Foxholes

It has been said that "there are no atheists in foxholes." I can believe that. That moment what we are SO desperate that we do anything just to get out of the situation we're in. Even call out to God for help!

Most of us have no idea what war is actually like. We see it on television or in the movies and that's as real as it gets. We have no clue.

In our desperate moments, when we DO reach out to God for help, what happens after we cry out? What happens when God actually answers?

For the soldier it is the moment when things suddenly become clear and an obvious plan of action is realized. Fear escapes and is instead replaced by acts of bravery and action. Purpose replaces uncertainty. The soldier moves without thought of self, but with a desire for the greater good.

There is another saying - "For God and Country." We need more soldiers in God's army of today. Ranks are dwindling. The purpose remains the same but our enemy has infiltrated the perimeter and is taking his share of casualties.

In the Book of #Ephesians Paul tell us to dress for war. He is NOT kidding around with some poetic slimily. He's deadly serious. Perhaps this Veterans Day would be a good day for us to heed this advice and suit up for the coming war.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:10-17

We are soldiers of the Price of Peace but WE WILL FIGHT for our King.

Hacksaw Ridge Movie Trailer

Where Dreams Come From

In the moment, dreams can seem so real. We can wake up in the middle of the night and think the world is coming to an end, someone is trying to kill us or we are in love with the most beautiful person on the planet. In reality these things aren't actually happening, but in our minds . . . they are.

Where do dreams come from? That is a question that has haunted mankind for years. Personally, I think dreams begin in the kitchen. Last night my wife made a black beans and rice dish. It was good but maybe, at least in MY mind, it was TOO good. I had the weirdest dream!

My dream was not a typical dream. It contained some rather frightening moments of a spiritual nature. Things flying around, the threat of death was imminent. I remember waking up, glancing around the room and then getting up to go to the bathroom.

Before I came back to bed though I went out into the dining room and grabbed my Bible off the table and brought it back to bed with me. I remember holding it to my chest - covering my heart with it - and praying a prayer while holding by "double-edged sword."

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

What sorts of things do YOU dream about? DO they make sense when you are trying to describe them to someone else? Are they ever SO real you thought for sure they really happened?

Scientists still don't know where dreams come from. They can measure brain activity during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and have related those activities to dreams, but no one really knows how dreams begin.

There are stories out of the Middle East where Muslims have come to faith in Christ through dreams. Wow! That raises an interesting question. If God is indeed spirit, can His Holy Spirit come to us in our dreams? And if so, what do we do with those dreams? Do we take action on them during our waking moments?

I believe that God can do anything. That belief draws EVERYTHING into the realm of possibilities. The dreams we dream . . . could they be reality in another dimension? Could God be trying to tell us something, while we sleep? The Bible proves that He does indeed do that sort of thing.

12 “A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it. 13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on people, 14 fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. 15 A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end. 16 It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice: 17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker? 18 If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, 19 how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth! 20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; unnoticed, they perish forever." - Job 4:12-20

When we dream, what do we dream about? WHO do we dream about? Is it ourselves and some fantasy we have? Or do we dream about God and what it will be like in heaven? Dreams can mean many things. They don't necessarily translate into a call to arms but often they can create in us a call to think. And perhaps that where our thoughts and dreams begin, with our eternal Dream Weaver Himself.

Dream Weaver - Gary Wright

Crack!

When my wife and I were in Upper Michigan this past fall we climbed Sugarloaf Mountain. It's not really a "mountain" but there is quite a view from the top!

On our way up to the top we noticed a tree growing out of a large rock kind of like the one shown below. How in the world could a tree grow right out of the rock like that. Well, go back in time a little bit. That tree wasn't always so large. It once was just a little seedling, searching for a way to grasp hold of the world in which it lives. As a small seed it sent roots out in search for soil, moisture, anything that would give it life. And when it found it in a small crack or opening, the seedling grew and grew into the tree we see today. But look at what happened to the rock along the way. It cracked! And in the future, the rock will totally split apart through outside forces (roots and water, freezing and thawing) that came into the rock, split it and ultimately will divide it.

I would like to use this tree, and the rock it actually caused to split, as an analogy for something very sad that is happening in today's church. Apostasy.

That sounds like such a nasty word. How could anything bad be going on in our churches? That's where God is. Anyone who goes to church is a good person, right? Right?

Let's go back to the beginning of the church. They spent time together exhorting one another in the teachings of Jesus. When anyone preached something different than what Jesus taught they were rebuked and corrected. In the Book of Galatians Paul talked about a time when he rebuked Peter (Cephas).

"11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” - Galatians 2:11-14

Sometimes I think I am too critical of the churches I attend. I analyze every word I hear to make sure it lines up with the truth of God’s Word. I question things. I send e-mails to pastors. But you know something ? I think we are SUPPOSED to do that.

"10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." - Acts 17:10-11

As Christians we are called to “be holy”  (Leviticus 11:44). Holy means “set apart.” Scripture tells us exactly what we are to believe and why. We are not to be adding things or deleting unpleasant scripture because it might be offensive. There are some churches that embrace homosexuality for example, despite it being contrary to God’s Word. This is wrong. When the Pope comes out and says that all sinners, even atheists, can get into heaven, he is sending the wrong message, contrary to the message Jesus brought to his church. Anyone who brings a different Gospel is to be called an antichrist. Am I sawing that the Pope is an antichrist? Yes I am, because he choses to deliver a message contrary to scripture.

"18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." - 1 John 2:18

If we are to keep the rock, our church, intact throughout the years, we need to keep the trees and the weeds from taking hold in it and breaking us apart. Beware of entertainment in our churches. Examine every word that is preached. Ask questions of your pastor. Pray for your church and its leaders. They have a tough job, they need our help and prayers. Question when the secular world starts wriggling its way in the cracks. Mortar up the beaches in the church walls with the Word of God and hold off the attacks of the evil one who longs to come inside and make YOUR church his own.

This analogy, however, goes deeper than our churches. It applies to our souls as well. We must watch what we allow to enter our thoughts, our conversations, our eyes and our hearts. Every thought must be held captive or those tiny cracks will develop. If we allow sin to get a hold in our lives we will end up split in two, just like the rock my wife and I witnessed.

"19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." - Revelation 22:19

Jesus is the solid rock. There are no cracks in Him. There were and there never will be. Place your trust and hope in Him. In so doing, He will fill the cracks in your life and make you whole in the eyes of God.

On The Solid Rock I Stand

Fatty

When my wife and I were in Big Bay, MI earlier this month we passed a sign by a long driveway that read "Big Bay Health Camp." I looked at my wife and asked, "Well should I drop you off, fatty?"

Looking back on things now .. . perhaps that was the wrong thing to say. My wife is not fat and she knows I was just teasing her but every time we drove past that sign from then on my wife gave me the evil eye and said, "Fatty, huh?"

I suppose it didn't help that my wife is a dietician and is very conscious about what she eats. She is all about eating healthy. And she gets paid for it!

People come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are tall, some are short, there are wide people and there are skinny ones. The point of what I am writing about today is not about our differences and how we should all just get along and sing Kubiya around the campfire as one, big happy family. No. This is about what we eat . . . spiritually.

I'll start off with two sayings that probably everyone has heard of and I will ask you to think how they might apply to our spiritual lives. The first is "You are what you eat" and the second is "Garbage in, Garbage Out."

People who go to "health camp" are told they must watch what they eat if they are going to lose weight and get healthy. It is the same with us and the things we intake spiritually. If we simply believe everything we hear without questioning it or comparing it with scripture, how do we know if it's true or not?

The things we take in spiritually can be deceiving, kind of like junk food. It tastes really good but it is not very good for us. Instead, we must examine all spiritual food to see whether it is true or not . . . to see if it is good for us.

A few weeks ago in church I heard a pastor speaking about the woman caught in adultery in John 8(1-11). After all the Pharisees had left Jesus said, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?" To that the woman replied "No one." Then the pastor told us that Jesus said, "Go, your sins are forgiven."

That sounds right, doesn't it? It sounds like something Jesus would say . . . and a pastor told us this is what Jesus said, so it must be true, right?

No, it is not. Jesus did not say, "Go, your sins are forgiven." What Jesus actually said was "Neither do I condemn you." And then Jesus said something else . . . AFTER that. Something the pastor never told the congregation, "Go, and sin no more."

It is often things left unsaid that speak the loudest.

The next time you are reading a book, listening to sermon or just in general conversation, listen closely as the Bereans did, to determine whether of not what they heard in the synagogue was true.

"11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." - Acts 17:11

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures," - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Trust only what you read in the Bible. There is no others source of truth, only opinion. Opinion doesn't save. Only Jesus can do that. A real, truthful accurate Jesus, not the watered-down, needy Jesus that is preached in many of our churches today.

"In the beginning was The Word (Jesus), and The Word was with God and The Word was God." - John 1:1

God doesn't sin. God doesn't make mistakes. God doesn't have an opinion on things. He is right, never wrong. And so it is with His Word that still speaks to us today. Compare everything to his Word and don't be eating any of the junk food being served out there. And there is a lot of it.

Many of us with appetites for warm fuzzy sermons and the absence of any "meat" or "healthy choices" in our spiritual diet are getting rather obese these days. We should only be eating the things that Jesus offered us. Only then can we spiritually healthy and able to descern what things are good for us to eat, and what things are not. If we don't do that, we will end up being The Biggest Loser.

And now, to help you in your spiritual exercise, here's a little Christian workout music for you this morning. Have an amazing day!

Move - MercyMe

Responsibility

Do you have one of those people in your life who just loves to talk? And I mean WAY too much? I do. Boy, that can be annoying! Especially when I want to get something done! At the worst possible moments his person just walks in and begins to talk, whether I want to or not. How do we politely get this person to stop talking and get back to what we're doing?

It's even annoying actually when this person who apparently needs to talk to survive, talks to someone else near me. Now, three people are being distracted instead of just two. Not only is the habitual talker keeping us from getting our stuff done but he/she is costing our company money by wasting everyone's time.

Boy, I tell you, the next time I have my performance review I'm going to tell my boss all about this guy . . . at least I was . . . until I read about Nehemiah this past week and discovered that I was the one in the wrong.

Taking care of our own responsibilities and not concerning ourselves with other people's character flaws is a lot like the Book of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that I found myself reading this week. Each household was responsible for their own portion of the wall. They didn't concern themselves with their neighbor's portion of the construction, they just took care of their own business, then with a like mindedness and a commonality of purpose, all the temple walls got rebuilt.

When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were in need of repair he was greatly distressed. How could he himself repair them? The answer is, he couldn't. But with God's help, he encouraged others to rebuild a small portion of the wall, right in their own front yards.

"28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired." - Nehemiah 3:28-32

The entirety of the third chapter of Nehemiah is a a listing of all those who helped rebuild the walls, accomplishing together what they could not do individually.

Then I thought about my talker friend at work. He comes in at 3:30 in the morning each day so he can get his work done. And he doesn't really spend ALL day talking. Should I really be feeling that this guy is wasting time when his projects usually get finished on time despite his talking? And isn't it the responsibility of those being talked to to politely say, "I can't really talk now. I have to get my work done."

Then another Bible story came to mind.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.” - Matthew 20:1-16

There is a lot to learn in this life. Many of life's answers can be found right in the Bible. A good way to re-build our spiritual walls is by taking care of our responsibilities as Christians - worship, prayer, spending time in His Word, and serving others. We must examine our own "walls" and repair the cracks and gaps we may find before the whole wall comes tumbling down.

The wall of our faith gets attacked every day. Satan looks or gaps or a breaches our spiritual wall without stopping. How can we prepare for such an attack? Read, serve, worship and pray . . . and place your faith in Jesus Christ . . . the repairer of walls, the master builder . . . our intercessor

Intercession - Eric Ludy

Ice

There is nothing quite like a mid-January rain storm to make the typical Wisconsin driver feel unsure of themselves. Once that rain freezes the roads can feel just like a skating rink! And that's exactly what I found myself driving on last night. The roads were just wet for most of my journey through the darkened countryside. My windshield wipers flicked only occasionally, ridding the glass of the mist as it accumulated. Things were fine . . . for a while. Until I turned off the main highway and onto the side roads near our house.

Whoa!!

Left over snow and ice from the storm we had a few weeks ago gets down right slick when God pours a little water on top of it. Wee!!!

Back when I was in college, I remember my parents and I driving back to Madison one winter weekend. We had one of those massive Mercury station wagons, kind of like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation. We called in The Sled.

We were cruising along rather nicely, about half way to Madison, when we suddenly began passing cars with tremendous ease. I checked my speed. Hmm, not speeding . . .

"Why are all of these cars going so slow?"

That was right about the time I lost control of the car and we began to rotate, slowly, to the left. Ever go down the freeway at 60 mph? Sideways? I almost caught it once but . . . mmm, no. We spun 3/4 of the way around and came to a stop, facing the ditch. I smiled sheepishly at my dad who was riding shotgun.

"Ha ha! Ice." I chuckled, trying hard to be cool. My dad just stared at me. (Gulp). We proceeded the rst of the way at 25 mph.

There are times in life when we get caught by surprise. Things can catch us off guard and we usually find ourselves incredibly unprepared for the events that life throws at us.

Last year a friend at work told me that her husband had just left her. No warning, no argument. He just came home one night after work and said, "We're done." He put some divorce papers on the dining room table and left. There's no way to prepare for something massive like that.

Did you ever watch that show Doomsday Preppers? It's a show about people who are preparing for the end of the world. They train themselves in hand-to-hand combat. They have large stashes of weapons and food and spend their lives waiting. Waiting for the end. Those guys are JUST a little wacko. Or are they? I guess they're just trying to be prepared. But in the end, what will they have gained?

I am a doomsday prepper. But me and my brothers and sisters are doomsday preppers of a different sort. We have been assured of surviving until the bitter end, and beyond. Instead of storing up silos filled with grain and corn, we tend to "store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy (Matt 6:20)." Instead of training ourselves for the impending zombie apocalypse, we spend our time in the spiritual dressing room -  putting on the full armor of God as described in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." - Ephesians 6:10-18

No matter what comes our way in this life, whether it's zombies or black ice, unless we are prepared, spiritually, we will never be adequately prepared for anything. So grab your prepper's training manual (The Bible) and may you have a wonderful day prepping for the Lord! :)

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Matthew 24:36