Hope For Today

The dawning of a new day here on earth should be cause for celebration, not dread. Yet many people wake up in disappointment. Why is that? The answer to that question is . . . US.

It doesn't matter what TV channel you watch or social media feed you scan. Everyone has an opinion of what's wrong in their lives or in somebody else's. It doesn't matter what the truth is. What matters most to us these days is how things make US feel.

The frustrating part comes when one side of any conversation tries to convince the other side that they are wrong. I try to leave those conversations as soon as I can because they are pointless. These is no "winner" in any debate.

When I get frustrated in life I like to remind myself of a few key things. Perhaps they will help YOU today as you walk through YOUR life.

Point #1 - God is on His throne. God is still in control. There is nothing happening in life that God can't overcome or fix in some way. God can change hearts, He can heal the sick, He can give sight to the blind. God can make the deaf hear and the mute speak. He can even make an evil heart good.

Point #2 - God never lies. God's always tells the truth. To lie would be a sin and God hates sin. God will always work all things together for good. That might be hard to believe at times but God has promised this and God. Never. Lies.

Point #3 - God loves. That fact should be enough all by itself but for some it is not. If God's love is not enough for you, you will never be satisfied. This life is as good as it gets. But if God's love is sufficient, if His grace and mercy satisfy you, then you KNOW God loves you and will give you the desires of your heart. Love.

If two people were lost in the woods and each set out in a different direction to find the trail, who would not call out to the other when that person found the trail? I have found that trail to safety and peace. It's name is Jesus, the Christ.

"Over here! Over here! I have found the way out!"

"20 We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone." - Psalm 33:20-22

My Life Is In You, Lord

White Out

If you live in Wisconsin like I do, this picture probably looks pretty familiar to you. If you were foolish enough to venture out on the roads yesterday, this was most likely your view of the road - or worse. The picture is also a reminder of something else. Something even more scary.

I have had my fair share of lousy winter driving so when I retired last spring I was glad. No more driving in conditions like what we saw around here yesterday. Winter drive became an option for me. Still, there were people who ventured out in the storm. One of them is dead today. 71 others are severely injured. Why? Because they were not prepared for what was on the road in front of them.

Look at the picture. Can you see the car stopped on the road 1/4 mile ahead? Will you be able to stop in time on the icy roads? Maybe. It's also possible that, when you step on the brakes, your car begins to spin out of control. You very well could be watching the last few seconds of your life unfolding before you.

Most people don't think about God at a time like that. "Am I saved or not?" They're more concerned about saving themselves from the car accident that awaits them. And then it's too late.

There are plenty of people out there in the world who know Jesus already. They are much like anyone else in a white out like the one in the picture. They're probably thinking similar thoughts to any person when facing the unknown. But they have prepared themselves ahead of time.

The person that died yesterday in that accident. Were they a Christian? Were they saved? I don't know. I can't tell you if they were prepared to meet Jesus or not yesterday. But I can ask you. Are you ready to face death?

None of us can read what's in another person's heart just like none of us can see what's on the road ahead of us in a white out. Are we ready for what's on the road ahead of us in OUR lives?

"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into." - Matthew 24:42-43

White Out Accident From Behind The Wheel

Defenders

As I type this story there is a roar being heard overhead. It's the Wisconsin Air National Guard practicing over the skies of Central Wisconsin. Practice makes perfect you know. But practice for what?

They are practicing so that, if needed, they won't have to "think" about defending this country. They will just do it. They want their planes to become extensions of their own bodies. They will be the first line of defense against an enemy attack. Our faith must be like the Air National Guard. We must be prepared for battle against our enemy. Satan.

Think about it. When the enemy attacks, where does he do it? A smart enemy will search for weaknesses in our defense system. The enemy looks for holes in our perimeter fencing where we are most vulnerable. Satan has a very high success rate in his attacks on us. So what do we do about it? How can we stop his advances?

We must examine ourselves. Where are we the weakest? We need to find those weak areas and build them up. It's possible that our weakness can even become our strengths. Especially if we call on Jesus. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble." - Psalm 46:1

Have you heard the phrase, "The best defense is a good offense?" It's true. We need to build up our defenses before the attacks even come and then go on offense. Struggling with sexual sin? Remove the temptations. Close off the access points. Struggling with overeating? Quite buying junk food! Go on the offensive.

We must never let our guard down because that's when Satan will attack.

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8

"But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

God has given us all the weapons we need for our battle. His Word and prayer. We must train with them and use them like they are a part of us if we are to survive this war.

115th Fighter Wing

For Such A Time As This

I read the Book of Esther yesterday. I love being retired and having all the time I want to read. Yesterday though one particular verse grabbed my attention. "How perfect for today," I thought, as I closed my Bible and my eyes.

In the Bible story, God's people were in trouble. Esther found herself in a unique position. She was a Jew yet only a few people knew of it. When she stood up in front of the king she risked her life for her people who had been scheduled for annihilation at the hands of Haman. The get to her position, Esther had to replace a deposed Queen Vashti who had been disobedient to the king.

Does that sound like any other story you have read in The Bible? Jesus and His sacrifice for God's people perhaps? And Satan. He will be deposed from this world when Jesus returns.

Watching the nightly news can easily show us how Christians are being prosecuted around the world, It is easy to see the comparison between Satan and Queen Vashti and especially Haman. Esther's relative Mordecai said this to the young Queen Esther before she went into the King's court and risked her life.

"12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:12-14

You and I have a royal position. Through our faith in Jesus, our faith in God, we have become heirs, sons and daughters of The Most High God. Look at the world we live in. Chaos, persecution, unrest . . . ask yourself the same question Mordecai asked Esther.

"Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

For Such A Time As This
The Book of Esther

The Still of the Night

My wife and I went for a candlelight hike through the woods this past weekend. Even though is was single digit temperatures outside we both were warm. Why? Because weren't thinking about ourselves.

We live right next to Hartman Creek State Park in Central Wisconsin. It is amazingly convenient for us. My wife goes there to swim in the summer months. I take long hike through the woods there, simply by walking out my back door.

Although we have often returned quite frozen in years past, that didn't happen this year. We were rather comfy. True, lessons learned from our past frigid excursions to this winter event taught us how to dress. Still there was something different.

Perhaps is was the stillness of the whole thing. There was no wind blowing. It could have been the near-full moon which illuminated the woods (in additions to the hundreds of candle-lit bags). Perhaps it was the sound and sight of running water as it flowed from lake to lake. Or, more likely, it was each other's company, as we walked, hand-in-hand through God's creation.

I think the main reason we felt so warm though was because it was a beautiful night and that was just it. There was no television, no crowded malls, no sound of people arguing, no Facebook, no phones. Just peace . . . and quiet.

God created places like Hartman Creek and, thank God, we humans had enough sense to set it aside for future generations to enjoy. Even God enjoyed "walking through the garden" now and then.

"7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake," - Mark 3:7

"13 Jesus went up on a mountainside " - Mark 3:13

My wife and I stopped several times along the way to just look at the beauty of the night. What a beautiful way to worship.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." - Romans 1:20

The Stories Though

There are so many bad stories in the news these days. Are you ready for a really good one for a change? Okay. Well, how about five?

Cool Story #1 - The young man in this picture is a high school student from Kaukauna, WI named Nathan. He gets good grades in school and is active on the robotics team. A fine young man.

His dad Ron is an engineer at the company I retired from last spring - The McMahon Group, Inc of Neenah, WI. My friend, Nathan's dad, bought this Toyota Camry and he and Nathan fixed it up and were looking for a place to donate it. What a cool story about mentorship, community service and parenting, all rolled into one!

Cool Story #2 - The lady in this picture is a friend of mine named Mary. She works in the healthcare industry in Weyauwega, WI. Mary is a single mom with a one-year-old son. She works hard, is engaged to be married and loves The Lord.

Recently her car died. The same thing happened to her fiancé's car. She had to rely on family and friends for rides to and from work and wherever else she needed to go. I guess that's not really a cool story. Unless there is a Cool Story #3. And here it is.

While my wife and I were attending the company Christmas party this past January, Ron came up to me and asked if I knew of anyone who could use a car. At the time I wasn't aware of Mary's need but I knew that her fiancé's car had perished so I made a call. Indeed! There was a need! It turned out Mary's car had just died too!

Calls were exchanged, final tweaks were made to the car, and a meeting was arranged. This past Monday night all three cool stories merged into one. Ron and son Nathan gave the keys to the car to someone they had never met. Pretty cool!

There is a cool twist to these stories I have just told you. A fourth story. The lady who sold Ron the car was also a single mom. The car in the picture had just "died" for her so she decided to sell it. Someone had given HER a car so. And when Ron found that this lady's car was easily repairable, he offered it back to her. She said no, she already had that gifted car and maybe somebody else could use it.

Now that I think of it, there is a fifth Cool Story. I got to be the middle man between these fine men and the damsel in distress. I didn't really do anything at all. But I get to witness the cool things that God does in the world around me and then write a story about it.

All these stories testify to the greatness of God. These stories are a reminder of how God works. He creates in us hearts filled with compassion and a strong faith. He gives us special gifts that we all can use to glorify His name. In the end, everyone winds and He gets the glory. It was a joy to be able to stand by and watch these stories come together . . . for good.

"28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

All Things - Covenant Worship

Deaf and Blind

Do you know what's going on in this picture? You might be able to figure it out based on the title of this story. This 15-year-old girl is "signing" into the hand of a 64-year-old deaf and blind man named Tim. But wait, there's more.

Tim was on a return flight after visiting his sister. The problem was there was no one to communicate with him on the plane.

Frustrated with their inability to communicate with the man, the crew asked if there was anyone onboard who could sign. There was. A 15-year-old girl named Clara.

The interesting thing about Clara was . . . she wasn't supposed to be on the flight. Her travel plans were altered when her previous flight was cancelled. And the rest is an amazing story. Like something only God could come u with.

After watching the video it suddenly occurred to me that I was not only watching a beautiful story of compassion, mercy and grace. I was watching a training video for evangelism. Think about it. What went on here? Clara displayed the perfect way to speak to someone about Jesus.

• God brought them together.
• They took time to get to know each other.
• There's nothing like being able to connect with an individual.
• Clara had empathy towards the deaf and blind man.
• Clara asked him many questions.
• Clara, and many others, had an interest in the man's story.
• She could speak his language.
• Use our skills for the good of others.

When we speak to someone about our faith we can't just ram it down their throats. We have to learn how to speak THEIR language. As Paul said, "Become all things to all people". Learn about their life's struggles. We need to have compassion and empathy for the person we are talking to. They are not the enemy. They are simply blind and deaf.

Ask questions. Show that you care. Use the gifts that God has given you to pour into the lives of those around you. When people see our compassion for others, when they can sense the love we have for them, that is when their eyes begin to open and their ears begin to hear.

There are plenty of spiritually "deaf and blind" people in the world. Many of them profess to be Christians. Jesus heals the deaf and the blind. Only He has that power to do that. Our job is simply to introduce people to Him. Take the time. Spread the love. Share the Good News.

"Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ - Matthew 13:15

Blind Deaf Man On Plane

Fluffy And Beautiful

I just got back inside after shoveling all of the snow out our driveway for the umpteenth time. Snow looks rather nice after it falls. Everything it so clean and white. Appearances can however be deceiving.

My wife and I bought the lot where our house now sits in mid-winter. It was covered with fluffy, beautiful snow then too. That's why we bought it. It was beautiful! Then the snow melted and we finally saw what was underneath. We spent many hours that spring cleaning up beer cans, newspaper, plastic bags - all kinds of garbage. We still love our lot but we were unaware of the debris we bought along with it,

We humans are a lot like snow covered ground. We can look all fluffy and beautiful on the outside but inside we also can be filled with garbage and all kinds of junk. How do we clean THAT up in the spring?

Let me introduce you to the best cleaning crew I know - the Trinity crew - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Together they make all things new. They can take the dirtiest and heaviest stuff we have hidden, layers deep under the surface, and make it all snowy white.

And if you think that the things you have done could never be forgiven, think again! God doesn't so much care that you've done those things as He does that you humbly come to Him and ask Him the remove them for you.

This time of year our roads get salty and dirty. A fresh layer of snow can be a beautiful thing. If your soul is ditry and dingy and in bad need of a cleansing, run to Jesus. He'll make it white as snow. And your cleaning is absolutely free! Why? Well, it's free because Jesus paid it all.

Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfill

Sinking Into Darkness?

I've been there. You too would be my guess. That dark place with no visible means of escape. The cause of us being here may vary but place remains the same. If only there was some way to escapee and climb out of the darkness.

When I was a young father I found myself in such a place. Through a tragic event in our community I began to question God. "How could He allow such a thing?" I asked. That question was asked out of my own ignorance. I didn't really know the God I was yelling at and questioning.

It was only when I was at my lowest point, the darkest hour, that I screamed out. That, as I found out, was where the refiner's fire is at it's hottest. That's where God sets the stage for His amazing redemptive work.

"And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” - Zechariah 13:9

Even though we cannot see much in our times of darkness there are always two ways to escape. Either we look down and drift further and further into the abyss. Or we look up. We reach up, trying to escape.

For those  who choose to look upward, there is an escape hatch. His name is Jesus. Jesus is the exact opposite of darkness.

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

Memorize that verse. Keep it in your pocket. Or better yet, write it on your heart. You will never walk in darkness again.

Pieces - Red
At The Cross - Chris Tomlin

Unity

I watched The State of The Union speech last night. It was just like every other speech of it's type I guess. The president says something. One side of the aisle likes it, the other side doesn't. Such is the nature of politics.

Occasionally there are moments in speeches like The State of The Union when all sides actually agree on something. Congress appeared unified when it came to honoring our veterans and battling childhood cancer. Sadly, those moments don't happen often enough.

"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1

There was one moment in particular though that really brought everyone to tears. First there was the story of a Jewish man named Judah who not only survived the holocaust but the recent shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Then, in an amazing show of unity by congress, they all sang this man Happy Birthday. Yesterday was his 81st.

Next the president told the story of Judah and his family being put on a train, allegedly going to another camp. Suddenly, somewhere along the way, the train stopped. The Jewish prisoners feared the worst. The Jewish boy's father went and peered out to see what was going on. His father turned around and excitedly screamed, "It's the Americans!"

Then another holocaust survivor named Joshua was introduced. Joshua was a prisoner at Dachau. Joshua watched through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as the American soldiers rolled in to rescue them with their tanks.

"To me the American soldiers were proof that God exists." he said.

Then the president spoke of an American World War II veteran named Herman who was one of the soldiers who had liberated Dachau. And there he was sitting right next to the person he helped liberate.

Herman could barely stand in his old age but his Jewish friend named Joshua helped him to do so.

The name Herman is a German name and literally means "army-man".

So there you had some amazing names in a modern day story of Biblical meaning. Jesus was called the Lion of Judah. The name we use for Jesus is actually pronounced Yeshua or Joshua.

In the present day story "army man" saved Joshua and Judah. In Biblical times, and today, Joshua, The Lion of Judah, saves an "army of man" through belief through faith. I just thought that was kind of neat.

"Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed." - Revelation 5:5

You can hear these stories beginning at the 1:12:02 mark in the following video.

State of The Union Address 2019

75 Percent

Relationships can be difficult at times. We seem to struggle in our relationships for the silliest of reasons. There is one thing you can do to make them better however. It doesn't cost a cent and has long-lasting benefits.

I am reading the biography of George H. W. Bush right now. "41" was written by his son George W. Bush. In the book he describes his mom and dad's relationship and their advice for a successful marriage.

“You have to go 75 percent of the way, Be thoughtful and make things nice for your husband or wife … it’s a two-way street.”

As we examine our own relationships, do WE do that? Do we go 75% of the way in OUR relationships in order to make them work?

I think that the lower the percentage of effort in any relationship equates  to the chance of success in that relationship. Basically, what you put into it is what you get out of it.

And what about our relationship with God? Do we go more than half way in our relationship with Him?

One of my friend's favorite verses is James 4:1 - "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?"

There are many things "that battle within us" for the time that we have to spend. How much of our time does God get? 10%? 5%? Less?

God gave 100% in His relationship with us when He sent His Son to die on our behalf.

What would our relationships look like if we gave each other 75%? What would our lives look like if we gave God 75%? And what would 100% look like?

Let that be our goal for today. To give more than we receive. Go the extra mile in ALL of our relationships. If we did that do you think our divorce rate would go down? Would church attendance rise? Would the number of fights n the streets be reduced?

O The Blood - Gateway Worship

We Speak What We Know

Where do our beliefs come from? What forms them? Are our beliefs really true? Or are they just something we simply WANT to be true?

If we trace our beliefs back to our birth we can see the influences we have encountered along the way - our parents and grandparents, the schools we attended, our friends, books, television, movies, the Internet, work and church. Besides those influencers, experience too is also a great teacher.

But simply believing something does not necessarily make it true. Try these "truths" on for size.

1. Three wise men came to visit baby Jesus. Maybe. Nowhere in the Bible does it say there were three of them.
2. Adam and Eve ate an apple. Maybe. It was "the forbidden fruit" that they ate.
3. Benjamin Franklin wanted a turkey to represent America, not and Eagle. False. Old Ben actually wanted an image of Moses to represent our country.

Just believing something it true doesn't necessarily make it true. So how can we tell if something is true or not? How do we know what's true and what's a lie? That's easy. Find some absolute truths and some absolute facts. And where can we find those? The Bible!

• Fact #1 - God does not lie. Lying is a sin and God cannot sin. God is holy and lying is not in His nature. So, everything that God says is true. It has to be, otherwise God is not God.
• Fact #2 - Jesus is God. This is a basic tenant of the Christian faith. Jesus is part of the Trinity along with God and The Holy Spirit.
• Fact #3 - Jesus cannot lie. See Facts 2 & 3 for more information.
• Fact #4 - God spoke through the prophets. God often dictated what was to be told to His people. He revealed these words to His prophets like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Daniel.
• Fact #5 - The Bible is true. "16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," - 2 Timothy 3:16

The problem is that, even though we have been given God's Word, a volume of 100% truth, we often choose to ignore it and create "truths" of our own. We choose the lies that we tell ourselves over the truth that God tells us.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness." - John 3:11

So, how can we tell truth from lies? Hold a statement up next to the Bible. It's like examining a 100 dollar bill. How can you tell if it's real or not? Hold it up next to a bill you KNOW is real. A bill that came right from the source.

Recently a group of American politicians tried to remove the words "so help me God" from our oaths of office. They were defeated. But the fact remains they tried to remove it. It's only a matter of time before they are successful. They have tried removing the words "One nation, under God," from our Pledge of Allegiance. Where they have failed to do that they often have remove the pledge all together.

It is written that "the truth shall set us free." Do you know where that comes from? It comes from God. The Bible. Therefore it is true.

"27They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up a the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:27-32

At the end of this clip from The Passion of The Christ movie, Pilates wife says, "If you will not hear the truth, no one can tell you." And so it is in our world today. "Let him who has ears to hear, let him hear."

What Is The Truth - The Passion of The Christ
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