International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 6/6/25 Joel Griffith 6/6/25

God is love.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 (KJV)

The words “God is love” that John wrote are very special to me because as a child I was given a small plastic sign that glowed in the dark after it had been held up to the light on my nightstand and the its message that glowed in the darkness was “God is love.”

The children in the attached photo from 2002 are orphans from the Lutheran orphanage in Ouanaminthe and they are ambassadors for those words as they joyfully will tell you that “God is love.” Have you ever had somebody tell you that you look like a parent or maybe your children looked a lot like you? Maybe they had the same nose, the same color hair or eyes, or perhaps their smile reminded them of you when you were their age.

These children have been adopted by Pastor Daniel Paul and his wife Clynie and although they may not have any physical qualities of their new parents, they share in the joy of knowing that ‘God is love.’ For the Christian, we have a Heavenly Father and I doubt that all of us resemble Him physically but spiritually we do. His Holy Spirit lives within us and thus we resemble His Son Jesus Christ.

When you look into the morning mirror and see an image, does it reflect His image? Are your life’s activities about His work? We are all similar to a vessel that is filled with living water and at times we doubt our direction or use; where should we be and are we doing His work; how do we fit into His plan for our life? Your fit will happen when God has you where you need to be to flow. God is at work in your life and in the lives of these orphans. Thank you for helping to prepare their lives with physical nourishment from a Trinity HOPE program. I close with the words to the hymn ‘Children of the Heavenly Father’ which was written by Karolina Sandell-Berg in 1658.

“Children of the heav’nly Father safely in His bosom gather; nestling bird nor star in Heaven such a refuge e’er was given. God His own doth tend and nourish; in His holy courts they flourish; from all evil things He spares them; in His mighty arms He bears them. Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord His children sever; unto them His grace He showeth, and their sorrows all He knoweth. Though He giveth or He taketh, God His children ne’er forsaketh; His the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy. Lo, their very hairs He numbers, and no daily care encumbers them that share His ev’ry blessing and His help in woes distressing. Praise the Lord in joyful numbers: your Protector never slumbers. At the will of your Defender ev’ry foeman must surrender.”

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 6/5/25 Joel Griffith 6/5/25

Our thoughts...not His.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

Over the years, North American mission teams have returned to Haiti with plans to “improve” life; ministry, medical, transportation and housing in a third world country. We are a well-educated, well-meaning culture that sadly often imposes our “improvements” on other cultures without considering the affects that our “improvement” will have in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The attached photo is of a first-class school kitchen by Haitian standards and this is modern by many that I have seen in the countryside homes. This kitchen doesn’t need any “improvements” from North America. It doesn’t need a generator to power a can opener and a microwave.

Haiti needs Jesus!!! Too often our ways are not His ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts and our support is not what our Triune God desires for Haiti. Feeding children attending Christian schools in Haiti is way too simple for many or our mission minds in North America to wrap their ‘experienced’ knowledge around. They would prefer to construct houses for a few, purchase vehicles for the select and ship North American supplies to people who have no way of receiving and safely storing them and dispensing them. Haiti needs Jesus Christ!!! Feed a child for a handful of nickels and send them into the mission field of Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/4/25 Joel Griffith 6/4/25

Thy way...not mine.

“And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.” Mark 11:15-19

Jesus had attempted to remove the money changers and livestock from the temple and now the Chief priests were out to get Him because He didn’t do things ‘their’ way. Tale a good look at this young Haitian child; what would you do to help them? This smiling, skinny, barefoot child just finished bathing in the canal near Gonaives.

I know of several North American mission teams that would bring this child $300 worth of clothes, peanut butter and crackers, chewing gum, a soccer ball, a battery-operated radio or small television, several boxes of mac and cheese, bags of rice and beans, soap, shampoo and a tooth brush and tooth paste. I have seen this happen and I have often wondered to myself what would Jesus do with the people who always need to bring gifts that are not necessarily culturally correct.

This child and parents and brothers and sisters probably live in a one or two-room house with one dresser that contains all of their clothes. I have never seen a closet in a Haitian house except for the house of a Lutheran pastor. This child’s house does not have electricity, no need for a radio or TV and if they are battery powered the family will not be able to purchase new batteries. Taking North American food to Haiti is such a waste. If a Haitian came to your school and brought a goat, a bucket of plantains, onions, rice and beans for your children to eat what would be your response? When we go to Haiti, we should always remember that we are venturing to a different country and culture and our North American ways need to remain in North America.

Trinity HOPE wires funds to the Haitian school feeding program directors and they purchase rice, beans, oil, vegetables and tomato paste locally from neighborhood markets. They like the Haitian food, the local merchants appreciate the business and the local economy appreciates working with Christians. I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Thy way, not mine, 0 Lord’ that was written by Horatius Bonar, in 1857.

“Thy way, not mine, 0 Lord, however dark it be. Lead me by Thine own hand; choose Thou the path for me. I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might. Choose Thou for me, my God; so shall I walk aright. Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness or my health; choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth. Not mine, not mine, the choice, in things or great or small; be Thou my Guide, my Strength, my Wisdom, and my All.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/3/25 Joel Griffith 6/3/25

HE is ALWAYS near us.

“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” Psalm 34-19-22

We may seem to have more problems than our neighbor or way more than we think that we deserve. He will deliver us; His promise to you, me and the child in Haiti. No matter what challenge the occupants of this fallen world have thrown at you; He will rescue us, we are saved. Christ is Risen!

The final two verses of “Awake my Soul, and with the Sun” written by Thomas Ken provide a wonderful closing and reminder of His presence in our lives and to whom all praise needs to be directed, not to this world but to Him. It is ironic as the final verse has been used for centuries as the Doxology. Mr. Ken requested that this hymn was as his funeral which was held at sunrise.

“I would not wake nor rise again and Heaven itself I would disdain, wert Thou not there to be enjoyed and I in hymns to be employed. 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.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/2/25 Joel Griffith 6/2/25

God is with us.

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:15-18

In Haiti, this month is Jen. There are hurricanes forming in the Atlantic and when these storms head west spinning and gaining strength the people living in Haiti say to our Creator; “Please no more problems!” For those of us living in North America, how many times throughout the day do you look up into the sky and ask “God, where are you, why won’t you listen to me or how come the neighbors that go to the lake on Sunday instead of Church seem to be living without the troubles that I have?” He hears us, in Haiti and in North America and has a divine plan for our lives; something that we had not either thought about or didn’t want to go down that road.

I was going through the hymn ‘Awake my Soul, and with the Sun’ last week and the next three verses provide us with more words of instruction the encourage us to continue to rely upon His wisdom and plans and not our own.

“Heav’n is, dear Lord, where’er Thou art, O never then from me depart; for to my soul ’tis hell to be but for one moment void of Thee. Lord, I my vows to Thee renew; disperse my sins as morning dew. Guard my first springs of thought and will, and with Thyself my spirit fill. Direct, control, suggest, this day. All I design, or do, or say, that all my powers, with all their might, in Thy sole glory may unite.”

We need to turn all of our life over to Him. It sure is easy to say that as it is not very easy to do just that in this world. Our lives and the life of the child living in Haiti need to seek His wisdom, direction and follow with the faith of a child as we answer His call to go out into this world, prepared to reach that one lost soul that is waiting for a word or action that will bring them to accept Jesus Christ.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/31/25 Joel Griffith 5/31/25

Psalm 34.

“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 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. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:1-14

I’ve been working on putting together the July Prayer Guide for Trinity HOPE and Psalm 34 grabbed my attention. I recall that several of these above verses were sung in the hymn “Awake my Soul, and with the Sun” recently and those words seemed to point my thoughts to Haiti and how much time is left to feed children on this journey.

The words of this hymn were written by Thomas Ken in 1674 when the established church of that day believed only Scripture should be sung as hymns with an emphasis on the Psalms. Some theologians of that period considered it sinful and blasphemous to write new lyrics for church music as it was like adding to the Scriptures. Thomas Ken wrote this and several other hymns for the boys at Winchester College, with strict instructions that they use them only in their rooms, for private devotions. The first three verses are as follows;

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun thy daily stage of duty run; shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise, to pay thy morning sacrifice. Thy precious time misspent, redeem, each present day thy last esteem, improve thy talent with due care; for the great day thyself prepare. By influence of the Light divine let thy own light to others shine. Reflect all Heaven’s propitious ways in ardent love, and cheerful praise.”

How many opportunities will you and I have to help prepare a child in Haiti to go and share the news of Salvation with the lost in Haiti? How many more opportunities will we have to put oil into the young lighthouses attending Lutheran schools in Haiti? In the darkness of Haiti, a bright light is starting to shine, bringing the news of a Risen Savior into the ears, eyes and hearts of lives that have been living in the lies of the vodou priest and seeking shelter from the violent gangs.

The next three verses of “Awake my Soul, and with the Sun” follow.

“In conversation be sincere; keep conscience as the noontide clear; think how all seeing God thy ways and all thy secret thoughts surveys. Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart, and with the angels bear thy part; who all night long unwearied sing high praise to the eternal King. All praise to Thee, who safe has kept and hast refreshed me while I slept. Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake I may of endless light partake.”

Thanks be to God that you, I and this child living in Haiti are covered by His Grace. G-R-A-C-E means “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” We continue to confess our sinful ways and He is faithful in continuing to provide us with the strength, resources and direction to do His work; seek and save the lost.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/30/25 Joel Griffith 5/30/25

Being saved.

“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” 1 Peter 4:17-19

We have all probably learned at one time while in school that light travels faster than the speed of sound and the older I become it becomes more clear why some people appear to be very, very bright until you hear them speak. I live in an assisted living facility and I see and hear this every day. I may be guilty of it too. The above words ring true beyond measure in describing how difficult it is for the ungodly to be saved.

The bright faces in the attached photo are Christian children attending one of several Lutherans schools in Port-au-Prince; Petit Paridis. Their future, much like their smiles, is bright as they have a faithful Savior and a clear direction; bring the news of His life, sacrifice and gift of salvation to the ungodly gang members living in their neighborhoods in Haiti.

We help to prepare their journey with food and prayer. The four plates come to roughly a dollar and a half. Your prayers are a free gift from our Creator. Prayer is not just a “spare tire” that we pull out when we are in some kind of trouble but it is a “steering wheel” that directs us, and their lives down the correct path throughout our journey.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/29/25 Joel Griffith 5/29/25

Suffering.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” 1 Peter 4:12-16

I was sitting in my wheelchair recently at the Christie Clinic in Bloomington with my daughter sitting next to me while P.A. Joy was removing 36 staples from my left leg and I counted 24 removed from my stump. The ones in my stump caused me some suffering but I tried not let me daughter hear or see her father suffering. I remember watching my mom suffering through a PT session a week before she passed and that was 16 years ago and I still don’t like to remember seeing her suffer.

Back in the day, my mother used to remind me of life in the dust bowl years, and I recall her talking with joy as we went through the many museums on the prairie about the old odd shaped tools that she or her father used when she was a child. It was fascinating but I would probably not want to return to those days for more than a month.

I also would not want either of my daughters to live as I did while in Haiti. I don’t mind telling them about my daily activities there, but would not want them to live there for more than a week. Stressed and suffering; a couple of things that we usually don’t associate with life in North America.

The attached photo is of a kitchen at a school in the Port-au-Prince area. This is it, no oven, no broiler, no roof, no electrical outlets or lights, no tile on the floor. This is the kitchen in a Lutheran school in a city of 2,500,000 people and there are many more like this throughout Haiti in the schools that are blessed with a Trinity HOPE feeding program.

Forget about the world we live in, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Around forty cents will feed one child one meal at this school. Our world is not their world. Our Savior is their Savior and that is what is truly important. They don’t need a new stove, a roof, electricity…they need a Savior. Thank you for your continued support to prepare missionaries in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/28/25 Joel Griffith 5/28/25

What happens next?

“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:7-11

What happens next? God will place another opportunity along your journey to serve one of his children. To our brothers and sisters living in Haiti, that child of God may be a friend or foe; a fellow servant that is broken or a gang member full of hate. These words in first Peter don’t get any easier for residents of this sinful world, love each other deeply no matter how much you dislike them, offer hospitality without grumbling. This world tells me this is crazy talk; people who follow this kind of thinking are probably not competent to stand trial.

Perhaps the end of all things is really drawing near, because this world that we live in just keeps moving farther and farther away from the truth that our Savior encouraged us to live and instructed us how to serve.

At times, it seems like the best service I am capable of doing is serving Him by helping children in a foreign country who are poor, don’t speak a word of my language, do not eat on a regular basis and are being tormented by gang members. By the grace of God, this sinful wretch that I am is capable of helping to feed the children at the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe who are getting their hands washed before they eat. For this simple act of service, He uses my gifts, my prayers and my continual thoughts to do His work while preparing them to go and share the Gospel message in Haiti.

Thank you for joining me in this simple service of feeding them, and helping them to become His missionaries in Haiti.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/27/25 Joel Griffith 5/27/25

A whole lot of suffering.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” 1 Peter 4:1-6

While in my hospital bed, I decided to not watch any television and instead read; ‘What happens next’ by Max Lucado, assorted Psalms, Acts and first Peter. I thought about the topic of ‘suffering’ as I laid in bed, sat in the wheel chair and spoke with other patients in rehab. Suffering in our lives is a lot different than the Apostle Paul, the disciples and our Savior. Suffering for Christ, how often have we been oppressed or beaten or been humiliated because of our faith in our risen Savior? Chances are that none of us have really been persecuted because of Whom we proclaim as our Lord and risen Savior.

The teens in the attached photo attend the Nouvelle Semence school in Port-au-Prince and living in the capital city of Haiti with a population of 2,500,000 and is shrinking daily as people are fleeing to other parts of the country and leave the violence brought on by gangs.

The verses in first Peter mention a list of sinful qualities; they are prevalent in both North America and also in Haiti. You and I have seen them on our television, at the movies, at work and possibly next door. Why don’t we follow in the ways of this world and follow the ways that the world tells us is the normal thing to do, have fun, it is all about me.

We follow Christ as He died for us. The teens attending the school in PAP follow Christ and turn away from the gangs wanting to recruit them and also the lies of the vodou priest and his followers. It is a difficult road at times, for them and for us. Please, keep them in your prayers and also ask that our Triune God will continue to provide you with strength as you support their spiritual and physical lives.

May God be with you,

Jay