Prayer guide for December.

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

Psalm 19:14; “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

 ‘Adoration’

Luke 2:8-20 KJV; “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

Reading these verses from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the King James Version brings back so many “back in the day” memories when everything in this fallen world seemed to be more peace filled and calm.  Back in my childhood days, in the early 50’s, the quiet drive to our farm from the Christmas Eve service at Seward High School gymnasium with my family, listening to the tires squeak in the fresh snow-covered dirt road on a cold Nebraska night; there was a simple Hope in our lives.  We didn’t have the worries of today, and wouldn’t have believed that this fallen world could have taken such a horrible direction away from the Christ child.  Today. please try to imagine in the still and quiet darkness of our fragile, troubled and torn world; just how much joy that host of angels had as they proclaimed loudly “Glory to God in the highest and on earth…peace and good will toward men” would bring to our ears today.  This month, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came down to earth, from Heaven, and was born in a humble shelter to a young virgin Mary and after walking in this world for a few decades, He gave up His life for us.  GRACE lived among us.  The Son of God and son of Man came to save us.   

Romans 15:12-13; “Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE."  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

  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 single day and how much He has impacted your life.

·        Consider that the Son of God came down from Heaven to dwell among us.  Leaving His place in Heaven to be born in a stable in the wilderness to humble parents surrounded by farm animals, shepherds and stillness.

·        Give thanks for where God has placed you and the gifts that you were given to use for Him along your journey.

 ‘Confession’

Luke 11:28:30 “He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation.  It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.  For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.”

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 loved 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.

Psalm 32:1-7; “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my sin.  Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

·        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’

Please join me for a moment, to just stop everything that you are doing and consider that word ‘thanksgiving’.  Today, as this fallen world of ours spins in what seems to be a reckless whirl away from our Heavenly Father; where do we begin to give Him thanks this Christmas?  We have a choice to give thanks for the way our sin filled world and pride filled culture give thanks for ‘stuff’ we don’t need OR give thanks for the way our Heavenly Father gave us the gift of Everlasting LIFE through His Son Jesus.  We have a choice; which is a higher priority.  So great are the blessings that our Heavenly Father has poured into our lives and continues to daily shower upon us.

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.”

Winter, while sitting here at my desk in Central Illinois, is not a problem today because I am sitting here in a warm, safe and comfortable room in this Assisted Living Facility with clean water in the room, electricity and WIFI plugged into my PC and in the kitchen, food is brought into our dining room, someone to help me in and out of the shower from my wheelchair and Alexa is playing Southern Gospel Christmas music.  I cannot begin to count the number of friends and families living in Haiti who have none of these blessings that I have every day.  Too often, this month in our country, is filled with lists of what we want or think that we really need when in fact we should really be giving thanks for what we have and what was given to us without us asking.  At the top of our list should be giving thanks for God giving us His Son Jesus who came down from Heaven to become a baby boy, born is a stable in the stillness of the night; a gift to humble parents.  This Christ child came to rescue us from our sinfulness and prepare for us a place in Heaven.  He came down for all man-kind.    

Isaiah 9:6-7; “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” 

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.

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

·        We give You thanks for the Haitian 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 Christmas to lives who have never known the reason for our Hope.

·        We give You thanks for the work that is being accomplished by the Haitian parents, teachers, school principals and Feeding Program Directors during turbulent times in their country today.

·        Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for the progress that has been made this year to defeat the violent gangs that are beginning to lose their grip over areas of Haiti.

 ‘Supplications’

Today, during the last month of this year, there can’t be any people living in Haiti who have NOT been affected by the political turmoil and violent gangs that have spread throughout their country.  There were many Haitian families living in the Southern Claw that were impacted by Tropical Storm Melissa and challenges from cholera following the storm.  Few of us living in the U.S. have ever experienced the many challenges that our brothers and sisters living in Haiti are facing now.  How can we help?  It is time we need to get down on our knees with our brothers and sisters in Haiti and through prayers, turn all of these challenges over to our Triune God.  We implore Him to intercede for His faithful remnant and sweep out the violent gangs and bring peace where there is none and establish a wise and honest government led by God-fearing leaders to dedicate Haiti to Jesus Christ and begin a new year filled with a Hope that Haiti has never experienced. 

Acts 20:35; “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

·        Heavenly Father, continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE with Your strong hand; may we always strive to accomplish Your will.

·        Bless the Trinity HOPE workers here in the U.S. and in Haiti.  Give them courage as they face challenges from the evil foe.  Provide them with courage, endurance and love.

·        Lord, please bring a miracle of HOPE to the country of Haiti.  Turn the evil deeds from violent gangs into solutions that bring Glory to You.  May everyone in Haiti see and experience Your hand at work and acknowledge Your sovereignty in this fallen world.

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 today and always dear sister and brother in Christ,

In His love, have a Blessed Christmas.

Jay Brinkmeyer

Enduring challenges.

“…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17

This passage from Isaiah may cause some to imagine that by claiming to be a child of God will make you invincible; no weapon or angry tongue will harm you.  I have not found this to be true yet in my life as I have been on the losing end of a few beatings and have received the lie filled lashings of several tongues and the early morning doorbell ringer.  After the evil in this world has beaten you down and you have picked yourself up from the dirty floor don’t ask God “why did this happen?” but rather look for the blessing that will come from this event; a lesson or quality of yours that will be improved because you did endure the suffering from this world.

The weapons and lies will not prevail; the blessings that come from our Heavenly Father will be victorious.  This month and next month are typically months when the vodou priests in Haiti are very active seeking out young lives to overpower, conquer and use as sacrifices in their vodou ceremonies.  People in our sinful world will ask “why do we waste our money feeding children in Haiti?” and I ask you to look into the eyes of these two girls from Pont Quenepe who learn more every day about their risen Savior.  Their young lives are in danger from the evil foe that resides in the vodou temple.

There was a news article several years ago that told of police in Port-au-Prince discovering several severed heads of children in a vodou temple and a bag with school uniforms in another room nearby.  The weapons and evil of this world may cease their earthly lives, but more importantly their Heavenly Father has called them home to be with their risen Savior Jesus Christ.  How important is the relationship that we have with our Heavenly Father when times of trial come along our journey?  Are you ready for the day when the call to come home will arrive un-announced to your door? 

Thank you for helping to prepare the children in Haiti to learn about our risen Savior and continue to share the message with ears that have not yet heard.  The hymn ‘Softly and Tenderly’ was written by Will Thompson in 1880 and it’s words close the devotion with a reminder we are being called and as we heed His call we also strive to help others to also hear His call.

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; patiently Jesus is waiting and watching, watching for you and for me!  Come home! come home!  Ye who are weary, come home!  Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home!  Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me?  Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, mercies for you and for me?  Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me; shadows are gathering, death-beds are coming, coming for you and for me!  Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised; promised for you and for me!  Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for 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

Level ground.

“My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.” Psalm 26:12

Level ground is certainly something to be thankful for in this season of Thanksgiving; especially now since I’m living in a wheel chair and spent the previous six days on my back in a hospital bed; muscle atrophy.  Well, I wasn’t thankful yesterday when a female resident I call MJ needed my HELP with her phone as I was being wheeled to dinner.  Then, after dinner, MJ needed more one-way conversation and rang every resident’s doorbell 3 different times before 8:30 PM.  And again at 1:24 this morning.  This Black Friday I am going to get a go-fund-me account and install a Ring Doorbell so I can charge MJ for every time she disrupts me.  Back to my original train of thought; level ground.  When a surveyor is staking out a highway alignment, their hundred-foot steel ‘chain’ must be plumb and not follow the lay of the land or the measurement will be inaccurate.  When a parent is sharing a lesson of life, they admonish their children to stay on the straight and narrow path and not venture off onto paths that are steep and dangerous.  When we grow old and our feet, ankles and knees begin to show the great number accumulated steps taken along our life’s journey they cry out when we leave the level ground and have to walk down a simple hill.  Our lives are filled with many hills and valleys and when we reach the level ground it is time to give thanks to God for bringing us to this place; a time to be thankful when we leave behind the darkness of this world.

The child in the attached photo lives in Cap Haitian and attends the Lutheran school there; she has seen her share of hills and valleys in her young life; today she is on level ground.  She is very thankful that you have been an answer to her daily prayer as your blessings have provided a meal for her at school.  She gives thanks to our Triune God for you while living in a land without much hope.  Today I have chosen Hymn No. 568 from my 1964 Lutheran Confirmation Hymnal.  The hymn ‘We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator’ and was found in 1624 without the name of the author; what a great way to serve our Heavenly Father; blessing others with your work and not needing to receive any credit.  Kind of like feeding children in Haiti; share your blessings with them is what is really important, doesn’t matter if they know you but more importantly, they know Him.

“We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring; we lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee, we bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing.  We worship Thee, God of our fathers, we bless Thee; through life's storm and tempest our Guide hast Thou been; when perils o'ertake us, escape Thou wilt make us, and with Thy help, O Lord, our battles we win.  With voices united our praises we offer, to Thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.  Thy strong arm will guide us, Our God is beside us, to Thee, our great Redeemer, fore'er be praise.”

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

Thanksgiving.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Deidre brought me home yesterday after spending six days in the hospital in Urbana solving some circulation challenges in my left leg.  Thank you Jesus!  Today is Thanksgiving and also my oldest daughter’s birthday; Happy Birthday Deidre.  My first Thanksgiving here at the Assisted Living facility and first time in many decades where I haven’I prepared food.  It’s going to be tough today.  When I was a young child in Nebraska, the focus of Thanksgiving was pilgrims, Indians, turkey and giving thanks for our blessings.  That was over seven decades ago and now the focus of thanksgiving seems to be fading as our culture is preparing us for Christmas with catalogues and commercials on the radio and television proclaiming that sales are starting NOW in the first week of November; before Thanksgiving.

Back in the day, when I lived in Haiti this North American holiday was not celebrated there.  The office staff knew this and asked if I would prepare a thanksgiving meal for them with mashed potatoes and gravy; something that they had never experienced.  We fried a Haitian chicken and I made mashed potatoes and homemade gravy like my mother and grandmother used to make with the lumps of the goody left in the frying pan; recalling thanksgiving in Nebraska while living in Haiti brought me memories of the reasons for which I was thankful.

Our Heavenly Father has ordained many traditions and specific rituals to teach His people proper responses to His love and mercy.  Our Lord Jesus fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, and because of His ultimate sacrifice, we no longer must practice the laws that were in place to teach us of our shortcomings.  But, Christ clearly promoted special times of giving thanks, and the teachings of Paul include turning our attitudes constantly towards gratitude.  The girls in the attached photo attend the Lutheran School in Ouanaminthe and they are giving thanks for their loving Savior, their school, their teachers, their meal and for you.

Our Heavenly Father is not the God of hustle and bustle and stressful preparations that we North Americans have come to know.  He taught that we should quiet down and sit before Him. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."  Perhaps the best way for us to experience this thanksgiving season is to make a special time for Thanksgiving prayers and heartfelt meditation.  We close today with the words from the hymn ‘Christ, by Heavenly Hosts Adored’ which was written by Henry Harbaugh in 1860.

“Christ, by heavenly host adored, gracious, mighty, sovereign Lord God of nations, King of kings, Head of all created things, by the Church with Joy confest, God o'er all forever blest, pleading at Thy throne we stand, save Thy people, bless our land.  On our fields of grass and grain send, 0 Lord, the kindly rain; o'er our wide and goodly land crown the labors of each hand.  Let Thy kind protection be o'er our commerce on the sea. open, Lord, Thy bounteous hand; bless Thy people, bless our land.  Let our rulers ever be men that love and honor Thee; let the powers by Thee ordained be in righteousness maintained.  In the people's hearts increase love of piety and peace.  Thus united, we shall stand one wide, free, and happy land.”

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

Why do they turn away?

“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.” Zechariah 7:11

Why do some people doubt that the Holy Bible is God’s Word?  Why do some people refuse to listen to the Gospel message?  Does this passage from the book of Zechariah sound familiar?  Back in the day while living in Haiti, there were vodou priests living in my neighborhood in Petionville Haiti who not only refused to pay attention to God’s Word, but took another step to further distance themselves from the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and sought out satan for assistance as they sacrificed animals in their temples.

I know for a fact that these children from Merrotte who are standing next to the plantain grove hear the vodou drums pounding on Saturday nights in their neighborhood as the priests call upon evil spirits to do their business in attempting to keep the Christians from attending Christ the King Lutheran Church on Sunday morning; as I’ve slept in that Church on a few Saturday nights and listened to their cadence into the wee hours of the morning.

I am sure that we all have known people who have refused to pay attention and closed their ears so that they could not hear the Truth.  Paul says that men also close their minds to God’s general revelation in nature, as well as His special revelation in His Word.  Sinful man turns away from God and willingly chooses to believe in the lies of satan; the grand deceiver.  Thank you for helping to prepare over 62,000 young missionaries in Haiti to bring the message of Salvation to the closed ears and minds in Haiti.  I’ve chosen the words from the hymn ‘"Open now Thy gates of beauty’ which was written by Benjamin Schmolck in 1723 to close today’s devotion.

“Open now Thy gates of beauty, Zion, let me enter there, where my soul in joyful duty waits for Him who answers prayer.  Oh, how blessed is this place, filled with solace, light, and grace!  Lord, my God, I come before Thee, come Thou also unto me; where we find Thee and adore Thee, there a heaven on earth must be.  To my heart, oh, enter Thou, let it be Thy temple now!  Here Thy praise is gladly chanted, here Thy seed is duly sown; let my soul, where it is planted, bring forth precious sheaves alone, so that all I hear may be fruitful unto life in me.  Thou my faith increase and quicken, let me keep Thy gift divine, howsoe'er temptations thicken; may Thy Word still o'er me shine as my guiding star through life, as my comfort in my strife.  Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee, let Thy will be done indeed; may I undisturbed draw near Thee while Thou dost Thy people feed.  Here of life the fountain flows, here is balm for all our woes.”

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

God is always there.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

The Apostle Paul could have added that in our lifetime, there will be some problems; people with rough edges, painful situations but we can be certain that God will be with us, work with us as we move through our journey of serving Him.

Our Heavenly Father knows satan, his every move; how he reacts under pressure; what's important to him; God knows everything about him.  The vodou priest that lives near these young girls who attend the Lutheran school in Les Cayes knows that their Holy Spirit is much more powerful than the legion of evil spirits that through satan, he can call down upon their lives; but he will not stop trying to fill their lives with fear and lies to persuade them to turn away from Christ.

Our Heavenly Father is never the initiator of evil; trials, troubles and fearful situations.  He sometimes allows these troublesome events to happen, as only He can bring good from them.  These girls in Les Cayes and you and I will surely face problems in our lives but we can always be comforted that our Triune God is always with us, protecting, delivering and loving us each moment along our journey.  Today we close with the words to the hymn ‘I Leave all things to God's Direction’ which was written by Salomo Franck in 1685.

“I leave all things to God's direction, He loveth me in weal and woe; His will is good, true His affection.  With tender love His heart doth glow.  My Fortress and my Rock is He: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.  My God hath all things in His keeping, He is the ever faithful Friend; He grants me laughter after weeping, and all His ways in blessings end.  His love endures eternally: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.  The will of God shall be my pleasure while here on earth is mine abode; my will is wrong beyond all measure, it doth not will what pleaseth God.  The Christian's motto e'er must be: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.  God knows what must be done to save me, His love for me will never cease; upon His hands He did engrave me with purest gold of loving grace.  His will supreme must ever be!  What pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.  My God desires the soul's salvation, me also He desires to save; therefore with Christian resignation all earthly troubles I will brave. His will be done eternally: what pleaseth God, that pleaseth 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

Good qualities.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy; think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Of all of the words that were attributed to the Apostle Paul, this verse has always been one of my favorites.  These words describe the qualities of a life that we all should strive to model.  These words are an excellent way to start my morning prayer.  Prayer is one of the unlimited resources that each of us has; the world will not send us a monthly bill for this service.

When this fallen world attempts to strangle us with its wrong directions and lessons, prayer never changes and is always the correct direction to proceed when we turn our focus to the Cross.  In our daily prayers we set aside the troubles, trials, agendas and pains of this world and let God’s wisdom and directions become our priorities as we receive His abundant blessings through a myriad of means in our lives.

As the children in the attached photo who attend school at Mammou in Port-au-Prince give thanks for their meal, we too give thanks in our daily prayers for His continual providence in our lives and for the Heavenly Home that is promised to each of us through our Savior Jesus Christ.  The hymn ‘I'm but a Stranger here’ which was written by T.R. Taylor in 1836 closes the devotion for today.

“I'm but a stranger here, Heav'n is my home; earth is a desert dread, Heav'n is my home.  Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand; Heav'n is my fatherland, Heav'n is my home.  What though the tempest rage, Heav'n is my home; short is my pilgrimage, Heav'n is my home; and time's wild wintry blast soon shall be overpast; I shall reach home at last, Heav'n is my home.  There at my Savior's side, Heav'n is my home; I shall be glorified, Heav'n is my home; there are the good and blest, those I love most and best; and there I, too, shall rest, Heav'n is my home.  Therefore I murmur not, Heav'n is my home; whate'er my earthly lot, Heav'n is my home; and I shall surely stand there at my Lord's right hand.  Heav'n is my fatherland, Heav'n is my home.”

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

Ten days ago.

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

To those of you who I have asked to consider writing devotions from time and told me “but I haven’t spent time in Haiti like you…” this message is for you.  I started the morning of April 10th with leg cramps in my right calf and woke up April 11th in a hospital in Urbana, IL an amputee five inches above my right knee; not my plans for the future.  But, here I am…and I am getting older.  Ten days ago I flipped over another year on this side of Paradise, here at the Assisted Living facility in cell number 16.  Many of the people here told me they recalled when they were 75 and many more didn’t recall how old they were or what day their birthday was. 

I have much to be thankful for, both spiritually and emotionally, I feel as motivated and energetic as ever…on some days.  Its too bad my fingers don’t feel that way too.  I’ve seen wrinkles and spider veins, when hair starts changing color or getting thicker in places it never was or just disappearing altogether, and when muscles get soft and skin begins to sag; I suppose that a dread grips us all.  Getting older isn’t for the faint of heart.  I am more aware now that with each new day, I am a day closer to seeing my Savior Jesus in Paradise.  Please don’t ever ignore the fact of getting closer to the day you will see Jesus, face to face as He takes your hand.  That is Hope.  There are still many people along our journey in these last days who don’t have that Hope.  Share it with them when you have the opportunity. 

I have a few other things to share with you on this Monday that have come to my attention from a few other like-minded people.  1. I was in a shoe store that sells only shoes, nothing else.  A young girl with a tattoo and green hair walked over to me and asked, "What brings you in today?”  I looked at her and said, "I'm interested in buying a refrigerator."  She didn't quite know how to respond, had that deer-in-the-headlights look.  2. I was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it.  3. When people see a cat's litter box they always say, "Oh, have you got a cat?" I just say, "No, it's for company!"  4. The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.  5. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to go on Amazon and buy a replacement.  6. Have you ever noticed: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.  7. The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he knows when he's really in trouble.  8. Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.  9. Some people try to turn back their "odometers."  Not me.  I want people to know why I look this way. I've traveled a long way and on a lot of the roads were not paved and in the wrong direction.  10. You know you are getting old when everything either dries up, sags or leaks.

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

Your calling?

Your calling?

“What, after all, is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Only servants, through whom you came to believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task.” 1 Corinthians 3:5

There are some in our fallen world that insist that a person who is committed to Christ will become a Pastor and do their life’s work in a Church or in a Christian organization and somehow their work is more holy than work that is accomplished in the business sector, or in a public school or in a home.  Christ came to give each of His children a different ‘calling’ in their everyday lives.  We are called to bring Christ into the darkness of this world in our places of business, in our schools, in our neighborhoods and in our homes.

Each of the children in the attached photo who attend Bon Berger Lutherienne in Caredeux, have different talents and are being touched and prepared by our Heavenly Father to do His work and bring news of His Son to the lost who will come into their lives.  Some of these children may become Pastors, some teachers, some mechanics, some gardeners and some office workers; they and you and I are all doing what He has brought us here to do for Him. 

There are young children, retired adults, pastors, teachers, doctors, plumbers, architects, office workers and families supporting Trinity HOPE feeding programs; supporting at different levels, but continually supporting to complete His work in these children in Haiti.  Hymn No. 496 from the Lutheran Hymnal ‘"Hark! The Voice of Jesus Crying" which was written by Daniel March will close this devotion.

“Hark the voice of Jesus crying, “Who will go and work today?  Fields are white and harvests waiting, who will bear the sheave away?"  Loud and long the Master calleth, rich reward He offers thee; who will answer, gladly saying, "Here am I, send me, send me"?  If you cannot speak like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus, you can say He died for all.  If you cannot rouse the wicked with the Judgement's dread alarms, you can lead the little children to the Savior's waiting arms.  If you cannot be a watchman, standing high on Zion's wall, pointing out the path to heaven, offering life and peace to all, with your prayers and with your bounties you can do what God demands; you can be like faithful Aaron, holding up the prophet's hands.  Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do," while the souls of men are dying and the Master calls for you.  Take the task He gives you gladly, let His work your pleasure be; answer quickly when He calleth, "Here am I, send me, send 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

How do you define success?

“If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” Ecclesiastes 10:10

The dictionary has the following definitions for the word ‘success’; “achievement of intention: the achievement of something planned or attempted.  Attainment of fame, wealth, or power.  Something that turns out well: something that turns out as planned or intended.”  The Haitian word for ‘success’ is siksè.  How do you define success?  If you turn on the television early in the morning you are bound to find infomercials promoting products that will give you success.  Go to the dentist office and open a magazine that has an article on how to find success.  What brings success?

Wisdom brings about success; good wisdom comes from God.  The plates filled with food at the school in Bois Marchand did not come about by accident.  Volunteers with Trinity HOPE sought out wisdom from our   Heavenly Father so that the feeding of children attending Christian schools in Haiti might be successful.  We are still seeking His guidance seeking ways to raise the bar of excellence and lower the prices of the meals.

There are other feeding programs in Haiti that have not succeeded and I can only imagine that they were plans by men and not of God.  When plans are from the pride of men and not from our Heavenly Father, they will in time fail.  Chuck Swindoll recently wrote that “Wisdom may not give us great popularity and wealth and it may not mean that we will be the most respected in our field or that we will have the most significant voice in the company, but ultimately, as God gauges it, we will be successful.”  Start your plans by seeking His wisdom and give thanks while you enjoy your successful endeavor.  I close today with the words from the song ‘Taste and see’ that was written by Lowell Alexander.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; you've tried everything that you thought you could; taste and see that His love is real.  Open up right now and let your heart be filled with peace overflowing, joy everlasting.  Love so amazing taste life so exciting, hope so inviting.  All who are crying to be free; taste and see, taste and see, taste and see.  Taste and see that His Word is true.  You've been hurt before but He won't lie to you.  Taste and see never thirst again; every broken heart Jesus Christ will mend.  You'll never know ‘til you try, you'll never live ‘till you die to yourself and find for yourself that He's good.  You'll never see with your eyes until your heart realizes that He is all that you need; taste and See.”

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