Marriage

This past Saturday I had the honor and privilege of officiating at a wedding. As I did the research for my sermon I discovered something about my own relationship with God and with my wife as well. And just who I am in my role as a bridegroom. AND a bride.

As a man I am the bridegroom to my wife. It is our anniversary today. My bride and I have been married for 41 years. Maybe that sounds like a lot of years to you but it really doesn't seem that long to me. That's probably because I love my wife and I enjoy spending time with her.

As a Christian I also play the role of the bride in my relationship with Jesus. HE is the bridegroom, I am the bride. Kind of confusing but not really if you read the Bible and understand the role we were created to play.

In my marriage to my wife I am supposed to be like Jesus. I am to be the shepherd of my family. I am to love my wife. Even lay down my life for her if God requires it. I am to be obedient to God in all things.

I look at the example of Jesus. Everything He did was according to the will of His Father. That's exactly what I should do in life. The way I live my life, the way I treat my wife, my family and my relationships - everything should reflect my Heavenly Father. His desires, His love, His compassion, mercy and grace. Obedience is a good word to live in our faith.

In the message I delivered at the wedding I spoke about the role of the bride and the bridegroom. But really, we don't have to look any farther than Jesus for examples of both.

It is currently two o'clock in the morning as I am typing this. Why am I up at this hour? It's because I can't sleep. Something was bothering me so I was praying in bed and then I felt the need to get up and write some of this down. So I did.

Why are we so afraid of letting people know we are Christians? What are we afraid of? Persecution? People distancing themselves from us? That's exactly what we are supposed to do! We are to be set apart, not blend in.

In our relationships with God we are to be the bride. Our role is to submit to the will of the husband - the bridegroom. That's Jesus. What did Jesus do when He was confronted by the Pharisees? Did he keep quiet? Was He afraid? No! He laid down His life!

It's now 2:30 in the morning. I think I have answered my question. I think I can go back to sleep now. I am not afraid. There should be no fear in our relationships with others. We should have the confidence to stand up for who we are, no matter what happens. We are the children of God!

The following passage of scripture was used in my message on Saturday. And now I find myself using it again today. Thank you Lord.. There is no fear in love.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:16-18

No Fear In Love - Steffany Gretzinger

The Rescuer

It didn't occur to me until this morning, the significance of what I had done the other day. Looking back on it now I feel like it was a message of some sort. A message that needs to be told.

I am building a tiny home in our yard. It's slow going to be sure but I am almost done with the exterior. Each morning I walk up to the job  site and open all the windows and the door. I have been doing that since, well, since there were windows and a door.

Periodically bugs get in and beat themselves senseless against the windows trying to get back out side. "Have you tried the open door?" I ask to myself, shaking my head in disbelief. Well, the other day THIS happened. All on the same day, all within the span of a few hours.

I was working most of the morning, putting siding on the tiny home. Painting, caulking, but I was getting hungry so I decided to take a break. When I got back to our regular house I heard a low, buzzing noise. I looked up to see a hummingbird, trapped in the rafters of our garage. It must have flown in through the open overhead door and couldn't see a way to get back out.

So I opened the service door and the two garage windows for some more obvious exits and went in to eat my lunch. When my meal was over I checked on the hummingbird. It was still in there buzzing so I went back up to the tiny house.

When I got there I heard and saw a fluttering of wings - a female Evening Grosbeak was INSIDE the tiny home. It had come in through the open door but couldn't find its way back out. I tried grabbing it but it was too freaked out and scared to allow it. It eventually landed on top of the open door and I directed it downward with my hand to freedom and off it went.

A few hours later I returned to the big house to get something and noticed that the hummingbird was gone. "Well, that's good," I thought to myself as I walked bake to the tiny house. When I arrived, I again noticed the fluttering of wings inside the tiny home.

"Again?" I thought? Yep. This time it was a Monarch butterfly. My favorite kind of butterfly. I reached out to it, gently, and held it inside my closed hand. Opening it slowly outside, I set it free and it was on its way.

There are so many different directions to go with this story, it's almost unbelievable. I'll start with the hummingbird, which eventually found its own way out of the garage. Some people are like that. You can show them what they need to do in life and eventually they can figure it out for themselves. But people waste a lot of time trying to find things out on their own, searching for answers. If they'd only listen.

Some people require direction when they get in trouble, like the grosbeak. They need a guiding hand to point them in the direction they should go. When they "see the light" they take off, never to return to the trap they found themselves in.

Then there are others who will die in the trap the found themselves in. There are numerous flies, wasps and bees in the windows of my tiny house because no one showed them the way out. But the beautiful butterfly was noticed by someone who cared for it. Like I said, the Monarch is my favorite butterfly. I took the time to actually, physically, rescue it.

Who is the butterfly in YOUR life who needs to be held, guided, loved and then released?

Jesus will provide for our every need. NEED, not want. He will guide us and direct us to where He wants us to be. But we DO need to open our eyes and see. We DO need to think and respond to His leading. If we don't we are destined to keep going around the mountain, around the mountain, around the mountain. Beating ourselves senseless against that ways of this world.

Jesus is OUR rescuer. He desires that no one should perish. But we have to allow Him to work in us and through us to save us. May God rescue those whom YOU love. May He guide them to safety and may they not become too damaged on their way to freedom in His arms.

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." - Matthew 23:37

Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Sound

These days there are sounds in the sky, familiar yet different. Far off at first, then growing in intensity until our heads are turned skyward. "There!" we point. "There it is!"

That paragraph could have described many things. I flight of geese heading south in the fall. It could be the sound of an airplane, especially these days around here. Our house is in the flight path for many planes as they travel to EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association's fly-in.

One day the air will be filled with a different sound - something all together different. It will be the sound of a trumpet. We will all go running outside to see what it is. We will point skyward as we see a large cloud unrolling across the sky. Most will wonder what it is. Some, however, will know. The ones who know are called The Elect. The trumpet will be the sound we hear as we leave this place.

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." - Mark 13:26-27

There is a poem I heard once. It is about flight. But, I think, it could also apply to The Church, as we "meet Him in the air." What do YOU think?

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air… .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high in trespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Memphis Belle Takeoff
Shofar Sound

Why Me?

Do you ever have those days when you feel unworthy or just don't understand what God was thinking when He created you? I have those days a lot. It's not depression, it's more of a "why me?" thing. Why have you called me?

Jesus said, "No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." - John 6:44

Are you a Christian? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? If you are, and if you have, that means that God has called YOU! I don't know about you but to me that's a pretty big deal! The Creator of the Universe wants me?

"3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" - Psalm 8:4-5

Good question! 

The Bible is fill with examples of how badly God wants us to follow Him. This desire culminated with the death of His Son, taking OUR punishment on Himself so that we could be with the Father. So, how do we handle this responsibility? How do we feel when we fail God?

I think God already knows how disobedient we are - how forgetful, how dishonest, how unworthy. Our depravity is the indicator of just how much Jesus we need. I need much. How about you?

Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." - John 14:15. So, what does that mean when I disobey? Does it mean that I don't love Jesus? Jesus also said "there is no one good." Another indicator of our need for grace. And I think that is the key.

They key to our understanding of God's grace is that non matter what we do or don't do, God is willing to forgive and forget.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us." - Psalm 103:12

God has made us some amazing promises. He will keep all of them. But we must come to Him, humble and repentant, or we get none of the above. It's our choice. God has given us free will to choose. It's up to us. How will we answer God's call today?

Who Am I? - Casting Crowns
East To West - Casting Crowns

On The Turning Away

There are times when each of us has had to turn away from something. Maybe it was a toxic relationship, having just one more drink for the road or eating too many birthday treats at work. The things that once felt so good to us are now turning on us and trying to kill us.

For me it was the doughnuts. I am a Type II diabetic yet I still loved my doughnuts. When someone brought in birthday treats I would be one of the first ones there. If the cake remained there long enough I'd have another, maybe even a third. And they were free! A bad combination for me.

When I retired I no longer had that supply of doughnuts. I would actually have to drive five miles and pay actual money to get one, something I was unwilling to do. When I had my yearly physical this past week the doctor asked, "So, how did you lose the ten pounds?"

"I retired," was my answer. In effect, I stopped consuming them. But it took the loss of a job to accomplish what I myself could not do.

Do you have a bad habit? Is there something in YOUR life that consumes a little too much of your attention?

I was talking with someone the other day who is struggling in her relationship with her daughter. Disobedience, anger, defiance, drinking - all at the age of 18. Something was bound to happen and it did. Her sentencing is next month.

What is it in OUR lives that is slowly killing our relationship with God? Too much television perhaps? That extra burrito? Or is it too much of ourselves? Do we get so busy that we forget about God? Or we put Him in the back seat when He should be driving the car?

It is possible to change and to right the wrongs but it often takes something extraordinary, some kind of event or life-changing situation. Sometimes those events are capable of changing our lives, and in a bad way too.

There is an easier way.

Jesus has told us that we can come to Him when we are tired and burdened and that He will provide us rest from these things. A relationship is a simple thing to do but often is our last resort. Why? Because we think we can do things ourselves, and we can't. In the end it is our pride that is killing us in addition to the doughnuts.

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

Placing our faith in Christ is a life-changing experience. One of the first things that happens is we begin to think more about God than we do about ourselves. We get a desire to please HIM rather than our stomachs. PLUS He helps us in our weakness. He gives us strength to overcome.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you placed your faith in Christ? Some think they have but really have not. There is danger there. "I prayed but nothing is happening". Want to know why? I believe it is because we are still clinging to "the world" instead of fully and completely clinging to God.

What are you still clinging to? Perhaps it's time we turned away from the world and fully embraced Christ. He is the answer we must seek if we hope to survive. Fixing ourselves is hard, especially when WE are part of the problem. Seek help from God. Make a positive change and receive that second chance that we crave so badly. He has promised that if we do that we WILL be saved.

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd

Like A Child

It didn’t occur to me until several days later just how Jesus must have felt in Matthew 18 and 19 when He said these things:

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." - Matthew 18:3-5

"14Jesus 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

This past weekend at Lifest, a Christian music festival in our area, a little girl came up to me as I was returning to camp. She walked right up and gave me a hug. Well, she gave my leg a hug. Short girl. Why did she do that?

She recognized me from the year before. I had shared some cheese puffs with her and her brothers. That act must have made quite an impression on her. Or at least on her stomach.

How sweet and innocent I thought. The love of a child is so pure, so perfect and unconditional. Her hug made an impression on ME and it reminded me of how our faith towards God should be.

When we see Jesus one day, what will we do? How we will approach Him – this God, Creator of all things? According to what I read in the Book of Matthew, we are to come to Him like a little child. Do we do that? HOW do we do that?

First, I feel that I child's love is pure. It is free from all other entanglements, conditions and contaminants.

Second, it is unconditional. No matter what, a child loves freely and without fear.

And third, a child's love is selfless. They love without thought of themselves, They love simply because they want to. It's who they are.

Let us love like that. Let is LIVE like that. A child, though they are young, is a great example of how our relationship with God should be. How will we demonstrate our love for God today?

Live Like That - Sidewalk Prophets

Why Are You Here?

This past week I attended a Christian music festival. It was both good and bad. The goodness or badness of it, and others like it, depended upon the answer to one simple question. It is a question that mankind has been asking itself for millennia. Why are we here?

To some extent Christian music festivals are just like county fairs. There are food vendors, amusement rides and people wanting you to buy things. And there is also entertainment. Lots of county fairs, and secular events like it, need a draw. Some big headliner band to get people to come. And that's the problem for the "Christian" music festival.

"Christian" music festivals, sadly, are a representation of many churches. They provide entertainment to make "worship" more enjoyable and to draw people in. Christian music festivals are a business. The same is true for our churches.

Churches see their attendance numbers go up when they have a special musical guest and so they continue to have them. But why do we go to church? Why are we there? In God's eyes it had better not be to hear our favorite jazz or polka band playing. To paraphrase the words of one worship song, "We were made to worship. We were made to bow down."

There are many wonderful things that happen at Christian music festivals. That is why I have attended over the past twelve years. The relationships formed, the special moments of prayer and people coming to faith in Christ. God uses many things to draw us to Himself. But I get back to the main question. Why are we there?

I attended worship Saturday afternoon. There were probably 50 people there worshiping while thousands of others played basketball and ate way too much food. Another question we should be asking ourselves is, "Is this thing I am doing, is it honoring to God?"

Is riding on a Ferris wheel honoring to God? Probably not unless you are using the ride to share the Gospel with someone about the futility of living life without Jesus - going around and around.

God should be the reason we do everything. If not, then why are we doing it? For ourselves and our own enjoyment?

I'm as guilty of doing this as anyone else. But my favorite moments are the ones spent back in the campsite talking with another believer about their faith and how they came to believe. Did I worship? Yes. But not in truth and spirit. Therefore it wasn't really worship. I was just singing songs.

And that is not why we should be here or anywhere. We were made to worship. If not, why are we here?

"10Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11“The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening."

- Isaiah 1:10-15

The following worship song was performed by an artist I heard this past weekend. As you watch it one can quickly tell it's not about him. It's actual worship. Why? Because the artist is not even singing for much of it. It's God's people doing what they were created to do. Worship.

Here I Am To Worship - David Crowder

The Still

There are moments when everything is quiet in our neighborhood. The time is 5:38 AM. A cool breeze is tumbling in the trough the open window beside me. All is still. Nothing is moving except my fingers on the keyboard and ey aren't moving too fast.

Moments like this are from God I think. Pauses in the hectic pace that life demands from us. What do we do with them? Some people can't stand the quiet and they put on some music or a television show. They are the foolish ones. I should talk though. I'm sitting here typing on my laptop. But did you ever just sit and listen? What is it that you hear?

The sound of a distant piece of farm machinery, an irrigation pump I think. An occasional car on the highway - a mile away from me. The refrigerator kicks in, doing it's thing. But do you ever hear God in the quiet of the morning?

It's 5:45 now and I am opening my Bible. As I am reading I am listening. Not with my ears but with my heart. My ears only provide background music. Another car on the highway, a distant bird singing. This is what I read.

"This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me. ⁶ He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel." - Jeremiah 18:1-6

Each of us are broken pots of clay in some way. God is the potter. Who is He making us into today?  Who is God making YOU into? Are you going through something today that has you questioning life? Is life really worth all this pain? We need to change our point of view. Remember, we are the clay. God is the potter.

The stuff we are going to right now is making us into something - something better, for God's purpose and His glory. Be willing to be molded and shaped.

In The Secret - Sonic Flood

The Potter's Hand - Darlene Zschech

Beneath The Surface

To the world around us we appear happy. It can seem to others that everything is fine and dandy in our lives, but beneath the surface, hidden just out of sight, things are way different than most people think.

To the untrained eye the picture we see of others can look rather peaceful. Perhaps there is even a smile or an "I'm okay" that convinces us that things are fine, when in fact they are not.

Why do we try to hide our feelings from others? Are we embarrassed that someone might see us crying or "unstable" in some way? We always want to make a good impression, as if there's nothing wrong. Why do we do that?

Some of my deepest and most honest relationships are with people who have made themselves vulnerable, rather than put on a false face and lied about how they are feeling. The best relationships are honest ones - ones where there is trust, not deceit.

In our relationship with Jesus, are we being honest? Or do we try to pretend everything is alright? And how do we act in church? Do we try to smile despite the pain inside. Or do we open up and share our burdens with each other? What does God want us to do?

^"2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." - Galatians 6:2-3

It is easy to share the burdens of someone we love, but what about the unlovable? Is our desire to help THEM as strong as it should be?

There is a lot of tension in our nation right now. Either you're for Trump or you're against him. And that's okay. We all have our own opinions. But do we pray for those who oppose us and our beliefs?

"44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:44-48

May we be honest about our feelings. May we be transparent. May we not hide our pain for fear of being hurt or embarrassed. Rather, let us be vulnerable and give someone the opportunity to love us like Jesus loves us. In doing so we will be fulfilling God's law, spoken to us by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus humbled Himself. Why won't we?

Beneath The Surface - Dream Theater

The LittleThings

Today's fast-paced world screams for our attention. So many distractions! But if we can just tune out all the noise, there are so many things we can learn simply by observing, by slowing down.

For example, I met with a young couple yesterday. They're getting married in three weeks and I have been asked to officiate. I have met with them a few times now and have observed some things that have reminded me how important our observation of others can be.

The bride-to-be is very respectful of her parent's wishes. When asked about her wedding dress, the young woman said she'd "get married in a sweatshirt . . . but my mom wants . . ." The couple wanted just get married by themselves "but my dad really wanted to walk me down the aisle."

Just a few words or a simple gesture can say a lot about a person.

I've seen more women lately getting pregnant without the marriage part. That tells me something. They seem to be more interested in pleasing themselves than in pleasing their parents or God. That may sound mean for me to say such a thing but it's true. I'm just observing the things people are doing. And I am reading my Bible.

The Bible tells me many things about pleasing God. "Honor you father and mother" for example, is an excellent way to God. Having sex outside of marriage is not.

The world we live in often tells us one thing while the Bible tells us another.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." - Luke 16:10

"Doing what is right in the eyes of The Lord" is a very big thing. It is the smallest of leaks in a ship that can foretell of the disaster to come. What are we telling people, in the way we live our lives, that forms their opinion about us? Are we mindful of God's wishes for us? Or mindful of our own desires?

In The Bible, it always went well for the selfless, the merciful, the compassionate. Not so well for the greedy, the proud and the arrogant. How will it go for US today?

Hoe will we honor God today? What little thing will we do today that will forge someone's opinion about us and the kind of person we are? Let it be said of us that we followed and were obedient to our king and did what was right in God's eyes. 

The Blessing - John Waller

Can't Handle It?

Have you ever heard someone say, "God won't give you more than you can't handle"? Guess what? It's a lie. There is no Bible verse saying that and there is no truth in that statement. In fact, God WILL give you WAY more than you can handle. For a reason.

I don't know where that phrase ever came from. Probably, in our political correctness - wanting everyone to feel all warm and fuzzy about themselves - we come up with sayings that sound good on the surface but are factually incorrect.

There is a Bible verse that comes close to what the "God won't give you more than you can handle" crowd, but it's the opposite of what these people are trying to say.

^"13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

This verse is about temptation though, not life's struggles. It also says that God is faithful and He will provide a way out of that temptation. God is faithful alright. He also will provide a way out of our struggles. We need to run to Him. We need to bring our struggles to the foot of the cross and leave them there. When we can't handle life, God can.

Actually, the saying that is most true is this:

"God won't give you anything that HE can't handle."

Yes, we have to go through struggles in our lives. Everybody does. But the ones that get through them with the most ease are those who let God do the heavy lifting.

We go through life totally focused on ourselves. That's our first and biggest problem. Our most important relationship in this life should be with God, not a husband, a wife, a child or a best friend. If we place God first in our lives our struggles begin to get smaller, the pain is suddenly easier to bear.

King David had the right idea. When he was being pursued, when people sought to kill him, he placed his hope and faith in God. 

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior - from violent people you save me. 4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. 5 The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me." - 2 Samuel 2-5

Place your hope in The Lord. He is our "ever-present help in times of trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

All My Hope - Crowder (featuring Tauren Wells)

The Parable of The Tiny Home

Today my tiny home will be in the Fourth of July Parade in Waupaca. It almost wasn't. Why? Because I was looking at things through MY eyes, not God's. Let me explain.

For several years now I have had a desire to build a tiny home, but it's not for me. It's for others to use who might have need of shelter. A home for a homeless family perhaps or a family whose house just burned down. That's not the story here though. The story is about God - His teaching, His protection and His love.

A few days ago I called my insurance agent checking one my coverage for when we would be taking the tiny home on the road for the parade. She checked and her company determined that my $10,000 investment (so far) would only be covered up to $1500 under my home owner's policy. What!?!

My friend Mark called later to arrange a time to pick up the tiny house for the parade. I told him the story about the lack of insurance and that the tiny home would most likely not be making the trip. I called the Chair of our non-profit, Hub Ministries, Inc. and told her the same sad story. Everyone understood. Everyone but God I think.

Two nights ago I went to bed believing that there would be no tiny home in the July 4th parade. I woke up feeling the same way. Maybe someone would come through with some insurance, maybe . . . Then I picked up my Bible and began to read. I was in Isaiah 40, reading through the Bible. This is what I read.

"28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint."

- Isaiah 40:29-31 

As soon as I read that I knew that the tiny home was going to be in the parade. Insurance or no insurance. Why? Because this house I am building is not MY house. It's God's house! Where was my faith? Where was my trust? It was in myself, and my insurance, not God.

The tiny house that is being built for those in need in our community does not belong to anyone except God. He has chosen a few people to build it. He has directed us to form a non-profit, not for our glory but for His. Our job is to build and be obedient, not to build and be fearful.

So, if you see us in the July 4th parade, please, give God the thanks and the praise. It is HIS house, not ours. And it will be passing before your very eyes.

God Bless The USA - Lee Greenwood

Perfection

Photo by David Thomaz

Marriage. Most of want a perfect one. And, if done right, marriage can become an amazingly beautiful and wonderful thing. If done wrong however, it can turn into an ugly, frustrating mess. To be honest, most marriages today are probably somewhere in between. That's not where they were designed to be. A marriage should really be perfection.

I am preparing to officiate at a wedding in a few weeks. At first I was going to speak on Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus from Ephesians 5 - Instructions for Christian Households. But then I heard something from the Book of Luke this past Sunday that altered my decision. It was during communion.

^"20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." - Luke 20:22

Before we get started today, we need to define a word - covenant. This is from Merriam - Webster's Dictionary.

Covenant - a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement, a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.

Marriage is a covenant.

Now let's go to Ephesians 5. 2000 years ago, in a culture much different from ours today,husbands and wives had different roles. Women were treated much like property, with benefits, if you will. I'd like you to read the text and then linger a bit at verse 32.

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church - ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." - Ephesians 5:21-33

Paul describes a marriage relationship the same as our relationship with Christ! As Christians, we are "the bride of Christ." Jesus is the bride groom. We are to be dressed in white, pure, radiant, without stain or blemish. Holy and blameless!

How can we possibly do that? We are all sinners. We are all stained. We ALL have blemishes. None of us are worthy.

Ah, but God . . .

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

We are made perfectly blameless through our faith in Christ - "whoever believes in Him."

The best marriages today are the once based in faith. Why? Because that's how they were designed to work. Marriage is like a triangle. The closer a married couple gets to God, the closer they automatically get to each other. Draw closer to God today and then watch what happens to your relationships. Listen to this song, and while you do, remember that "God IS love."

The Wedding Song - Paul Stookey