Long Ago Far Away

Traditionally, Memorial Day is a day of remembering service men and women who have sacrificed their lives while defending our country. It's good to have a day for that, but honestly, that should be EVERY day.

Today however, I am thinking about another group of "soldiers." They too have sacrificed their lives for something they believed in. Jesus. They're called martyrs.

Blessed are those soldiers, who not only sacrifice their lives for this country, but also willingly suffer death for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. Probably the best-known martyr for the Bible was Stephen.

"When they (the Pharisees) heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:54-60

Each of us makes our own decision about how far we are willing to go for Jesus. Some fold when they are persecuted by society. Others leave the faith when they are hurt by their own churches. But then there are those who suffer many things for Christ and refuse to yield to Satan and his minions, no matter what. We need to be one of those.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:35-39

Remember . . .

Remember - Harry Nilsson

Aaron's Staff

I recently had a conversation with someone about The Ten Commandments movie (clip below). It involved the staff that Moses threw down in front of Pharaoh. In the movie, Moses says, "Aaron, cast down my staff." and hands his staff to his brother Aaron, who threw it down. What does the Bible say happened?

"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”

¹⁰So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake." - Exodus 7:8-10

It was Aaron's staff that turned into a snake, not the staff of Moses.

Later on, when God instructed Moses and Aaron to turn the water into blood in front of Pharaoh, God told Moses, "Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt." - Exodus 7:19

Once again, it was Aaron's staff.

What about the plague of frogs? That came next.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’”

⁶So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land." - Exodus 8:5-6

Now, there was no staff involved at all! It was just Aaron! And he keeps going! Exodus 8:16 and the plague of gnats - Aaron and his staff. But things changed at this point. Now, in Exodus 8:21, God alone performs His wonders with a plague of flies.

‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ²¹If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

²²“‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. ²³ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” - Exodus 8:20-23

Finally, in Exodus 9, Moses' staff gets involved.

"When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground." - Exodis 9:23

My point is this: we should not be getting our theology from Hollywood.

Did you ever see Aaron with HIS staff in the movie clip? No. Yet God had Aaron to use it extensively in the Bible. It was Aaron's staff that budded in Numbers 17, not the staff of Moses. But whether it was Aaron or Moses that Pharaoh encountered, it was ALL the power of God at work.

Finally, in my opinion, any movie about biblical times and people should be watched with a Bible in your lap and a steaming cup of discernment in your hand.

Let My People Go - Ten Commandments movie

Still They Ride

I was reminded of a Journey song this week. It's one of those "power ballads." I love that kind of song. Powerful, yet very moving.

In the song, there is a line that reads, "day rules the night."

Still they ride

The strong will survive

Day rules the night

I'm reading the Book of Genesis right now. Is it any surprise that God uses all things for His glory?

"And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars." - Genesis 1:16

I KNEW I'd heard that somewhere. That got me thinking. As the Journey song says, "day rules the night." That brought to mind another verse.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:5

The light that John wrote about is Jesus. He shines brighter than anything.

When we have those moments of sorrow in our lives - those times of darkness - we tend to wallow in them, feeling sorry for ourselves. Why do we do that?! Turn on The Light!!

Read the Bible. Pray. Talk with a brother- or sister-in-Christ. When we walk into a dark room, don't we turn on the light? Well?

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me." - Revelation 3:20

Open wide the door! Let Him in!

"Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." - Psalm 25:9

[My biker friends have been prayed for this morning: David, Matt, Sam, Mary, Tim, Alex, and anyone else who rides. And also for my Journey buddy Elijah.]

Still They Ride - Journey

Purpose For Pain

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - John 3:8

That was Jesus talking to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit. This is from my study Bible.

"Jesus' point was that just as the wind cannot be controlled or understood by human beings but its effects can be witnessed, so also it is with the Holy Spirit. He cannot be controlled or understood, but the proof of His work is apparent. Where the Spirit works, there is undeniable and unmistakable evidence."

That last sentence is huge.

It reminds me of a song by Sidewalk Prophets - Live Like That. There is a line in that song that asks, "Is there evidence that I've been changed?"

Have we been changed by the Holy Spirit? There should be noticable evidence - a "before" and an "after" of some sort.

Do you remember the band Creed? They were playing to sold out stadiums at one point but then they broke up. Twice. Their lead singer was named Scott Stapp. I watched an interview of his this week where he credited God for the change in HIS life.

"One thing that's great is God can take our messes and turn them into a message. He can take our pain and give it purpose." - Scott Stapp

Scott now speaks to mens groups about their struggles with addiction, child abuse, and depression. In the interview he mentioned a song he had written called Purpose For Pain. This is from that song:

There's gotta be more, 'cause life is insane.

Gotta turn this around and find the purpose for pain.

If we look at our own lives, have we suffered pain? Did a purpose arise from it? That purpose, the result of all the pain and suffering, is the proof that we've been changed. That change is the evidence that the Holy Spirit lives in us.

What then? Is there evidence that we've been changed? Does that evidence bring glory to God? It should. If there has not been a noticeable change from the pain in our lives, perhaps it is time to make a change.

Just remember, God makes amazing changes through His Holy Spirit. Any man-made changes can be subject to failure. Ask God to make a change in you today. And do it for HIS glory, not your own.

Purpose For Pain - Scott Stapp

Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets

The Life Preserver

What does love look like to you? Most of us tend to picture a young couple, walking along the beach at sunset, holding hands. Or perhaps a young mother, holding her newborn child to her breast.

"See how much they love each other," we say. "Look how much she loves her child!"

God commands us to love one another. And we DO have that ability within us. But we tend not to love those who are against us or who are not interested in hearing the Gospel message.

How can we NOT share the Gospel? Considering what awaits those who have not come to a saving faith in Jesus, it is the ONLY loving thing we can do.

"So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" - John The Baptist, Luke 3:7

The example I always use is someone drowning at the beach. They need help. If they don't get that help, they will soon be dead. Are we just going to stand there and watch them die? Or, do we throw then a life preserver?

"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:26

Every human needs a life preserver, and His name is Jesus. Without Him, we will be eternally dead, spending our forever life after this one in hell. But, in Jesus, we can have eternal life, free from pain and suffering, surrounded by love.

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - Jesus, John 13:34

It seems so simple. So, why do people not want to hear our message? Why do they choose to spend eternity in anguish? They don't believe our message.

We can do nothing to change their hearts. But we CAN love them, and pray for them, and share  the message of hope with them.

We are ALL sinners. But, if we repent of our sins and trust in Jesus, we WILL be saved.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Gospel!” - Jesus, Mark 1:15

So then, this is love . . .

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." - 1 John 4:10-11

Our departure for our new home is approaching. We best be found busy when He comes.

This Is Home - Switchfoot

The Beast System

If you are familiar with the prophetic writings of Daniel and John in Revelation, you have probably heard the term 'Beast.' In Daniel, four beasts are mentioned. In Revelation there are three.

Daniel's beasts are empires or countries. In Revelation, these beasts represent people. Both are symbolic in nature and take place during a future time. The time of The End.

These empires, countries, and rulers, all exhibit power.

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns." - Daniel 7:7

The beast's "victims" are people like you and me - Christians. All who are unwilling to submit to the authority and power of The Beast - the Antichrist.

He will establish power and authority over all nations and people, and will be controlled by the ultimate "beast " - Satan. In order to maintain control this Antichrist will set up a government or "system" to help him maintain his dominance. This has become known as The Beast System.

As we look at the world today, can we see any such thing taking place? Some kind of system of worldwide power and control? The United Nations perhaps? Maybe. But the actual means by which control will be established?

How about Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)?

It is already here and growing in both power and scope. Think about it. We are all plugged into this system already with our phones, computers, cars, and TV's. Any device that is "smart." How can Alexa answer unless it is always listening?

Did you know that all 2026 cars have the authority to surveil us? This system will watch us constantly, warning us if it thinks we are falling asleep or are impaired in any way. AI already parks our cars for us and slams on the brakes for us if it thinks our car is going to hit something.

When you go online to company websites, we often encounter AI "assistants," asking us, "How may I help you today?"

"How about by turning yourself off and going away?"

"I'm sorry. I can't do that, Dave."

"The system" is here and growing in power and knowledge at an exponential rate. Robots are running marathons and beating humans. Armies around the world are using drones. Ukraine is already deploying robots on the battlefield. This is all happening right now. What do you think will happen when The Antichrist comes to power and takes control of AI?

One good thing about all this - we won't be here to see it. God will remove all of the Christians according to the Bible. We will never know who the Antichrist is, and we won't really care. This is not our home anymore. Our home is with Jesus. We're just waiting and watching.

"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore." - Revelation 20:1-3

Safe Passage

There is a parable playing out on the nightly news. Have you seen it? Let's call it The Parable of Safe Passage.

There are lots boats in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman right now. They are all wanting to get from Point A to Point B. Yet very few of them are wanting to go through the Strait of Hormuz. Why not? Because Iran will shoot at them or attack them with speed boats, armed with a 50 cal.

Iran and the U.S. are having a "disagreement" right now. Some are calling it a war while others are referring to it as an "operation." Either way, no one is getting anywhere, oil shipments are being disrupted, and no one is having any fun whatsoever.

How is this a parable? Well . . .

Think of the boats as humans. They too want to get from Point A to Point B, only they call Point B Heaven. Someone doesn't want the humans to get to heaven. That would be Satan. Iran plays Satan's role in this present day parable.

If you've purchased gas for your car recently, it's easy to see the effect this skirmish is have on the world. Gas prices are nearly double what they were last year. Our pocketbooks need a savior. Sadly, there is nobody playing the role of Jesus in this parable.

Without someone to intervene, the fighting will continue, gas prices will remain high, and all of the boats will just continue to float out there with nowhere to go.

Now, imagine this situation going on indefinitely, like for all eternity. That would not be good for anyone. The world needs someone to step in. A man proclaiming "peace and safety" perhaps.🤔

"While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." - 1 Thessalonians 5:3

It will be a false peace.

There are so many "end times" events playing out right now. One would almost think that the end times were upon us.

Well?

What To Say

"Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

“¹²But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." - Luke 21:10-15

Why is my heart troubled these days? Why am I downcast? I feel like David right now. Why?

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? 

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you." - Psalm 42:5-6

Well, I am remembering God right now. I am remembering how Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what they should say because Jesus would give them words to say.

In all of my "what if's" and "shoulda said's," I must remember what David said. I must "put my hope in God" and "praise Him."

I become troubled when I remember all of my friends and family members who don't know Jesus. It saddens me because I know what awaits them. I don't want to see that happen to them, or anyone. I love them!

These are the words that I would say:

I believe in God, and I also believe He is perfect. "In Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)

God demands perfection from all of us (absolutely no sin allowed in heaven).

Our problem is that none of us is sinless. As Peter said to Jesus, "Who then can be saved?" (Luke 18:26) The answer is that no one can be saved, apart from God's grace.

The Bible says that, "without blood, there is no remition of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). There has to be a sacrifice.

Enter Jesus. He led a sinless life while here on earth. And He died for OUR sins. A spotless, sinless lamb, sacrificed for OUR sins.

This is where God hits it out of the park - John 3:16. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

That's it. We have to repent of our sins and believe in Him. And that's the snag for many, including many whom we love. They're too busy, or the lifestyle they have chosen is more important to them. It's frustrating. Our hearts break. I keep hearing the words of Isaiah in my head. "Here I am Lord. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).

But really, the only solution is prayer. We cannot change people's hearts. That's the Holy Spirit's job. The Holy Spirit draws people to God. And that is what we should pray for. And we should "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Instead of feeling bad about this situation, I need to be praying about it! Won't you please join me?

The Words I Would Say - Sidewalk Prophets

Who Are Your Four?

"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ²They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” - Mark 2:1-5

When I read this story recently I pictured this helpless man, helped by four of his friends. They knew Jesus could help him so they did everything to could to get him to Jesus. That made me wonder. 

Do I have four friends that would do something like that for me? And also, would I be one of "the four" for one of MY friends?

Those are some very humbling questions. The second question is the easiest to answer. At first blush, of course, we all would help someone in need. But, when we stop and think about it, the question really becomes which of our friends would we take to Jesus to be saved? That's a little harder to answer.

The first question is tough, at least for me. Do we have four friends who would go out of their way to help us? And who are they?

I could come up with four people who would bw willing to help me with any physical nerds. But,  what about spiritual needs? Remember, the first think Jesus did after seeing them do this thing for their friend was to forhive his sins. THEN Jesus healed him.

It's kind of interesting when you stop and think about it. Who are these people who would do this in our lives? And, like I said, it's very humbling.

Who are your four? Whoever they are, do you think it would be a good idea to be praying for them? Before they have to carry us somewhere, like to our own funeral. Hmm.🤔

Lord Jesus, thank you for the people you have placed in my life. People who love me and care about me. People who would go out of their way to help me and, if needed, carry me to You. No matter what obstacles were in the way. I pray for them, that they would be kept strong in body and in spirit. And that you would bless them as you have blessed me. Amen.

How We Listen

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

⁹He said, “Go and tell this people:

‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’" - Isaiah 6:8-9

We all have ears, but some of us cannot hear. And others choose NOT to.

Here's an example of what Isaiah was talking about: Do you remember sitting in a grade school classroom, incredibly bored and staring out the window? Back then, we were hearing but we weren't listening.

And when we do finally try to listen, did you know that there are actually nine different TYPES of listening?

1. Informational listening - when we are being taught or coached.
2. Discriminative listening - a deeper type of listening, observing body language and tone of voice.
3. Selective listening - only hearing what you WANT to hear.
4. Sympathetic listening - noting the speakers emotion as they speak.
5. Comprehensive listening - receiving feedback.
6. Empathetic listening - putting yourself in the speaker's shoes. 
7. Critical listening - adding your own knowledge to what the speaker is saying.
8. Reflective listening - communicating back to the speaker what you heard.
9. Appreciative listening - like listening to music.

What type of listening was Isaiah using when he said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Are we using "selective listening" when we choose what news channel to watch?

And when we pray, do we listen for that "still, small voice" that Elijah heard?

Try using multiple types of listening at the same time in you next conversation with friends. There is nothing quite like hearing, "You're a great listener!"

"I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live." - Psalm 116:1-2

Nine Types of Listening

Come To Jesus

We had another Youth Night at our church on Friday. I gave a Bible study about three people in the Bible - The Roman Centurian, The Woman at The Well, and the Apostle Peter.

As I was reading the account of the centurion to the kids, this jumped out at me.

"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” - Matthew 8:5

"Come to Jesus." Suddenly I was hearing a song in my head (link at bottom).

I wonder how many "come to Jesus" references there are in the Bible...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” - Matthew 19:14

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." - John 6:44

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." - John 7:37

That's probably enough. There ARE more, but you get the idea. The point is we MUST come to Jesus.

There is a verse somewhere (Philippians?) that speaks about every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. That needs to be us. We need to come to the end of ourselves, and to the beginning of our lives with Jesus.

Remember those wise men in the Christmas story? They WERE wise, right? THEY came to Jesus. Be wise! Come to Jesus, and live!

Come To Jesus - Chris Rice

Your Every Need

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

That verse has proven true time and time again in my life. The latest example of God's provision is a young, strong, 18-year old man. Just what I needed as this old man works on area disc golf courses. God has provided my every need in SO many ways.

We had some storm damage at our local course. Half of a big oak tree fell on Hole 2. I was able to cut it up, but when it came time to actually move the wood out of the way, my old body was lacking the strength that was needed. Enter my young friend.

While we were moving logs, I bent down and asked my friend to help me pick up a big one. He came over and said, "Here, let me get that." He picked up the entire long, all by himself, and moved it out of the way.

"God will supply your every need."

I want you to notice something about that opening verse from Philippians. It doesn't say anything about praying for help or earning God's favor by doing things. It simply says that God will supply your every need. In Christ Jesus.

Do you see what God is doing here with this kid? And me? Let's examine the basic facts.

1. I am a Christian. I am IN Christ Jesus.
2. I am an old and fragile man.
3. I mentor young teens at my church. I have been doing that since being saved, through God's Holy Spirit.
4. Several years ago I met this young man, then a struggling kid, and his mentor. Both of them have helped build three area disc golf courses with me.
5. As I was beginning this year's work, this young man called me, out of the blue, and asked if he could help.
6. He needs a mentor, as he has been in and out of jail (his previous mentor has moved away).

Do you see how God is working here? He is providing for both MY need AND this young man's. All for His ultimate glory. And for that I give Him thanks and praise!

God does amazing things, even when we don't ask Him. Imagine if we DID ask for something, in prayer. 

How has God supplied your every need in YOUR life?