Life's challenges.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Matthew 25:34

Dear North American, how do you prepare for adversity?  How do you react to the highest of hurdles that present themselves along your journey?  When the dim flashes of upcoming problems become brilliant lightning bolts of tragedy into your life, where do you find strength?  Life’s challenges that take us from our comfort zones are somewhat different to an adult living in North America than to a child living in Haiti.  We can certainly try to prepare ourselves for such times, but we don’t want to because we would rather not experience these stressful times ahead.   While we hope for the best, we also need to prepare ourselves spiritually, physically and emotionally for the worst of times that may catch us off guard.

The children and the old man in the attached photo are in Ouanaminthe, enjoying the shade of the tree in the school yard, enjoying a time of merriment; a game of patty cake that breaks all language barriers and fills that void with endless smiles and contagious flowing steams of laughter.  Enjoying life on this planet under the shade of a tree; together in the shadow of the tree and also together in the shadow of the cross of Christ during this season of Lent.

In my preparation for unforeseen problems in North America, and this child prepares for her future challenges in Haiti; together we stand at the foot of the cross, in the shade thinking about why God has placed us here and praying that no matter what happens to us we are always under His care and watchful eye.  And, when the days are over and our journeys have been completed, we have the promise of a heavenly home which was prepared for us since the beginning of time.

Until then we labor and continue to do His work, seeking and saving the lost by whatever means He has empowered us.  Thank you for being there for them, under that tree, in that shadow, responding to His call by blessing their life with your prayers, your blessings of a feeding program and your encouragement.  We all have different callings in our own journey, thank you for being such an integral part of these children in Ouanaminthe. 

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

Ash Wednesday.

“No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

Today is Ash Wednesday and it brings back a few vivid memories of my first season of Lent while I was living in Haiti.  My first Ash Wednesday that I spent while living in Haiti was on February 13th in 2002 and Pastor Thomas Bernard had given me explicit instructions on what to do starting with the days of the Carnival celebration in Port-au-Prince and ending with Easter; STAY INSIDE my apartment.  People who were Christians were not to be seen with the vodou people celebrating with the devil.

I had read a couple of books about Haiti before going to live there and the one thing that really caught my attention was at that time when I initially arrived in 2001, was that ninety percent of the population identified as Catholic and eighty percent practiced vodou.  “No one can serve two masters.”  There are children attending Christian schools with Trinity HOPE feeding programs who surely must have some family members still practicing vodou.  During the season of Lent, the vodou followers become more active and it is a time when our prayers for these children should be more fervent as we can’t imagine what challenges they are facing in their own homes and within their neighborhoods.

The attached photo is of a vodou rara band marching in the street next to my apartment.  I didn’t follow Pastor Tomas’ instructions to the letter and not leave my apartment, but did go up on the roof to watch this band.  There were possibly 300-500 people in this group chanting and making their presence known as they marched in the streets on Easter afternoon.  The man in the crowd with the Brett Farve Green Bay Packer shirt would probably tell you that Jesus is still buried in the tomb; satan is victorious.  Children in Christian schools have heard these bands, heard the drums and horn and seen the evil in the faces of the vodou priests.  They are being taught the truth about Jesus; crucified, died and risen from the tomb on Easter Sunday; VICTORIOUS.  They can tell you; HE is RISEN, He is risen indeed!!!  Please say a few more prayers for our children in Haiti during this season of Lent and also pray that the people following the liar of this world will repent and turn to the Living Savior; Jesus Christ.    

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

Fat Tuesday.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7

God gave us the 10 Commandments to bring order to His people; they were applicable centuries ago and are still right for our culture today.  We are to have no other gods than the Triune God, we are not to use His name in vain, we are to keep the Sabbath Day holy, we are to honor our parents and we are not to kill, commit adultery, steal, lie or covet the things that belong to our neighbor.  And Jesus adds to respect others as you would like to be respected and love your neighbor as yourself.  This is a perfect set of values for us, for North America, for China, for India, for Haiti and for this world…God’s world.

From what I know of the man in the photo, he would have nothing to do with anything that you just read.  He is a vodou witch doctor in Croix de Bouquets which is a suburb in the northeast section of Port-au-Prince.  I don’t know if he or his ‘temple’ survived the earthquake, if he did not, chances are he is not in heaven today.  I also don’t know if he is favored by gang members in his neighborhood or was killed by them for not bringing them power.

What do you suppose is his purpose for life?  I’m fairly certain that he makes a living by selling fear and perpetuating the lies from satan; he is a control addict that satan uses to do his bidding.  This man is no doubt also a grave robber; stealing organs and bones from the departed and then grinds them into dust and uses the material to call out evil spirits and send them to bring pain upon people who want bad things to befall their neighbors.  This man is a murderer; animals and possibly young children who are brought to him for healing, but they never do get better as their blood is slowly drained over a period of months and replaced with poison. 

Jesus tells us in Luke that the Son of man came to seek and save the lost.  This man is lost, and there are hundreds more like him Haiti; lost souls serving the prince of liars.  The purpose of children attending Christian schools in Haiti is to bring the light of our risen Savior Jesus Christ into the lives of such as this.  This despicable human being needs a Savior; the people he hurts need a Savior and you and I have the gift and means to help bring the news of salvation to the lost in Haiti through Haitian children in Christian schools in Haiti.  Thank you for helping to prepare future missionaries attending Christian schools in Haiti.  Their purpose is not easy, and neither is ours but our Savior gave His life for us on Calvary…His purpose on this earth was to save this world of sinners.  Thank you for answering the call of our Savior and for continuing to pray and support the children in Trinity HOPE feeding programs.  There are people in our country oblivious to what Carnival and Fat Tuesday means in Haiti as people here gorge themselves before the start of the season of Lent.  Stay in prayer throughout this day as we prepare for our journey through Lent.

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

What happens to these little ones?

“If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble!  Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” Matthew 18:6-7

Back in the day, when I first began to visit Lutheran churches and schools in Haiti, the question that came up most often to myself was what happens to these kids when they leave school.  As a parent and now a grandparent, that question isn’t that far reaching; my kids and grandkids will surely get a job and in some manner, walk with Christ and contribute to this society.

When I would look at the Haitian kids in their final year of school the saying that would cross my mind was “All grown up and no place to go”.  I didn’t see many businesses that resembled North America in their neighborhood where they could find a job.  Their family lived in a small house with one or two rooms and quite a few also had their grandparents or singles aunts or uncles there too.  Most had a garden plot nearby and it provided food for their table and a portion was sold at the town market for income.  The youth in the attached photo are blessed that their school has a class on gardening.  They learn how to produce better and more abundant vegetables.  These students graduate and can go home and help their family grow a bigger crop and perhaps even rent some extra ground for a bigger garden.  I know, that seems too simple but sometimes that simple blessing is much bigger blessing than we can imagine.  There was a song by Laura Story years ago called ‘Blessings’ and it seems like a really good to end this message today.

“We pray for blessings; we pray for peace.  Comfort for family, protection while we sleep.  We pray for healing, for prosperity.  We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering all the while, You hear each spoken need.  Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things.  'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops.  What if Your healing comes through tears.  What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near.  What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.  We pray for wisdom; Your voice to hear.  We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.  We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love; as if every promise from Your Word is not enough.  All the while, You hear each desperate plea and long that we'd have faith to believe.  'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops.  What if Your healing comes through tears.  What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near.  What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.  When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win.  We know that pain reminds this heart that this is not our home.  What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy.  What if trials of this life; the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise.”

Blessings are happening today in Haiti.  It may seem too small for our way of thinking but in God’s plan, it is right on track.  Have a blessed week.

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

March Prayer Guide

Trinity HOPE

Prayer Guide for March – 2025

We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”  Martin Luther

‘Adoration’

Psalm 27:4; “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.”

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5th.  During this season, our brothers and sisters living in Haiti may feel trapped as the gang fed chaos in their country continues into another year.  As we begin that Lenten journey in our lives, let us consider how deeply this season affects us and promises God’s Grace into our future here and for those souls living in Haiti. 

  A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.    

·        Please take time to sit and consider how our Triune God comes to us through His ‘WORD’ every day and how He has impacted your life.

·        Think about the provisions, protection and love that surround you because of His unfailing love for you.

·        Please consider the season of Lent and what our Savior went through to draw us and others closer to Him.

·        Lord, be with our brothers and sisters in Haiti as they share Your message to the lost souls within their neighborhoods.

 ‘Confession’

Psalm 51; “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.  Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.  May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.  Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve. 

God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured.  He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him.  He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint.  Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you.  He lived for you and died for you.  Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.

·        A time of personal confession.

Our sins are placed at the base of the cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.

 ‘Thanksgiving’

Psalm 107:1-3; Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story; those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

During this season of Lent, we give thanks that Jesus came down to earth from Heaven to be our Savior.  He came down to seek and save the lost souls throughout this world and we are grateful that our stories can be used by the Holy Spirit to bring others to Christ.  May we bring those lessons learned from our families and our friends into the lives of strangers, gang members and vodou followers; all who live in darkness away from the Saving Grace through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:23-25; “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Now may this true body and blood of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting.  Amen.”

Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”

·        We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.

·        We give thanks for having a Savior who gave His life for our sinfulness; “your sins are forgiven”.

·        We give thanks our providence; monetary, food, clothing, moisture and shelter.  As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide.

·        We give You thanks for the Haitian school children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries for the future generations in Haiti who bring the true message of the season of Lent to lives who have never known.

·        We give You thanks for the work that is being accomplished by the Haitian parents, teachers, school principals and Feeding Program Directors who are shaping the lives of young Haitian children this school year.

‘Supplications’

“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”  Thomas Ken, 1674

Heavenly Father, be with us as we begin our journey through this season of Lent.  Draw our minds closer to Your Son Jesus, and our eyes closer to the sight of His Cross.  Help us to more fully come to understanding how important Your Grace is for us on this side of Paradise.

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

·        Heavenly Father, please continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE feeding programs with Your loving hand; may the number of children increase and may we always strive to accomplish Your will.

·        Lord, may this season of Lent draw our lives and the lives of all of Your children closer to the Cross of Christ.

·        Heavenly Father, continue to protect Your children and their families living in Haiti from the evil of vodou and neighborhood gangs.

·        Father, may Your Holy Spirit bring an end to the evil spirits and gang members that are bringing waves of evil challenges into the lives of Your children and impacting their schools and feeding programs.  Protect and bring a Faith filled measure of courage into Your people; school children, their parents, cooks, teachers, principals, feeding program directors, pastors and Trinity HOPE donors and administrators.

·        Lord, bring leaders who worship You, seek Your directions and follow them, into Haitian government and our government as well.

·        Father, please be in the midst of the planning sessions between Haiti, the United Nations and the police from Kenya to help Haiti address the challenges with gangs that torment their country.  May they help Haiti to bring an end to this evil chaos. 

Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed.  Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith.  May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All the saints send their greetings.  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  Amen.” Martin Luther

May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you.  And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,

In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer

Three saints at the well.

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”  John 7:37-39.

Too often, we take the quality and availability of our water for granted here in America.  As a child living in Nebraska, I remember being able to drink right out of the pump near the barn.  While working on a survey team in the Sandhills we would go and fill our bottles with water directly from the cattle tanks on the prairie.  Water is so precious, and that gift of water should always remind us of how truly precious is the gift of living water that Jesus shared with us.

The attached photo was taken at one of the Lutheran schools in Cap Haitian, where they are blessed to have a well.  The children at the school and people in the neighborhood can come and drink freely of this water.  Our mission team members could also drink of this water, but only through a filtered water bottle lest they become ill.  There are some schools in Haiti that have a cistern that holds water that has either been brought in or was filled with rain water.  There is a huge difference between a cistern and a well.  A cistern is labor intensive and has to be filled with water from the outside. It is not self-renewing and can run dry.  The wells in the Sandhills of Nebraska, and the one in the photo in Haiti are artesian wells and they have flowing water that bubbles up with its cool and refreshing blessing.

This same difference exists between a person trying to ‘be spiritual’ and a ‘Spirit-filled’ person. When we become Christians, Jesus blesses us with his Spirit. That presence and power in our lives makes all the difference in the world.  It is his Living Water inside of us, renewing us, refreshing us, empowering us, slaking our thirst, and giving us life.  Living for Jesus is more than just a spiritual commitment on our part requiring our effort; it is also the gift and blessing of Jesus enabled by his Spirit.

Like the two girls and the missionary at the well in Haiti, we too are filled with Living Water inside of us, flowing through us as we share the news of our risen Savior Jesus Christ with the lost.  Thank you for being a blessing to the children in Cap Haitian who share their living water and message of Hope with the lost and thirsty souls in 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

Saying goodbye.

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  Acts 1:9-11

Whether you are saying goodbye to February today or somebody else; it can bring a tear.  Mission team members that have been to Haiti, seeing children, sharing their medical skills with people of all ages, photographers who have captured images and people like me who have shook their hands, hugged them, patted their heads, laughed with them, prayed with them and experienced their joy and suffering; we all share the same sorrow when it is time to say goodbye and leave and board the airplane and leave for North America.

Back in the day while living in Haiti, being separated from their smiles was hard; their faces in photographs brought me comfort when memories of that short term relationship came to mind.  There are photographs on the walls in my home and in my office and my computer is filled with many faces.  Do you have special things that you hold on to, cherishing the memories?  The attached photo is a nameless memory for me.  Somebody’s mother, wife, sister and perhaps a grandmother from Port-au-Prince.   This is a memorable ‘goodbye’ photo, a woman at the airport with a handkerchief to wipe the tears as new friends leave.

Alexa shared with me recently a Michael W. Smith song that puts these feelings into words.  “Tell me when the time we had slipped away; tomorrow turned to yesterday and I don’t know how.  Tell me what can stop this river of tears; it’s been building up for years for this moment now.  Here I stand arms open wide.  I’ve held you close, kept you safe till you could fly.  Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend and how to harness up the wind and how to say goodbye.  Tell me why, why does following your dreams take you far away from me and I knew that it would.  Tell me how to fill the space you left behind; how to laugh instead of cry and how to say goodbye.”

Saying goodbye to Haiti, saying goodbye to Jesus; don’t be sad, you will see them again soon.  Jesus left us with His Spirit and Word.  Haiti has left you with their love and images.  And you can continually remind them of you through your generous gift to Trinity HOPE; as their children daily receive a bowl of beans and rice and they share their love and your love of Jesus Christ with their neighbors in the streets of Haiti.

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

Never grow old.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.”  Matthew 13:47

With every trip to Haiti that I ever took and every minute spent looking at photos from those adventures. the question arises; “what will it be like in Heaven?”  Will it be more like Normal or Haiti?  Will I even care?  When that time comes, I will probably not care and probably will not recall all the worldly questions that were asked throughout my lifetime.

The attached photo was taken on Sunday, October 3, 2010 in Bon Berger Lutheran Church in Caredeux, Haiti.  There were close to 300 soul’s in the sanctuary on that hot morning and at about one hour and fifty minutes into the service the distribution of Holy Communion was taking place.  This is a normal occurrence in Haiti; if a service would always last this long in North America the pews would probably be empty. 

I heard a song on Alexa recently, an old Gospel song titled ‘Never grow old.”  The words brought me to think about what Heaven will be like for the souls in Haiti and in Illinois who will come together in Haiti. 

Verse one and two; “I have heard of a land on a faraway strand, tis a beautiful home of the soul; build by Jesus on high where we never shall die.  Tis a land where we shall never grow old.  In that beautiful home where we’ll never more roam, we shall be in the sweet by and by; happy praise to the King through eternity sings.  Tis a land where we shall never die.”

Considering what Heaven might be like through these words, it sounds like it will be an improvement to everyone on this planet, no matter where we are now living or in whatever our present situation may be; rich, poor, healthy, sick, hungry or starving.

Verse three; “When our work here is done and the life-crown is won, and troubles and trials are o’er; all our sorrows will and our voices will blend with the loved ones who’ve gone on before.”

All of God’s children will be in Heaven, yellow, black, white, doesn’t matter they will all be there.  American, Canadian, Sudanese, Haitian, Indian; it doesn’t matter as they will all be there.  What a shame if the lost didn’t hear the message of salvation.  Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  That is the call to the people in Caredeux and to you and to me; “seek and save the lost.”  Thank you for supporting the children in Caredeux, Cap Haitian, Jacmel, Jeremie, Gonaives and all the other 264 schools throughout Haiti with Trinity HOPE feeding programs.

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

Getting our attention.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

There is a thief that comes to steal our time, steal our resources and rob us of our energy.  Satan wants all of our attention, all of our time, all of our resources and all of our energy to be used by him in this sinful world where he roams daily; seeking to devour and claim lost souls for an eternity in hell.

While writing a devotion yesterday I was listening to Bott radio and a Pastor happened to be talking about being tapped on the shoulder and asked what our reaction is when somebody taps on our shoulder.  We generally turn around to see what the person tapping wants to either tell us or ask of us; that would be a normal reaction.

Throughout the Old Testament God tapped on the shoulders of people He had chosen to do His work.  Their replies were varied.  Some said “Here am I” and some said “Please don’t send me there” and too often free will came upon them and they turned away and tried to hide.  In his explanation of the third article of the Apostle’s Creed Martin Luther writes “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 by the Gospel and enlightened me with His gifts.”  The Holy Spirit comes into our lives, tapping on our shoulders every day; wherever we may be.

Sometimes He finds us in the kitchen peering into the refrigerator, lounging in the recliner, in the garage, at the computer, at the store or on the patio.  He taps on our shoulder and nudges us in a direction that this world would say “you fool.”  He taps on our shoulder and asks “what are you doing with your time?”  Often the replies of this world are “this is too much fun, it is my time, it is my money” or “I will get to your business later, perhaps for a couple of hours on Sunday.”

The Holy Spirit calls, gathers and enlightens us with His gifts.  As we occasionally drift into the alluring ways of this world the Holy Spirit taps on our shoulder and reminds us that there is work to do, more children to feed in Haiti; thousands more children to feed in Haiti; thousands more lost souls to save in Haiti, here in my city, here to the ends of this earth. 

Each of us was given specific gifts, talents and treasures to use for His work.  I listened to the song “three wooden crosses” by Randy Travis on Alexa yesterday and it reminded me of how important it is to always be attentive to the nudging from the Holy Spirit.  I’m not going to share the whole song but just the first couple of verses.

“A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher, ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.  One's headed for vacation, one for higher education, an' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.  That driver never ever saw the stop sign.  An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.  There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway, why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.  I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go.”

I have seen wooden crosses along highways here in the U.S.  There is one just outside of York, NE marking where my father died.  I have seen them in Haiti where there were bus accidents and Christians lost their lives and gained their Eternal Glory.  This simple song not only makes me think about how many lives in Haiti that are needing to hear the Gospel message from a child in a Trinity HOPE feeding program, and receive their wooden cross when their journey is complete.

The last line, “I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go” and this reminds me of what am I leaving behind.  How have I finished the work He gave me to accomplish?  How many tasks have I left undone or turned away from?  I am sinful and I know fully well that I have not always turned around when I was tapped on the shoulder, but too often have turned away.  We need to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, to come and tap on our shoulder and finish well the work that He has for us to accomplish.  If it doesn’t seem like there is anything left for us to do, our Savior tells us to knock on the door and ask; and be patient and wait for His directions.

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

May God be with you,

Jay

I love you.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:12-13

For the past decade, it has become more difficult to remember names.  Do any of you happen to recognize the young boy holding the chair in the attached photo I took decades ago?  He attends the Lutheran school in Cap Haitian and your gift to Trinity HOPE might be providing his noon meal.  Do you remember his name?

When I look at his photo the words “I love you” seem to be in his eyes.  "I love you" is a phrase that everyone longs to hear...often.  Looking at this boy might make one imagine that real love is evident without a word needing to be said.  His eyes are saying “I love you” and thank you for your attention to his needs, affection for his school and sacrifice that you have shown for the other people they care about.  Wish I knew his name.

If you ever wondered about how much God loves you and him, just look at what He's done for all of us. When Jesus arms were stretched wide on the cross, He was saying "I love you" more beautifully than it's ever been said before.  But God's love didn't stop there as He daily listens to your prayers and his prayers as if the two of you were the only people in His world.  He brings good things into your life and then seemingly out of nowhere He brings blessings to this nameless boy in Cap Haitian.  God's love for you will not end nor will His love for children in Haiti.

I recently came across a saying by an ‘unknown author’ that said “Jesus did not come to make God's love possible, but to make God's love visible.”  Have you seen any of His love visible in the world around you recently?  Dear friends, there won’t be any nametags in Heaven and you will know his name and he will certainly remember you.  On behalf of this little guy on this side of Heaven I want to personally thank you for supporting this young missionary through Trinity HOPE.

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