Wednesday, October 31, 2001
Sometimes we forget to praise the Lord. Life can be so busy and our prayers so desperate that we forget to spend time being thankful, praising the Lord. Perhaps now would be a good time to just take a moment and praise the Lord for His goodness to you and your family.
-Ps 103:20-22 NIV
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Considering the small amount of money that some people give to the church I am convinced that the only sermon they ever listened to was the one about money being the root of all evil. And they have taken personal responsibility to see to it that as little evil enters the church as possible!
-2 Cor 9:6-7 NIV
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Monday, October 29, 2001
Although the world has shrunk through communications and high-speed travel, most people still live in a relatively small world. We have a natural tendency to focus on what’s around us. But out there in this big world we live in where there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are today risking their very lives for the sake of the gospel. I encourage you to begin to pray for Christians, around the world and involve yourself in a broader view of what God is doing. Your world is only as small as you make it!
Now is the time to plan your short-term missions trip for next summer. Go see what God is doing in other parts of the world and the needs of the people. You will never be the same.
-Mark 16:15 NIV
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Sunday, October 28, 2001
God would have us soar like an eagle spiritually. That we may gain new heights, that the winds that hinder would become our friend and the Holy Spirit would be the “wind beneath our wings.” However, many find themselves never leaving their “spiritual perch” and become spectators to what God is doing. Therefore, they never participate in the movement of God in the world or around them. They become “statutes of holiness” never to experience the power and the magnificent journey God has planned for them. Remember, the joy is in the journey. It starts with the first step. Get off the “spiritual perch” and remove the anchor that prevents you from soaring with God!
-Ps 90:14 NIV
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Saturday, October 27, 2001
Yesterday in the upper Midwest we had a bitter, cold fall wind sprinkled with sleet that made it obnoxious to be outside. As I was getting in my car I noticed an eagle soaring in the sky. It seemed to be having the time of its life! Rarely moving its wings, it jaunted through the sky playing in the wind. By its frolicking you would have thought it was the finest day of spring. It actually appeared to be having fun! The eagle only flaps its wings for about 2 minutes for every hour of flying. It obviously uses the wind to its advantage, climbing to new heights as it soars beyond our understanding. The wind is beneath its wings.
In our world, many people spend their lives flying against the wind futilely flapping their spiritual wings trying to face life’s challenges on their own. If they would only realize that the Holy Spirit, the power and presence of God, is the “wind beneath our wings.”
-Isa 40:31 NIV
…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;…
Friday, October 26, 2001
“YGIF” is being echoed from offices all around the world today as people begin to focus on their weekend plans. Think of the rejoicing when we are able to shout “TGIH,” Thank God It’s Heaven!”
-Ps 73:25-26 NIV
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Thursday, October 25, 2001
Where do you find God? Do you find Him in church on Sunday Mornings? Do you find Him in the beauty of creation? Do you find Him in your work place? Do you find Him in your home? Where do you find God? Wherever you are, that’s where God is!
-1 Thess 3:13 NIV
13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Have you ever watched a woman get her nails done? One time I stopped and watched for awhile. The person who did this for them was very meticulous, spending many minutes on each nail. It was a work of art. It had to be just so as she worked hard at getting those nails as beautiful as possible. I don’t know how long it took but it appeared to be a lengthy process. I thought, “All of that for beautiful nails.”
Men and woman today are very beauty conscious, spending hundreds of dollars or more per year for beauty products, procedures and various new things to be beautiful. Just getting ready in the morning can be a major time consuming undertaking for many. We are consumed with outer beauty.
Isn’t it interesting how much time and money a person will put into personal beauty and how little into spiritual beauty?
-Prov 31:30-31 NIV
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Jeff was a young man who grew up on his father’s farm in a rural setting. The farm wasn’t very good for farming because it was full of rocks and the soil was far from fertile. His father made a meager living for the two of them. Jeff’s mother died shortly after he was born.
His father’s passion was the land but not to grow crops but to look for precious gems, especially diamonds. He had it in his head that there were diamonds on the farm and he spent a lot of time and money looking for diamonds. He never found any but he was convinced that they were there.
His fathers contracted a terminal illness and died when Jeff was in his early twenties. He left Jeff with a nice savings that he had been planning to purchase equipment that he thought would be necessary to find the diamonds on the farm. On his deathbed, Jeff’s father made Jeff promise that he would keep looking for diamonds and never sell the farm.
By this time Jeff’s interest in diamonds was as keen as his fathers. Being young and idealistic, unlike his father, he did not believe in the diamond’s existence on the old farm so he began to search the world for diamonds. He traveled from one ”diamond mirage” to another until all the money his father had saved was gone. Hearing about diamonds in another part of the world he mortgaged the farm and went again in search of his fame fortune. When the money was gone he came home broke. He had no money to pay the mortgage or the taxes on the farm so he sold the it to a development company.
A few months later he picked up a paper and went back to his little rented room in the city where he worked at a very menial job. The headlines in the paper read, “Diamonds Discovered on Old Farm.” Reading on Jeff soon discovered that the development company that he sold the farm to was a diamond mining company and they had discovered diamonds on the farm. His father was right but it was too late. Jeff had traded his inheritance for a fantasy. You see, everyone knew there were diamonds on that farm, everyone except Jeff!
We are not so different from Jeff. Our Heavenly Father places us in the middle of his blessings and we can’t see it. No matter how He pulls on our heart and others tell us to dig for the diamonds of blessings where God has placed us, we still find ourselves chasing the “blessing mirage” Perhaps it’s time to get out the shovel and dig for the diamonds in our own backyards!
-Ps 128:1-4 NIV
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.
Monday, October 22, 2001
Recently I went to visit a man who is terminally ill. Baring a miracle of God he will no doubt leave this world in the next few weeks. When I went to leave I asked him if he would like it if we prayed together. His answer was, “No, I want you to pray for me!”
Sometimes we forget how important the prayer of another person is in the time of need. It brings comfort and peace to the soul. And the Holy Spirit always seems to make His presence so real during those particularly tender times. It reminded me of an old song I used to sing with my mother:
Where Could I Go but to the Lord
(Words & music by J. B. Coats)
Living below in this old sinful world
Hardly a comfort can afford
Striving alone to face temptation so
Now won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord
Where could I go oh where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord
Life here is grand with friends I love so dear
Comfort I get from God’s own word
Yet when I face that chilling hand of death
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord
Where could I go oh where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Won’t you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Churches really struggle with organization. This is well known. But rarely considered is the struggle that churches have with boundaries. Leaders and members in churches often do not maintain proper church etiquette and step across the boundaries of common sense and courtesy. As a result, hurt and wounded, the offended people are never to be seen or heard from again in that church. “Boundary Bandits” are a plague in the church and are rooted in selfishness. Perhaps we need some Sunday School classes called “Church Etiquette and Boundaries 101.”
-Gal 6:2-4 NIV
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions.
Saturday, October 20, 2001
I saw something today I have never seen before. A neighbor cut down a tree and it was hollow inside. He cut it about six feet above the ground. Then he started a fire inside of it and began to burn the tall stump. As it burned from the inside it wasn’t long until the flames were shooting out in different places where it burned through.
So it is with our lives. Whatever is burning on the inside of us soon comes out and affects everyone around us. Our experiences in life either make us bitter or better. Are you burning up with “bitterness” or “betterness?”
-Isa 5:20 NIV
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Friday, October 19, 2001
A recent newspaper article said that people are building bigger houses than ever. But strangely enough the bigger the house the less time they spend in it. It would appear that what it takes pay for, furnish and maintain the big house requires most of their time working. Too many people want to be the “king of things” when what they really need is the “King of Kings!” Hmm, now that’s a thought for today.
-1 Tim 6:17-19 NIV
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
-Matt 6:19-21 NIV
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Thursday, October 18, 2001
We cannot comprehend creation. When God created the heavens and the earth it was a work of art. When God created man it was a work of love!
Eph 1:4-10 NIV
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
I heard the following quote last night on the television program called “Doc” on PAX , “I never cease to be amazed by the power of greed and its effects on the human heart.” I am not used to hearing such things on television but I am used to seeing what he was talking about. Even if it seems that the rest of the world operates in the “greed mode,” as believers we must strive to be fair in our dealings, both personal and business. A wise old man once told me, “A good deal is a good deal for everyone!”
-Luke 12:15 NIV
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Anthrax is a continued act of terrorism that has duly given new cause for concern. We continue to ask the question, “Why?” It is natural for good people to take an inspection of themselves and ask, “What have I done or what did I do to them to make them act this way?” We want to make sense out of these things even by trying to take responsibility for these hideous acts. But we still cannot find reason. There is no rational explanation for this except “Spiritual Warfare.”
There is spiritual warfare that is constantly being fought on earth between good and evil. We overlook much of it. Some of our churches and pastors actually have taught believers not to recognize or accept it. Spiritual warfare is not usually fought under its own identity but is labeled a variety of things. But spiritual warfare does exist and it is the war between good and evil. These acts of terrorism have given us a front row seat and for some, center stage. This is evil, carried out by demon-possessed people, at its highest level and it should not be considered anything less.
We find it easy to say, “That’s life!” when in reality “That’s Spiritual Warfare!”
-1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Monday, October 15, 2001
To change the world around the globe we must start by changing the world where we live. And the world doesn’t usually come to us so we must go to our world. Share your love and faith in Christ with someone in your world this week.
-Luke 19:10 NIV
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Sunday, October 14, 2001
Why did you go to church today? Quite a thought-provoking question, isn’t it?
So many people find it difficult to say anything good about their denomination, their local church or its staff that you have to wonder why they would continue to attend such a church. But they do. I want to encourage you today to make a list of good things about your denomination, your church and its staff in one column. Then make a list of the criticisms you have of each and compare the lists. If you list of criticisms is much longer than your positives in all areas perhaps it is time for you to find another church.
If your negatives are only in the area of the staff or one staff member a meeting with that person to gain understanding is in order, a “Meeting of the Hearts” if you will. Then give it to God and let Him deal with it. He’ll change your heart, the heart of the staff person or He will move that staff person along.
If your lists of positive are considerably longer than your criticisms in all areas perhaps a few months of prayer and meetings with the proper leaders to make them aware of areas that you think could be improved would be in order. Maybe God wants to use you to help improve the ministry of the church. Maybe others feel the same way and no one has said anything. Maybe others have never given it a thought and they will be excited about positive changes for a more effective ministry.
Saying nothing usually means nothing changes!
-1 Cor 11:19 NIV
No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
Saturday, October 13, 2001
People are not so much victims of circumstances as they are victims of decisions!
-Gal 5:13-15 NIV
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Friday, October 12, 2001
If we fail to see the pain of others, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to see the suffering of others, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to see the hunger of others, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to see the poverty of others, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to see the spiritual needs of others, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to see the preciousness of children, we are blinded by ourselves.
If we fail to open our eyes to these things, we cheat ourselves!
Some of the greatest blessings of God are found in the mundane and the simple. A kind word and a helping hand to others blesses us in ways that are incomparable. But often we are too blind to see it because of our constant obsession with our own problems. Set your life aside for a day, look around you and see what you see. Then put your faith in action!
Consider the prayer of the Apostle Paul…
-Eph 3:16-21 NIV
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Thursday, October 11, 2001
Yesterday was overcast, windy and rainy. It was about as gloomy of a day as you can get. I walked into an office and saw a person who I know struggles with “the blues” on days like this. He was looking pretty gloomy so I asked him, “Aren’t those the prettiest clouds you’ve ever seen?” He laughed and his demeanor immediately changed.
Many people struggle with “the blues” on these kinds of days. Often I am asked, “What can I do to handle this better?” My answer is relatively simple for what can be a rather complex problem. With the news of wars, terror, death, disease, recession, layoffs and company closures there is plenty to dwell on that can give almost anyone the blues. So what can be done?
First people are too tired and stressed to be themselves and negatively can easily affect those in those conditions. Simplify your life and get plenty of rest. Treat the Sabbath like the Sabbath and make it a day of rest and family bonding. The New Testament church celebrates the resurrection and worships on Sunday, the first day of the week but it is intended to treat it like a Sabbath rest. When our children were at home we had a rule that was difficult for them to break, no friends over on Sundays and they didn’t go to any of their friends houses on Sundays. Sunday was our day as a family. Was the rule ever broken? Yes, but not near as often as you may think. I think it is one of the reasons that our daughters are not only sisters but also best friends today as adults. Very often the four of them do things together.
Finally, count your blessings and pray with words of praise thanking God for the things that are near and dear to you. Carry pictures of your loved ones; put them on your desk. And rest in the assurance that no matter what happens in this world, as believers, we have a better day coming!
-Luke 21:25-28 NIV
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
In one month our Church Mouse Chronicles Global Ministries Team will board a plane for Monterrey, Mexico. We are diligently preparing for this outreach adventure. It is our prayer that God will use us in a wonderful way to touch the lives of those we meet, both the Mexican people and the staff in Mexico. It is also our prayer that God will touch our lives and enlarge our vision for the lost peoples of the world.
We will be ministering in churches, in the neighborhoods, on the streets, in orphanages and schools. We will be handing out Bibles door-to-door and leading people to Christ. It will be an experience never forgotten by our team members. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers for this trip and this ministry. I would especially ask that you would remember to keep praying these final days before the trip, our travel there, while we are there, and our travel home. Your prayers are the life support of this ministry.
I have been asked about safety concerns about the trip. The Mexican people and government are very friendly to Americans. And it is of no value for terrorists to be attacking where we are going because there is nothing there of great value. The majority of the people are poor and there are no strategic targets in Monterrey. Our biggest risk in Mexico may well be the water! We are flying American Airlines from Minneapolis to Dallas and then to Monterrey. Airport security is the highest in the history of our nation. I would have greater security concerns walking the streets of certain neighborhoods in our cities after dark than flying to Monterrey. Although I have looked in the mirror and asked myself hard questions about our safety, I am at peace with this trip. We have a great team of people who are prayed up and ready!
While we are there I hope to be continuing the Church Mouse daily from Monterrey. I also plan on updating the website daily with pictures of our activities of the day. You will truly enjoy following a trip like this everyday. You will feel part of it in a way that you would have never thought. I would expect that we could have over 100,000 hits on our website in the 10 day period that we are gone. It is my prayer that you will be motivated to do a short-term missions trip to Mexico or somewhere else sometime in the future. After we get back I will share with you some other possibilities that we are working on.
Finally, I want to thank those of you who have been able to help support this trip financially. I know that the economy is slowing down, the stock market is floundering and people are losing their jobs. No doubt there is a lack of excess funds to support ministries of all types. Therefore, I recognize that your gifts to this ministry are sacrificial. However, I want to make you aware that we have barely lifted off the ground in our financial needs for this trip. We still have not been able to purchase the laptop that is needed for the ministry while we are in Mexico and for other times. So if you have been lead to support this ministry outreach financially I would encourage for you to do so at this time.
However, there are two things that I ask. First, if you have personal financial responsibilities that you are behind on please take care of those before sending any gifts to this ministry. In the past, many Christians have given money to ministry that really should have went to pay a repair bill or household expense of some kind that were overdue bills. Keep your integrity before men and pay your bills. Your gifts to this ministry should be freely given out of your excess. I think it is the only way that God can bless you or us.
Secondly, do not send gifts to us that are really your tithes that belong to your local church. Give them where they belong and that is in the house of the Lord. And help make your pastor a priority for your church. I’d like to start a movement where churches became motivated to over pay their pastors out of sheer love because they want to bless their pastor.
Now don’t misinterpret my statements to mean that we don’t need your gifts. That would be far from the truth. I just don’t want to be a thief and take funds that belong to the local church or a business that you may owe a debt to. This ministry needs to be blessed but it needs to be blessed from the excess in people’s lives, the blessing God has poured out on them.
But most important, please continue to pray for our ministry team. And please continue to pray for me as I continue this rather unique, unexpected ministry called the “Church Mouse Chronicles.” You have no idea what a miracle it is that I am able to somehow do this everyday. It is only through prayer and the grace of God that it happens.
Lyn
Prov 3:13
Please send gifts to:
Church Mouse Chronicles
Lyn Sahr
Island Resort Road
Rt 4, Box 60
Pine City, MN 55063
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: CHURCH MOUSE CHRONICLES
Tuesday, October 9, 2001
Yesterday I drove by a home that was having a new sewer line dug into the house. The backhoe was there and had dug a very deep, rather narrow trench. As I drove closer to it I noticed there was a guy working down in the trench and the backhoe was sitting very near the edge of it. I thought, “Those guys have to be nuts!” and I remembered the times when men were buried alive in exactly the same way.
I further thought about the spiritual implications of living so dangerously. If we choose to live dangerously we should not be surprised when bad things happen. If you jump into the pit of sin the result is always bad and eternal life threatening.
-Gen 4:7 NIV
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
Monday, October 8, 2001
If we trust in God for times of peace we must also trust Him in times of trouble. What is happening in the world today is unsettling but it is essential that we understand that our faith must be firmly planted in Christ. Today, allow yourself to rest in your faith and put the world events and the circumstances in your own life in His hands. Rest in your faith.
As in the words of the hymn…
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.
-Ps 62:5-8 NIV
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Sunday, October 7, 2001
The attack on Afghanistan was not unexpected but still causes a sick sense of the unnecessary. Why do people hate and kill? Because evil abounds and, like a plague, allowed to spread it destroys all it its path.
Terrorism is not acceptable by any standard by any of the major religions of the world. Strangely enough in the past nations have ignored and almost accepted terrorism around the world, but not anymore. Something had to be done. Now terrorist will see right before their very eyes the fate they face for their actions.
As we hold dear to democracy we should intimately embrace our faith. It is a time to pray for those who are fighting in the name of freedom and for the innocent people around the world who are in harms way. We must remember that God is colorblind and His love has no borders.
-Ps 18:25-28 NIV
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. 28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
Saturday, October 6, 2001
On our way home last night we encountered an amazing event. It snowed! While coming out of Minneapolis I noticed s few drops of moisture on my windshield. I turned my bright lights on and proclaimed to Lonna, “It’s snowing!” Suddenly it starting coming down like a full-fledged blizzard. But in a few miles it was dry and “clear sailing.”
Life is often like that. We are cruising along and then unexpected we find ourselves in one of life’s storms. But like our drive home last night, it doesn’t usually take too long for the storm to pass, safety is at hand, and we are “sailing free” again.
It sure felt good to get home last night. Although I have driven many a late nights, I never have like driving in snowstorms. It’s good to be home.
So it is on our journey through life. We will encounter storms in and out of season. We’ll get through them and there will be “smooth sailing” for a while and then another storm. But when we get to our eternal home we will be safe and there will be no more storms. It will be good to be home!
-Isa 60:19-20 NIV
19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
Friday, October 5, 2001
Finding peace of mind only comes when we first discover peace of heart!
-Prov 14:30 NIV
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Through computers we can communicate with people around the world and yet families still find it difficult to talk across the table. It is a mystery that is hidden in our inability to rejoice in who God is and what He has given us. Count your blessings and rejoice in the people that God has blessed you with as family and friends.
-Ps 105:3-4 NIV
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Terrorism in the Church!
Our churches are being attached by terrorists and we are apathetic to the war. Unrecognized demonic attacks on our churches may be the biggest threat to God’s work in America and around the world. Our churches are weakened, crippled and sometimes destroyed by moral or ethical failures by pastors and church leaders. The present divisions that are taking place in our churches are motivated by self-centeredness and immaturity. We have transformed our houses of prayer and worship to theatrical entertainment centers trying to attract the world. Well, we’ve done a good job. The church may be as worldly now as it has ever been in its history! And we have never been in more trouble. There is a drought of spiritually strong, gifted committed pastors. Our denominations are shaken and the leaders are at a loss for words or actions to curb the moral, ethical, and spiritual decline of our churches.
Friends, it is time to reprioritize our lives and commit more of our time, talents and resources to our churches. It isn’t the members, leaders or pastors that need purging but rather the sin that has become so prevalent and acceptable. We are in a spiritual war that needs to be fought on our knees everyday not just standing at “Sunday Morning Live!”
People, people, people we need to take steps to protect and strengthen our churches. We need Godly committed pastors surrounded by Godly committed leaders courageously leading Godly committed congregations to the “higher plain” of Christian living. Perhaps it needs to start with you in your church!
-James 4:7-10 NIV
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Tuesday, October 2, 2001
Yesterday I met with a variety of people that shared with me a number of heartaches, pains and disappointments. By days end I was reminded again that life has plenty of trouble to go around.
On my way home I stopped to photograph some of the beautiful fall trees on family farm where Lonna’s was raised. I also photographed the old windmill. It has been standing there for as long as I can remember. I looked at that old time, piece of art and said, “What is your secret of standing tall?”
Then I realized that the old windmill didn’t fight against the wind but rather converted and used the powerful winds of adversity into something good. There is a powerful lesson here for each of us.
-Prov 11:29-30 NIV
29 He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Monday, October 1, 2001
Life is a series of choices. We face choices daily but we are not alone. God has had to make choices as well. And He has made some great choices and you were one of them. He chose you before the creation of the world!
-Eph 1:4 NIV
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
