International Prayer Day First Monday each month 10 am

Joel Griffith 6/4/26 Joel Griffith 6/4/26

HE is present.

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

We may seem to have more problems than our neighbor or way more than we think that we deserve. He will deliver us; His promise to you, me and this child in Haiti. He will rescue us, we are saved. The final two verses of “Awake my Soul, and with the Sun” written by Thomas Ken provide a wonderful closing and reminder of His presence in our lives and to whom all praise needs to be directed, not to this world but to Him. It is ironic as the final verse has been used for centuries as the Doxology. Mr. Ken requested that this hymn was as his funeral which was held at sunrise.

“I would not wake nor rise again and Heaven itself I would disdain, wert Thou not there to be enjoyed and I in hymns to be employed. Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

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 6/3/26 Joel Griffith 6/3/26

Where are YOU?

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

How many times throughout the day do you look up into the sky and ask “God, where are you, why do Job and TAP still give me phantom nudges, why won’t you listen to me or how come the neighbors that go to the lake on Sunday instead of Church seem to be living without the troubles that I have?” He hears us, and has a divine plan for our lives; something that we had not either thought about or didn’t want to go down that road.

I want to share a few more verses of “Awake my Soul, and with the Sun” which was written by Thomas Ken as they provide us with more words of instruction to continue to rely upon His wisdom and plans and not our own.

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

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/2/26 Joel Griffith 6/2/26

What pushes your buttons?

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:8-14

My profession placed me in an occupation within this world. Back in the day, the last job I held was the Contracts/Contractor Prequalification Supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Roads. I’m a believer, daily speak with my Lord, read His Holy Word daily, confess my sins and unfortunately was born, as you, into a sinful world to sinful parents, grandparents and am bound by original sin. Keeping my tongue and life from evil is a never-ending exercise in futility as satan continues to push my buttons. Be in the world; not of this world.

I heard the song ‘Awake my soul, and with the sun’ recently on Internet radio, that was written by Thomas Ken and I want to share just a few verses today. “In conversation be sincere; keep conscience as the noontide clear; think how all-seeing God thy ways and all thy secret thoughts surveys. Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart, and with the angels bear thy part; who all night long unwearied sing high praise to the eternal King. All praise to Thee, who safe has kept and hast refreshed me while I slept. Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake I may of endless light partake.”

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 6/1/26 Joel Griffith 6/1/26

Keeping quiet.

“The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:7-9

Pontius Pilate wanted answers but Jesus kept silent. There is a proverb that says “silence is golden” and it surely is golden at times but frequently it is also significant. It was a singular feature of our Lord’s passion that He rarely spoke during the twelve hours preceding His death on the cross of Calvary. He refused to answer and in doing so He fulfilled the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the Messiah as he wrote in the fifty third Chapter that “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.”

Have you ever found it necessary to just keep your mouth shut and give no reply to the nonsense being said about you? His silence was not that of defeat, rather it was the willing silence of our suffering Savior. As the Son of God and the substitute for this sinful world, He had come to secure the world’s redemption. Had He answered the false accusations of His enemies, pleaded innocence and demanded justice, He would have defeated the purpose of His mission. His was an atoning silence and by His silence He took the sins of this world to the cross. In a day of lies and gossip, curses and filthy acts, we need greater faith in our Lord’s atoning silence and firmer determination to use our lives for His glory.

There are times to remain silent and also times to proclaim the reason for our joy in having a Savior. The children in the attached photo attend the Lutheran school at Chinchiron which is located on top of a mountain in the Arcahaie district. Although they appear to be silent in this photo, they have a reason to shout for joy; they know Christ is risen, risen indeed! That truth is always with them. Dwight L. Moody was quoted as saying “the only way to keep a vessel full is to always keep it under the tap” and these children remain in His Word daily. Today Jesus is no longer silent; day and night He pleads our cause as our Mediator before the throne in Heaven. Through Him the burden of our sins and the sorrow of our heart come before the Father and are heard and answered. Today He invites us to “Come unto Me and I will give you rest.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/31/26 Joel Griffith 5/31/26

June Prayer Guide

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

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

‘Adoration’

1 Kings 8:22-24; “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it; as it is today.”

From where I am sitting in my Assisted Living facility here in Bloomington, IL today, looking out my bedroom window to the East; it looks a lot like last month except the trees are showing more shades of green. The learned worldly voices talking about global shifting of this and that really need to hear something that they have either forgot or choose not to follow. Listen to the birds singing and the squirrels chirping. God is in Control. For many of us in the Midwest, this past winter was challenging, gray, windy, cold and brutal. And we have also weathered a few tornado warnings and violent storms. God is still in Control. Today, several weeks after Easter, the color of green is everywhere in the grass, flowers are blooming and leaves are beautifully filling out tree branches. God is in Control. Thank heavens…God is in Control. As we see life sprouting up around us, we are reminded of our Lord’s resurrection from the tomb and our hearts, mouths and senses give praise to our Heavenly Father for all that He has done in this planet since Creation.

A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.

· Please take time to sit quietly and gaze at His creation and feel His presence in your life.

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

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

‘Confession’

Acts 3:19-20; “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you; even Jesus.”

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

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

· A time of personal confession.

Our sins are placed at the base of the Calvary 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’

Another year since last June and the people of Haiti are still experiencing severe challenges from gangs within their country. The Government has once again extended the last day of this school year into July due to disruptions caused by gangs. There have been severe challenges within Port-au-Prince and they have multiplied and spilled into towns throughout Haiti. There is much to give thanks for because so many schools are still in session despite these challenges; children are being brought closer to Jesus and they continue to be fed. Over 65,000 Haitian school children are being fed through a Trinity HOPE feeding program in 301 schools. Much to be thankful for; the lives of the 65,000 children and their parents are prayerfully strong and are sharing the reason for their Hope that is found only in Jesus Christ with others; believers and un-believers, within their family and throughout neighborhoods.

Psalm 30:10-12; “Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.”

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

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

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

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

· We give You thanks for protecting the children, teachers and students in their schools.

· We give thanks for parents and many neighbors who are standing together to confront gang members who come to cause disruptions to schools.

· We give thanks for many new schools now having Trinity HOPE feeding programs.

‘Supplications’

Ephesians 6:18-20; “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

We give thanks for blessings and we reach out for help, wisdom, guidance and deliverance. We need to continue to pray for a peace to descend upon Haiti and that ALL the people living there would turn to the Cross of Christ. We pray that young men would depart their gangs and unscrupulous behavior and turn away from satan. Repent and accept Jesus as Lord of their lives and turn away from vodou, gangs and self-promotion. And when that comes to pass, may a new wave of Christian leaders fill seats in the Haitian government and may they seek our Heavenly Father’s direction and follow it and cease the corruption that has for too long crippled their country that for too long has been labeled ‘third world’. Come Lord Jesus, come. Bring peace and a country wide celebration for a new beginning with a closer fellowship with Jesus Christ. Come Lord Jesus…come.

Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;

· Heavenly Father, please continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE with Your loving hand; may the number of children increase and may we always strive to accomplish Your will in helping to prepare them for Your work.

· Father, please watch over and bless the efforts of fundraising work in our country so that more children can be fed.

· Lord of the Harvest, please bless the efforts of the Haitian farmers as they plant their gardens that provide for their families; nutritionally and financially.

· Heavenly Father, please bind the evil foe that brings challenges in the forms of inflation, vodou and gangs. Protect Your people living in Haiti.

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

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

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

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

In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer

Joel Griffith 5/30/26 Joel Griffith 5/30/26

Bright faces.

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

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

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

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

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/29/26 Joel Griffith 5/29/26

Back at the well.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17

Seeing a well in Haiti, whether in a school yard, in an urban setting or out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains; it is a Spiritual moment. The question arises, are these people or this single person saved? Do they know the Son of God? I share a photo of this same well yesterday with a couple of thirsty children. The young woman at the well in this school yard in Cap Haitian in the attached photo has surely heard of Jesus Christ as the pastors there share their water with the neighborhood and also the news of our risen Savior with those who come for water.

I heard a song recently about the woman at the well in the 4th Chapter of John. This woman at Cap Haitian and the words of this simple song resonate a truth of every well in Haiti that I have ever seen and also holds true for each of us.

“Jesus’ feet were growing weary as he journeyed on His way. So He rested at a well side; a comfort in the heat of day. There He waited for a woman, black with sin and bound for hell. When she arrived, He plainly told her, “what you need is not in the well. He’s still waiting by the well and He’s holding out His hand. If you’ll drink this living water you won’t have to thirst again. He’s been waiting by the well side knowing you’d be passing by so take advantage of the moment; He’s not gone, He’s still waiting by the well. Are you tired of being thirsty even though you’ve had your fill of the water that the world gives? Does it leave you longing still? Well, there’s good news up at the well side. A woman’s voice rings loud and clear, she says this man changed her forever. And if you need hope, you can find it here!”

The children attending this school have heard the good news and are sharing the news of living water with those along their journey back into their neighborhoods still listening to the lies of this world; the lies of the vodou priest. Thank you for preparing them for their journey by supporting their school feeding program.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/28/26 Joel Griffith 5/28/26

Seeking lost souls.

“Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:4-10

Our purpose as Christians is to seek and save the lost; wins souls for Christ. That can be difficult if we are picking and choosing who we are seeking. We can instruct our children to stop living sinful lives and start being more like us; Christians. We can sit in Church meetings and get a list of names of people who have been delinquent and divide up the names and make telephone calls. We can hire staff to seek and save the lost and train volunteers.

Jesus created the model of our work with the Samaritan woman that He met at the well. This woman appeared at a well just outside of the town in which she lived. Jesus knew who she was; how she had been living her life; He even knew she was currently living with a man to whom she was not married. He could have really unloaded on her; after all, He was the Son of God.

Rather than seize the opportunity to use what He believed to condemn this woman for how she was living, Jesus shows us that offering hope to the lost is the better choice. Whenever I see a photo of people around a well in Haiti this story comes to mind. These two girls at the well at Eglise Lutherienne in Cap Haitian probably come from homes where vodou is practiced and a neighborhood with souls that need to be saved. The water in this well in Cap Haitian is free for them and this gift, while not the living water Christ has to offer, is a gift of life for their thirsty lives. They are not drinking out of the ditch; they are drinking on territory that is dedicated to Jesus Christ.

The school is filled with young missionaries that you have helped to prepare as they are blessed with a Trinity HOPE feeding program and daily are given the Word of God that makes its way into the neighborhoods of Cap Haitian. You and I didn’t choose to feed these kids; God did. It wasn’t our plan to reach out to these two children by the well; it was His plan to use the children in the school to do that. He chose you to help, you had a choice. Thank you.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/27/26 Joel Griffith 5/27/26

Being healed.

“A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead, he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet, the people still came to him from everywhere.“ Mark 1:40-45

The healed leper was truly full of joy and could not keep quiet about ‘his’ miracle. How would you have responded to being healed? Had your illness been healed by Jesus and then you had been told not to tell anybody but it would be okay to show yourself without the scars of your illness to your Pastor; what would you have done? I can only imagine that it would have been very difficult to contain my joy.

One dictionary provides the following definitions for the word ‘heal’. 1. To restore to health or soundness; cure. 2. To set right; repair: healed the rift between us. 3. To restore a person to spiritual wholeness. 4. To become whole and sound; return to health.

To me it seems that each of these definitions would cause one’s eyes to brighten and cause a wide smile to stretch across a face; healing brings joy to the one being healed and also to those who may have had a part in the healing. Consider the children in the attached photo, they attend a Christian school that has a Trinity/HOPE feeding program; they are being healed. Their relationship with our Triune God is either being formed or restored and their physical hunger is being restored every day.

I heard a quote on BOTT radio recently when an Evangelist said “We cannot make people love us, but we can let others love us.” As a Trinity HOPE supporter, I have no intentions to ‘make’ these children love me, but rather I smile knowing their spiritual welfare is being strengthened each day as they draw closer to God and farther away from the vodou priest. When I would have a chance to visit them, they could hug me all they want but all the glory belongs to God as He is the reason for their healing and also for my healing. I close today with the words from a song that I heard on the internet written by Lenny Smith called ‘Our God reigns.’

“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of Him who brings good news, good news; announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness: our God reigns, our God reigns! He had no stately form; He had no majesty that we should be drawn to Him. He was despised and we took no account of Him. Our God reigns, our God reigns! It was our sin and guilt that bruised and wounded Him. It was our sin that brought Him down. When we like sheep had gone astray our Shepherd came and on His shoulders bore our shame. Meek as a lamb that’s led out to the slaughterhouse, dumb as a sheep before its shearer, His life ran down upon the ground like pouring rain that we might be born again. Out from the tomb He came with grace and majesty; He is alive, He is alive. God loves us so, see here His hands, His feet, His side; yes we know, He is alive.”

May God be with you,

Jay

Joel Griffith 5/26/26 Joel Griffith 5/26/26

Don't be afraid; just believe.

“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:35

The words of Jesus to the leader of the Synagogue whose daughter was either dead or dying, “don’t be afraid, just believe” should always be with us. The leader’s sense of urgency was not on the same page as Jesus’ plan. All too often our impatience with the timing of this world, the lack of a sense of urgency and the seemingly failure of our plans cause us to doubt and despair.

The road to the church and school at St. Raphael in the Cap Haitian District can be frustrating; much like the road to many of the rural congregations in Haiti. There are no road signs or road maps that we are accustomed to using in North America. The attached photo shows the ‘road’ sign alerting you to the Lutheran Church and school at St. Raphael. There are a bunch of of hungry children attending school here and they enjoy their noon lunch provided by the Trinity HOPE program.

When traveling to congregations in remote, rural areas of Haiti, listening to the driver and interpreter discuss if they should turn left or right at the ‘Y’ in the road brought me a sense of being stranded in the middle of nowhere; very often. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Those words of encouragement always held true, as we always reached our destination. The children attending school at St. Raphael wondered when they would get a feeding program, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” The Holy Spirit moved a team from Trinity HOPE to their location and provided a donor to bring the gift of food to their school.

If you are facing times of high hurdles, raging rivers flooding your future, pain and suffering at every turn, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” The most important thing in your life is your relationship with Jesus Christ, the champion of this world, the conqueror of satan, the carpenter’s son, the Son of God who has prepared a place for you in Heaven. “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

May God be with you,

Jay