For the second year, we will celebrate the holiday season with COVID on our minds. June and I are planning Thanksgiving dinner with our daughter Claire. Usually, we would be in downtown Minneapolis with over 10,000 others at the Turkey Day 5K that started at our home in the 1980s. There will be no event again this year. 

01111 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, which 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 greetings. Each card and letter that gets addressed is to someone special. The addressees have all played a role in my life, including friends, advisors, mentors, coaches, etc. What a wonderful feeling it is to sit there and think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people?  

            A priest in the UK 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 an excellent 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 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 you have given us. Among them are our friends and contacts, and 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

 

Global Peace 

"Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me,
or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you."
(Philippians 4:8) 

            There are over 300 million people in America and billions worldwide. As individuals, we are not statistically significant. But we all know that statistics can be manipulated and misrepresented. Indeed, within our Christian faith, each of us is significant to God. In many of Paul's letters, he advised that "God will be with you." I will add, personally, upfront and close.

            As statistically insignificant as the mathematicians make us, God gives us meaning, power, and faith. We are the power of one. As Christians, we can impact the world one individual at a time through our faith. When we demonstrate that we are at peace, we infect those around us. When we demonstrate good Christian ethics, we lead others to follow us. When we are at peace, others want to join us. 

            We all know of pyramid schemes and chain letters. We have an opportunity through our faith to be at the top of a living chain. Each day we are at peace through our faith, we will positively affect our environment. Our challenge as people of faith is to work our peace so others will join us.

Thought for Today: It is challenging but exciting to think that we can affect others with our positive actions. This week let us consider others and, by example, share our hope regarding our future.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we see and hear ugliness in the world daily. There are wars and revolutions in the mid-east and Africa, a worldwide refugee crisis, many of our streets are unsafe, and there are too many negative financial issues within our institutions. It is hard to understand where you are when we are bombarded daily with these issues. We pray for an understanding of your role and that we may participate in an overall solution.
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) 

            On October 31st in 1991, Halloween was a significant event in the northern part of the United States. We had two 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 snowstorm 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. 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. 

            Tonight 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 

 

Indian Summer 

"This is the day
that the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
(Psalm 118:24) 

            In Minnesota, we are experiencing a wonderful Autumn. An "Indian Summer." A freeze followed our first heavy frost, and now we have warm temperatures. Certainly, this is a gift to us by God, and it is something that we all appreciate.

            During this time, the crabgrass has died; there is color in the leaves; the lawn does not need mowing as often; the evenings are cool; the garden does not need weeding.

            There are many blessings about "Indian Summer," and they are easily recognized. There are also many blessings in our daily lives, but we often do not see and acknowledge them. We try to control our lives and often do not turn enough over to God. The more we allow Him to take over, the more blessed our lives become. 

            The Psalmist says, "...But may all who seek you, rejoice and be glad in you..." As we give thanks for good weather, we also need to give thanks and recognize God's role in our daily lives.

Thought for Today: The fall season is upon us. The busy holidays are approaching us all too swiftly. This week we have the opportunity to relax and enjoy the dwell-in activities between the end of Summer and the holidays. Let us enjoy by allowing God's will into our daily lives. Let Go and Let God and appreciate the things he will do for us.

Prayer: Father, we pray specifically for those in the world that need food, shelter, and quality of life. In our country, there are too many people out of work or threatened by unemployment. In many countries, the Holy season approaches many desperate people. We pray for them and that somehow the prosperous peoples of the world can find a way to do your will. We pray that we may find a way to contribute.
Amen

 

 

 

Trust in the Lord 

 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:7-10) 

        In the 1990s, June and I enjoyed four weeks of vacation. It was not easy when surrounded by world events. While staying in Pyrford, south of London, there were concerns regarding a serial rapist that had just struck for the ninth time. A sniper started shooting in Washington, DC. There was a bomb in Bali and then a plane crash. It is easy to ask, “Where is God in all of this?” It is logical, by human standards, to feel concerned and helpless. We felt guilty while enjoying a vacation amongst the tragedies. 

        Somehow, through prayer and understanding, we need to keep the faith we have in the Lord. He does not expect us to understand everything, love and trust Him to put it all together. Together we need to demonstrate this trust and love to others through times of stress and tragedy. We need to be like a tree with roots planted by the stream. We need to be fresh and always bear the fruit of the Lord;  to have this fruit available when others need it.

Thought for Today: Today, let us focus on our fruit and understand what our faith can do for others with less understanding. Let us pray and keep our spiritual fruits fresh to share them with those in need.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we come to you confused by world events. We are concerned about our issues; unemployment, depleted retirement funds, sickness, and many other problems. Throughout all of this, we pray that we may recognize our role as servants and that we make our spiritual fruits available to those in need.

Amen

 

I Yam What I Yam

I Yam What I Yam 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,"

(Phillipiama 4-13) 

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 our Christian faith standards, 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.
    How did some of the prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times, and they were special.

 
    The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be, and he wants you to know who you are and understand your individual characteristics. God created you and then broke the mold. No one else is exactly like you.

 
        You are unique, 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, and 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.

 

 

Special Days

Special Days 

^” This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118v 24) 

            There are 365 days every year. Our goal and challenge are to enjoy every day. We can not allow our finances, a boss, or other outside influences to steal pleasure from any day. God put us here to be happy, and we need to do that for Him. 

OK, let’s get real. Some days are just a drag, and things go wrong. God rains on our parade, our back goes out again, etc. When negative things get in the way, we have a hard choice to make. We can choose to have a bad day or trust our faith and give thanks for what went right. Some days it seems that the only thing to give thanks for is that it is over. Well, that’s enough to make it a good day. 

We all have problems and challenges that will take longer than one day to resolve. Many issues seem unsolvable. We need to remember two important things. When we live one day at a time, we simplify our solutions. If we do not get it today, we can work on it tomorrow. When we believe an issue is unsolvable, we need to remember that the Lord is with us, and He can change the rules. We need to pray and turn unsolvable matters over to the Lord. 

Allowing God to be with us every day guarantees that we will have a good day. 

Thought for the Day: This will be a wonderful week for all of us. We will walk through the challenges and bless the Lord for the experiences and lessons that we learn one day at a time. 

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and father, we are often confused by our world. There are problems that we want to fix now and can not. This week we give thanks for the many things that go well and the blessings that we have. We give thanks and pray that we may cheerfully contribute to your plan.