Wonderful Counselor

I know it's not time for Christmas songs but every time I come across Isaiah 9 in my reading, I always sing one. Why? I can't help it.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:6-7

See. Now you're singing it too. That's Handel's Messiah.

A couple nights ago I was awakened by a passing thunderstorm. Lots of lightning lit up the bedroom along with claps of thunder rattling the windows. I was pretty much wide awake, so I began to think about our Wonderful Counselor. You know, Almighty God. Our Wonderful Father. Suddenly I found myself praising Him in the midst of the storm. And it wasn't long before the storm had passed away to the east.

There's a lesson to be learned here, but let's let God do the teaching.

"Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." - Mark 4:36-39

Do you have a storm raging in your life right now? Notice that in the story we just read, Jesus did nothing until the disciples came to Him. It's the same with us.

We must remember to go to Jesus in prayer and praise Him for His amazing power over ALL things. Then we must simply wait and watch. The storm in OUR life will either pass by quickly or we will find things suddenly calm in our lives. Either way, let us praise Him for all that he does. And not just on stormy days, but EVERY day.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

For Unto Us A Child Is Born - London Symphony Orchestra

Pangs

Things just seem to keep getting weirder and weirder, don't they? Why is that? There is actually a simple answer, yet, at the same time, it is a very complex answer. Here's the simple answer . . .

Why are all of these bad things happening lately? It seems like they are increasing in frequency and severity. Why?

Simple answer: Because we are getting closer and closer to the end. Open your Bibles to Matthew 24. Jesus, our Lord and Savior,  is speaking to His disciples.

"⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pangs." - Matthew 24:7-8

Okay. Define 'pangs.'

Pangs - 'a sudden sharp bodily pain.' Or

'a sudden sharp feeling of emotional pain.'

If one goes back to the original Greek text it says,  "these ORIGINal OF-travails."

The word 'birth' is not actually there. Where did BIRTH pangs came from? It's not in the original Greek, but the 'birth pangs part is definitely there in the Bible I am reading.

Perhaps 'birth' pangs is in Matthew because 'pangs' appears elsewhere WITH a reference to the birthing process.

"At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor." - Isaiah 21:3

Or . . .

"You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor!" - Jeremiah 22:23

Are the 'pangs' that we are experiencing today actually signs that Jesus' return is imminent? Many believe so. Are they increasing in severity and intensity?

Personally, I believe we are close to Jesus' return, but I also believe that many more bad things will happen yet. Things worse that these events we are going through today. And the frequency of those events will increase.

If you are reading this, and have never fully surrendered your heart to Jesus, please do so today. He could return at any moment. There is no biblical prerequisite for His return. And, as SOON as He does return, well, it will be too late to repent. The open door will be shut.

It will be like the parable Jesus told about the ten virgins and the wedding feast. 

"The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut." Matthew 25:1:13

You do NOT want to be outside once that door gets closed.

These things we are experiencing today could be the birth pangs Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. Or they could just be the beginning of them. Either way, the time is short. Be ready!

Birth Pangs - GotQuestions.org

The Parable of The Ten Virgins

We Are Alita

Do you know who you are? Really and truly, I mean. Deep down, hidden in your heart. Do you really know?

One of the first questions we get asked when we are kids is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Our typical childhood answers to that question range from astronaut, to fireman, to president of the United States. Seldom do our childhood dreams come true.

One of the first questions we get asked when me meet someone as an adult is, "So, what do you do?" Why is our job one of the first things things people want to know about us? Do our jobs define us?

I think a better question to ask someone, if you are truly interested in finding out about that person, is, "Who are you? or maybe, "What defines you as a human being?" It is often hard to answer those questions unless we first dig deep and examine ourselves, truthfully.

I watched a movie recently called Alita: Battle Angel. Alita didn't know who she was.at the beginning of the movie but eventually she figured it out. Who she truly was soon became apparent as she encountered life and reacted to it.

After Alita discovered who she was, her father told her, "Now you know who you are."

Who are YOU?

Jesus KNEW who HE was. This passage from Matthew indicates the best way for each of us to define who we are in this life. Pay close attention.

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” - Matthew 16:13-16

Who do OTHERS say that we are? What do others think about us? What do others think we are good at?

Peter knew that Jesus was the Son of God. And Peter's statement also defined who HE was.

What defines us as human beings? Is it our jobs? Is it our education? I don't think so. I think it is our compassion and love for others that defines us.

I had lunch with a young friend of mine recently. She is compassionate and cares deeply for others. But at the same time she is also unsure of her future. My prayer for her was that God would open and close doors in her life and that His Holy Spirit would lead her to where He wants her to be.

We can try to figure things out for ourselves but that often leads nowhere, working in dead end jobs. If we follow our hearts and follow God's leading, we are sure to end up exactly where God wants us to be.

When God asks us who we are in heaven one day, what will we say? Based on what we just read in Matthew, the best answer has to be, "I am a follower of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."

Alita: Battle Angel Trailer

Fisherman

This young man just witnessed something we rarely get to see these days - a miracle of God. And what was his response? Well, he fell down on his knees and worshipped. What will WE do when we encounter the one true God face-to-face?

That's a hard question to answer I guess. It all really depends on what He means to us when we meet Him.

There are many of us believe in Him right now without having actually seen Him. We have only heard about Him. Yet somehow we have been drawn to Him. It is the Holy Spirit calling us. Still, many will not believe in Him even though they have heard all about Him their whole lives. Remember Thomas? DOUBTING Thomas?

"Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then 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.”

28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:24-29

If you believe, you are blessed. That should help you get your Monday off to a pretty good start. YOU! You have been blessed by God!

I encourage you to watch the following video. You will see a man change right before your eyes from a non-believing frustrated fisherman to a worshipping on his knees disciple of Jesus Christ. It's worth the watch.

The Miracle of The Fish - 'The Chosen' Movie

Palms

There were thousands of Palm Sunday messages offered at churches around the globe yesterday. Each one probably spoke about Jesus and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Our church's pastor even spoke about the significance of the palm tree in Greek culture and the "victory" they proclaimed. This morning, I thought of one more "Palm Sunday" connection that most likely didn't get made.

If you Google the words "Jesus" and "Palm" in a search for images you will see picture after picture of Jesus, most likely riding on a donkey, surrounded by lots of people waving palm branches. The search results are expected.

Now add one word to that search. Search Google for images using the words "Jesus" and "Palm" only add the word "Nails." You will get an entirely different result. That's because there are two meanings to the word palm. Yes, a palm is a tree. But it is also the inside of a human hand. It is where Jesus was nailed to the cross.

Our pastor told us on Palm Sunday that palm branches were used to sweep the temple after the Maccabean revolt which ended in 160 BC. I just thought it was interesting that palms were used to clean a dirty temple and Jesus' palms were used to clean OUR dirty temple - our souls.

This Friday we will celebrate Good Friday. It could easily have been called Palm Friday in my opinion. Either way, it is a time to reflect on the cleaning of our hearts by recalling what Jesus did for us on that cross.

"26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you." - Psalms 118:26-28

Christmas Letter 2017

The beginning of "the Christmas letter" is always an enjoyable time for me. It is a time of reflection and praise as I look back on the year's events. "The reason for the season" always seems to get lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and holiday traffic. It shouldn't be that way.

When spring arrived this year so did the reasons for praising God - the One and Only reason for the season. In April I began building a tiny home for Him - a future shelter for area homeless. This is what the tiny home looked like at the end of April . . . two days before my near head-on, roll-over, 60-mph car accident.

The accident was a blessing in many ways. First, the air bags did their job and I was able to climb out of the car. Two days later I was back at work, praising God for His protection. This was my car the day after.

July was a good month. Bev and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Mackinac Island. We love that place. This year we had an amazing conversation about our faith with the chef at our B&B - Rosie. What an amazing lady.

And speaking of amazing ladies, Miss Emma Elaine was born to our daughter and her husband on July 4th. What a precious gift SHE is!

As I reflect on all of these events in our lives this past year it occurs to me that, when added together, they represent The Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, our Messiah.

In the tiny home we see an example of us humans trying to build our lives on our own, without the help of God. In the end, doing things on our own leads to death (the car accident). We need someone to rescue us. If we place our faith and trust in Jesus (the bridegroom) we can have a successful marriage lasting far longer than just 40 years. It is through our belief that God forgives ALL of our sins that we become born (Emma) . . . again.

And that is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. He was born, to die for us so that we might live.

^"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

May God bless you all this Christmas. May you draw closer to God this year than you have ever been. May Jesus be born in you and may you play your drum for Him every day of your lives. Love you all!

Be Born In Me - Francesca Battistelli
Little Drummer Boy - For King and Country