Walking on Water

“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.” Luke 2:13-14

Some people fail to find good in anything.  I recently heard a story about two farmers watching it rain and the positive farmer (PT) thanked God for all the moisture and the negative farmer (NF) complained that they would probably get too much rain and ruin the corn.  The sun came out the next day and PF thanked God for the beautiful warm sun that He provided, and NF said he just knew this heat would scorch the corn.  One day PF invited NF to go duck hunting and took his bird dog along. They were in a little boat in a small pond and a group of ducks got up. PF shot one and his dog jumped out of the boat and walked on the water to where the duck was floating, gently picked it up, walked back to the boat, dropped the duck in the boat, and hopped in.  NF said, “I should have known it, your dog can’t even swim!” 

I’ve known and worked with people like that.  I’ve heard people come up to my Trinity HOPE table at conventions and complain that it doesn’t do any good to keep feeding Haitian children in that poor country; it will never make a difference.  I give thanks for Trinity HOPE because I have seen what a difference feeding children attending Christian schools in Haiti does make, in them and in their country.  Our Heavenly Father is at work in their lives and ours as well.  Trinity HOPE is like that dog walking on water, conserving his energy, doing his job in the best way possible and bringing all the Glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am closing today with the words from the Christmas hymn ‘Now sing we, now Rejoice’ that were written by an unknown author in or around 1300.

“Now sing we, now rejoice, now raise to heaven our voice; He from whom joy streameth poor in a manger lies; not so brightly beameth; the sun in yonder skies.  Thou my Savior art!  Thou my Savior art!  Come from on high to me; I cannot rise to Thee; cheer my wearied spirit, O pure and holy Child; through Thy grace and merit, blest Jesus, Lord most mild, Draw me unto Thee!  Draw me unto Thee!  Now through His Son doth shine the Father's grace divine.  Death o'er us had reigned through sin and vanity; He for us obtained eternal joy on high.  May we praise Him there!  May we praise Him there!  Oh, where shall joy be found?  Where but on heavenly ground?  Where the angels singing with all His saints unite, sweetest praises bringing in heavenly joy and light.  Oh, that we were there!  Oh, that we were there!”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Count your blessings.

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Several decades ago, our Christ Lutheran men’s chorus sang a song titled “Count your blessings” and the words were written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1897 and our version was arranged by Rev. Harold T. Stelzer, our director.  The words are as follows; “When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.  Are you ever burdened with a load of care?  Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will keep singing as the days go by.  Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God hath done!”

Ever spend time at the end of the day, sitting down and writing out the blessings you’ve been given during your waking hours?  The two women in the attached photo are the cooks at the Lutheran school called Mammou in Port-au-Prince.  They have it pretty good; they work in an airy kitchen, have a place to sit when they need to get off their feet, casual dress code and believe me, everybody at Mammou loves these two women when it is lunch time.  They work for minimum wages, no health insurance and no paid holiday or sick leave; they are so thankful to have a job.

I love to share photos such as this with the cooks in North America; it really makes you appreciate what you have and think about what life is like in different parts of this world.  Count your blessings!  When we choose to count our blessings, we are telling God and the world that we value them. 

The number one blessing that we have is Jesus Christ.  When we count our blessings, it should begin with Him; however, it cannot stop there.  By counting every single blessing that God has placed in our life, we discover evidence of the Hand of God in more places than we originally could see.

The cooks at Mammou have a job, free lunch; they are blessed.  The children are blessed at Mammou as they have Jesus and food.  You are blessed as God has provided you with an opportunity to share His blessings through you to them.

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

May God be with you,

Jay

What Length Will You Go?

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.  All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:35-40

To what length will you go to be able to make it to church on Sunday morning?  Have you walked there recently?  Would you take a taxi?  Do you carpool?  How important is it for us to make it to a worship service on Sunday to hear about the “Bread of Life”?  This is a taptap with 12 people in the bed and the driver is trying to get a couple more to climb in the back and make the ride into Cap Haitian on a Sunday morning. Is this something you would consider doing every Sunday with your family?  How important is it for us to go to Church, listen to the readings, confess our sins, sing hymns, listen to a message and receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion and then go back home after a two-hour service?  How important is it for children living in Haiti to attend Lutheran schools, be fed and walk home talking about the victory that Jesus claimed over the devil on Easter?  It is very important; for them, for us and for our Heavenly Father.  There are times when there is snow or rain falling that I need to be reminded how important it is to be blessed to be able to go to Church on Sunday.  Parking far away from Church not because I worry about my car doors being scratched but because that will leave a space closer for somebody with more physical challenges than I have to walk a shorter distance to Church.  It is important.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Come unto Me, Ye Weary’ that were written by William C. Dix in 1867.

“Come unto Me, ye weary, and I will give you rest."  O blessed voice of Jesus, which comes to hearts opprest!  It tells of benediction, of pardon, grace, and peace, of joy that hath no ending, of love which cannot cease.  "Come unto Me, ye wanderers; and I will give you light."  O loving voice of Jesus, which comes to cheer the night!  Our hearts were filled with sadness, and we had lost our way; but Thou hast brought us gladness and songs at break of day.  "Come unto Me, ye fainting, and I will give you life."  O cheering voice of Jesus, which comes to aid our strife!  The Foe is stern and eager, the fight is fierce and long; but Thou hast made us mighty and stronger than the strong.  And whosoever cometh, I will not cast him out."  O patient love of Jesus, which drives away our doubt, which, though we be unworthy of love so great and free, invites us very sinners to come, dear Lord, to Thee!”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Forfeit Their Soul

 “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:36-38

I took this photo while on the long 9-hour drive from Les Cayes to Jeremie while coming around a bend on a rough road were these tombs alongside the side of the road.  I had wanted to stop and pay my respects, but Joey never seemed to want to stop by a cemetery.  I didn’t see any crosses in the plot so that would leave me to believe that the last remains of vodou followers must have been placed there.  Haitian graves are above ground and each tomb is filled with family members and that pleases the vodou witch doctors as Pastor Benoit told me that those people would watch for funerals to end and then go and rob the tombs of organs and some body parts of the deceased after dark and use them in their vodou ceremonies as sacrifices to the evil spirits.  I know of some people who are fascinated by vodou, and I am not as I have seen, heard and felt the evil that it produces.  We can only hope that before the people buried here drew their last breath that one of the children from a Lutheran or Christian schools nearby shared the message of Jesus Christ with them and they came to know and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Jesus! and shall it Ever be’ that were written by Joseph Grigg in 1765.

“Jesus! and shall it ever be a mortal man ashamed of Thee?  Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days?  Ashamed of Jesus, sooner far let evening blush to own a star.  He sheds the beams of light divine o'er this benighted soul of mine.  Ashamed of Jesus? Just as soon let midnight be ashamed of noon.  'Tis midnight with my soul till He, hright Morning Star, bids darkness flee.  Ashamed of Jesus, that dear Friend on whom my hopes of heaven depend?  No; when I blush, be this my shame, that I no more revere His name.  Ashamed of Jesus?  Yes, I may when I'v no guilt to wash away, no tear to wipe, no joy to crave, no fears to quell, no soul to save.  Till then nor is the boasting vain; till then I boast a Savior slain.  And oh, may this my portion be, that Christ is not ashamed of me!”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Confirmation—What does it mean to you?

“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:10-11 

Confirmation Day is a special time for every Christian. Young people re-affirm their baptismal vows as their parents, sponsors, and congregation members sit and for many of us probably thought back to our Confirmation Day so many years ago.  These six children from Les Cayes in this photo are not yet confirmed but that doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit is not at work in their young lives.  The bracelets that a Trinity HOPE mission team members give children comes with a message that can be summed up quite simply; “Jesus Lives!”  That message is contrary to the what the vodou priest has been boasting for centuries and these young lives are filled with the Holy Spirit and are sharing that Good News with people still living in bondage to the devil.  The Holy Spirit has been at work in these three and you and I since our baptism and didn’t stop or hit pause when Confirmation Day came and passed by.  Share the message along your journey where ears have not yet heard, where hearts have hardened and where the stubborn of this world resist; Jesus Lives!  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Jesus Lives! The Victory's Won’ that were written by Christian F. Gellert in 1757. 

“Jesus lives! the victory's won!  Death no longer can appall me; Jesus lives!  Death's reign is done!  From the grave Christ will recall me.  Brighter scenes will then commence; this shall be my confidence.  Jesus lives! To Him the throne high o'er heaven and earth is given.  I shall go where He is gone, live and reign with Him in heaven.  God is faithful.  Doubtings, hence!  This shall be my confidence.  Jesus lives!  For me He died, hence will I, to Jesus living, pure in heart and act abide, praise to Him and glory giving.  Freely God doth aid dispense; this shall be my confidence.  Jesus lives! I know full well naught from me His love shall sever; life nor death nor powers of hell part me now from Christ forever.  God will be a sure Defense; this shall be my confidence.  Jesus lives! and now is death but the gate of life immortal; this shall calm my trembling breath when I pass its gloomy portal.  Faith shall cry, as fails each sense, Jesus is my confidence!” 

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Follow ME.

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”  John 21:15-20

It has been a few months since I last sent a message.  It’s been a rough two months along my journey.  My journey is pale when held alongside our Savior’s journey.  After reading the above verses, there are a few simple truths from our Savior; ‘seek and save the lost, feed my sheep and follow me!’  When you travel to Haiti with a Trinity HOPE mission team you will see living evidence of these instructions from our Savior.  You will see the vodou flags in the neighborhoods and know that the presence of satan is within your reach.  You can see it, smell it and hear it in their neighborhoods; it has been there since 1804 when Haiti became a country and continues to try to lure His children into the snares set with lies and fear.

If you ever get an opportunity to visit one of the 301 Christian schools throughout Haiti with a Trinity HOPE feeding program you will sense the need to ‘feed my sheep’ as you see the children who are not eating daily bread and hear their responses to the questions; “did you have anything to eat last night before bed or this morning before school?”  There is no fridge in their home with meat, cheese and crackers or cupboards with pop tarts and cookies.  Their families live from day to day not knowing if there will be food on the table.

When you witness their class learning about the Apostles Creed, or listen to their meal prayers you will better understand the pressing command to ‘follow me!’  These are the children who will be the next generation of missionaries in Haiti, taking the love of their Savior out into the streets and pathways, sharing the message of salvation with the lost.

A few months ago on March 9, infection in my right leg made it necessary for another amputation.  My right stump goes by Job and my left has been named TAP.  That is an acronym for The Apostle Paul.  Two men who walked closely with God while enduring many challenges.  Like the Haitian school children, Job and Paul; we have all faced at least one difficult challenge along our journey.  And, we weren’t alone; whether or not we realized it at the time.  Whatever the challenge, get up and follow HIM.  HE is always with us.  Yes Lord, I love You.  Please join me in feeding His sheep. 

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

A Place Prepared for Me

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4

There was a post on Facebook recently sharing news that a Christian group from the U.S. was sending a shipping container of pre-packaged and prepared ‘meals’ in bags ready to boil and a few pallets of jars of peanut butter to Haiti.  Members of this have told me that they are doing God’s work and I take a deep breath and consider, who am I to judge how the Holy Spirit has moved them. We all serve the Triune God and have a room waiting in our Creator’s House.  Haitian children at schools Trinity HOPE feeds are enjoying rice and beans purchased in Haiti and prepared in Haiti by a Haitian cook. It is delicious, and this I know, because there are never any leftovers. The waste basket is usually empty.  Haitian peanut butter is called ‘Mamba’, and I have purchased it and brought it home because it is superior to the stuff that we have on our shelves.  Sending food to Haiti has been happening for many generations and it continues to do incredible harm to the local vendors.  Trinity HOPE has been purchasing food from local vendors for 27 years and will continue to help and not harm the Haitian economy.  Today, I close with the last verse from the ‘Blessing’ song by Laura Story.

“When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win, we know that pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home; it's not our home.  'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?  What if Your healing comes through tears and what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?  What if my greatest disappointments or the achings of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy and what if trials of this life; the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise?”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Ripe for Harvest

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:34-35

As you look at these two little children from Ouanaminthe sitting at their school desk and enjoying their meal for the day, think about that last verse in the above passage from John 4; the fields are ripe for harvest.  If you have ever shared the story of the Little Red Hen with your children or grandchildren there are similarities.  Yes, our Triune God really does all the work, and we enjoy all the blessings but there is an opportunity for us to joyfully take part in this harvesting process with these children.  We have the calling to help feed over 67,000 children in Haiti who are going out into the harvest fields of Haiti and bring the Salvation message to the masses who have not yet heard or believed.  Please prayerfully consider helping to prepare these young Haitian missionaries to go out and accomplish His will.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Saints of God, the dawn is brightening’ that were written by Mary Maxwell in 1849.

“Saints of God, the dawn is bright'ning, token of our coming Lord; o'er the earth the field is whit'ning; louder rings the Master's word: pray for reapers, pray for reapers, in the harvest of the Lord!  Now, O Lord, fulfil Thy pleasure, breathe upon Thy chosen band, and with Pentecostal measure send forth reapers o'er our land, faithful reapers, faithful reapers, gath'ring sheaves for Thy right hand.  Soon shall end the time of weeping, soon the reaping time will come, Heav'n and earth together keeping God's eternal Harvest home.  Saints and angels, saints and angels, shout the world's great Harvest home.”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Pray for a Peaceful Night

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3

This group of young Christian children attend a Lutheran school in Bainet called Freres Unis de Marre and there are 41 students there who eat lunch every day with these believers.  This is Saturday and tonight in Gonaives there will be vodou drums pounding out a rhythm that is pleasing to the evil spirits.  The ears of these saints may also hear the sounds of an animal being sacrificed alive while its screams of terror and suffering cut through the darkness of the night and that may be followed up by the shrieks from hell as evil spirits are awakened by the vodou priest.  While living in Haiti this didn’t happen every night, but it generally did happen on Saturday. Depending on what part of Haiti that I happened to be visiting the likelihood of that happening would be more certain.  The chance that these young believers from Bainet will hear the sound of vodou tonight is fairly high.  Please keep all the believers in Haiti in your prayers tonight and always as they take the Light of this world into their country that is filled with hopeless souls living in darkness and following the lies of the vodou followers.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘For all the Saints who from their labors rest’ that were written by William W. How in 1864.

“For all the saints who from their labors rest, who Thee by faith before the world confess, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest, Alleluia! Alleluia!  Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, fight as the saints who nobly fought of old and win with them the victor's crown of gold.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  O blest communion, fellowship divine, we feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day; the saints triumphant rise in bright array; the King of Glory passes on His way.  Alleluia! Alleluia!  From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia! Alleluia!  The golden evening brightens in the west; soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.  Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.  Alleluia! Alleluia!”

Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.

Holy Spirit Providing Power

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,  I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.  For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.  They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude 3-4

The man in this photo is a witch doctor from Croix des Bouquets which is a suburb in the eastern part of Port-au-Prince.  When I first visited Haiti in 1999 Pastor Isidor told our mission team to be careful if we took photos of vodou priests as they didn’t like it as they believe the photo would weaken their power by having their image lifted.  I can attest that they don’t like their photo taken as there were numerous occasions when vodou priests and priestesses chased me with a broom or machete back to my truck when they saw what I was doing.  Joey, the man who was hired to be my driver and interpreter said that he was a friend of this witch doctor and got permission to take photos of him and the inside of the vodou temple behind him.  To this day, I still pray about that ‘friendship’.  If you were to see his man walking on the street in Haiti you probably wouldn’t imagine that he was a vodou witch doctor; no strange clothing, body piercing or that evil stare.  Six of every ten people in Haiti openly practice vodou and call upon evil spirits to do their bidding.  Our children attending Lutheran schools in Haiti are in the minority but they have the Holy Spirit providing power that is necessary to confront the evil spirits.  They are God’s Holy people bringing the message of Salvation to the lost within their families and in the streets of Haiti.  I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Rise, ye children of Salvation’ that were written by Justus Falckner at the age of 25 in 1697.

“Rise, ye children of salvation, all who cleave to Christ, the Head.  Wake, arise, O mighty nation, ere the Foe on Zion tread.  He draws nigh and would defy all the hosts of God Most High.  Saints and heroes long before us firmly on this ground have stood; see their banner waving o'er us, conquerors through the Savior's blood.  Ground we hold whereon of old fought the faithful and the bold.  Fighting, we shall be victorious by the blood of Christ, our Lord; on our foreheads, bright and glorious, shines the witness of His Word; spear and shield on battlefield, His great name we cannot yield.  When His servants stand before Him, each receiving his reward; when His saints in light adore Him, giving glory to the Lord, "Victory!" our songs shall be like the thunder of the sea.”

Dear 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.