Thy friendly crook shall give me aid and guide me through the dreadful shade.  Though in a bare and rugged way, through devious lonely wilds, I stray, Thy bounty shall my pains beguile; the barren wilderness shall smile, with sudden greens and herbage crowned, and streams shall murmur all around.”

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

The same mindset.

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

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

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

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

Back in the day, I was given a hand written note on a piece of paper from Governor Kay Orr after church and it had the title of a hymn that matched well with the message that Pastor Luke Schnake have given that Sunday and it seemed to also fit with a few other events that took place along my journey.  The hymn is titled ‘May the mind of Christ, my Savior’ and these words were written by Kate Barclay Wilkinson sometime before 1913.

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

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

Still grumbling?

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

My quote for this Monday morning is “I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to”.  I read in a devotion last weekend that complaining is a sure sign of spiritual immaturity as a lack of faith is being shown by the person doing the complaining.  The reasoning was that if we place our trust in our Triune God, He has our best interest in His plans.  If I am constantly complaining about my provisions, my health, the other side, my family, my house, my job, my life…then I cannot accept God’s will for life.  A complainer will cry, rant, kick and scream until they get their way and when that moment arrives; they are generally still not happy.

A friend from Nebraska and I had coffee this morning on our own decks here and there, over the phone, and we talked about how this world seems to place so much energy into negative thoughts, words and actions.  Have you seen any positive political ads recently?  Have you seen any positive comments from either of the political television or radio programs in the past several months?

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

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

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

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

Don't grumble.

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

It is the first Saturday in September.  Are you grumbling about how fast this year is melting away.  Speaking about melting, my memory is having problems pulling up what I had asked for.  Recently, it brought back some images from 12 years ago of me having been blessed to watch over my nine-month old grandson.  While thinking about that precious time, it struck me that while watching him on the floor, enjoying, complaining, enjoying, complaining, how well he takes after me; and possibly some of you who are reading this.

Aren’t we all just natural complainers, grumbling over nothing?  It is in our genes, our sinful genes.  Our Triune God gives us everything that we truly need to exist; food, shelter, clothing and family.  He takes care of us each and every day but we still find time to complain about something.  When I was gainfully employed I would find something to complain about my work.  Children complain about their parents, husbands complain about their wives and wives about their husbands.  People in the pews complain about their pastors and politicians; they complain about everything.  From the Old Testament to the New Testament to today, man has always found something to complain about.

Back in the day, my grandson wanted me to hold him, put him down, hold him, put him down, hold him and I just wanted to shout at him “Miles, what do you want?” but of course all he heard me say was “blah, blah, blah.”  Miles in not a perfect grandchild, I am not a perfect grandfather and his parents are not perfect parents either but Our Heavenly Father loves us just the way we are.  He does not always give us what we may want but rather gives us what we need.

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

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

Awesome things.

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

Our Heavenly Father has given us some pretty awesome things to appreciate while living on this planet.  Watching your children taking their initial breath is truly special.  Standing in awe of the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the autumn colors in the Niobrara River valley and watching the waves of the ocean crashing on the beach are a few of memorable sights for me.

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

With every coming day, He has given each of us another opportunity to spend time here dwelling within His creation serving Him with the gifts and talents He has provided to each of us.  As the sun rises in North America it is also rising in Haiti and children attending Christian schools are offering up prayers of thanks for Him and for you and for the Morning Star who is the Savior of this world.

The hymn ‘How Lovely Shines the Morning Star’ was written by Philipp Nicolai in 1597 and verses 1, 6, 7 are a wonderful way to close this morning.

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

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

Our fabric.

“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 12:2

Consider for a moment what pattern your life resembles.  Our parents provided a lifestyle for each of us; our friends may have twisted our fabric in a few different directions.  When we left home the direction that we followed surely added a few new wrinkles to our pattern and where you and I are today.  So where are you today?  How would another person describe your life?

The girl in the attached photo, Lizette, lives in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.  Her home has a dirt floor, no electricity or indoor plumbing.  She has three changes of clothes until she outgrows them.  Her school has a dirt floor, corrugated metal siding, no electricity or indoor plumbing.  Her meal of the day cost around a quarter.  She knows that Jesus loves her.

For practical purposes, you and Lizette only have one thing in common; you both know that Jesus loves you and your Heavenly Father provides for you daily.  You probably require much more each day than she does; electricity, clean water, furnace, air conditioner, food, different clothes, transportation and entertainment.  But dear friends, in your abundance, you have been blessed to share with Lizette so that she may have one meal every day she is in school.

The following two verses from “A mighty fortress is our God” by Martin Luther describe this world, the forces that threaten to crush us and that one sweet word, “Jesus” that has more power than all the darkness of this world.

“And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: the Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.  That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth: let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”

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 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.”  Romans 12:1

One of the first images that comes to mind when I read this passage from Romans was the choir at Bon Berger Eglise Lutherienne in Caredeux.  This photo was taken in October 2010 which is the year of the horrible, deadly earthquake and sad to say, there were several voices missing.  Back in the day, I was blessed to have sung with this group on a few occasions while living in Haiti.  I am not certain if my voice was pleasing to God in the proper sense, probably brought joy to Him listening to my broken Creole; I tried.

When I look at the faces in the choir, see photos of the children attending that school and also think about several of you…the term ‘living sacrifice’ comes alive.  Turning lives over to our Triune God is certainly not an easy thing to do; it is the right thing to do.  This world will provide ample reasons why not to turn your life over to Christ and follow the foolishness of this age and the lies of satan.

Thank you for your sacrifice that feeds His children in Haiti.  Thank you for the sacrifice you daily give to Him in the face of this fallen world.  The following Offertory is sung by me every morning in my devotion as it reminds me of how important it is to always remember to joy of Salvation and I hope it is a part of your daily prayers as well.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me, cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.  Amen.”  Lutheran Hymnal

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