45 and Counting

Today's story is about love, sacrifice, submission, devotion, endurance, patience, trust, hope, faith, and grace. It's about marriage.

My wife and I have been married for 45 years. Today. We are still in love and still devoted to one another. That's somewhat rare these days, I think.

So, what's the key? I'd say 'love' but Jesus told us that we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) so I'm not sure love is the entire answer.

I think the key to a successful, lengthy marriage is actually sacrifice. And submission.

"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2

Following God's example. Is that not submitting to His will? And "the way of love" that Paul is taking about here is sacrifice. Sacrifice and submission. Let's keep reading in Ephesians.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" - Ephesians 5:25

Submit and sacrifice.

If Jesus is my model as a husband, I must sacrifice myself, or should I say my SELF, for my bride.

Example: My wife has a bad back. So do I. One of the household, chores that really bothers my wife's back is vacuuming. Therefore, I volunteered to do all the vacuuming in our house. There are plenty of things I would rather be doing besides vacuuming the carpet, but I would rather vacuum than see my wife in pain.

We're going on a trip to Door County this weekend. My wife knows that I don't like shopping, so she has arranged for me to play disc golf with a relative while she goes and supports the local economy. She was thinking about me and my desires before her own.

Marriage is not 50-50, divorce is 50-50. Marriage is 100-100.

My wife and I have lasted 45 years together. Why? Because we love each other more than we love ourselves. And that, my friends, is the key to ANY successful relationship.

EAA

This time of year, keeping an eye on the sky can yield some pretty amazing sites. It's EAA week where we live and everyone, it seems, is headed to Oshkosh.

Yesterday, for example, I heard a low, rumbling sound and looked up to see a B-25 Mitchell bomber! It's named after General Billy Mitchell, a World War I veteran who is called 'the father of the Air Force." Mitchell is buried in Milwaukee. Milwaukee's airport is Mitchell Field.

Big bombers were the coolest thing when I was growing up. B-17's, B-25's, B-52's. I've seen them all, and flying too!

There is coming a time when we all will hear a different sound. It won't be the sound of a massive Rolls Royce engine, but a simple shepherds horn.

Our eyes will also look skyward then, wondering where the sound is coming from and what it means. Of course, those who KNOW the sound of the shofar will no longer be here to explain its true meaning. We will be gone. We will have been taken away.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

We who believe will ALL be flying on that day. Soaring through the clouds just like a Mitchell bomber. Our mission will be to meet Jesus in the air. And that we will.

I, for one, can NOT wait.

Duck Duck Squish

Have you ever played Duck Duck Goose? It's a childhood game. All the kids sit is a circle and one of the kids walks around the outside, tapping kids on the head saying, "Duck, duck, duck, duck...." until they get to the person they want to tag, and then they say, Goose!" and the chase is on.

We played that game in VBS last week, with a slight twist. A 5-gallon pail of water was provided, along with a rather large sponge.

It was a very hot day and the game designer knew exactly what he was doing. And the kids! Once they figured out that the point of the game was to get everyone wet, did not disappoint.

"Duck, duck, squish!"

As I watched these kids running around and laughing, uninhibited and totally soaked, it occured to me that what I was witnessing was an example of what a childlike faith truly is.

Although the Bible does not say we are to have a childlike faith, it DOES say that heaven belongs to those who have faith like a little child.

"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

Are we washed in the Spirit like the kids at VBS were? Are we so incredibly filled with joy that it exhudes from us in smiles and laughter? Is our faith so infectious that others want to join in, simply by observing our behavior? 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

The Free Gift

Our church just got done with a week of Vacation Bible School. I had the honor of being one of the group guides as we learned about Australia, and Jesus, at the same time.

Each day the kids had a cool contest to complete, usually involving some Bible verses. Most of the kids completed the required task for the day and got their names put in a jar for a drawing at the end of the day.

I put my assistant in charge of logging in the homework and handing out entry tickets with the kid's names on them. I was busy checking the kid's Bible verse memorization at the same time.

Then assembly time began and we had to stop what we were doing. My asistant handed me three tickets with kid's names on them.

I assumed they were from kids who had completed their homework so I ran out and quickly put their names in the jar. However, I assumed incorrectly. The three names had NOT completed their work.

At the end of the day, names were drawn for a prize and, wouldn't you know it, one of the kids (who did NOT complete their homework) had her name selected.

She went up on the stage but rather than accept the prize, she confessed that she had not done the work and refused to take it.

Think about that for a minute. We have an incredibly honest kid here, something that is becoming increasingly rare these days. That in itself should be rewarded. But we also have the potential to exhibit some of God's grace.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." - Ephesians 2:8

In the end, another name was drawn and a prize was given out to someone else. But I wonder if we missed an opportunity to tell the kids about God's grace and how NONE of us deserves His prize of eternal life through our works.

I had made another wrong assumption - that God was done teaching us that day.

At the very end of the closing assembly that day ANOTHER drawing was held. This time from a jar that had ALL of the kid's names in it, regardless of anything they did or didn't do. And wouldn't you know it. Our honest little girl from today's example was one of the selected winners.

A reward from God for being honest? Who knows?

God does. He, and His amazing grace.

Disconnected?

There is a problem in the church today - a disconnect if you will. We can have all the information we need to have about Jesus, but if this one key ingredient is missing in our "faith," our faith is useless.

"When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see." - Matthew 11:24

Jesus wanted John's disciples to hear and to see what Jesus was doing. In other words, Jesus was inviting them to "see for themselves."

"Doubting Thomas" wanted some proof of the resurrection after Jesus was crucified. Jesus told him this:

"Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” - John 20:27

Basically, Jesus said, touch me and see me. Feel me. Examine and then believe for yourself.

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." - Psalm 34:8

Do we simply go to church on Sunday and THINK we're Christians? Or, do we LIVE the Christian life, ACTING OUT our faith?

"Don't THINK you can, KNOW you can." - Morpheus, The Matrix

Our faith is something that must be worn, like clothing. Clothes cannot serve their purpose by hanging in a closet. They must be worn. Put Jesus on today and wear Him proudly.

VBS

As of this writing, I am still alive. I have not ventured into the world of 5-12 year-olds yet but in just a few hours I will be wading through 48 of them.😳

My assistant and I are in charge of 18 of the 8-10 year-olds. Picture two Little League teams, all running the bases at the same time....in opposite directions.

This actually is going to be a blast. The pastor's wife has already made it super easy. She has done such a good job! I feel I must do the same, just trying to keep up. Lol!

Our memory verse for today is from the Book of Genesis. It's a good one, especially considering the world we live in today.

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27

If you don't believe that, go get your DNA tested and see what "trust the science" REALLY means.

We will be teaching our children "the FULL council of God" (Acts 2:27). Not every denomination does that.

We will teach these precious kids that they were "fearfully and wonderfully made"(Psalm 139:13), The Golden Rule (Luke 6:31), The Gospel (John 11:25) and just why God created each of us in the first place (Ephesians 2:10).

To live a life, based on THE TRUTH of God's word, is something we ALL need.

I am grateful that God has provided me with this opportunity to DO something to help fight the enemy we are currently at war with.

The phrase "boots on the ground" comes to mind. This IS a war my friends! A war for our children's souls! Time to get busy.

Here is a list of the equipment we will need to survive the battle.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted (our boots) with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:14-17

Numb

I watched a music video last night that got me thinking (link below). In the video a young woman went through a series of depressing events in her life.

She dealt with a domineering mother at home, she was abused and alienated at her school. Ultimately, she came running into a church only to find that no one was there.

Has the church of today forgotten its purpose? Have we become "numb" to the problems we see happening in the world? And what about us as individuals? Have we become numb as well?

Jesus said the following to the "numb" church in Ephesus:

"You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." - Revelation 4:5

We can see examples of churches doing God's work in Ukraine for example. Samaritan's Purse does not hold back when it comes to going where the love of God is needed, in Jesus' name. But what about us on the individual level?

Why did God give us arms and legs? Could it be because God wanted us to GO where we are needed and to USE the arms He gave us to embrace those who need to feel loved?

Getting back to the video, we are left wondering what happened to the woman. Did she kill herself after her "last resort" - the church - failed to love?

The singer and writer of the song, Chester Bennington, killed himself in 2017. Did HE run into a church at one point in his life only to find it "empty?"

Let us not "become so numb" as a church that we forget what Jesus commanded us to do. Having our lampstand removed by Jesus is NOT something we want to have happen.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

Heavenly Father, I don't want to become numb. Help me to love others who are in need. May my arms always be open to anyone you would place in my path. May my legs always be willing to take me to the places you want me to be. My desire is to be known as one of your disciples - loving, embracing, and moving. It is in Your merciful name that I pray. Amen.

Numb - Linkin Park

The Cure

I have just been diagnosed with lyme's disease - a condition caused by the bite of a very small bug. It's treatable. But in the meantime it's painful and causes a rash and soreness. If left untreated it can cause problems with your heart and nervous system. Strange.

Lyme's disease is a lot like the disease of sin that affects each one of us. If left untreated, sin also leads to death. Thankfully, there is a cure for sin. His name is Jesus.

Jesus cures just about everything we could imagine. He makes the blind see, the lame walk, and can raise the dead back to life.

To cure lyme's disease one has to take an antibiotic. A pill, twice a day, for ten days. To cure sin, all you have to do is commit your life to Christ. Just do it once. It lasts a lifetime,  and more!

"When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor." - Matthew 11:2-5

Right now my body is sore and tired, all brought on by the infection that runs throughout my veins. I have hope that I will be feeling better with the medication I am taking and the diagnosis provided by my doctor.

The diagnosis of our sin appears in God's Word. Read it to discover just what condition you are in. Then trust in Jesus. He is the cure for what ails us all - our sinful nature. Why live in agony and pain when a cure is readily available for anyone to take?

Who Is He?

Jesus did a lot of things in His brief three-year ministry. Most of what He said and did was with a purpose - to make God, The Father, known. He rebuked the religious leaders of His day, and did things that left even His disciples wondering, "Who is this guy?"

Following Jesus seems a whole lot easier today than back when He was actually walking the earth. Knowing what we know today, would YOU get into a boat with Him if He said, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." - Luke 8:22

I'd be asking a few questions.

Why are we crossing the lake? What's on the other side? Just how deep is this lake? Are there enough floatation devices on board? Have you looked at the weather radar? What lesson are you going to be teaching us by randomly climbing into someone's boat and taking off? Thou shalt not steal?

Jesus, being fully God, knew exactly what was going to happen to them. And wouldn't you know it, a storm came up and the boat was in danger of sinking.

"A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger." - Luke 8:23

And where was Jesus during this time? He was asleep in the back of the boat. Seriously? It's almost like He KNEW things would turn out okay.

When His disciple woke Him, he asked them a question about their belief system.

"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples." - Luke 8:24-25

This whole thing was a setup to test the faith of His disciples. That raises a question for us here today in this present state of affairs - where is OUR faith?

When we see gas prices soar and the economy tanking, where is our faith? When our 401k is taking a nosedive, where is our faith? Is our faith in government systems? In money? In our leaders?

Our faith should be in God! Sometimes it might seem like He's sleeping or that He doesn't care. Don't believe it. Where is your faith? Who is Jesus in YOUR life?

"I lift my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1

Praise You In This Storm - Casting Crowns

Today's message inspired by Pastor David Goyke's sermon, Calvary Chapel, Waupaca, WI

Our Deepest Desire

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4

This verse has proved true time and time again in my life. Most recently, just yesterday as I sat in the comfort of my living room chair.

There are two parts of the verse above that need to be defined first before I tell you my story for today. First, what does it mean to "delight in The Lord?"

To me, delighting in the Lord is to love Him, to desire to do His will, and to strive to keep His commandments. If things like that don't delight us, perhaps we could learn from King David. The surrounding verses to the verse above say it all.

Verse 3: "Trust in the Lord and do good;"

Verse 5: "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him."

The second part of today's verse that we need to understand is "the desires of your heart." Just what are those desires? Everyone has different desires. What should "the desires of the heart" be for us?

To know Him and make Him known? To love God and to love our neighbor? And now today's story.

Yesterday, I was talking to a former youth group kid. He had several questions about God. I didn't have all the answers, but I hope he saw that I delighted in the Lord.

Later, I received a text from another former youth group kid. This one, out of the blue, wanted me to know how much they had been thinking about me lately. Could it be that this former kid now wanted more information about God?

Perhaps a future opportunity awaits for the two of us to meet and talk about Jesus. Perhaps a chance awaits to make Him known.

That brings me to "the desires of the heart" part. Neither of these "kids" professes faith in Christ. It is the desire of my heart that, one day, they will.

What is the desire of YOUR heart today? Your deepest hidden desire. Is it God-related? 

It's The Heart, Stupid!

Back in 1992, Bill Clinton was running for president. He had an advisor named James Carville who coined the phrase, "the economy, stupid" as a way to communicate the importance of the economy in the upcoming election. Bill Clinton won.

I'm sure you will see that phrase used again and again this year as we inch towards our November elections. Our economy - the cost of gas, inflation, wages, etc. - is certainly very important to the voters. The candidate who understands the desires of the public will be the most likely candidate to succeed.

If we compare the economy with getting into heaven, we can find similar advice in scripture.

"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." - Psalm 14:1

It's the heart, stupid! Everyone wants to succeed in their efforts to get to heaven. Many believe if they are simply "good enough" or if they do enough "good deeds," they will accomplish their goal and "earn" citizenship in heaven. Wrong.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone." - Mark 10:18

Jesus judges our "hearts" when it's time to enter into heaven. It is nothing that we have done. No deed can earn our way.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

Perhaps a better title for this story should have been It's God's Grace, Stupid!

Every one of us will be judged by Jesus after we die. It's our hearts that He will examine to see whether or not we are worthy. The following words were spoken BY GOD to the prophet Samuel.

"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

We will be judged on the condition of our hearts. Nothing more and nothing less. Is our heart right with God? Do we strive to keep His commandments? Do you seek His will in the living of our daily lives? The condition of the heart in God's eyes is the key that unlocks heaven's door.

Sacrifice

We celebrate Intendance Day because of the great sacrifices people were willing to make nearly 250 years ago. We came to this continent to escape religious persecution and fought for the right to worship how we chose to worship. Not how some government told us to. Lives were sacrificed back then in a war so that we could worship freely today in peace.

Nearly 2,000 years ago another sacrifice was made so that we could worship the One True God. We are free to choose, but there really is only one choice - The Lord, Jesus. He's the One who sacrificed Himself so that we could live. Period. But again, the choice is ours whether or not to believe.

My question for today is this: Are we, today, as individuals and as a country, willing to fight for what we believe in? Each one of us must answer that question in our hearts.

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:14-15

Did you notice Joshua's action verb in verse 15? Choose! And when does he suggest that we make that choice? This day! Today!

Make a choice for Christ this day. Choose to sacrifice yourself for Jesus, just as He sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. Then celebrate your REAL Independence Day. Free from the bondage of sin. Crucify YOUR sin and rise again in a NEW life. Then, and only then, will you be free indeed!

"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” - John 8:36

We Are They

In the span of just a few verses in the Book of Judges, the Israelites went from having penitent hearts to disobeying God. From the shedding of repentant tears to total disobedience. I seems to me that . . . we are they.

The most astonishing thing about this particular passage of scripture is just who it was who called them out. It was Jesus!

"The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’” - Judges 2:1-3

Examine the words of this pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord Jesus. I brought you up out of Egypt". Those words were spoken by God to the Israelites through Moses.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt." - Exodus 20:2

And now Jesus speaks these same words to them years later. It is a good reminder that Jesus IS God - the Trinity - three-in-one.

And these words: "You have disobeyed me!" These are harsh words coming from our King. He is rebuking His people. Yet, God has mercy.

"When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord." - Judges 2:4-5

The word 'bokim' literally means "weeping."

Yet, for as sad and repentant as God's people were, just a few verses later in Judges 2 they were back at it again - disobeying God. In just one generation.

"After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt." - Judges 2:10-12

We can sit here and rip on the Israelites for forgetting God, but are WE any different? I think not. For all practical purposes, we ARE they.

We practice lawlessness, desire to kill our babies, we behave sexually just like Sodom did (and God destroyed them). What makes US so special that He should spare us?

We need a little "bokim" in this world. No, we need a lot! We need repentance and weeping for our sins. What do you think the chances are of that happening in the world we live in today? Slim to none is MY guess.

But you know what? God can do anything. He answers the prayers of His obedient children. Then let us be obedient. And let us pray! God IS a faithful God!

I am convinced that Your promises will hold together

And I will dwell in the hope of Your love forever

I am convinced that Your promises will hold together

And I will dwell in Your love

Faithful God - I Am They