It was a long day at work. I was tired and anxious to see my wife. I called her on her cell phone. No response so I left a message. A few minutes later, I texted her. Still no response. By the time I got home, she was nowhere to be found and I started talking to my neighbor. I was a little upset, wondering why in the world, she doesn't answer her phone. "What good is it to have a phone if you don't listen to it, check it, etc.?"
When she did call me, well after 6pm, I was obviously distant. "Have you had supper, yet?" she asked. "I'm eating now. I tried calling you and when you didn't answer, I decided not to wait." "I called you twice and you didn't answer," she said in her defense. Sure enough, when I checked my call log, she was right. It was I who was guilty of not hearing her call me. Ouch! "Those who walk in pride, God is able to humble" (Daniel 4:37).
Over the years, I've had many people tell me that when they prayed and lifted up requests to God, He just wasn't listening. Oftentimes, this means they didn't get the answer they wanted. Could it be that God is talking to us on a regular basis and we're the ones not listening to Him? Is it possible that God has already communicated exactly what we need to hear, in His Word, and we selfishly and stubbornly haven't made the time to read it?
Maybe, when it comes to our relationship with God, we need to heed the advice of the Psalmist: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Or, maybe James was referring to our relationship with God, as well as our relationships with other people when he wrote, "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry"
(1:19). From my experience that day with Jane, I can verify there is a direct correlation between being "slow to anger" and being "quick to listen", and vice versa. It was precisely because I wasn't listening that I got angry. Maybe, if we were listening more and speaking less to God, we would also get angry less often with Him. Maybe, the truth really does set us free (John 8:32). Just a thought! Blessings! (I Corinthians 15:58)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Christ's Resurrection Matters!
What if, four days after your loved one died; what if, after he/she had already been prepared for the burial; and what if, before the funeral service, your loved one came back to life? Now I know that's not likely, but what if, it happened? What kind of reaction would you have?
That's probably somewhat how Martha and Mary reacted when their brother, Lazarus, walked out of his tomb, after being dead for four days. It's probably a small glimpse of the reaction of Jesus' disciples when they saw their Lord alive again.
Twenty-three years ago, my father called me with the news that my brother and his wife, and their two infant sons had been in a car accident and that both my brother and his wife lost their lives. Dad knew nothing about the boys' condition or how the accident happened. I spent the next hour contemplating my relationship with my brother, remembering events from growing up, pondering things I could have/ should have done differently, etc. I still remember that time twenty-three years later. But, dad called me back a little over an hour later and said that my brother was still in fact, alive, barely. Again, he did not know any more information beyond that. But, my attitude changed immediately. Wouldn't yours?
Nearly 2,000 years ago some women returned from the empty tomb of Jesus and announced, "He's alive! He's alive! He's no longer in the grave!" (John 20:18) That is GREAT News! Jesus had promised that because he lives, we would live also (John 14:19). He had promised that "those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life" (John 5:24). IF the news that Jesus is alive doesn't change our attitude and outlook on life, then nothing else will because nothing is better news than that.
How excited are YOU about that news? How many people have you talked with about that news? How many people have found their way to life because you had the boldness to share this Good News with them? May the God who has changed our lives because of the message of Easter, also change other lives because we have dared to share that message with them (II Corinthians 5:14).
That's probably somewhat how Martha and Mary reacted when their brother, Lazarus, walked out of his tomb, after being dead for four days. It's probably a small glimpse of the reaction of Jesus' disciples when they saw their Lord alive again.
Twenty-three years ago, my father called me with the news that my brother and his wife, and their two infant sons had been in a car accident and that both my brother and his wife lost their lives. Dad knew nothing about the boys' condition or how the accident happened. I spent the next hour contemplating my relationship with my brother, remembering events from growing up, pondering things I could have/ should have done differently, etc. I still remember that time twenty-three years later. But, dad called me back a little over an hour later and said that my brother was still in fact, alive, barely. Again, he did not know any more information beyond that. But, my attitude changed immediately. Wouldn't yours?
Nearly 2,000 years ago some women returned from the empty tomb of Jesus and announced, "He's alive! He's alive! He's no longer in the grave!" (John 20:18) That is GREAT News! Jesus had promised that because he lives, we would live also (John 14:19). He had promised that "those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life" (John 5:24). IF the news that Jesus is alive doesn't change our attitude and outlook on life, then nothing else will because nothing is better news than that.
How excited are YOU about that news? How many people have you talked with about that news? How many people have found their way to life because you had the boldness to share this Good News with them? May the God who has changed our lives because of the message of Easter, also change other lives because we have dared to share that message with them (II Corinthians 5:14).
Monday, March 15, 2010
God Answers Prayers
I've always enjoyed playing basketball ever since I grew up in Wayne, Nebraska. I tore an ACL in my right knee while playing basketball for Nebraska Christian College. I won't tell you how long ago that was. In those days, doctors didn't diagnose ACL tears so I lived with it for many years. There were occasional surgeries with a scope to clean out cartilage here and there until a Dr. Davick diagnosed the ACL tear a few years ago and reconstructed it. A short while later I tore the ACL on my left knee and the same doctor reconstructed it. A short time later I tore the ACL on my right knee again. But, this time Dr. Davick recommended that I get a knee replacement on my right knee. He referred me to a colleague who specializes in these things, Dr. Vittetoe. Sounds more like a foot doctor than a knee doctor, but it's in the general vicinity.
By that time, we had changed insurance carriers and the request was denied based on pre-existing conditions. That was about seven years ago and I figured that was the end of it. But, my wife (Jane) wrote a very nice appeal to Dr. Vittetoe asking if anything more could be done on it. We went for an appointment and he showed me how the knee had deteriorated from seven years ago. We scheduled a surgery for March 16th and waited for the insurance to make their decision. Fully expecting a denial, I was utterly astonished when they told me on Friday (12th) that it had been approved. I had asked several people to pray that some individual in the home office would review this case with favor. And God answered in a BIG WAY! When the Bible says, "nothing is impossible with God" (Matthew 19:26), it means exactly that. Whatever your concern, your request, your need, don't ever give up on your prayers and your dreams. God may not always answer in the way that we want or on our timetable, but He always knows what He is doing (Isaiah 55:8&9). Since we are told in scripture that we, "have not because we ask not," (James 4:2), I want to selfishly ask that you would pray for unbelievable results and that my interactions with everyone I come in contact with, would bring honor and glory to God.
By that time, we had changed insurance carriers and the request was denied based on pre-existing conditions. That was about seven years ago and I figured that was the end of it. But, my wife (Jane) wrote a very nice appeal to Dr. Vittetoe asking if anything more could be done on it. We went for an appointment and he showed me how the knee had deteriorated from seven years ago. We scheduled a surgery for March 16th and waited for the insurance to make their decision. Fully expecting a denial, I was utterly astonished when they told me on Friday (12th) that it had been approved. I had asked several people to pray that some individual in the home office would review this case with favor. And God answered in a BIG WAY! When the Bible says, "nothing is impossible with God" (Matthew 19:26), it means exactly that. Whatever your concern, your request, your need, don't ever give up on your prayers and your dreams. God may not always answer in the way that we want or on our timetable, but He always knows what He is doing (Isaiah 55:8&9). Since we are told in scripture that we, "have not because we ask not," (James 4:2), I want to selfishly ask that you would pray for unbelievable results and that my interactions with everyone I come in contact with, would bring honor and glory to God.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Self-Examination
It is a wise person who periodically examines their lives to make sure their words, actions, and motives reflect the person of Jesus Christ. There are many references in the Bible for such self-examination. When we come to participate in the Lord's Supper, the apostle Paul tells us we ought to examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup (I Corinthians 11:28). Other Bible references telling us to take a look at ourselves include: II Cor.13:5; Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 119:59; 139:23&24; Romans 12:3. Even Michael Jackson got it right when he said that making a difference in the world begins by taking "a look at yourself" ("Man in the Mirror"). But, it does us no good to examine ourselves if we aren't honest about what we see and disciplined in what we do, as a result.
A severe rash prompted a farmer from a very rural area to get an examination from a doctor. After taking the usual tests, the physician advised the patient that his dog was causing an allergic reaction and he would have to get rid of it. As the farmer was leaving the office, the doctor asked him whether he planned to sell the animal or give it away. "Neither," the man replied. "I'm going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about. It's a lot easier to find a good doctor than it is to find a good bird dog."
Over the next two weeks, New Hope Christian Church is undergoing a self-examination and we need your help. Included in the bulletin is a website where you can take a test that lasts anywhere from 25-40 minutes. It's not a Bible quiz. It's more like a spiritual inventory. No one will know who gave what answers so we need you to be totally honest. Whether you attend New Hope irregularly or regularly,and whether you are a member or not, we need you to help us determine how well we are doing in making disciples of Jesus Christ and fulfilling our mission. If you don't have access to a computer or the Internet, call the office (752-1612) and we'll set up a time for you to come in and take it at the church. We'll share the overall results with you at a later time. As we continue with our sermon series for the year, entitled, "I Am Responsible.....", it is important that our church family take inventory so we know where we need to improve. In advance, thanks for your help!
A severe rash prompted a farmer from a very rural area to get an examination from a doctor. After taking the usual tests, the physician advised the patient that his dog was causing an allergic reaction and he would have to get rid of it. As the farmer was leaving the office, the doctor asked him whether he planned to sell the animal or give it away. "Neither," the man replied. "I'm going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about. It's a lot easier to find a good doctor than it is to find a good bird dog."
Over the next two weeks, New Hope Christian Church is undergoing a self-examination and we need your help. Included in the bulletin is a website where you can take a test that lasts anywhere from 25-40 minutes. It's not a Bible quiz. It's more like a spiritual inventory. No one will know who gave what answers so we need you to be totally honest. Whether you attend New Hope irregularly or regularly,and whether you are a member or not, we need you to help us determine how well we are doing in making disciples of Jesus Christ and fulfilling our mission. If you don't have access to a computer or the Internet, call the office (752-1612) and we'll set up a time for you to come in and take it at the church. We'll share the overall results with you at a later time. As we continue with our sermon series for the year, entitled, "I Am Responsible.....", it is important that our church family take inventory so we know where we need to improve. In advance, thanks for your help!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Legal Hypocrisy
A young woman boarded an airplane in Pittsburgh and flew to Youngstown, Ohio, a flight of thirty-two minutes. During that time, she delivered a baby in the restroom of the airplane and left it there. She was arrested on two charges; child abandonment and attempted murder. While her action was obviously a crime worthy of prosecution, what seems hypocritical is that Planned Parenthood would have been happy to assist her in murdering the unborn baby with an abortion and she would not have been arrested or charged with any crime. What's even more schizophrenic is knowing that in some states a teenage girl does not need her parent's permission to abort a baby, but she does need her parent's permission to pierce her ears. Furthermore, an unborn baby is considered by our legal system to be a "nonperson", regardless of how developed that baby is, but when that "nonperson" is born, he/she is suddenly a person eligible for welfare benefits.
These are only a few of the dilemmas created when the U.S. Supreme Court decided on January 22, 1973 that the wording found in the United States Constitution guaranteeing every "person" the right to life, applied only to people already born. I have ministered to parents who miscarried babies after only four months of pregnancy and seen the babies. Believe me, they may be small, but they are fully developed human beings. I have seen doctors and nurses deliver a baby weighing a little over one pound after only six months of pregnancy. That little girl is still alive today! Pregnancy is a consequence of sexual intercourse. If two people do not want the responsibility of a pregnancy, then they should consider the wisdom of having sexual relations without some means of preventing that pregnancy, other than taking a human person's life after he/she has already been conceived. If Abel's blood cried out to God from the ground after Cain had murdered and buried him (Genesis 4:10), then you can be sure that every unborn baby whose life has been selfishly and senselessly murdered has the same effect on God.
Jesus Christ came to give us "life" and he demonstrated how to enjoy life "to the full" (John 10:10). God has not given us permission to play God by killing life before a baby is born. I hope you will always stand with me on the side of life. I believe that every life deserves to be born. I believe that every life which has been born deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I also believe that mothers who have already had abortions deserve to find the love and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and God has called Christians to be that instrument. "I have set before you life and death, blessings or curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live...." (Deuteronomy 30:19).
These are only a few of the dilemmas created when the U.S. Supreme Court decided on January 22, 1973 that the wording found in the United States Constitution guaranteeing every "person" the right to life, applied only to people already born. I have ministered to parents who miscarried babies after only four months of pregnancy and seen the babies. Believe me, they may be small, but they are fully developed human beings. I have seen doctors and nurses deliver a baby weighing a little over one pound after only six months of pregnancy. That little girl is still alive today! Pregnancy is a consequence of sexual intercourse. If two people do not want the responsibility of a pregnancy, then they should consider the wisdom of having sexual relations without some means of preventing that pregnancy, other than taking a human person's life after he/she has already been conceived. If Abel's blood cried out to God from the ground after Cain had murdered and buried him (Genesis 4:10), then you can be sure that every unborn baby whose life has been selfishly and senselessly murdered has the same effect on God.
Jesus Christ came to give us "life" and he demonstrated how to enjoy life "to the full" (John 10:10). God has not given us permission to play God by killing life before a baby is born. I hope you will always stand with me on the side of life. I believe that every life deserves to be born. I believe that every life which has been born deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I also believe that mothers who have already had abortions deserve to find the love and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and God has called Christians to be that instrument. "I have set before you life and death, blessings or curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live...." (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Monday, December 21, 2009
There Is a Jesus Christ
In 1897, the New York Sun received a letter from 8 year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asking if there really was a Santa Claus. Francis Church answered her question in a famous editorial that first appeared in the newspaper on September 21, 1897. I would like to adapt Virginia's question and Church's response and share it with you in this blog.
"Dear Preacher: I am 8 years old. Some of my friends say there is no Jesus. Please tell me the truth, is there really a Jesus Christ?"
"Dear Virginia,
As surely as there is you and me, there is Jesus Christ. Your friends do not believe in Jesus because they cannot see him. It is a small mind which chooses to believe only in that which it can see. For in this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him. Regardless of the amount of intelligence we have, it takes an open mind to grasp the whole of truth and knowledge that God has blessed mankind with.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Jesus Christ. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, for it is out of him from which they spring. Alas! How dark and meaningless life would be if there were no Jesus. Our existence here would be at best tolerable, our existence in the hereafter impossible.
Not believe in Jesus Christ! You might as well not believe in life, love, or in goodness. Some of the most real things in life are those that we cannot see, or define, or understand. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
No Jesus Christ! Thank God he lives and he will live forever! A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten thousand times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the hearts of children and adults alike."
My good friends, Christmas is not Christmas unless Christ is in it. May you have a blessed Christmas and a Christ-filled New Year. As you gather with family and friends, find ways to honor the Christ child whose birth we celebrate and the love of the God who sent him.
"Dear Preacher: I am 8 years old. Some of my friends say there is no Jesus. Please tell me the truth, is there really a Jesus Christ?"
"Dear Virginia,
As surely as there is you and me, there is Jesus Christ. Your friends do not believe in Jesus because they cannot see him. It is a small mind which chooses to believe only in that which it can see. For in this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him. Regardless of the amount of intelligence we have, it takes an open mind to grasp the whole of truth and knowledge that God has blessed mankind with.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Jesus Christ. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, for it is out of him from which they spring. Alas! How dark and meaningless life would be if there were no Jesus. Our existence here would be at best tolerable, our existence in the hereafter impossible.
Not believe in Jesus Christ! You might as well not believe in life, love, or in goodness. Some of the most real things in life are those that we cannot see, or define, or understand. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
No Jesus Christ! Thank God he lives and he will live forever! A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten thousand times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the hearts of children and adults alike."
My good friends, Christmas is not Christmas unless Christ is in it. May you have a blessed Christmas and a Christ-filled New Year. As you gather with family and friends, find ways to honor the Christ child whose birth we celebrate and the love of the God who sent him.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Isn't it amazing how powerful the two little words, "thank you" are? Regardless of what we've done, how much time it took us to do it, or what it cost us financially to help someone else, a sincere and heartfelt "thank you" means more sometimes, than material reimbursement. As a husband, I love hearing those words from my wife. As a father, I love hearing those words from my kids. As a preacher, I love hearing those words from those I serve.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pilate asked Jesus, "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered Pilate by saying, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" (John 19:10&11). Moses reminded the people of God before they entered into a land of wealth they had done nothing to earn or deserve; "You may say to yourself, 'my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deut. 8:17&18). "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father...." (James 1:17). Who is the source of all we have? Who is it that blesses each of us and all of us much more than we deserve? The answer is, "God!" "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). So, "what do you have that you did not receive (from God)? And if you did receive it (from God), why do you boast as though you did not?" (I Corinthians 4:7).
Thanksgiving is much more than simply saying "thanks" to one another. It is thanking God for one another. Thanksgiving is more than acknowledging we've been blessed. It is acknowl-edging the One who has blessed us. Thanksgiving is more than thanking God for being with us in the past. It is thanking God for being with us in our future. Don't be like the nine ungrateful lepers who failed to thank the One who healed them (Luke 17:17&18). Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is an attitude God desires for us to live in 24/7. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:17). You'd be surprised how blessed our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer is to hear you simply and sincerely say, "Thank you, God!"
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