Desire

Desire "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace..." (2timothy 2 verse 22) Paul sounds a lot like my mom sounded during high school. During my teen years, listening was not my strong suit. How could a ranked athlete and honor student be a bad guy? In my mind, my record justified my behaviors, and the price paid was ten years, which I refer to as my dark period. Those years were the times I spent learning how life was a two-way street instead of a one-way street that I owned. Faith somehow stayed with me, and praying was often present when the darkness was dominant. God was with me despite my behaviors. He was always there, and I would reach out to him just as Popeye would grab for his spinach. And, just like Popeye's spinach, He always came through for me. He will also come through for you. Thought for Today: Today will not be perfect, so keep your prayer close by and ask for support. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we thank you for the goodness in our lives and the hope and love that tomorrow will surely bring. Amen

Honor Them

Honor Them “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him.” “Keep reminding God’s people of these things...” (2 Timothy 2: 11 & 14) Celebrate Memorial Day, and pray for all who served and went before us and those we love. My son-in-law Rick played in the 451st Fort Snelling Army band for several years, and we would go to his parades. At each show, they traditionally played the Coast Guard, Army, Marines, and Navy military anthems while the veterans in the crowd stood and saluted. My eyes teared up with emotion when I thought about what these people had done for us. There are places in the world where my publishing these messages would be criminal. That is not the case here. One thing that makes America great is the freedom to worship and our varied culture. We welcome all faiths to our shores. Abraham Lincoln said it like this: “I am nothing, but truth is everything. I know I am right because I know that liberty is right, for Christ teaches it, and Christ is God.” Thought for Today: Today, let us remember all who have gone before us and be thankful. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we thank all those who have gone before us and contributed to our lives today. First, all those who fought in our military contributed to our freedom. Second to our family ancestors who built our traditions and lifestyle, and last to Jesus, who gave us grace. Amen

Play Christ's Way

00517 Play Christ's Way "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." (Romans 15 verse 7) We are faced with decisions every day regarding our relationship with others. Sometimes, there is aggressive behavior. In business, there is competition to get to the top; in school, there is competition to be the head of the class; in sports, there is competition to be number one, etc. It is the way it is. When growing up, I was taught that winning is not everything. It was how you played the game that mattered. In the seventies, I attended a business management seminar sponsored by Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi. The emphasis was on detail, being service-oriented, and planning. Over the years, the operating principles learned at that seminar have made my life very successful. They taught us to have a game plan and work it but alter it as needed. To play by the rules takes faith in yourself and God and love and caring for people. Weekly recipients of my messages vary greatly from all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds. Two are very successful Christian CEOs, and their companies' behavior matters to them. Christian ethics takes strong faith. No matter where or who we are, fairness and love of others are crucial to success. Then how do we deal with the aggressive ones, such as the inconsiderate neighbor? Cut-throat businessman? The ones that bend the rules? We need to pray for and love our competitors in life. John quotes Jesus in chapter 15:17, "This is my command, Love each other." Thought for Today: This week, let us practice unconditional love. If confronted with opportunistic or aggressive behavior, let us find a way to positively and lovingly through the situation. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, let me reach out to people this week. Please help me understand them and care about them. We pray that we can improve ourselves and our surrounding world through our faith in your ways. Amen

Following the Way

Following the Way "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is... Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12; 1-4) Society does not fit the biblical model we are taught and often desire. Truth, honesty, integrity, love, and many other virtues seem rare. Often, we join in and need correction in our human desire to "fit". It is normal to err and join in. It is also forgivable. In a discussion last week in a business environment, we reviewed several long-term, successful people in business. We compared the successful men with some that were sinking fast or already out of business. Those with long-term success functioned like they had read Paul's message to the Romans. They were not always right but always seemed to grow and strive for excellence. Fairness was their trademark; perpetual growth appeared to be a trait. They earned the respect and trust of those around them and were not "sharks" but win-win businessmen. They incorporated their Christian beliefs into the challenging world of doing business. That is truly doing God's will. Thought for Today: Stand up and be counted; demonstrate our faith in circumstances where we would not normally do so. Demonstrate that we are considerate and Godly in our daily activities. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, our world is distracting and volatile. We all have too much to do, too many commitments, and too many fears. Throughout all of this, we pray for peace. We pray for our internal peace and the ability to demonstrate the value of peace to others. Amen

Joy

Joy "The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song." (Psalm 28:7) Is there joy in our lives? Let us face it: most of us have more joy (positives) than negatives. Our family, friends, and associates are sources of great joy. It is easy to see spring joy. It is spring, and the grass is green; the trees are budding with leaves, and spring flowers are showing their colors. Many today have a problem seeing the joys in their lives. There are issues caused by COVID-19 that have changed our lives. Even so, there are always positives. Keeping the Lord in our lives through prayer when we are down is vital. Paul told the Romans (15:13), "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Our surroundings and lifestyles create our physical and emotional joys. Absolute joy comes through our Christian beliefs. This belief gives us the "strength" and "shield" mentioned by the Psalmist. Thought for Today: Let us keep joy at the forefront of our thoughts. When challenged with life, let's use our shield - the Lord. Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, many of our friends are fighting battles. Illness, unemployment, unwanted career changes, and many others. We pray for them to understand your strength and love. We pray that they may only find the joy through trust in you. Amen

Spring

Spring "Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants." (Deuteronomy 32:2) "I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil." "\(Deuteronomy 11:14) Spring is a beautiful time of the year. Long warmer evenings replace short winter days. Spring bulbs emerge from the ground with green sprouts, and color returns to the woods, parks, and yards. It is a time when the wonders of God bring peaceful thoughts to us all. We also live in a world of protests, shootings, and fear. Terrorism, anger, illness, and other crises fill our world alongside the wonders of spring. Where is our "peace on earth"? Spring shows us how close it is and that God is trying to bring it to us. What is our best way to participate in having a peaceful world? The message in another hymn,"...let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me." gives us a hint. If each of us does our part, we can influence the world. John F. Kennedy put it like this. "One person can make a difference, and every person must try." Thought for Today: We encounter negativity, anger, frustrations in the workplace, and frustration in our lives. We can choose to be anxious or at peace. Let peace begin with each of us. This week let's demonstrate Christian love and our quiet side. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we see violent negativity worldwide and have very little control over it all. We pray that we may lead by the example of Christ, and that our living example may contribute to a better world.

Enough is Enough

Enough is enough "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127 vs.1) The competitive nature of our society has generated a workaholic mentality. In the 1960s, we occasionally met someone who worked a 50-hour week, and in some families, both the wife and husband had full-time jobs, but they were not commonplace. People work way too much. They are on the internet daily, attached to cell phones, and then overloaded with our sports and recreational commitments. In "When I Relax I Feel Guilty," Tim Hansel wrote about our present state. "We are called to be faithful, not frantic. If we are to meet the challenges of today, there must be integrity between our words and our lives and more reliance on the source of our purpose. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders' labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain, you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for He grants sleep to those he loves." In the Christian sense, running here and there, volunteering is now required to be considered a dedicated, sacrificing, spiritual Christian. Perhaps the seven deadly sins have created another member- Overwork! We must remember that our strength lies not in hurried efforts and endless long hours but our quietness and confidence. The world says today that enough is enough. Thought for Today: Slow down, take a break. Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, we thank you for your many blessings. Through you, we have enough. Amen