Universal Hope!

 Universal Hope

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.”

(Psalm 19v1-4) 

The holiday season is a time of hope. The Psalmist notes that there is one clear message from the heavens, one God with one message in all tongues to all peoples. This encourages us to believe that there is hope for universal understanding and someday world peace. 

We live in a troubled world. This year along with the Pandemic there have been natural disasters, terrorism, attacks in schools, layoffs, and too many ungodly events. They capture the headlines. It is reasonable to question God’s role in all of this.  

                We need to remember that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands,” The press and media report on other issues so it is up to us to focus on the message and live a life of faith; display a strong spirit! It is our time to infect the world with faith, peace, and hope.

The parable of the seeds points out the greatness of a well-planted thought. John F. Kennedy said it this way, "One person can make a difference and every person must try." 

Thought for Today:  There will be bad news and will hear it, see it, and sometimes feel it. We need to overcome it with the faith and hope of the Lord. Let us show others our spirit; Be that one person! 

Prayer: Dear Lord, this is the time of year when all faiths celebrate you. We celebrate your presence in different ways with the common thread of thanks, love, and peace. This season we pray for the guidance to share our faith so that we may sow a seeds in your name!

Always Friends

 We approach this busy holiday season with COVID on our minds. June and I are planning Thanksgiving dinner for two. Normally we would be in downtown Minneapolis with over 10,000 others at the Turkey Day 5K that started at our home in the 1980s. We will miss our friends but will pray for you and all of them! Stay safe and enjoy this season!  

Always Friends 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

 clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

(Colossians 3, 12-14; NIV) 

            Most of us have a problem with feeling like one of “God’s chosen people”. The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to follow Him. That is ego-centric and introspective. We all know that we chase Him until he catches us. In our lives, who are “God’s Chosen” and what do they do?  

            This month is Thanksgiving and one of my traditions is to do Christmas cards. Each card that gets addressed is to someone special. The addressees have all played a role in my life. Each in some way has been a friend, advisor, mentor, coach, etc. What a wonderful feeling it is to sit there and think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people?  

            There is a priest in the UK who included me in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a running buddy of over thirty-five years duration, and several former pastors who were spiritual advisors… the list goes on. The holiday season is a great opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. It also a chance to think of the many people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated to us “… compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...” 

Thought for Today: This week let us simply think about our friends. Let us remember why they are, who they are, and what they mean to us. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we have many blessings that you have given to us. Among them are our friends and contacts. Each of them is in some way a blessing. This week we offer our prayers for their health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us and that we may all get through this 2020 holiday season healthy and thankful!

Amen

For my friends who celebrate Diwali!

 

Be Real

 

Be Real 

“Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

   Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

 Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

(Romans 12v9-13)           

            Open and honest is a great way to go through life. Where did Jesus end up when he tried it? There are two answers. One is “On the Cross”. The Christian answer is “At the right hand of God”. In our world, it is sometimes a good idea to keep our thoughts to ourselves. Sometimes being open or real will cost you and in workplaces differing from the opinion of the leadership can hurt your career. At church, differences are often divisive and we need to pray about that. 

In 2005, at my workplace, I chose to be open and honest with a new vice president of the company. My openness accelerated my retirement and ended my employment. It is something that is OK at age 66 but would have been a crushing blow at age 55. It is an issue that all faithful Christians have to deal with. 

As we travel through life we always need to work to keep bread on the table. Sometimes we will be tempted to hold back for self-preservation. We do need to “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” In the long run, we work for the Lord, but there is a fine line that we need to walk in life! 

Thought for Today: We often have to make decisions regarding "being real". Today let us focus on demonstrating sincerity, zeal, and joy through the patience we are blessed with through Jesus. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we are surrounded by the love of Jesus as we approach the holiday season. It is a time of social pressures as well as great joy. Today we pray for those who have a problem experiencing this joy. We pray that they find the belief and experience the circumstance that will give them everlasting peace. Amen

                                                                  Halloween 1991 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. …which transcends all understanding…?”

(Philippians 4 verse 6) 

            Halloween, October 31st in 1991 was a significant event in the northern part of the United States. In our neighborhood we had two significant events to prepare for; children trick or treating and June’s departure to the UK for a family visit on November 1^st. Mother nature also had a plan that she had not consulted with me on; the great Halloween three day blizzard in Minnesota which was a piece of what is now known as “The Perfect Storm.”          

Paul told the Philippians “Do not be anxious about anything…” but millions of Americans were anxious that weekend! People died on lost ships on the Grand Banks and Minneapolis had 30 inches of snow. But it was not all bad on our end. Let me explain. 

            In the early afternoon, we had a temperature drop and a snow squall started. That is not unusual in Minnesota in the fall and we did not expect it to be anything but a fun Halloween! You see, I had already decorated the outside of the house with Christmas lights so we turned them on. The lights drew a large group of Halloween revelers. We met them with a special greeting, “Ho Ho Ho, Happy Halloween.” There were six inches of snow on the ground and we did pray for the safety of the children. 

            In the morning there were 15 inches of snow and the visibility was near zero. A trip to the airport seemed impossible. Prayers were needed. We decided to depart after lunch for a 6:30 flight and the twenty-minute drive took over two hours and was very dangerous. June’s flight departed 3 hours late and I had a three-hour ride home. Happy Halloween. 

            Today is Halloween, enjoy it with your neighborhood goblins! 

Thought for Today: Halloween is a special day and we should enjoy it with the revelers. We should also think back to 1991 and be prayerful.

 Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, this week we pray for children on a day they look forward to each year. We pray that they are safe and have a great evening. We give thanks for their presence in our lives.Amen

Thank You

 Thank You

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

(Romans 12: 11-13)

 

            This week’s message is a simple thank you. To all that read my online messages, visit my blog, receive my weekly emails, or check out my Facebook pages and group. You are all a blessing to me and have helped me grow to a place of peace.

 

            Last week Google advised me that this would be my 600^th blog post. So what? Am I bragging? No, I am humbled. You have kept me going with your support, your love, and maybe some respect that I do not feel is deserved. You are the greatest.

With Christian love I thank you.

 

Thought for Today: Today we will be tested; things will not all go well. We need to find a way through our faith to be an example to those around us; an example of good living and happiness.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray for our country and world. It seems out of control. We pray that through your guidance we can contribute to a solution. We pray for good health, abundance, and peace for all.

Amen

Popeye: I Yam What I Yam

 

Popeye turned 90 this week. He was not a philosopher...or was he? I credit friend and editor, 

Steve Rossi

, for "God is My Spinach" as a title for the 2012 devotional. It is a great concept to reach out for help when troubled as Popeye reached for his spinach!

I Yam what I yam

"You made all the delicate,

inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. ...

Your workmanship is marvelous."

(Psalm 139:13-14, TLB)

Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When Popeye was confronted with difficult situations he would state "I yam what I yam?” gulp down his spinach and defend right!

We are not all Popeyes and we are expected to conform, often to standards below those of our Christian faith, and may face difficulties if we do not. In any case, it is necessary to understand who we are, what we are, and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach"

.
In many ways, we are continually fighting an image syndrome. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result. Quite often we get flack because we don't fit.
If there was a right way to be, how would some of the prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times.

The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be. He wants you to know who you are and understand your unique characteristics. You were created by God and then the mold was broken. No one else is exactly like you.

You are unique. You are special and it is all right to be you. Don't let others shape you. That is God's task He started with you, he will finish with you and he will be with you. He is our spinach.

He does want you to be you.

Thought for the Day: Let us search for the person that God wants us to be so that we may serve him better.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of your plan. Sometimes we are too busy and do not understand it. This week we pray that each of us may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone.
Amen.