Endings

I finished reading the book of Nehemiah this week, and each time I get to the end of it, I am always struck by the last words.

"Remember me with favor, my God." - Nehemiah 13:31

Focus on those words for a bit. What a beautiful way to end a prayer. Or a life.

Speaking of endings, March 28th is a day that I will never forget. It's my birthday. Every time I go to the doctor, they always ask what my date of birth is. They are using my birthday as a test, just to make sure "I am who I am."

But the reason March 28th is a day that I will never forget is because it is also the date on which my niece chose to end her life.

Each year, on or about my birthday, I go downstairs to my office and pull out the stack of letters that my neice sent me. She was new to her faith in Jesus and had many questions which I was more than happy to help her with. This was her favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Ironic . . .

Her favorite musical artist was Phil Wickham. She was quite jealous when she learned I had seen him in concert. She and I were planning a trip to see him before . . . well, before things ended. Again, speaking of endings, the thing she always wrote at the end of her letters is the same thing I often use in my correspondence with others to this day - "love you and miss you."

And that I do. That I do.

Here's a question: How can your niece be your sister?

When you both have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

Love you and miss you, my sister.

See you soon. 🙂❤🙏

Remember - Nilsson

Flowers - Phil Wickham & Jamie MacDonald 

Underneath Your Skin

I remember it like it happened yesterday. This song brings it all back. Yet these events happened 18 years ago. Funny how the time flies.

It was at Lifest (a Christian music festival in Oshkosh, WI) that I heard this song for the very first time. A friend of mine, the one who had led me to Christ, had invited me to hear and experience this strange new music.

We were at the Edge Stage, a concert venue reserved for some of the harder rock bands of the day like Disciple, Skillet, and Seventh Day Slumber.

The leader singer of that last band I just mentioned, Joseph Rojas, was giving his testimony - that of a recovered drug addict. He was saved out of his addictions and wrote this song for those who still remain trapped there.

The chorus goes like this:

No one knows you anymore

You're lost inside the walls you've built

No one knows you anymore

A prison deep within your soul

But there is One who sees it all

He'll give you life you never dreamed

He can see the pain underneath your skin

Right then and there I was presented with a opportunity. It was like God was asking, "So, what are you going to do about it, Bob?"

Youth ministry can be a wonderful thing, but it does come at a cost. Some of my young friends have taken their own lives due to the pain that lay hidden, out of sight, underneath their skin. Others still struggle to this day. 

The song continues . . .

Your addiction is just a symptom of a lost and dying soul

And without Jesus there's no hope at all

Thankfully God has rescued many from this deadly trap.

One particular young couple (the woman of which was a youth group kid at church) had both been arrested for dealing in meth. The woman reached out to me and asked for help.

Alive and well now, they have both turned their lives around and have four children and good jobs. Two that made it out, all by the grace of Almighty God.

One truth still remains. "There is One who sees it all." His name is Jesus.

Do you have something hidden "underneath your skin?" Reach out and trust in Him. "Without Him there's no hope at all."

[This story is dedicated to Jesse, Kameron, Austin, Muffy, and all the rest who didn't make it]

Missing Pages - Seventh Day Slumber

Win The Race

When I walked into the room, there they were - a big pile of motionless high school boys, wondering what to do without their friend.

Nobody was saying a word. They just all had these sad, lost looks on their faces. The silence reflected the status of their hearts. Their friend Austin had taken his own life just the day before.

As a youth leader at our church, I knew I had to break the painful silence in the room so I did something kind of weird. I asked them a question.

"What was the dumbest thing that Austin ever did?"

Their frowns instantly turned into smiles.

"Austin had this four-wheeler, and we piled as many guys as we could on it and took off through the woods. Austin crashed us and went flying everywhere and the four-wheeler went into the lake."

The laughter of Austin's friends was much needed and very therapeutic. They began speaking other remembrances. And laughing!

That was ten years ago. That very same scene played out this past Saturday strangely enough.

It was my niece's funeral this time. After the service had ended, I was talking with my sister-in-law, when I turned and saw an entire row of young ladies in the back. All of them were looking sad. Some were crying.

It was the very same scenario as the one I had encountered ten years ago after Austin's suicide. Should I go over to them? I don't even know them. I began walking.

After introducing myself I asked them that same question. The same question I had asked Austin's friends ten years ago.

"What was the dumbest thing that my niece ever did?"

The frowns again turned into smiles. Then one girl said this:

"Well, she had this Jeep and we were trying to get some place and accidentally turned the wrong way down a one-way street. We all screamed "It's a one-way street! But your niece said, 'Screw it' Let's go!'"

Suicide is not an easy thing to deal with. There are too many unanswered questions floating around. And so much pain in our hearts. We wonder, could we have done more? Did we say 'I love you' enough? But look what happened in both of these cases.

Smiles replaced every sad face at the mere recollection of a happy, memorable moment. A time when they all had fun. A time when their loved one was alive and with them.

It is a demonstration that the sad times WILL fade. And the happy memories will eventually overpower the bad for our missing friends and family members. Those memories are the "fuel" that fills our emotional tanks - our "love tanks" if you will. It is a dangerous thing, to run out of love. That's why happy memories are so important. They are our heart's emergency backup fuel.

Since Austin's death I have made a point of telling all of the people who I love that I love them. It's a simple thing. But if someone's emotional tank is getting low, that last little bit of fuel might be just enough love to get them to the next filling station.

"Love one another, for love comes from God." - 1 John 4:7

But all of life is meaningless without Jesus.

The pastor at our niece's funeral mentioned 2 Timothy 4:7.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7

The race we are all running is life. The finish line is heaven. The only way to get to the finish line is by repenting of our sins and placing our faith and hope in Jesus. What is the point of being in the race if we have no chance to win? Jesus is the key to victory.

Austin trusted in Jesus. So did my niece. Have you?

This is from a song we sang in church yesterday. It seemed a fitting reminder as we end this story.

"When I fall down you pick me up. When I am dry you fill my cup. You are my all in all."

Telling our earthly "all-in-alls" that we love them is a good thing. But telling JESUS the same thing is critical if we ever want to see those loved ones again.

"Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

Absence Presence

At first, the words 'absence' and 'presence' don't look like they should ever go together. I mean, how can you be absent if you are present, right? Well, you'll find out in a moment.

"Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10

My wife and I were in Michigan just a week ago today. We were there for the funeral of our niece's mother-in-law. While we were there, we slept in our grandniece's bedroom. That's where I noticed this bag, hung on a doorknob.

The image on the bag looked familiar so I took a picture of it. I had seen this same heart picture in a documentary film about suicide called Absence/Presence'. Strange that I would be seeing it on that day.

Later, during the funeral service, I received a text from my sister-in-law with an urgent "please call me" message for us. My wife excused herself and called her sister. The news wasn't good. Our niece was dead.

What's that saying? It never rains, but it pours. Yeah.

But now I can understand the meaning of the movie's title. Even though our loved ones are absent from us, they are still present with us in our hearts. Absence . . . presence.

The pastor's words at the funeral suddenly carried new meaning with the news of our niece's passing. Double meaning. And the verse for today contains the key for all of us as we continue to heal from the pain.

The JOY of the Lord is our STRENGTH.

Is it possible to be joyous in the midst of death? The only way we can truly do that is if we ourselves are IN Christ. If we truly are followers of Jesus, we will find a way to be both sorrowful and joyous at the same time.

Our niece was a follower of Christ. So was the lady whose funeral we are attending. There is hope then, in Christ. The Apostle Paul stated that very absence/presence hope that we ALL should have.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 5:8

Amen to that!

S.A.D.

I wonder. Did the people who began Suicide Awareness Day realize that the acronym for it would be sad? S.A.D. Well, whether or not they realized it, it certainly is fitting.

Also, sadly, it is also the birthday of a young lady from our community named Kameron. Kam was a casualty of suicide just a handful of years ago, along with her family and friends. So today is definitely a "S.A.D." day.

Last night, ssemingly unrelated at the time, I sent out a message to all of the people in my Facebook chat window. I do that once in a while. Over the course of the evening I sent an encouraging message to 171 people. In the message I reminded each person that God loved them and, well, read it for yourself.

"Hi. Just reminding you that God loves you. He knows everything about us and still loves us anyway. That's pretty amazing! Have a super day tomorrow!"

The responses varied from none at all to this one that touched my heart:

"That honestly made me tear up ... I definitely needed that reminder today thank u Bob so much."

We never can tell what a person is really feeling behind all the tough Facebook talk and smilie faces. Social media is the great deceiver. It often places an invisible barrier between vulnerable hearts and those who desire to help.

Today is Suicide Awareness Day. Today, do NOT be afraid to tell someone that you love them and that you will always be available to listen. Suicide is always a surprise. It is never invited, it is inflicted - an unannounced robbery of our hearts - and it often takes the very people we love the most. So, how do we stop suicide from happening? I'm not exactly sure but I am sure of this. The answer, I believe, is rooted in love. A deep, sacrificial love. That love is best expressed in our living it out rather than writing about it in blogs or hearing about it in a eulogy. Love someone today like Jesus loved us.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." - John 15:12

Do Something

It's easy to sit in our living rooms and vocalize our opinions about what we see on the news. It's another thing entirely to get up off our butts and actually do something about it.

The perfect example of this is when my wife and I go walking together. I'll see some trash on the side of the road and make some comment about the person who threw it there.

My wife, on the other hand, walks over and picks it up. She wants our neighborhood to look nice. After a while her hands get pretty full so I step in and offer to help. That's a perfect example of how one person's efforts can lead to others stepping up and helping.

I watch my Facebook news feed a lot. Yes, I'm 66 years old. I watch it for a reason though. So I can do something. As a former youth leader . . . No, once a youth leader, always a youth leader. The point is, I care about our youth and our struggling young adults.

Periodically one will call or text seeking advice. That's wonderful. But what I am looking for on Facebook are the ones whose cry is silent. The kid who has been abused, neglected and hurt. I am looking for the kid in the picture. Why? So I can do something.

Maybe I have been sensitized by the suicide deaths of two youth group kids. It doesn't matter. I want to do something and this is it.

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." - James 1:22

When we find ourselves complaining about something, here's something to consider. What if God created YOU to fix the very thing you were complaining about?

You don't like the trash on the side of the road? Pick it up! You don't like the number of suicides occurring in the world? Do something about it! Make yourself available. Love the unlovable. Reach a hand out to the wounded and hurting.

God didn't create us to go to work and earn our precious money and to comment on other people's lives. God created us to love and to worship Him. And what better way to worship God than by keeping His commandments - the highest of which is to love one another.

So, what are you going to do today?

Do Something - Matthew West

Hope Found In Death

This has been a weird week. If I was to pick a word to describe the week it would have to be “death” - either “death” or “hope.” One or the other. Like I said, it was a weird week. Maybe “weird” should be my word of the week. Instead I choose "hope."

Last weekend was Easter, or Resurrection Sunday if you prefer. It revolved around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death followed by hope. The day before Easter was a young friend’s funeral. More death. But where is the hope in death alone? What hope can be found in the death of someone? Well, it all depends on how you deal with it. And where you place your hope.

We can just accept someone’s death and go on feeling sad about it or we can actually do something about it. We can deal with a death in a positive way, rather than a negative one.

On my way back from visiting my friends in Minnesota I had lots of time to think. And I came up with a plan. Well, that’s not quite true. I prayed and my mind just kind of filled with ideas – positive things to do to remember my friend who had died.

Today I participated in a suicide prevention walk. Most people there were remembering someone who had taken his or her own life. So where is the hope to be found in suicide? I think it is found in groups like the Waupaca County Suicide Prevention Coalition. It is also found in Christ.

The hope of the resurrection is huge! The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is a source of incredible hope! And His promise that we too shall live after our earthly death provides us with that much needed hope.

Having that hope, that confidence, that we will see our loved ones again is massive in its ability to cope. Coping with ANY death, without Christ, is much more difficult. Why? Because there is no hope apart from Christ.

"12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2:12-13

In Christ Alone - Owl City

Well I Do

Waupaca County Suicide Prevention Walk

"Crawling in my skin, these wounds, they will not heal. Fear is how I fall, confusing what is real." Powerful words that I reflected on this past Saturday as I, and 272 other people, went walking, together, to aid suicide prevention in Waupaca County.

Suicide has touched my life several times but not to the extent it has devastated the lives of others I know. Austin, Kameron & Bill, all gone too soon, left loved ones behind. Aching, mourning, forever scared by the loss of their loved ones. So, what do we do, we that remain? What CAN we do? Anything?

Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, offers us a clue in the chorus of the song One More Light.

Who cares if one more light goes out?
In a sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well I do

Austin

We have to care. We have to be willing to actually DO something. We have to be willing to sacrifice some of our precious time when others in our lives are hurting.

A local church's elders once asked me what their youth pastor could do to bolster his declining numbers on Wednesday nights. "That's easy," I said. "You have to LOVE these kids. Not preach to them. LOVE them first, THEN talk." The same answer applies to ALL of the people in our lives. We have to love them. And they have to know it.

Kameron

Everyone needs to be loved. Who have you loved today? Who WILL you love today? God will provide someone for you to love. The question is, will you ?

We have to care "if one more light goes out." We have to! When we see a life flicker, quicker, we have to reach out a hand and let them know that we care.

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

Loving each other is NOT a suggestion. It's not something we should be doing only when it's convenient for us. It's a command! According to God, we should be loving others with every breath we take.

Are you breathing?

Crawling - Linkin Park

One More Light - Linkin Park

Chester Bennington of Linkin Park

Waupaca County Suicide Prevention Coalition

 

Falling Inside The Black

(photo by Katherine Chase)

I was searching for some photos to use on a web site when I happened upon this beauty. I like the photo because it tells a story. A sad story though. A story about being left behind or falling through the cracks perhaps. A sign of what's wrong in our country. And what's wrong with our hearts.

I was in town this past Friday, measuring up a building for some gratis work my company is doing at a local non-profit. I was talking to their volunteer coordinator about a young man the had been there as a client. He struggled with some mental health issues. They tried everything to help this guy but nothing seemed to work. He either couldn't be helped or wasn't interested in being helped at all.

Last week he went missing from the facility he was at. Three days later they found his body in a nearby river. Sad. There simply is no helping some people I guess, but that doesn't stop people from wanting to help or from trying to. It breaks people's hearts when they hear that there is no longer any hope.

I look at this photo and a verse keeps repeating in my head. It's Jesus speaking to His disciples.

"The poor you will always have with you." - Matthew 26:11

Why did Jesus say that?

I think he said it because the sick and the poor WILL always be with us . . . FOR us . . . as a test. The sick and the poor in our lives may be there for us so God can see just how we treat them. A test to see how "healthy" WE are, how "RICH" we are.

Are we spiritually rich enough to have compassion on someone who has a mental illness? Are we spiritually healthy enough to have that desire to help the sick and the hurting?

The news these days is filled with people who are struggling to fit in. When no one notices them or seems to care about them, they lash out at society. They fight back, in their usually fatal way, at the very people (in general) who have abandoned them. Even at the ones who could help them!

We, as a society, are failing the Jesus test. We choose to ignore the mentally challenged and often just stand by as we watch them slip through the cracks and fall into the black abyss below. We need more people to be Jesus in the lives of the mentally ill. More people to lift them up in prayer. More people to fill the cracks . . . with hope.

Falling Inside The Black - Skillet
My Son was a Columbine Shooter - Sue Klebold

Touch My Scars

Have you ever had to bury one of your children, been addicted to drugs, battled cancer, spent time in jail, gone through a messy divorce or had to deal with a loved one's suicide? There's a job waiting for you if you want it. And only you can do it.

After Jesus died, he re-appeared in front of His disciples. Not as a ghost, but as actual flesh and bone. Jesus taught Thomas something and He taught US something well. Keep your attention on His scars and what they did to those He showed them to.

^"19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord." - John 20:19-20

Jesus showed them His scars. His disciples were overjoyed. Now watch what happened when His disciples tried telling Thomas that they had seen The Lord.

^"24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So 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.” - John 20:24-25

Thomas didn't believe them. Even though they had seen Jesus and were excited about it. Thomas hadn't seen the physical evidence for himself. He refused to believe. But then . . .

^"26 A 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!”

"²⁷ 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.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” - John 20:26:28

Thomas saw the scars and he believed. You and I can tell people about Jesus but they won't believe us unless they encounter Him for themselves. Another thing they need to see in the scars. OUR scars.

We NEED those scars. If we try telling someone what it's like to battle cancer but haven't gone through the chemo and radiation ourselves, it's hard for someone to believe us when we tell them they can do it. But if a cancer survivor speaks to a cancer patient in the hospital, suddenly there is hope in the new patient for getting through the trial because he or she is listening to someone tell them it IS possible. They see "the scars."

We can tell people about Jesus but unless people see evidence of Him in our lives they won't believe. People need to see our scars. And to really have a lasting, permanent effect on someone, let them "touch" your scars. Let them feel the pain you went through. Let them see your tears, your emotions.

I got saved when a friend showed me HER scars. She was crying as she told me how her husband didn't go with her to church. I felt convicted as I saw her weeping over it because not going to church with MY wife was something I was guilty of too. I went to church with my wife the very next Sunday and met Jesus there while sitting with her in a pew.


People seek honesty and truth. We can tell people something honestly yet they still won't believe us. We can give them books to read. We can give them a Bible, but unless they see the truth lived out in our lives . . . until they touch the scars . . . they simply will not believe.

Do we have what it takes to let a stranger touch us in such a way? We have the scars. Let us use them for God's glory. Doing so will help US heal at the same time.


Why Jesus Kept His Scars

The Parable of The Blue Dress

Have you ever felt alone in a crowd? I was in that position Sunday afternoon. Literally. I was at a funeral in a church where I knew absolutely no one. There were hugs being given out all over the place, tears were being shed and I was just standing there. Alone, sad and depressed. But then something happened that change my whole outlook on things.

The crowd of black suits and formal wear parted and a lady in a light blue dress walked up to me. She was young, beautiful, maybe in her upper twenty's, blue eyes, blonde hair and a thin build. I was about to check for the angel's wings when she asked me this question. "How are YOU doing?"

That's a typical question that gets asked at a thousand funerals I guess but not when you take into account the woman who asked it. You see, she asked her "how are YOU doing" question while she was leaning on her crutches. She had no right leg.

How was I doing? How are YOU doing? Her question sucked me right out of the gloomy mood I was in and made me realize that my situation wasn't as bad as others in the world. And that's when my thoughts turned towards Jesus and what He went through on the cross.

The image we have of Jesus hanging on a cross should be what we think of whenever we go through struggles or experience pain in our lives. Jesus paid it all.

As we walk through this life we WILL have trouble. But compared to others with deeper pain and more troublesome struggles, can we truly complain?

As Jesus hung on the cross, having heard Peter deny Him three times, Jesus lifted His head and looked right at Peter as the rooster crowed.

"Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”And he went outside and wept bitterly." - Luke 22:60-62

The woman in the blue dress taught me something. No matter how bad we might feel there is always someone who has it worse. I was feeling depressed and alone yet here was someone who's outlook was great - even after losing a leg.

We might go through some struggles but are they really any worse than someone else's struggles? Are they anymore painful than the death Jesus suffered on the cross for us? I don't think so. May we remember that and let that encourage us in our walk through this world. God loves us THAT much that He sent His one and only Son to erase our debt. Jesus indeed did pay it all.

Jesus Paid It All - Fernando Ortega

A Casualty of War

Just because we can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist or that it isn't happening. We cannot see the air we breathe, yet we can't live without it. We cannot see God but evidence of His existence is all around us.

There is an unseen battle going on in this world. A battle for our very souls. The Bible speaks about this unseen war in several places but open up your Bibles to Ephesians 6 and let's begin reading in verse twelve.

"12Our 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." 13Therefore (and this is how we are to fight that battle) 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:10-17

This past Monday the enemy attacked and killed one of our own. This casualty was more than just a fellow soldier though. The book of Revelation refers to the pastors of God's churches as "angels". I believe that is true because they are indeed deliverers of God's messages.

This war we are fighting is invisible yet it's effects are all too real.

Yesterday thousands of people gathered to remember our fallen brother. I consider this man a casualty of war. A war we are ALL fighting in. Yet many of us don't even know the battle is going on!

The Apostle Paul told us how to fight this battle in Ephesians 6. Are we taking him up on his advice? What are our weapons?

The Truth - Jesus said He is "the way, the truth and the life." Everything about us should be based in truth (God's Word) and every word that comes out of our mouths should BE the truth. It is one of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:16).

Righteousness - How can we as mere mortals be righteous? It is impossible for man. We are all sinners! Unless, of course, we know Jesus as our Lord. Only then can we be saved from this battle. It is The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Faith - It is our faith in Jesus that saves us and gives us power over death. Faith in an unseen God changes us into soldiers who cannot die, spiritually.

Salvation - Are you saved? Is your faith in Jesus Christ alone? It is essential to your survival.

The Word of God - This is the "Sword of the Spirit". With it we defend ourselves against the evil one.

However, even with all these weapons and protections available, it is still possible for us to die in battle. The death of this pastor acquaintance of mine by his own hand proves that. The troubling question remains: With all of these weapons available to him, why did he not use them?

I think the answer can be found somewhere between the darkness and the light. Even though we know all these things in Ephesians 6 to be true, there are still moments when we find ourselves not using them. And those are the moments that Satan attacks. And he is very good at what he does.

For us who remain, we need to arm ourselves just like the Apostle Paul told us. However Paul didn't tell us to do one thing, even though it is implied. Never, EVER let your guard down. ALWAYS be ready for an attack because they WILL come. Remember, this is a war we are fighting!

"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;" - Isaiah 62:6

We must never rest in our battle against the enemy. If we do, if we let down our guard at any time, that is precisely when the attack comes. Be on guard!! We are the watchmen of our souls.

For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Let It Rise - Big Daddy Weave

The Power of Love

We never know when it will happen. We could be walking down the street or down a crowded corridor at school. It could happen at work, at home, or at the mall. It happened to me this past Saturday, right in the middle of a parking lot.

What am I talking about? The opportunity to love someone - "not as the world loves, but as Christ first loved us."

Look at the couple in this picture. They are actually total strangers, yet they found themselves in a loving embrace. Why? The guy was heading to the checkout line with the store's last generator. They were selling fast ahead of Hurricane Irma.

The woman in the picture began to cry because her father needs oxygen to survive. If the power went out in the hurricane the oxygen would stop and her father would very likely die. The man in the picture, seeing the woman crying, gave her his generator. Wow!

Saturday I was at Ruby's Pantry, a local food distribution for those in need. My job is per-registering people outside while they wait in line. This gives me the opportunity to interact with people and ask them how they are doing in life. I always do that. But I wasn't prepared for the answer I received on Saturday. Or was I?

One lady responded to my "How are you?" question with a lukewarm response so I dug deeper. "Anything I can pray for?" I asked.

"Me. A few weeks ago I made a suicide attempt."

Okay. What do you say to that?

I asked a few more questions and then offered to pray with her. I placed my arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. My prayer was all about the unconditional love of God, who sacrificed His Son so that we might have life. Eternal life. I tried to be as encouraging as I could and then, at the end I told her I loved her.

I know that's kind of a weird thing to say to a total stranger but I felt like I needed to tell her that.

Later on I saw her in her car, driving up to get her groceries from the loading dock. She stopped her car short and then got out. She came over and gave me a hug and thanked me for my prayer.

We never know when we will be presented with a God-orchestrated opportunity to speak into the lives of others about God's amazing unconditional love. "Generator Man" was an amazing example of what God's love looks like. He sacrificed his needs in favor of someone else's. May God bless him for his example and his love for a total stranger.

May each of us ALWAYS be ready to display the love of Christ to everyone we meet. In that way God will be honored and that is why you and I were created - to worship Him in everything we think, do and say.

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

(I just used that verse last week I think but it's an important thing to say, especially now in these last days)

Man Gives His Generator To A Stranger - CNN
The Power of Love -  Huey Lewis and The News
Father, Spirit, Jesus - Casting Crowns

Breaking The Habit

You've probably heard the news by now. Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, is dead. Suicide. Wanna know why he did it? Of course you do. We ALL do. But does anyone really know? Does anyone care?

"Well, I do."

I have been caught in the blast zone of suicide . . . more than once. I'm sure you have taken a hit too. We all have. We've all asked the questions. We all have found that the questions never end. And the answers . . . the answers are frightfully hard to come by.

How does a person get to the point where they decide to end it all? They choose to pull the plug rather than live one more day. Why?

Read this Facebook comment by John Cooper, lead singer of Skillet.

I don't usually speak out on things like this, but I feel I must. Like everyone else, I'm just shocked and broken over the suicide of Ches...ter Bennington. I didn't know him, never met him. But his music inspired me greatly. The first linkin park record "hybrid theory " has remained in my top 10 best albums of all time, and top 5 best Rock albums. I LOVE linkin park and I LOVE Chester's voice and it has been ripped away and stolen. There's no way to sugar coat this , or make it prettier. This just simply SUCKS. I've got nothing to say that can help. Michael Jackson, prince, Chris Cornell, now Chester..I just feel like I reach out to grab ahold of something that can make sense of this madness and there is nothing there reaching back. Just infinite blackness. Tragic. I don't want to preach. I don't want to judge. I don't want to make trite statements as if I have this figured out. I do not. Just like all his other fans, I'm confused. 

 I want to say out of total love and respect for the fans, just look at what suicide does to those who love you. It ravages the lives of those you leave behind. It's not poetic. It's not an answer. For those of you who have been suicidal, or had thoughts about suicide, please find someone to talk to. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Find someone that you can be honest with. We all feel a little dark sometimes. Some of us more than others. We all need hope. We all need healing. We are all the same. Please reach out to someone. Thehopeline.com

 "God is my refuge and my strength. He is always ready to help me in my times of trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

I think the real reason people take their own lives is fear. Fear of another day alone. Fear of another day of an unfulfilled life. Fear of one more day of pain. They grow weary of the battle and just chose the nearest exit. What they DON'T realize is their opening the wrong door.

Look at the picture above. Look at Chester's adoring fans. The stadium is FILLED with them. The picture tells you he was loved by millions. Yet, in Chester's mind, it wasn't enough.

There is a door left unopened in Chester's life. There is a door, behind which, lies al the answers. Chester chose not to open it. Too bad. If he had, he'd still be with us today.

When life gets hard it can suck sometimes. When we're alone and thoughts start going through our heads it's hard to think about going on sometimes. But that's the precise moment when we must! That's the moment when we must fight our hardest and reach out. That's the time that when breaking the habit is most critical. Knock on the door!!!

^"9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 

¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." - John 10:9-16

Jesus is the door.

Knock.

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8

Linkin Park Singer Was Hit Hard By Chris Cornell's Suicide
One More Light - Linkin Park
Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park

Blackbirds II: The Second Coming

One of things I really enjoy doing is taking a walk in God's creation while reading my Bible. I can't always read . . . but when I do . . . it's usually on asphalt. :)

We have an asphalt walking trail where I work in Neenah. It's called The Friendship Trail. Kind of a generic name, although I have made some friends on the trail and I usually go walking with my best friend on the trail at lunchtime so I guess the name fits.

My friend and I were out walking the other day when we noticed a jogger approaching us. He was just jogging along, minding his own business. Suddenly a bird flew out of a tree and pecked him on the head from behind. The guy never saw it coming. And look at that beak! Ouch!!

I yelled out, "I saw that!" chastising the Red-Winged Blackbird that had just attacked someone on the so called "Friendship Trail."

"What was that? A bird?" the jogger asked.

"Yup. Red-Winged Blackbird. Their eggs have hatched and they are VERY protective of their young."

The following day I was out walking all by myself. Same trail. Same time. I saw another jogger, a woman this time, approaching the "danger zone." Guess what I did. I yelled out a warning.

"Watch out for the birds!! They're angry today!"

"I know! I got attacked yesterday!" was her reply, as she turned her head around - scanning. Danger was literally in the air.

Let me pause right here to have you read some scripture.

"The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand." - Ezekiel 33:1-6

How does that apply to the blackbirds? Well, if I had not warned the lady she could have been attacked. Her blood would have been on MY hands.

And how does that apply to our walk with Jesus? Let me ask you this? Are you the jogger or the watchman? When you see a friend doing something wrong, do you lovingly correct them? Do you ask them a question like, "I saw you hide a bag of something in your purse when that cop came by. What is it? What are you doing?"

Do you have an accountability partner? Is there someone in your life who keeps an eye on you and is not afraid to confront you if that catch you doing something bad?

I have several accountability partners. When they speak, I listen, because I know they love me and care about me and don't want me to make mistakes I will regret later. They don't want me to get hurt when they KNOW I will.

Who are YOU accountable to? When everyone has gone home and you are all alone, what do you do when no one is watching. Hey. SOMEONE is ALWAYS watching. God.

And don't be afraid to speak up. Somebody's life may depend on it. And, based on the verses above, the life you save might be your own.

To Save A Life Movie Trailer

How To Save A Life - The Fray

Jessica

Why do interesting things always happen to me when I am donating blood? I have posted several here about my conversations while donating blood. This one is no different, although there is a new twist to the usual flow of words.

I had decided to take the afternoon off work. It was a Friday and there was no work on my table so I thought, "Hey, why not?" So I did.

One of my stops was the Community Blood Center. I was beyond my eight week waiting period between donations to I stopped in to see if they had any openings. They like me to donate blood and are grateful to see me, however I think their enthusiasm has more to do with my A-negative blood type than with me personally.

My blood technician for the day was named Jessica. She was good looking lady, hair pulled back in a ponytail. I'd guess she was in her late 30's - early 40's. I'd seen her there before. A veteran. That's always a good thing to have when someone is trying to locate one of your veins with a needle.

I usually donate out of my left arm and had my I Am Second bracelet all poised in position and rotated for easy reading. It's a great conversation starter and soon Jessica and I would be talking about I Am Second and what it meant and then we would be talking about God - my desire for ALL conversations.

But Jessica never asked about my bracelet. It was like she didn't even notice it! I was kind of disappointed. Instead she asked me this question.

"So, what are you doing for excitement this fall?"

The man I used to be would have answered that question differently than the Bob that lives inside this rickety old tent these days. I probably would have talked about the Corvette I used to have or all the projects I was working on at my job. That was then. This is now. I want to talk about Jesus.

"Well, I write a blog and I mentor / counsel teens and young adults in our area."

"Whoa. Back up a bit. You write a blog? What kind of blog?"

"I write a Christian blog. I write stories about where I have seen God working in the world around me."

"That's cool. Tell me more about the counseling thing."

"Well, I talk with kids about their faith, I give them advice when they ask for it, I listen to them as they unload their problems. I listen to them and then I try to tell them about Jesus and all the things He went through and how He will forgive their sins if they only come to Him in repentance and place their faith and trust in Him."

Mission accomplished . . . or so I thought. I continued . . .

"This time of year is really tough. Last year we had a young girl take her life and the year before a young man did the same thing. Suicide is a problem everywhere but it has hit our community hard these past few years."

That was the trigger. THAT was why "I suddenly decided" to donate blood that day. It's always amazing to see God working around us, and sometimes THROUGH us.

Jessica told me about her daughter who was struggling in high school and how her daughter had told her she didn't want to live anymore one night after breaking up with her boyfriend. Jessica was a wreck for one nasty week as she watched over her daughter like a hawk.

When her daughter went upstairs to take a bath one night Jessica kept walking by the bathroom, knocking on the door and asking if she was alright.

Zoom back out of this conversation for a moment and look at the two people God brought together - a mom with a daughter who has contemplated suicide, and a man who has had experience counseling teens who have seen two suicides in their lives.

We talked for the entire duration of my blood donation and for several minutes afterwards as well. I prayed for Jessica and her daughter and then I left for home . . . with a smile on my face. It is nice being used to help someone else. Another one of the many gifts God showers on those who love Him.

I pray to always be ready (as it says in 1 Peter 3:15) to give a reason for the hope that I have. To see these situations as they are happening instead of regretting my inaction after the fact.

One of the prayers I should pray more often is to ask God to forgive me, not only for my actions, but for my in-actions as well.

May each of us be faced with situations this week, opportunities, to serve God through pouring ourselves into the lives of someone else. As it says in Galatians,

"Let us do good to ALL people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." - Galatians 6:10

We can never discern what is in a person's heart, whether they truly believe or not, whether they are in "the family of believers" or not. That is why we are to default to doing "good for ALL people." And doing them . . . In His Holy Name.

Good Things - The Bodeans

Closed?

There are two seasons in Wisconsin - winter . . . and road construction. The same is probably true where you live as well. Road crews seem to always be fixing something on our roads. Why is that? Shouldn't things last just a LITTLE while?

I was on my way to work Thursday morning, driving semi-consciously through the pre-dawn darkness, when I saw a new sign go by on the side of the road.

"What did that say?" I thought to myself.

Another sign soon appeared and answered that question. I actually READ this one.

ROAD CLOSED AHEAD

What? This was a major highway I was traveling on. How could the entire road be closed? Maybe a lane closer. I could understand that, but the entire road? Yup.

Soon there were barrels and directional arrows forcing me to the right, forcing me to get off the road. Construction barrels, yellow flashing lights, men in reflective suits. Awesome! But what could I do? Nothing. So I exited. I had no choice.

Usually, when construction crews close a road there are detour signs, someone has thought ahead and provided an alternate route for us weary travelers, using helpful signs, to direct us back onto the road road we were on. Usually. Not Thursday morning. There were no detour signs whatsoever.

Have you ever found yourself diverted from your intended path in life? Have ever thought, "Life is going pretty darn good." when all of a sudden, things start going pretty darn bad? Maybe the phone rings late at night with some bad news. You get a text message you really didn't want to receive. Or maybe something so unexplainably bad happens . . . so bad that you can't even comprehend it.

One year ago today our community was rocked by the death of a beautiful young woman named Kameron. She was 17. Somehow she found herself in a similar situation to the one I had on the road the other day. Alone in the darkness. Not really sure which way to go.

We can ALL find ourselves in similar situations. Sometimes we get diverted off life's road. Should we turn to the left? Should we turn to the right? We can get so confused in this life. We find ourselves looking for some kind of direction. And sometimes we can find ourselves thinking that we just want the whole thing to end.

Too often we get in those situations and we're looking for direction, all we really want is just a little hope. We look to the left and to the right and when we don't find that hope, well, it can sometimes be life changing. We think there are no answers. Except we forget to explore all the options. We forget to look in EVERY direction available to us. So often, when we find ourselves without hope in this cold, dark world, we forget to look . . . up.

When Jesus was crucified, and died for our sins, suddenly his disciples experienced a "road closed" sign in THEIR lives. Suddenly they were without hope. They didn't know which way to turn. Do you know what THEY did? They looked up.

"3 After his suffering, he (Jesus) presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” - Acts 1:3-11

When we encounter seemingly life-changing events in our lives we need to spend more time looking up. Jesus is our only hope when we are lost and don't know which way to turn. When we are at the end of the road, all alone in the darkness, we need to look up and ask for directions. We need to ask Jesus.

Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega

This blog post is dedicated to the family and friends of Kameron. Today will be a tough day to get through. When I have tough days I usually read the Bible - Romans 8 specifically. Try reading it today and see if YOU don't feel better.

Love you Kam.

Romans 8

Explosion

It's hard to focus this morning. I find it difficult to concentrate. It seems that, whatever I am thinking about, whatever the subject, wherever I try to take my thoughts, they somehow find themselves drifting back to a young lady from our town, Kameron, to her family and to her friends.

See the picture at the left? It's an atomic bomb going off. The picture below is what's left afterwards. Not good.

Suicide, especially teenage suicide I think, is like an explosion, a bomb. Those who are closest receive the most damage. Those who are farther out, farther away from the center of the blast, still get wounded, but the damage, the emotional scarring, is not as severe. Still, all those who experience the "blast" can KNOW a few things about what has just happened. They know there was an event, an explosion. They know that people's lives are changed forever. They know that some people are wounded more than others. And they know that for those who survive, recovery can be a long process, if recovery is even a possibility at all. But I'd like to remind you of a tail of encouragement that emerged from someone's death. A tale that will provide us with hope and a future for those of us who mourn.

I would like you to open your Bibles to the Book of Acts, the seventh chapter, and read the story about the stoning of Stephen as background for this story. Stephen had just pleaded his case for Christ in front of the Sanhedrin. Let's begin in verse 54.

"54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:54-60

Stephen had just been stoned to death for what he believed in. His friends and family must have been devastated . . . just like Kameron's friends and family. Did they mourn? Yes. Did they weep for their fallen friend and brother? Of course. But read what happened next . . .

The church scattered because of what happened to Stephen. Saul was rounding up Christians left and right. Stephen was buried amidst all this and they "mourned deeply for him" (Chapter 8, verse2).

But what the friends and family of Stephen did was to carry the message of the Gospel to everyone they met. They picked up Stephen's ministry of spreading the Gospel and delivered it . . . everywhere. And Christianity exploded!!

"4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." - Acts 8:4

Are you kidding me? I'd be hiding behind closed doors!! But they went out and preached the Gospel to honor God and to honor their friend. And it was their strength of faith and their insistence on spreading the Word about Jesus that "the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." - Acts 11:26

There is a group of kids in town, a very tight-knit group of friends. They love each other very much. Kameron is the second person from that group to take this route of self elimination. Kameron needs to be the last.

I ask for your prayers for these teens. I ask for God to soften their hearts for Him and to encourage them to follow the example of the church at Antioch. Take the message of Kameron and Austin throughout the countryside, to spread the word about the blast zone of devastation that suicide can cause. And spread the hope of the Gospel to all who will listen. For it is only through a faith in Christ and the acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior, and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for them, that they will ever get to see their friends again.

Pray for leaders to rise up, for hearts to be moved and for God's Holy Spirit to move throughout this community and the world. May we ALWAYS share the love we have for others, not only for friends but for the stranger as well. Let everyone hear the good news of eternal life for ALL who have been saved. We need an explosion in this country, and explosion of faith, hope and, most of all . . . love.

"5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city." - Acts 8:5-8