Tornado!

Living in Central Wisconsin has proved to be pretty safe, catastrophic event wise. We're not on a major fault line so we don't have big earthquakes. We're far from the tropics so we don't get hurricanes or typhoons. However, upon occasion, we have our fair share of bad weather.

We've had blizzards with three feet of snow. We've also had days of 100° heat. Still, all those pale in comparision to what we had this past Monday - an EF-3 tornado.

We've had tornadoes before. We even had one touch down near our house. But this most recent tornado was different. It plowed through one of our larger cities - Menasha (18,000+).

I worked in Neenah for nearly 20 years. It butts up against Menasha. When I visited work yesterday, horrible stories were plentiful. They ranged from "we lost a few branches" to "a big tree fell on our house and we have no power." Some residents lost everything. A local friend was trapped on the 441 bridge as the tornado passed 500' in front of her car. She and her son watched cars and semis being flipped and feared for their lives. Had they arrived just a few seconds earlier . . .

Do you know Jesus? I hope you do.

All this makes me think of Job. He too lost everything, except his faith in God.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” - Job 1:21

Catastrophic events like this tornado can really test our faith, but they can also enhance it. When our faith turns into action, it testifies to our God.

The Menasha Piggly Wiggly gave out free water. Christ the Rock church opened its doors to all who needed shelter. Donation sites sprang up and area residents brought supplies. People "gave to one another as there was a need" (Acts 2:45).

My prayer in this horrible event was for people to turn to God as a result. Like Job said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Withdraw

Every once in a while, the Bible "experts" get things wrong. Am I saying that there are mistakes in the Bible? Yes, I am - in the modern-day translations. Not in the original transcripts. Here's an example about what I mean.

The story, A Paralytic Is Healed, in Luke 5, begins this way:

"So, He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:16

The word "So" references the previous story. Verse 16 does not belong to the story about the paralytic, in my opinionl. Here is the last part of verse 16 along with Luke 5:15 . . .

"However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmaties. So, He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:15-16

That makes more sense. One thing to keep in mind - the original manuscripts had no punctuation at all. There were also no story headings or paragraph indentations. These New Testament "books" were actually letters written to churches or individuals.

The key here, and what we're going to talk about today, is that when things got hectic and overwhelming, Jesus often went away by Himself and prayed to God the Father.

And, speaking of "being alone," does your church have prayer groups? Ours does. Do you attend? Nothing against them at all, but let's not lose track that Jesus always went off by Himself to pray.

When Jesus was nearing the end of His ministry He went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. He then took Peter, James, and John further. A men's prayer group? No. He left them to go pray by Himself.

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray. ³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed." - Matthew 26:36-38

Again, Jesus was all alone. Here's a partial AI generated list of when Jesus withdrew by Himself to pray:

• After hearing John the Baptist had been killed, Jesus withdrew by boat to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:31–32).
• After the crowd followed him, he went up a mountain by himself (Mark 6:46).
• Before choosing the Twelve, he went up on a mountain and spent the night praying by himself (Luke 6:12).
• After hearing of Lazarus’ sickness, he still could have spent time away, but the specific “by himself.".
• After a busy period with many people, he went away again to places where he could pray (Mark 1:35 describes him going out early “to a solitary place” before daybreak; the text emphasizes solitude).

It's safe to say that Jesus preferred being by Himself when He prayed.

" the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen." - Matthew 6:6

What do YOU think?

I think it depends on the situation. Praying in groups is fine, praying with an individual is powerful, and praying by ourselves is precious. The key is praying, wherever and whenever.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6

The Parable of The Lost Owl

Today's story is a double feature. The first part is amazing and absolutly filled with joy. Part two is full of anxiety and doubt. But stick around for the epilog. It's worth the wait.

PART 1 - The Gift

About a month ago I was approached by a young girl and her mom at church. This wonderfully caring kid stretched out her arm to me, giving me her toy stuffed owl, Austin. (Previously, my teaching partner and I had asked the congregation for a stuffed toy owl as a prop for one of our lessons.) So, I accepted the gift and took it home for safe keeping.

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered "Why me?" Did I make an impression on her during a previous VBS? I didn't even know her name (It's Kayley). Whatever the case, I was bound and determined to keep Austin the Owl safe until I could return him to little Kayley. 

PART 2 - The Loss

VBS week is very hectic. We had 49 kids and 25+ volunteers. People were everywhere, all over the church. Still, Austin the Owl was there, waiting. Thursday's teaching was his moment and he did a great job, for a stuffed owl.

Friday afternoon was cleanup day and we began disassembling VBS. That's when I discovered Austin was missing. What?! Oh, no!

"They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. ⁵As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my Lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!” - 2 Kings 6:4-5

I searched the church, my car, our house. He was nowhere. Saturday morning, I went back into church for another look. Nothing.

I began searching on Amazon for "Stuffed Toy Owls" and found one but it wouldn't be the same. I felt just awful. In despiration I sent a group text to all of the VBS teachers Sunday morning. Maybe they had seen something. Not likely. Then my phone lit up. A text from one of the teachers . . ..

"He is back with Kayley. No worries."

EPILOGUE

The first words out of my mouth were, "Thank you, Lord!!" Sunday morning, sitting in church, I was eagerly waiting for Kayley to show up. I had a Dairy Queen gift certificate for a free cone waiting for her. Then there she was. I walked up front and dropped to a knee.

"Kayley?" (she turned) "I want to thank you for trusting me with Austin. I'm glad he's back home where he belongs." She smiled and the story's over. Except for this:

The way this becomes a parable is that, when we give our hearts to Jesus, we are no longer lost. We become found. Saved.

"Did you not know that I would be in my Father's house?" - Luke 2:49

Did I pray for Austin's safe return? You bet I did! God is SO good! Even in the small things. One final thought.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

If you are lost, if you don't have Jesus as your Shepherd, your Savior, pray to Him today and make that change. All it takes is repentance for your sins, believing in Jesus and making Him Lord of your life, and then you will forever receive His blessings. It is SO worth it! Your entire life will change.

The Gospel of You

On the surface, the title of this story sounds a little ridiculous - the Gospel of You. That's silly. Everyone knows that there are only FOUR Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It's not until we dig a little deeper that it begins to make a little more sense.

What IS "The Gospel?" It is the "good news," right? That's EXACTLY what it means. So any "good news" is "The Gospel." We must train ourselves to always say, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ." Now we're talkin'.

The Gospel of You, or anyone else for that matter, is simply the good news of how God changed our lives upon believing on the Lord Jesus. It's our own personal story. It's our testimony.

For me it was hearing a convicting word in a sermon that made me realize that Jesus was indeed real and active in the world today. A changed life testifies that our story is true.

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

I had the joy and privilege of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with 39 kids this past week at VBS. My prayer is that all would consider it and take it to heart, literally.

Everyone who believes in Jesus has a Gospel to share. Good news of hope and change. The question then becomes, "Are we sharing it?" Sadly, the answer is often "no."

I would challenge those who don't share the Gospel of Jesus with others by asking this: Have you really been changed? Scripture asks this very question.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test." - 1 Corinthians 13:5

We DO NOT want to fail the test! Share the love of Jesus with everyone you meet!

There Will Be Signs

When Monday morning arrived, I knew it was going to be a good opening day of Vacation Bible School (VBS). How did I know that? Oh, there were signs. 🤟

Sign #1 - It was raining when I left the house. When I got to church, it was not. There were a few drops here and there, and then the sun came out. 😎

Sign #2 - The ASL hand sign for Jesus. Answers In Genesis uses hand motions in their videos for kids. Whenever "Jesus" is mentioned, they use the actual sign language for His name, alternately touching the palm of the hand with the middle finger of the opposing hand. A literal sign! That happened on Monday. Twice.

Sign #3 - My man Felix! Somehow, I was able to pick him up and give him a hug. He's getting big!

But Sign #4 was my highlight for Day #1 - Vicki, our pastor's wife. My teaching partner Chuck and I had a few minutes left over at the end of our lesson, so we went over the Gospel again. Chuck was speaking to the kids, on my right. That's when I noticed Vicki coming our way. She was clearly on some mission for someone. I glanced at the kids and then back at Chuck again. That's when I noticed Vicki had stopped and was just standing there, praying, just around the corner. I think I might have been the only one to have seen it. What a blessing! Vicki had stopped "doing" and was standing there, "praying," as Chuck delivered the Gospel. We leaders "do things," and sometimes, too many things. But God does the BIG things, and he let me see someone interceding on behalf of these children. What a blessing to behold!

"Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." - Romans 8:

There are many more wonderful "signs" yet to come. I'm sure! God is SO good!

[As I publish this story, Day 3 of 5 will soon be underway. Stay tuned!]

Lidocaine Jesus

Back in the day, my wife and I used to watch a lame old TV show called Emergency!  It fearured two paramedics saving people's lives in a variety of situations, all sprinkled with a dash of humor.

When they arrived at the hospital, doctors quickly took over. Often, they would have a nurse hook up an IV to the patient and say, "Lidocaine drip! Stat!"

A lidocaine drip is an intravenous infusion of lidocaine, a local anesthetic, used to manage acute pain.

You and I can also get into "times of trouble" occasionally. Jesus has told us we would.

"In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Jesus is our lidocaine, in a manner of speaking. He eases the pain in our lives and makes tense situations more peaceful.

The problem with my analogy is "the drip" eventually gets disconnected. That's not a good thing where Jesus is concerned. If anything, let us increase the flow!!

"Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus "

Yes, please! "Jesus drip, only LET IN RAIN!"

And that reminds me of a worship song.

Lord, when times get tough, when we go through things that would break many, You rescue, you save. When those we love are sick or hurting, may your healing power rain down on us from heaven. You reign over sickness, death, and pain. Heal this land, Lord. Heal this people. Itvis your merciful name I pray. Amen.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” - Revelation 31:4

Nothing But The Blood of Jesus

Let It Rain - Michael W. Smith

A Thousand Years

• God created all things
• 1,000 years later, God sent a flood on the earth
• 1,000 years later, Abraham
• 2,000 years later, Jesus crucified
• 2,000 years later (right about now), He will return and set up His millennial kingdom. A 1,000-year reign for the King of kings and Lord of lords

A thousand years. TWO thousand years. It seems like God likes to do big things in 'thousands of years.'

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." - 2 Peter 3:8

[Side note: the above list of events equals 7,000 years. Look up the number 7. What do you find?

"the number seven connotes such concepts as completion and perfection, exoneration and healing, and the fulfillment of promises and oaths."

Seven days to create all things in Genesis. The Seven Churches of Revelation 1, Seven Golden Lampstands, gold refined 7 times (Psalm 12), the seven spirits of God (Revelation 3), etc. "Seven" appears 518 times in the Bible.

I heard a song recently and was reminded of the Lord's millennial reign. A thousand years in the presence of our King! This is from that song (link at bottom):

"Watching you stand alone,

All of my doubt suddenly goes away."

Jesus will stand alone on the Mount of Olives one day soon. And it sounds like there will be a rather large earthquake as well.

"On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south." - Zechariah 14:4

Have you noticed the increase in seismic activity recently? Venezuela comes to mind, with two quakes in the 7+ range on the same day. Still, a bigger quake looms in Jerusalem. But let's not get sidetracked.

The thousand-year reign of Jesus. What will that be like?

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” - Revelation 21:1&4

Personally, I can't wait. To actually see Jesus! It will be well worth the wait . . . a thousand years . . . two thousand years . . . none of that will matter. We get to spend ETERNITY with our King!

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

Come!

"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." - Revelation 22:17

I never really thought much about it before but "the Spirit and the bride" has meaning beyond just those five simple words.

The Spirit, of course, is the Holy Spirit (see how it is capitalized?). And all believers are "The Bride," according to scripture. That much I've noticed before. But what caught my attention THIS time around is the word 'say' that comes afterwards. So, is this verse is about evangelism then? No. This is Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible. It's too late ti evangelize. The Spirit and the Bride are calling to Jesus.

As soon as you and I came to believe, we received the promised Holy Spirit. We literally became part of the collective "bride" of Christ. The verse tells, in this final chapter, that we, currently, should be DOING something with our faith. We should be TELLING others about our hope and, in so doing, inviting them to 'come' to Jesus.

We can do this visibly through our actions towards others and in our communities. But the verse specifically says 'say.' We are called to speak to those around us about our Lord and Savior. Are we doing that?

Have you watched the news lately, and seen the events that are happening in the world these days? Much of what we see has prophetic implications, and many biblical scholars believe we are living in "the last days" before the return of Jesus for 'His Bride.'

When we speak with others are we asking ourselves, "How can I direct this conversation to include Jesus?" We should be. That's part of why we have been given the Holy Spirit to begin with.

Why do we go to church? Has it become a "box to check" at the end of each weekend? Or is it to edify ourselves and equip ourselves to share the Gospel.

Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37). WE are the workers!! Are we workin', or just sittin'?

Every true Christian wants to hear Jesus say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23). How can we hear "well done" if we HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING with our faith?

I sit in my living room chair and write these stories each week, but what am I DOING beyond that? Am I engaging others around me and asking them leading questions that will take them directly to Christ? Not enough, I fear. Not NEARLY enough.

When Jesus said "the workers are few," He wasn't kidding - both then and now. And let's not skip over the word 'work.'

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - ³⁴and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man." - Proverbs 24:33-34

Trust and Submit

The Bible is literally filled with great advice for how to live a good, God-honoring life. So why do people ignore it and not read it?🤷‍♂️

Here's some Old Testament wisdom from King Solomon:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

TRUST - Do we trust God? And do we trust Him totally and completely, with all of our hearts? Think about it.

YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING - our understanding is often flawed. Why? Because we live in a world filled with lies. There is only one truth - God and His Word.

SUBMIT - Submitting to the lordship of Jesus is one of the most difficult things for the Christian. As God once said through the prophet Isaiah, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways." - Isaiah 55:8

That's pretty straightforward. All we have to do is obey. And that is difficult for the Christian who wants a say in what he or she believes in. And there we have it. These "conditional Christians" are making themselves out to BE a god by creating beliefs outside of those of the one TRUE God. And they are breaking the very first commandment in the process.

"You shall have no other gods before me." - Exodus 20:3

We must trust and submit and keep our own opinions to ourselves. No, that's wrong. We must eliminate ANY opinions we may have in favor of God's Word and what He says.

"In ALL our ways, submit."

Do we do that?

Weight A Minute

"Do not have two differing weights in your bag - one heavy, one light. ¹⁴Do not have two differing measures in your house - one large, one small. ¹⁵You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁶For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly." - Deuteronomy 25:14-16

Well . . .Did you hear about our local grocery and big box stores? The following is from StateofSurveillance.com

"Kroger announced plans to use facial recognition for "targeted coupons": personalizing prices based on who you are. They backed off after public outcry, but their electronic shelf labels (slated for 2,600 stores by 2026) make the infrastructure for personalized pricing trivially easy."

Walmart piloted facial recognition to spot shoplifters. They won't confirm current use."

Interesting.... Lowes also uses it. Many, including Home Depot, refused to answer the survey, citing "competitive reasons."

Stores are using facial recognition cameras and software to determine who you are as soon as you walk into their store. They can also adjust prices for you accordingly as well. How nice. And they can do it immediately.

This system, currently in use by many retailers, could be perverted into a prophetical biblical system where the Antichrist could prohibit anyone from buying groceries, simply by knowing who you are, or aren't, and you will not be allowed to buy. That system....

"forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." - Revelation 13:16-17

The Bible is coming alive my friends. We are living in the last days. One last tidbit: 

Wegmans, a NYC chain, uses facial recognition this way:

• Parking lot cameras capture license plates as you pull in
• In-store cameras track your movements through the aisles
• The Wegmans app and store WiFi collect IP addresses and geolocation
• Browser cookies track your web activity before and during shopping
• Credit card numbers, purchase history, and SNAP benefit usage are logged

So.... we ARE being watched. And scanned. This is not a conspiracy theory.  It is happening right now.

Are you ready for the return of our King? Maranatha!!

Your Grocery Store is Scanning Your Face

Job On Jesus

In the Book of Job, supposedly the oldest book in the Bible, there are a few verses that made me stop and contemplate them again this past week.

Job was talking with his friends about God...

"If only there were someone to mediate between us (God and man), someone to bring us together, ³⁴someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more." - Job 9:33-34

Well, Job, let me tell you about Jesus. That's exactly what He does. He is a mediator between God and mankind. Jesus intercedes for us with God the Father. He also removed "God's rod" from us by sacrificing HIS life for ours, taking God the Father's punishment upon Himself.

 Here's another verse from the Book of Job.

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth." - Job 19:25

That's right, Job. Our Redeemer surely does live. He rose from death to life on the third day. And you are right again when you say "that in the end He will stand on the earth."

All this stuff is from the oldest book in the Bible! And it's talking about Jesus!!

"I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’" - Isaiah 46:9-10

God is simply amazing! He knows our hearts. He knows what we are thinking before it comes into our minds. The sooner we repent and seek Him, the better off we will be.

"To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1:17

Peace and Love

It is easy to feel unloved in this world. Everyone is so busy with their own lives.  We live in a consuming culture. Buy this, buy that. Who has time to love when we are told to indulge ourselves in the world around us? Spend, spend, give in to your desires.

Another thing that's hard to find is peace. Because we are encouraged to "have things our way," someone else's way can be hard to swallow. I want, I want, give, give. We desire peace, and, if you don't give it to us, we will kill you.

Love and Peace. Just two small things, right? But they are everything. So, how do we get them? And where do we find them? Logical questions. I would suggest that neither one can truly be found on our own. Both of these things require someone else being involved. And they cannot be fully received until we give them away. Check out this Bible verse:

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid." - John 14:27

"MY peace?" Does Jesus really offer a peace that is different than OUR version of peace? I would say yes, yes He does.

And what about love? Does Jesus offer a different kind of love too? Let's take a look.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

As Jesus has loved us, that is how we are to love one another. Are you kidding? That's impossible! He DIED for us!

Yessss..... 

Think about that for a moment. Jesus died, and through His death, our sins were paid for.

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, IN Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

In order the fully receive the peace and joy we desire, we must be "in Christ." So, how we become "in Christ?" What does that mean? Well...

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

So, in order to be "in Christ," He has to be "in us."

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30

And there it is. The conclusion of the matter. In order to have peace and love, the way God intended it, is to have The Holy Spirit's seal. The Holy Spirit living in you.

"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. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." - John 7:37-39

My Peace - Maranatha Singers