International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 6/30/25 Joel Griffith 6/30/25

Jesus, don't You care?

“But He [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:38-41

Monday, the last day of June. How about a thought-provoking statement that I read recently to start the day? Life is 10 percent of what happens to you, and 90 percent of how you respond to it. How often when you’ve been faced with a large challenge have you said or thought the following? “Jesus, don’t you care?” Yes, Jesus does care.
“Jesus, don’t You care?” was uttered by the disciples on an angry sea two-thousand years ago and that was not the last time that question has been asked. That’s because any time we’re caught in a natural disaster or accident or illness the temptation is there to ask, “Jesus, don’t You care?”

Yes, Jesus cares. The disciples had hardly finished waking Jesus up in the boat before He was on His feet, calming the raging waters around them. But other storms would come their way, and their faith during those storms was not an improvement on what they did on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus asked them to pray with Him in the garden, they fell asleep. When He was arrested, they ran away. When He was crucified, they slipped into hiding. When He rose from the dead, they were slow to understand what had happened and what been fulfilled.

And we too have had numerous storms and challenges like the disciples and have also asked the question; “Jesus, don’t you care?” We need to hear His reply from the above scripture reading; “Peace! Be still!” In life’s storms, during those times when we’re afraid, when we question whether we can make it through the next day, the next hour, we need to hear Jesus. He will, just as He did for the disciples those many years ago, rise up and still the storm and tell us to be still. Sometimes He will make that storm disappear; other times He will give us the power to get through that storm. But either way, with Jesus we will survive. We will survive until the day comes when He safely takes us to our home in heaven. On that day, if we look back, we will see and thank Him for the many storms He has stilled in our lives.

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 6/28/25 Joel Griffith 6/28/25

Trying to fix things.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Too often when North Americans have traveled to Haiti, they return to their North American mission boards with advice and grandiose plans about ‘fixing’ the problems where they have spent a week. The verse from Proverbs reminds us that true wisdom comes from submitting to instruction for a significant period of time and then, only at the end of long listening does it come.

Our culture rushes to fix things; we seldom have time to listen to God’s instruction because it takes way too long to wait; pray and wait. We would do much better to let our plans ripen a bit more in the light of the Lord before we launch into them. The attached photo is the Messif School in Ouanaminthe located in the North on the border with the Dominican Republic. This classroom has flow through ventilation and a corrugated metal roof; this is a wonderful school by Haitian standards. It has a Trinity HOPE feeding programs which is a huge blessing by Haitian standards.

There is a song written by Elisha A. Hoffman in 1887 titled “Leaning on the everlasting arms” and the words capture the reason to place our trust on our Heavenly Father and not worry about our time frame, plans or ‘culturally correct’ directions.

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms. What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.”

I am comforted that James reminds us in the New Testament that God will give that wisdom if we seek it and not doubt. But while we pray for wisdom, let's pray also for patience to listen to the Lord's truth in Scripture so we may recognize HIS wisdom when it comes!

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/27/25 Joel Griffith 6/27/25

Walking on the water.

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:25-31

Have you ever tried to walk on water? One time I thought that I could do that with scuba diving fins kicking as hard as my legs would permit and it probably appeared that I was walking in waist deep water for a brief period of time. Having the faith in Jesus to be able to walk on water; what was Peter thinking or better yet what was he asking of our Savior?

It was really hot and humid in Illinois this afternoon while I was sitting on the deck on the second floor of this Assisted Living facility and when I started to feel hot I wheeled down the long hallway to my room and prepared to open the door to my room, I had faith that my air conditioner had kept the inside of my room seventy-six degrees as that is what my thermostat setting is all day long. Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti and would prepare to open the door to my apartment, I knew the temperature inside would either match or be greater than the temperature outside; in that I had faith.

Returning to life in North America has deadened my faith in our Triune God; too much gets taken for granted. The young woman in the attached photo is Nadine Isidor who was the office manager in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti headquarters in Port-au-Prince. Her faith walk was a blessing to me as the Holy Spirit working through her brought me closer to Jesus because without Him, my life was lonely and in danger. Nadine had faith that her job was secure and that Jesus had promised her a mansion in Heaven; the most important was a home in Heaven where she would be with Him.

I heard a song from Alexa this week by Johnny Cash and Pam Tillis titled ‘Keep your eyes on Jesus.’ Been doing a lot of reflecting on that tonight and pray that you too will with me and Nadine, keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus.

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, when the tidal wave of trouble around you rolls. Keep your eyes on Jesus’ He will calm the storms of life that toss your soul. Living in a world that’s full of sorrow, we are tried and tempted every day. Knowing not the secrets of tomorrow, we find if you win, we watch and pray. In Matthew, Chapter 14, when the disciples were in the ship in the midst of the sea, being tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'it is a spirit'; and they cried out for help. But straightway, Jesus spake unto them, saying, "Be of good cheer; It is I; Be not afraid." And Peter answered him and said, Lord 'If it be Thou, let me come unto Thee upon the water.' And He said, "Come." And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me.' Peter was doing alright while he kept his eyes on Jesus. But when he looked away at the rolling waves about him, he began to sink. And immediately, Jesus stretched forth His Hand, and caught him, and said unto him, "O, thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Being tossed in this life by disappointments and temptations, we are very much the same as this disciple. If we want to live for Jesus, we must keep our eyes on Him, and not the pleasures of this world. “Keep your eyes on Jesus, when the tidal wave of trouble around you rolls. Keep your eyes on Jesus; He will calm the storms of life that toss your soul.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/26/25 Joel Griffith 6/26/25

The nobody's.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I just finished re-reading the book ‘Hand me another brick’ which was written by Charles Swindoll and in one of the latter chapters he was observing the differences between the ‘nobody’s’ and the ‘somebody’s of this fallen world. A few weeks ago, I was thinking about what kind of legacy others have left behind and also what I am leaving after I leave this Assisted Living facility.

To many in North America, the child in the attached photo is a ‘nobody’ who happens to live in Haiti. He attends one of several Lutheran schools in Gonaives and on this particular day in March it was hot; like it usually is in his school. He speaks Creole and is learning French, walks to school and is happy to be there. His home probably has a dirt floor, no running water, no electricity, no food and he sleeps in the same room with his parents and siblings. By ‘our’ standards he most certainly is a ‘nobody’. God didn’t create this child or you or me to be a nobody; He has a plan specially designed for each of us.

Our Triune God calls the lesser of this world to accomplish many tasks that clergy cannot do in many instances. I came across a story recently about a Doctor, who became quite ill and one day a volunteer from his Church went to visit this Christian doctor and found him to be greatly improved and free from fear. The Doctor told of a visit that he had a few hours earlier with an older Christian surgeon who had prayed with him and given him a prescription; read the first Chapter of Joshua, verse 9. Soon, after the visit, the ill Doctor had been touched by God and not through a pastor’s care but by a fellow Christian.

This young Haitian child is being molded to touch another life or lives with the Gospel message; a nobody bringing news of somebody really special to another nobody. There are many nobodies in North America supporting several of the school feeding programs in Gonaives, helping many young children like this young child to be something special for our Triune God.

Mr. Swindoll wrote about a drive that he and his family took in California and happened to drive past a Military Cemetery with rows and rows of white crosses and he commented on how these seemingly ‘nobodies’ buried in that hill had played an important role in securing our freedom. It was a very fitting comment, especially when you consider the work of this child, and the work of Trinity HOPE volunteers and donors. I don’t know what you have done or accomplished for this child and I don’t know how God will use him; I just know that He will. He has a divine plan for this child’s life, for your life and for my life.

May God be with you,

Jay

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

Live to the Lord.

“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Romans 14:8-9

An acquaintance passed away recently and he and I had attended the same Bible class for a number of years while I worked in the Panhandle of NE. Ed had a wonderful memory for Scriptures and could generally provide a verse that fit perfectly into our small group discussions. It seemed to me that he must have memorized the Book of Romans and I imagine that after hugging Jesus upon his arrival he headed over to the Apostle Paul’s mansion and spent time catching up with his hero.

Just as Ed lived by the above verses from Romans, you and I and the young children in the attached photo belong to the Lord. You, Ed and I may not resemble these boys from Gonaives, but you have to look inside and forget about the wrapper that we wear. What and where we are living today is temporary, not our permanent home. Where we are headed is important and we need to stay focused on that direction and take as many with us to Heaven as we can possibly bring.

I read a statement recently that asked why is a car’s windshield is so large and the rear-view mirror so small? It is because our past is not as important as our future; we need to continually look ahead, stay focused on the future and move on toward that goal. Ed is walking with King Jesus today; soon you, me and these Haitian children will also leave this dusty earth and enjoy our permanent home in Heaven. A song recently played on the computer radio, “King Jesus” by the Oak Ridge Boys. One day we will be there with King Jesus enjoying the peace that is unimaginable.

“All the armies of the world will someday gather and they'll pass before the great reviewing stand. And they'll beat their swords and weapons into plowshares and the Prince of Peace shall give the last command. When King Jesus comes to live with us again He will show His righteous love to every man. Wars and strife will all be passed there'll be peace on earth at last when King Jesus comes to live with us again. Un-obscured the sun will drive away the shadows at the dawning of that great eternal day and there'll be no sounds of crying in the ghetto for all grief and pain and death shall pass away. When King Jesus comes to live with us again He will show His righteous love to every man. Wars and strife will all be passed there'll be peace on earth at last when King Jesus comes to live with us again.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/24/25 Joel Griffith 6/24/25

Call on the Lord.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:21

The Bible tells us quite plainly that ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ and yet there are people who just don’t seem to call upon Jesus as their Savior. Why do you suppose that some people will believe you when you tell them there are four billion stars in the Heavens but stop and touch the wall when you say that the paint is still wet?

At times it is difficult to share the truth in a world full of falsehoods; tales of deception spun by the prince of lies and spread like warm butter on soft bread by evil trolls in a world with wide-eyed people looking for something better that they can devour more easily. They need Jesus.

The two Lutheran boys staring at a missionary in Cap Haitian know about Jesus, they call upon His name and they will be saved. I heard a song recently called ‘Take the Name of Jesus with you’ that was written by Lydia Baxter in 1874 just four days before died at the age of 65; what a way to leave a legacy. We all need to be reminded daily how precious and powerful the Name of Jesus really is and the promises that come to us when we call upon Him in prayer.

“Take the Name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe, it will joy and comfort give you; take it then, where’er you go. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. Take the Name of Jesus ever, as a shield from every snare; if temptations round you gather, breathe that holy Name in prayer. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. O the precious Name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy, when His loving arms receive us, and His songs our tongues employ! Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. At the Name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet, King of kings in Heav’n we’ll crown Him, when our journey is complete. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n. Precious Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/23/25 Joel Griffith 6/23/25

Too much pride.

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ; the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Philippians 3:7–9

Last week I was sitting outside on the second-floor deck at my Assisted Living facility enjoying a peaceful moment in the sun when a man older than me pushing a walker pulled up next to my wheelchair and sat down in a chair. He asked me what I had done for a living and before a response left my lips, he began a twenty-minute oration of his very illustrious and successful career in the insurance business. He had a lot to be proud about. I looked at my phone, and saw that it was time to go to lunch and excused myself.

The Apostle Paul had a lot to boast about during his life time. His heritage, his schooling, his accomplishments, his zeal, his position and his passion were all part of his being groomed for a seat on the Sanhedrin. He was riding high among his peers until he came face to face with the resurrected, sovereign Lord; Jesus Christ. I read a quote by Dr. Alan Redpath in a devotion recently that said; “When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible man and crushes him.” I can tell you that it true as I sit here in a wheelchair that it is often the plan God uses when dealing with strong-willed, stubborn people.

Drop the pride and put on Christ. Let God's love fill every area that was occupied by pride in your life. May our relationship with Christ now rest on faith, not works. Paul was clearly a changed man. Perhaps we all can make a change in our lives as well this week. Drop the pride.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/21/25 Joel Griffith 6/21/25

Eternal Life.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1Timothy 6:12

Eternal life, what must that be like? I know what tomorrow will be like here in Assisted Living, much like today and when these days are filled with mean spirited people, selfish, spoiled, self-centered, rude and unbelievably demanding; then is seems like an eternity until tomorrow will come. God placed me here for a purpose; I evidently am in need of yet another lesson in patience. I am beginning to understand the wisdom of a very bright person in this world who said “I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.” My saved pay checks are keeping me here.

Back in the day, when I used to travel to Haiti and see Christian children playing in a school yard, like the one in the photo taken in Ouanaminthe, it brings me a smile and peace in this world filled with its worldly ways that don’t have a clue what these small children are going through living in Haiti.

Seeing them endure their daily hardship, and knowing what awaits them in Haiti brings my world into a proper perspective. We will have much to talk about in Heaven. Thank you for helping to make that possible by supporting their Christian education and providing them with a midday meal.

Yes, you will see them one day, count on that. I heard a song recently written by James M. Black in 1893 titled “When the roll is called up yonder” and it reminded me that you, I and these young souls will be there one day, together.

“When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more and the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; when the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder; I’ll be there. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, and the glory of His resurrection share; when His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, and the roll is called up yonder; I’ll be there.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/20/25 Joel Griffith 6/20/25

The missionary.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Back in the day, when I would talk to a small group and tell them that Trinity HOPE is preparing missionaries in Haiti to do God’s work, someone will look at me with a facial expression that seems to say “yea…right.” The photo of one small child on the screen is a missionary to me, but just a small hungry child to them.

Isn’t it amazing that it can take but one small match to start a forest fire but it might take a whole box of the long kitchen matches to start a campfire? It might take a room full of North Americans to sponsor a feeding program in a Lutheran school in Haiti but only take one of those kids to energize a family or neighborhood with the news of their risen Savior; Jesus Christ.

We will never know which life we touch here in North America, or in Haiti, will be the spark that the Holy Spirit will use to bring one more soul into the Kingdom of Heaven. Trinity HOPE is in the business of feeding children and preparing young lives to save lost souls in Haiti. Really quite simple…we are all one in Christ Jesus.

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/19/25 Joel Griffith 6/19/25

Are you thirsty?

“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

We celebrated Pentecost a little over a week ago and the Gospel lesson from a devotion I read was John 7:37-39 and here our Savior invites us to come and drink of the living water. In that devotion, the writer asked the reader if they had ever really been thirsty, physically or spiritually; asked if I had ever had cotton mouth. Cotton mouth; when your body gets so dehydrated the inside of your mouth feels like cotton, there is no moisture lingering on the inside of your mouth or on your lips. That caused me to think about my life in North America and also consider the time that I had lived in Haiti.

While working on a survey crew in the Sandhills of western Nebraska our task was to put in a centerline along Hwy. 2 between Bingham and Ashby in Grant County. On one particular day my duty was to place the range pole in the center of the road, get correct directions from the man with the transit, pull a metal chain tight to measure 100.00 feet and then drive a nail into the pavement with a hatchet to mark the correct alignment; the center of the highway. We preformed this task every 100 feet for mile upon mile in the heat of summer.

If you have ever had cotton mouth, you never forget that feeling; you are thirsty. We carried small water jugs and mine happened to be empty one afternoon. Our survey crew had come to a stopping point and I noticed a windmill spinning and pumping water into a stock tank not too far from the road. I jumped over the fence and walked to the tank with my jug and too my surprise the few steers that were there drinking did not spook when I approached. I knelt down and put my head into the tank that was filled with cool, clear, clean water that had been pumped out of the Ogallala aquifer and my face was immersed into that living water that quenched my thirst and healed my cotton mouth.

When I moved to Haiti in the spring of 2001 it became immediately apparent that I would be drinking water from a filtered plastic bottle as long as I was living there and it would not be the cool or cold water of North America; it would be warm Haitian water. When I got thirsty there was no stock tank along the road where the cure from cotton mouth could be found. When visits were made to the rural areas there was typically no water available. Families drank small amounts of fruit juice and water from the closest stream but for the most part they were conditioned to not drink much of anything.

The individuals lacked water, and the majority of the country of Haiti still lacks the living water that is found only in Jesus Christ. Satan has spread cotton mouth throughout the country through the local vodou priest and has told the lie over and over that Jesus died on the tree and was buried and is no more. The attached photo is of a well at the Lutheran school at Duclos. Here the students receive living water, physically and spiritually. Thank you for inviting the Holy Spirit into your life and supporting the work of Holy Spirit in their lives. The song ‘Holy Spirit, light divine’ was sung on the Lutheran Hour recently. It was written by Orlando Gibbons and first published in 1817. The words are such a wonderful reminder on this Pentecost and really for every day as we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our lives.

“Holy Spirit, light divine, dawn upon this soul of mine; let your word dispel the night, wake my spirit, clear my sight. Holy Spirit, grace divine, cleanse this sinful heart of mine; in your mercy look on me, from sin’s bondage set me free. Holy Spirit, truth divine, shine upon these eyes of mine; send your radiance from above, let me know my Savior’s love. Holy Spirit, power divine, fortify this will of mine; bend it to your own pure will, all my life with graces fill. Holy Spirit, peace divine, still this restless heart of mine; speak to calm the tossing sea, stayed in your tranquility. Holy Spirit, all divine, dwell within this self of mine; I your temple pure would be now and for eternity.”

May God be with you,

Jay