Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The best time of life is the day that you are presently living. We often look so far into the future that we forget about today. Today is the day that you should do the things you have been putting off, the walk in the park, the visiting of old friends and especially for healing broken relationships, old wounds and new wounds.
Recently I heard from a friend that a mutual acquaintance of ours had downed diving off a pontoon, got tangled up in weeds and drowned. I was stunned and I have thought about him many times lately. I also met a former parishioner in a store last week who told me their four year old grandson was killed in a car accident three days earlier. We just never know and we should make every effort to be at peace with ourselves, others and God. And we should do the things today that will make this the best day of our lives.
Tomorrow is only an excuse for not living your life to the fullest today!
-Lyn Sahr
-Deut 30:11-20 NIV
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
There is a lot I would like to write about today but then it would look more like a blog, a recent phenomenon that I am told is already a thing of the past. But, let me ramble a little.
As I am writing this I am in sitting in a Burger King working on a number of things waiting for a meeting I am having shortly. As I have been working a couple of mothers with young children came and sat in the two booths behind me. It is a strange thing, the rest of the dining area was empty but they chose to sit right on top of me. And, of course, the little kids were very unruly, kicking the booth and yelling at every opportunity. I wanted to say as much to the mothers or just move but, thinking about my own grandchildren’s behavior from time to time, I decided to sit it out.
The lesson in all of this is that bad behavior is not reserved just for little children. God’s children also behave in a similar manner from time to time. In fact, I have not always behaved as I should or reacted as I should.
I have noticed in recent times that bad behavior among God’s children seems to be at epidemic proportions and I am wondering if there aren’t enough spiritual spankings going on. When was the last time you heard a sermon from the pulpit in your church that cut you to the heart exposing your own sin or bad behavior as one of God’s children. Something to think about isn’t it.
P.S. The kids finally left and I have peace!
-Lyn Sahr
-Acts 2:36-41 NIV
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Monday, August 20, 2007
There was a time in this world that everything was perfect and a guy named Adam and his wife Eve messed things up. But don’t be too hard on them, they were only the first!
Messing up what God has planned for us seems to be something people get good at. If it isn’t the things we do wrong it’s the things we don’t do. Let me tell you something, I not only believe in grace but I need grace!
Grace can’t be bought and it can’t be sold. It can’t be bartered and it can’t be bent. Grace is what it is what it is… the love of God given to His children to bring peace to the soul.
-Lyn Sahr
-2 Peter 1:2 NIV
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Monday, August 10, 2007
Discouragement is the devils formula for neutralizing Christians. Keeping ones eyes focused on Jesus is the obvious answer but sometimes that is hard to do in the midst of “stuff” with ones head down. I have personally been taking a time out in recent weeks to pray and ponder the future of our ministries. Next month I will be 59 years old and it causes me to look at time differently. At this point I am looking at what is the most effective way to handle what God has before us. Effectiveness becomes a larger issue in the second half of life.
And I have been discouraged by questions I have in regard to needs of our ministry and God’s provisional timing. His time just doesn’t seem to be the same as mine.
But mostly I have been discouraged by the behavior of believers. To watch God’s people behave poorly and unethically in matters of the heart of the church is discouraging. There is something wrong in our churches today and no one dares say what it is but everyone knows. It is no secret, many churches a led by carnal Christians if they are believers at all. If our churches continue to be led by carnal people we will continue to have carnal churches!
-Lyn Sahr
-John 10:7-18 NIV
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Sunday, August 5, 2007
My writing has been few and far between the past couple of months. Frankly, it has been busy.
Almost six months ago our daughter’s husband decided he didn’t want to be responsible any more for his family and so now our daughter and her two children have moved into the lower level of our home which is kind of like and apartment.
I just returned from an exhausting trip to Mexico 10 days ago where I preached 6 times in 5 days. I will soon email you an update of the outreaches we did there.
And, as most of you know, we have struggled with the funding of Home and Away Ministries both in Mexico and with Ruby’s Pantry here at home. With Ruby’s Pantry we have had something like $11,000 in recent truck repairs. Ruby’s Pantry is a program that cost little to run by most people standards. We have partnered with another organization that is setting up our program internally for themselves and they are budgeting $500,000 to run it in 2008. In 2006 Home and Away Ministries total income was $52,000! It gives you some idea on what we have accomplished with so little money. Tomorrow I have to deal with attorneys and legal matters in regard to our unpaid roof on our building. More fun over money or the lack of it.
And the local church that I grew up in is going through a church fiasco as the pastor is leaving with half the congregation and starting a new church. I have strong feelings about what is taking place and find much of it, well let’s just say I find it.
And last week the I-35 bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed and one of our board member’s brother in law was the driver of the Tastee Bread semi truck you may have seen on Television burning. It appears that he was killed instantly and then burned in the fire. The funeral is Tuesday morning in Minneapolis.
So my time and emotion has not been into daily writing in the ChurchMouse but I will attempt to get back on track. To say I have been tired and somewhat bewildered by the events that surround my life would be an understatement. In times like these I wonder where God is but I also know that in the darkest hours His light will shine!
I have decided to do what all of us should do, have more fun and enjoy life to the fullest. I am committed to more time on the beach and less time on the bricks! We spend so much time fretting about the little things that we can’t change and not enough time doing the things we can make a decision to do. If we cannot find substantial funding to continue Ruby’s Pantry, retirement from formal ministry looms on the horizon. This is something I have given serious prayer and consideration to since returning from Mexico. But that is in God’s hands as I will do the best I can to discern His will. I have already announced earlier this year that I am longer writing the ChurchMouse effective October when I will have completed my tenth year.
In The Grip of God’s Grace!
Lyn Sahr
-Ps 36:5-9 NIV
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
