International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 9/21/23 Joel Griffith 9/21/23

Sharing the truth.

“As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.” Luke 24:28-29

The two disciples were walking down the dirt road to Emmaus, a journey of about seven miles when Jesus came up and walked with them. Their small exchange recorded in Luke provides another account that assures us and all believers that Jesus Christ defeated death and the devil.

The people that live near the vodou temple near Pont Sonde in the attached photo will probably tell you that the Gospel of Luke is nothing more than a story, a fable…a lie. Jesus is dead. The vodou priest has assured them that satan defeated Christ on the cross. The vodou spirit or war, Ogou, defeated Jesus Christ. Jesus is still in the tomb.

The 153 children attending the Lutheran School in Pont Sonde know the truth and face the mighty challenge of sharing the message of their risen Savior, Jesus Christ, with the lost who have closed their ears to the truth. Thank you for providing prayers and support for their ministry efforts.

Henry Lyte wrote the words to the hymn ‘Abide with me’ in 1847 and the words provide comfort for us, for the children in Pont Sonde and direction for those lost and waiting to hear the Gospel message.

“Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me! Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see. O Thou, who changest not, abide with me! Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word, but as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord, familiar, condescending, patient, free. Come not to sojourn, but abide with me. Come not in terror, as the King of kings, but kind and good, with healing in Thy wings; tears for all woes, a heart for every plea. Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me. Thou on my head in every youth didst smile, and though rebellious and perverse meanwhile, Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee. On to the close, O Lord, abide with me. I need Thy presence every passing hour; what but Thy grace can foil the Tempter's power? Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me! I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight and tears no bitterness. Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still if Thou abide with me. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes, shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/20/23 Joel Griffith 9/20/23

Another bucket full of grumble.

“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 63:7

I know that I should not be grumbling but while I was slowly driving home yesterday a bout of grumbling came pouring out as there was another barricade in the street where I wanted to go and that turned into a chorus of complaints of the racket my tires were making on the streets that I was forced to drive on as I could hear tire noise going over the joints in the concrete. Then, while looking through photos that were taken in Haiti the attached one caught my eye.

This is on the main highway over the mountain between Cap Haitian and Gonaives, and this particular location is probably a few miles south of Limbe. The road is surfaced but is Haiti rough; you don’t see many speed limit signs in Haiti because a vehicle generally cannot drive very fast under normal conditions to warrant a speed limit.

The woman on the left side is walking to a market to try to sell her goods; it appears that it might be a large pan filled with homemade peanut brittle in bags. I was grumbling about driving a few blocks on a rough paved street and this woman is walking for miles to sell her peanut brittle. Satan caused me to be discouraged and unhappy with this life and I was reminded of life in Haiti and now things are back in a proper perspective; for the time being.

Constantly being in the Word is His way of keeping each of us in that proper perspective. The children attending Christian schools in Haiti are also in His Word daily and they too are being reminded of how blessed we truly are being His children. Mr. Dennis Jernigan wrote the song “You are my all in all” and its words are a wonderful reminder of how important it is to keep our Heavenly Father in our daily thoughts and prayers.

“You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel Lord, to give up I'd be a fool; You are my all in all. Taking my sin, my cross, my shame; rising up again I bless Your name. You are my all in all. When I fall down You pick me up. When I am dry You fill my cup. You are my all in all. Jesus, Lamb of God worthy is Your name.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/19/23 Joel Griffith 9/19/23

My home...my church.

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” 1 Kings 9:3

Back in the day, prior to living in Haiti, it was my perception that a Christian congregation worshipped in a ‘Church’ and if the congregation also had a day school, that too was another structure. Most of the churches that are in Haiti are more like the early Church in Acts; the Pastors home is the church and school.

The attached photo taken a few decades ago, is of the Lay Pastor standing in front of the Lutheran Church at Berjot which is located on the East edge of Les Cayes. This Church also happens to be his home and the woman standing in the doorway is his wife. This photo was taken in 2002 and at that time the Pastor also had a few children from the neighborhood come to learn about Jesus Christ. Pastor Israel Isidor advised that this part of Les Cayes not only had a strong vodou presence but also had many cases of leprosy in the neighborhood.

Whether you worship the Triune God in a large brick or stone Church or a small concrete block building tucked into a small neighborhood; He is always there. The hymn ‘Christ is our Cornerstone’ was composed by John Darwall in 1770 and translated by John Chandler in 1837 and its words still provide us with the importance of Who is the cornerstone of our Church and lives; here in North American, in Haiti and throughout the world.

“Christ is our Corner-stone, on Him alone we build; with His true saints alone the courts of heaven are filled. On His great love, our hopes we place of present grace and joys above. Oh, then, with hymns of praise, these hallowed courts shall ring; our voices we will raise the three in One to sing. And thus proclaim in joyful song, both loud and long that glorious name. Here, gracious God, do Thou forevermore draw nigh; accept each faithful vow and mark each suppliant sigh. In copious shower on all who pray each holy day, Thy blessing pour. Here may we gain from heaven the grace which we implore, and may that grace, once given, be with us evermore. Until that day when all the blest to endless rest are called away!”
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 9/18/23 Joel Griffith 9/18/23

Doing HIS work.

“Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”” Mark 1:38

One of the favorite quotes from this past weekend was this; “Following the path of least resistance is what makes rivers and men crooked.” When our Heavenly Father meticulously created each of us, He didn’t just put us into a small, quiet and docile area to do His work. He placed each of us where there are challenges. We are blessed with a world with many large and often difficult areas to do His work. In Acts 1:8 we read “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We’ve been created to move throughout our neighborhoods, our home country of origin and throughout this world and through the power of Holy Spirit proclaim the message of salvation of our risen Savior to the lost.

The attached photo is of the congregation at Tarasse which is located in the Artibonite District just east of Gonaives. This location is where the initial Trinity HOPE feeding program began in 1999; forty-two children attending this Lutheran School ate the first serving of beans and rice. Today there are over 60,000 children learning the salvation story about Jesus Christ and are receiving a serving of rice and beans when there is nothing to eat in their homes. Thank you for supporting the feeding of His children in Haiti, permitting the programs to spread throughout Christian schools in Haiti. Johann Heermann was credited with writing the words to the hymn ‘Feed Thy children, God most Holy’ in 1656 and they are a wonderful way to close this devotion.

“Feed Thy children, God most holy, comfort sinners poor and lowly; O Thou Bread of Life from heaven, bless the food Thou here hast given! As these gifts the body nourish, may our souls in graces flourish till with saints in heavenly splendor at Thy feast due thanks we render.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/16/23 Joel Griffith 9/16/23

What is really important?

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

On this Saturday, what is really important to you today? College football or volleyball? Grandkids have an event? Cleaning the house? Shopping at the Farmer’s Market this morning? What do you suppose is really important to the child in the attached photo? This young girl attends the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian and on this day was visited by a Trinity HOPE mission team and received a bracelet that was used to help tell the story of our Triune God. What is really important to the life of this child?

She no doubt lives in a neighborhood where the vodou drums are pounded in the evening and animals are sacrificed. She no doubt has some members of her family that still visit the local vodou priest in hopes that they can receive healing or an answer to a problem that is happening in their lives. What is really important to the life of this child?

She has heard the Gospel message; this little lamb is saved. Her light is being refueled to shine brightly in a neighborhood of darkness. The cupboard in her house is most likely empty each morning but she is being fed at school every day. Her light is shining brightly as she takes the message of the Triune God into the neighborhood of doubt and fear.

In the same manner as she hears the Word daily, she, and us continue to ‘do what it says’ as we continue along on our earthly journey doing His work and answering His call. In 1834, Edward Mote wrote the words for the hymn ‘My hope is built on nothing less’ and as you read those words, consider her life, your life and what our Savior accomplished for us and continues to accomplish through us.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, and blood support me in the whelming flood; when every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in Him be found; clothed in His righteousness alone; faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/15/23 Joel Griffith 9/15/23

Are you lacking...anything?

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10

On this Friday, as you sit and read this devotion, take just a few moments to consider what you lack at this point in your life. Are you lacking stuff; time, friends, treasures, food, shelter or good health? The final verse from Psalm 34 should cause each of us to take an inventory of our lives and also consider how others on this sin filled planet might reply of what it is they may be lacking.

The child in the attached photo attends the Lutheran school in Bois Marchand on the northern edge of Gonaives. I can’t imagine what she would say that she lacks, probably food at home would be at the top of her list, as she told me that she had nothing to eat before walking to school and nothing to eat the night before we met on this hot day in March of 2010.

If we all continue to ‘seek the Lord’ we will realize how many blessings have been poured out for us and not be tempted by the ‘needs’ of this sinful world. Our Heavenly Father sent His only Son into this world to pay the price for our sins and Jesus promised that He has prepared a mansion in Heaven for each of us. Seek the Lord and lack nothing. In 1876 Henry Baker wrote ‘Redeemed, restored, forgiven’ and this hymn sums up all that we have today and will have in eternity.

“Redeemed, restored, forgiven, through Jesus' precious blood. Heirs of His home in heaven, oh, praise our pardoning God! Praise Him in tuneful measures Who gave His Son to die; praise Him whose sevenfold treasures enrich and sanctify. Once on the dreary mountain we wandered far and wide; far from the cleansing fountain, far from the pierced side. But Jesus sought and found us and washed our guilt away; with cords of love He bound us to be His own for aye. Dear Master, Thine the glory of each recovered soul. Ah! who can tell the story of love that made us whole? Not ours, not ours, the merit; be Thine alone the praise and ours a thankful spirit to serve Thee all our days. Now keep us, holy Savior, in Thy true love and fear and grant us of Thy favor. The grace to persevere till in Thy new creation; earth's time-long travail o'er, we find our full salvation and praise Thee evermore.“

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/14/23 Joel Griffith 9/14/23

Are challenges too big?

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.” Psalm 42:1-4

When a very tall wall of barbed wire is placed in the middle of our journey we need to thank our Heavenly Father for those times when life is hard, when we can’t handle life’s challenges on our own, when we fully realize that our wisdom and resources are inadequate. Our North American culture makes this a hard pill to swallow.

When my wheels one once again stuck in the slimy, muddy goo of this fallen world, there is a part of me that absolutely hates the situation and I have no choice but to remember how much I need my Heavenly Father and in these times I can feel the longing of my soul for His presence, love and continual protection. The people that live in this stone house in the Arcahaie District are sitting in their home and probably don’t see themselves facing problems as I do when I snapped this photo. No electrical or telephone lines running into their house or indoor plumbing.

Their children attend Lutheran school at Chincheron which is about half an hour up the mountain and they have heard about our risen Savior and know about the word ‘Salvation’ and have turned away from the vodou priest; their lives have a purpose to share His message. Without our Heavenly Father, our lives would have no purpose. Without Him, we all would faint from exhaustion and fade away and not receive our Crown of Life. Without Him, our discouragement with this world would stack up higher and higher, with no hope of relief. So, we yearn for the presence of our Heavenly Father and like a deer and the water, He alone can satisfy our soul. In 1984,

Martin Nystrom took the words of this psalm and put them to music: “As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee.” Stay connected to Him.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/13/23 Joel Griffith 9/13/23

It's not about me.

“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me by his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith; in like manner as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the true faith; in which Christian Church He daily forgives abundantly all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and will raise up me and all the dead at the last day, and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true.” The Explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed by Martin Luther.

Quite a few years ago, there was a popular book called the ‘Forty days of Purpose’ by Rick Warren. This was a Bible study that many millions of people went through and I went through this book several times; with a Bible study group in Davie, FL and with a few close friends via E-mail while living in Haiti and it now stands in my bookcase only being referenced occasionally.

The truly important part of this book in my mind was that our being here is not about me, it is about our Triune God. He is the one preparing us and providing opportunities to use the time, talents and treasures that He has provided to us; we are not calling the shots. I don’t know if Mr. Warren studied Martin Luther but he might have as the phrase Luther wrote in the 1500’s “the Holy Ghost has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me by his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith; in like manner as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth” certainly reminds us today what force is working through us.

The girl standing next to me in Messif has been called by the Holy Spirit to do His work. The Holy Spirit does not just choose the tall or short, the young or old, the rich or poor, the sick or healthy or the meek or the courageous; He calls us all. This child living in Ouanaminthe, you and I are all being daily called by the Holy Spirit to use the gifts that we have been given to do His work; bring one more soul to hear the news of a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Your gifts are different than her gifts and also different than mine. Thank you for letting the Holy Spirit move you to help prepare this child for her call. A wonderful way to close this devotion is by using the words to a Welsh hymn ‘Sent forth by God’s blessing’ which was written by Omer Westendorf (1917-1997).

“Sent forth by God's blessing, our true faith confessing, the people of God from this dwelling take leave. The supper is ended. Oh, now be extended the fruits of this service in all who believe. The fruit of Christ's teaching, receptive souls reaching, shall blossom in action for God and for all. His grace did invite us, his love shall unite us to work for God's kingdom and answer his call. With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living the tasks of our everyday life we will face. Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring, embracing the children of each tribe and race. With your feast you feed us, with your light now lead us, unite us as one in this life that we share. Then may all the living with praise and thanksgiving give honor to Christ and his name that we bear.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/12/23 Joel Griffith 9/12/23

The importance of HIS work.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

It is so important to acknowledge that our accomplishments in this lifetime are really not much unless their directions come from our Heavenly Father. The importance of ‘His’ work is far greater than what this sin filled world holds as important.

At this writing, Trinity HOPE has feeding programs in 270 Christian schools in Haiti; a milestone that I never thought would be reached in my lifetime. There are some 30 more Christian schools waiting for a feeding program; patiently waiting for His plans to be set into place. There are Haitian missionaries attending these schools, waiting to take to Gospel message to the lost.

The attached photo is of a rather large cemetery on a mountain top near Chincheron in the Arcahaie District. The bones of vodou followers and Christians are stored here in above ground, handmade crypts. When passing by cemeteries in Haiti the question of how many went to their grave not having had a Savior always came up in our conversation; many more following the vodou priest than clinging to Christ.

Thank you so much for helping to feed all the schools and for following His directions to feed the next 30 and help to prepare those children to share the Good News of a Risen Savior with the lost. I close with the words from the hymn "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" that was written by Isaac Watts, 1719.

“Our God, our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come, our Shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal Home! Under the shadow of Thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in Thy sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Thy word commands our flesh to dust: “Return ye sons of men!" All nations rose from earth at first and turn to earth again. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day. Like flowery fields the nations stand, pleased with the morning light; the flowers beneath the mower's hand lie withering ere 'tis night. Our God, our Help in ages past, Our Hope for years to come, be Thou our Guard while troubles last and our eternal Home!”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 9/11/23 Joel Griffith 9/11/23

When you least expect it.

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

I read a quote yesterday that applies to this day that will forever be etched in history; “Life is 10 percent of what happens to you, and 90 percent of how you respond to it.” There are times in our lives when events will be burned into our memory banks and stay there for the remainder of our days on this side of Paradise. I clearly remember how dense the fog was on the morning of December 17, 1957 that my dad was killed in an automobile accident when I was seven and I remember how surreal he looked laying in a casket at the front of the old St. John’s Lutheran church in Seward, NE.; a few days before Christmas. I remember my 8th grade teacher coming into our classroom after lunch with tears in her eyes as she told us that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas; I remember that we were sent home for the afternoon and walking home on that cold and cloudy November day.

I remember standing in the southwest quadrant of the I-80 interchange at Kearney, NE when I heard the radio in our State van announce that the Challenger space shuttle had exploded shortly after takeoff. I remember preparing to eat dinner at the Hotel Kinam in Petionville, Haiti when I was told that I had a phone call and went to the front desk and learned that my sister Charlotte had lost her battle with liver cancer.

On this day in 2001, I was sitting at a computer in a cyber café in Petionville on a hot and humid sunny morning. This small concrete building had four rooms, no glass in the windows, and no AC. The front room was set up as a waiting room with a small B&W television. The next room had six computers set up on tables. The two rooms adjacent to this room were where the family who owned this business lived and one room had a few baby goats making sounds and smells that only goats can make; there were gnats and mosquitos buzzing in the still air.

I had paid the attendant for an hour of time to use their internet and was in the middle of checking my mail when I heard “ohs” coming from the waiting room and was curious so I stood and peeked around the corner to see what was causing their reaction to what was being shown on the television. The French Canadian news channel was broadcasting the video footage of the first airplane smashing into the World Trade Center; my heart sank.

I sent an Email to my supervisor Pastor Jim Tino in Miramar, FL, advising that all seemed safe in Haiti and finished sending a report to some mission societies in North America and then logged off and went to the waiting room. At that time when living in Haiti, I was not driving by myself so I had to sit and wait for my driver to return to pick me up at a designated time so there was about thirty minutes of sitting in the waiting room and praying.

When my driver returned to the office and I called my supervisor on the satellite phone and found out that the LCMS World Missions was bringing some missionaries out of their country for safety reasons but I assured him that it seemed to quiet in Haiti and the only reaction to this event was sadness on the part of the Haitian people, offering me condolences in the loss of those innocent people.

When we least expect them, destruction comes like a thief in the night. We are comforted that our Savior has conquered sin, death and the devil for us on the cross of Calvary. Nothing in this world can separate us from His love and our faith continues to rest upon Him. While satan continues to throw unexpected calamities into this world that impact our journey and remain in our memory it is okay to not lose sight of them but it is also important to never forget who is in control of this world. Our Triune God allows things to happen in our lives that seem to be unthinkably horrible but through them all we grow stronger and closer to Him.

May God be with you,

Jay