Ecclesiastes 3:9-10 "What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with."
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I know it has been quite a while since I have posted on here. Life just seems to fly by. Between owning a house, work, and helping people with their projects, I have been on the go non-stop lately. I am trying to get all the projects around my place done before the snow flies. I got a small shed moved and my wood stacked inside, yard cleaned up from summer stuff, chicken coop fixed up for winter, and garage semi organized. However, I still need to cut down a giant tree in my front yard, insulate and sheet the garage, then really organize the garage, get my tractor going and moved home, and clean the pine needles out of the yard again. Plus I am trying to get out to the bow stand whenever life lets me. I have been out a few times and have even seen some deer, but haven't gotten any shots yet.
Work is going good, but is definitely busy. I have my same two small group Bible studies from last year started back up again, am teaching new member classes, started a men's Bible study, am helping with college ministry, planning monthly events for my young adult group, on top of preaching, helping with youth, etc. I love how active our church is and how there is stuff going on all the time, but it definitely takes time to keep up.
Then lately I have been trying to help a few friends accomplish their projects as well. I went with my friend Jeff to finish siding his shack out in the woods. This last weekend I helped a family from church shingle their house. I stripped the whole thing Friday and then we spent Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and Monday afternoon laying the new shingles. We finally got it done last night. Everyone was giving me a hard time because I did fall off the roof while working. For those of you who don't know, I have a history of falling off roofs and ladders. I landed on my rear end (softest landing I could hope for), bounced, and got right back up. I have small bruise on my cheek but other than that have not had any pain or side effects. My angels were definitely with me. My senior pastor told me one more strike of getting hurt or going to the hospital and I am done. Had kind of a rough streak here lately. However, other than stiff and sore legs just from the physical demands of roofing, I feel great and am ready for the next job. Speaking of next job, we have to redo one of the sheds at church, but that will all be done from the ground.
It is easy to get so busy with life that we forget why we are even doing it or the point of it all. In Ecclesiastes the question is what does the laborer gain from his labor? It is easy to question is all of the work worth it? However, the very next line is talking about the work God has given to us. God gives us all work to do. Now we can't lose sight of the big picture of our salvation or family or other truly important things, but working hard to accomplish what needs to be done is necessary too. So work hard, be productive, cross off those projects from yours or friends' to-do lists, but don't forget to make time every day for your relationship with God, your relationship with family, and your sabbath rest for both the rest of your mind and body. I hope that makes sense! God bless you all.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Healthy and Thankful
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus who is Lord of all. Most of you probably heard through the grape vine about my past few weeks. August 20th through the 27th was by far the worst week of my life. It all started with slight stomach pains that I thought was just a 24-hour stomach bug. Friday I had stomach all day long, but was still able to do some manual labor with my day off. Then Friday night I couldn't sleep as the stomach pain moved from my whole stomach to just the lower right hand side. Saturday morning when I woke up, it hurt to get up or sit down, but not that bad if I would just sit there. After a phone call to mom, she convinced me to go get it checked out. I unloaded a bunch of junk out of my back seat, drove myself to the hospital, walked in and told them I was having some stomach pains that I wanted to get checked out. The doctor at first did not think it was my appendix, but he ordered some lab tests. After those results came back with signs of inflammation, he ordered a scan. This is where a bad week went worse. As they injected the contrast die into my IV in my right arm for the scan, something happened with the IV that instead of going into my vein, the die ended up under the fascia in my muscle compartments. It didn't hurt at first, but my forearm swelled up and got extremely tight. After a while it really began to hurt and ended up being more painful than the appendix ever was. They put a new IV in my left arm, the die went right that time, and they did the scan. It was not very long after that they knew for sure it was my appendix and were scheduling me for surgery. By the time they got me to pre-op my arm was in so much pain I couldn't think of anything else.
As I woke up from surgery, (which is not a fun experience to come to after being put under), they told me my appendix had ruptured. Most people's rupture from the bottom, but since I don't do anything normal, mine ruptured from the top and they actually had to slice off a thin slice of my colon to make sure they got it all. This is also when I found out they had operated on my arm while I was already under. There was a wound vac on my arm, and the suction of the vac was so strong, even though my arm was still over twice the normal size, it was caved-in in several places. So I had a hose running from my right arm to the wound vac, I had several IV lines running out of my left arm to machines, my abdomen muscles were still very tender, so getting up to do anything was a very long, slow process. I won't go into the rest of the gory details for the rest of the week, other than to let you know it took all week for my digestive system to finally start working again. For a week, I couldn't eat, sleep for more than an hour at a time, or do anything without being miserable.
However, for as much as I would love to complain about this experience, the Good Lord was with me through the whole thing. Mom came up and was a life-saver taking care of me all week. The medical staff and nurses were amazing for the most part, and the love and support from family, friends, church members, and others was truly humbling. God used that week to remind me how many amazing people I have in my life that love me and genuinely care about me.
Now I am back to work and feeling pretty good again. The family was up here this weekend and we have an awesome time out on the lake, brewery hopping, and playing tourists. Now it is time to get back into full speed ahead here at church as all of our Bible studies, classes, confirmation, pre-school, and the like start back up again. I really do enjoy the busyness of it all and am so thankful to be at a busy thriving church with so much going on. God is good all the time and all the time God is good! I hope you are feeling as blessed as I am as you evaluate how much God is directly at work in your life every day. Blessings to you all.
As I woke up from surgery, (which is not a fun experience to come to after being put under), they told me my appendix had ruptured. Most people's rupture from the bottom, but since I don't do anything normal, mine ruptured from the top and they actually had to slice off a thin slice of my colon to make sure they got it all. This is also when I found out they had operated on my arm while I was already under. There was a wound vac on my arm, and the suction of the vac was so strong, even though my arm was still over twice the normal size, it was caved-in in several places. So I had a hose running from my right arm to the wound vac, I had several IV lines running out of my left arm to machines, my abdomen muscles were still very tender, so getting up to do anything was a very long, slow process. I won't go into the rest of the gory details for the rest of the week, other than to let you know it took all week for my digestive system to finally start working again. For a week, I couldn't eat, sleep for more than an hour at a time, or do anything without being miserable.
However, for as much as I would love to complain about this experience, the Good Lord was with me through the whole thing. Mom came up and was a life-saver taking care of me all week. The medical staff and nurses were amazing for the most part, and the love and support from family, friends, church members, and others was truly humbling. God used that week to remind me how many amazing people I have in my life that love me and genuinely care about me.
Now I am back to work and feeling pretty good again. The family was up here this weekend and we have an awesome time out on the lake, brewery hopping, and playing tourists. Now it is time to get back into full speed ahead here at church as all of our Bible studies, classes, confirmation, pre-school, and the like start back up again. I really do enjoy the busyness of it all and am so thankful to be at a busy thriving church with so much going on. God is good all the time and all the time God is good! I hope you are feeling as blessed as I am as you evaluate how much God is directly at work in your life every day. Blessings to you all.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Chicken Life
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. Boy how has the time gone by so fast this summer??!! I am still saying May when I say the date, so apparently I completely missed June and July as we are now into AUGUST! Oh well, it has been a great summer even though it has been busy. I got to go to New Orleans with 40 youth and 9 other adults for the National Youth Gathering. It was such a fun trip. Besides the awesome experience the Gathering is itself, and even besides getting to experience it in such a large group, it was awesome because I got to see so many classmates and friends. I talked to several other pastors my age who all said the same thing. "My youth group thinks I am the most popular person in the LCMS because I know EVERYBODY!" We would be walking down the streets of New Orleans, or through the convention center, or even in the airport, and upon running into an old friend, exchanging hugs, and the quick catch-up, the kids would stare at us like we really were the most popular people. My favorite story of that area was when we were hoofing it as fast as we could down the sidewalk to get to our next scheduled thing on time, and out of a crowd popped my classmate Shea who is one of the most ripped guys I know. He literally picked me up and quite frankly slightly scared me until I realized it was him. The kids about had a heart attack seeing some buff guy jump out and attack me. The whole trip really was so amazing.
Then we came back (by a 23 hour bus ride from Atlanta instead of our scheduled flight - long story that ended up being a positive thing) just in time for VBS the next week. That was another fun week of 120 kids running around the church, our sanctuary being completely decorated like a cave for our Cave Quest theme, and watching the leaders do an amazing job like they always do. With our penny wars, (a fun game you should ask me about), we told the kids for each $100 they raised, an adult leader would take a pie in the face. Then we told them that if they raised $500, another guy and myself would drink a stinky shake. They had two hundred and some dollars on Thursday so Eric and I thought we were pretty safe. Come Friday, the total was $503.47. They let the kids vote what to put in our stinky shake. We started with a raspberry smoothie mix for the base but then added jalapenos, sardines, hot sauce, mayo, pickles and pickle juice, cayenne pepper, and wasabi. They blended it all together and he and I chugged it down. One of those crazy things you have to do in the ministry.
So now the last week has been playing catch up on all my things around the house before we get swamped with the school year. We have already started planning for Bible studies, confirmation, and the like. I will have two small group Bible Studies Sunday and Wednesday nights, New member classes on Sunday mornings, starting a new young men's group, College ministry on a weekly basis, social events once a month, and then all the normal pastoral stuff. It will be an extremely busy fall but I am really excited to get back into the full swing of the regular church year.
I did get some fishing in this last Friday. I didn't catch anything besides a sunburn, but it was a beautiful day to be out on the lake. Then Saturday morning I went golfing with a friend. Sunday afternoon and Monday evening I worked my rear end off getting a bunch of stuff crossed off my to-do list. I am trying to get my garage ready to insulate and sheet this fall for this winter. I got the chicken fence all done and they love being outside. I finally had to mow again now that the rain has slowed down and the grass isn't growing as fast it was. Last night I ripped the old chimney out of my garage and sorted the good bricks from the bad ones.
Last night, as I dumped all the bricks into a pile outside of my garage, and then went through them to separate them, I was covered in soot, sweat, bug spray, and just filthy dirty. I was tired and still had a lot of work to get done and a lot to get cleaned up before dark. I looked over and saw the chickens sitting there watching me work. I started thinking, "wouldn't that be the life? Just get to sit there and watch the guy who feeds you do all the work so all you have to do is run around, play, rest, and eat." However, I no more than thought that before my theologian brain kicked in. It told me, "Actually Kevin, (yes I talk to myself and yes I know that's one of many signs I am actually crazy), those chickens may have "the life" as they sit and watch you work, but it's really no life at all." They still have a relationship with their creator as God still watches over them too; however, they have no awareness of the relationship with Him. They live for maybe a couple years at most and then that is it for them. We on the other hand, even though it is still under the curse of sin and we have to work hard, and get tired and dirty, do have the life. We have eternal life, in a relationship with our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, and our Lord. Wee not only get average of 80 years of life here, but we get all of eternity to have a life with our Lord and Savior. Then I had to laugh that my simple moment of jealousy of a bunch of chickens, was just one more reminder that I am so thankful for the life I have in Christ. Thanks be to Him, even the simple things are reminders of His grace and the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ.
Then we came back (by a 23 hour bus ride from Atlanta instead of our scheduled flight - long story that ended up being a positive thing) just in time for VBS the next week. That was another fun week of 120 kids running around the church, our sanctuary being completely decorated like a cave for our Cave Quest theme, and watching the leaders do an amazing job like they always do. With our penny wars, (a fun game you should ask me about), we told the kids for each $100 they raised, an adult leader would take a pie in the face. Then we told them that if they raised $500, another guy and myself would drink a stinky shake. They had two hundred and some dollars on Thursday so Eric and I thought we were pretty safe. Come Friday, the total was $503.47. They let the kids vote what to put in our stinky shake. We started with a raspberry smoothie mix for the base but then added jalapenos, sardines, hot sauce, mayo, pickles and pickle juice, cayenne pepper, and wasabi. They blended it all together and he and I chugged it down. One of those crazy things you have to do in the ministry.
So now the last week has been playing catch up on all my things around the house before we get swamped with the school year. We have already started planning for Bible studies, confirmation, and the like. I will have two small group Bible Studies Sunday and Wednesday nights, New member classes on Sunday mornings, starting a new young men's group, College ministry on a weekly basis, social events once a month, and then all the normal pastoral stuff. It will be an extremely busy fall but I am really excited to get back into the full swing of the regular church year.
I did get some fishing in this last Friday. I didn't catch anything besides a sunburn, but it was a beautiful day to be out on the lake. Then Saturday morning I went golfing with a friend. Sunday afternoon and Monday evening I worked my rear end off getting a bunch of stuff crossed off my to-do list. I am trying to get my garage ready to insulate and sheet this fall for this winter. I got the chicken fence all done and they love being outside. I finally had to mow again now that the rain has slowed down and the grass isn't growing as fast it was. Last night I ripped the old chimney out of my garage and sorted the good bricks from the bad ones.
Last night, as I dumped all the bricks into a pile outside of my garage, and then went through them to separate them, I was covered in soot, sweat, bug spray, and just filthy dirty. I was tired and still had a lot of work to get done and a lot to get cleaned up before dark. I looked over and saw the chickens sitting there watching me work. I started thinking, "wouldn't that be the life? Just get to sit there and watch the guy who feeds you do all the work so all you have to do is run around, play, rest, and eat." However, I no more than thought that before my theologian brain kicked in. It told me, "Actually Kevin, (yes I talk to myself and yes I know that's one of many signs I am actually crazy), those chickens may have "the life" as they sit and watch you work, but it's really no life at all." They still have a relationship with their creator as God still watches over them too; however, they have no awareness of the relationship with Him. They live for maybe a couple years at most and then that is it for them. We on the other hand, even though it is still under the curse of sin and we have to work hard, and get tired and dirty, do have the life. We have eternal life, in a relationship with our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, and our Lord. Wee not only get average of 80 years of life here, but we get all of eternity to have a life with our Lord and Savior. Then I had to laugh that my simple moment of jealousy of a bunch of chickens, was just one more reminder that I am so thankful for the life I have in Christ. Thanks be to Him, even the simple things are reminders of His grace and the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Psalm 68
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you all had a happy 4th! Mom and dad, JoAnna, Steven, and Ava came up to visit me. Even though it was a very quick trip for them, it was so nice to see them again. They enjoyed getting to see the new house too. We spent Sunday afternoon on the lake at my friends' house. It was just a very nice weekend and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Psalm 68:2
We had an awesome service Sunday morning with all the battle and patriotic hymns. We even had our cello and trumpet player come in to add to the music.
Here a devotion on Psalm 68 I wrote a couple months ago, but my daily devotion was this psalm again so it reminded me. I do not believe I have posted it on here before, but I apologize if I have and this is a repeat. Blessings to you all!
“As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!”
I do not know if this was the psalmist’s intention when he wrote this verse or not, but what I noticed about this verse is that there are two metaphors both centered around the same thing. Both smoke and wax are fleeing from the fire. Now this is certainly not the only time God is compared to fire in the Bible. The wrath of God is compared to an unquenchable fire many times, and most often it is talked about burning the chaff that does not belong with the harvest. Here however, the fire is not consuming the particular details in the metaphors, but rather it is chasing them away. Think about how many times you have seen a thick cloud of smoke rising in the sky. Coming from a small town, that sight was a major deal. When you see smoke rising in the distance, you can bet most folks are dropping what they were doing to either jump in the car and go find the fire or are picking up the phone to find out who knows what about the fire. Smoke rises on its own or is blown away by the wind. It never just sits and hangs around the fire though. Smoke is always being driven away from fire.
Same is true about wax. As soon as wax gets anywhere near a flame, it heats up, melts, and then either runs or drips. This is one of the biggest details we spent the most time discussing about our Christmas Eve services. There is always a wax mess in the pews or on the floor to clean up the next day because of all the candles. Wax runs and drips away from the heat of the flame. Smoke is rising and being blown away, wax is running or dripping away; both are getting away from the fire and the heat of the flame. Both of these metaphors for the wicked fleeing from God easily grab our attention towards the smoke and the wax. What about the focus of the flame or fire though? Fire is a good thing, flames giving heat has been necessary for the entire time creation has been around.
Fire not only gives heat for warmth, it cooks food, it refines metals, it recycles whole forests, and overall is a good thing. It provides light in the dark and can be a defense against animals and enemies. So the fire and the flame in these metaphors are good things, just not for the smoke or the wax. It makes me think of 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The fire and the flame are a heat source, light source, food source, and defense source for those who depend on it. It is only for the smoke and the wax that the flame and the fire cause them to flee away. So yes, the wicked are the wax and the smoke, fleeing from God in every direction. The wicked rebel against God and try to get as far away from Him as they possibly can. However, for those of us who are righteous in Jesus’ salvation and redemption, we are drawn towards the fire. We are drawn towards the light of the world that the darkness cannot overcome, towards the heat of the flame that keeps us warm, towards the sure defense of the flame’s protection. This is exactly what verse three goes on to say too. “But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!” So while the smoke and the wax are fleeing in every direction because to them the heat of the flame and the fire is the end of them, those of us who are the righteous because Christ has died for us, redeeming us in His blood, are being drawn to the light. The wicked flee like the smoke and the wax, but you and I who are saved are drawn to the never-ending light and warmth of that loving, gracious fire and flame who is our God, the one and only Triune, Almighty God. Amen.
Same is true about wax. As soon as wax gets anywhere near a flame, it heats up, melts, and then either runs or drips. This is one of the biggest details we spent the most time discussing about our Christmas Eve services. There is always a wax mess in the pews or on the floor to clean up the next day because of all the candles. Wax runs and drips away from the heat of the flame. Smoke is rising and being blown away, wax is running or dripping away; both are getting away from the fire and the heat of the flame. Both of these metaphors for the wicked fleeing from God easily grab our attention towards the smoke and the wax. What about the focus of the flame or fire though? Fire is a good thing, flames giving heat has been necessary for the entire time creation has been around.
Fire not only gives heat for warmth, it cooks food, it refines metals, it recycles whole forests, and overall is a good thing. It provides light in the dark and can be a defense against animals and enemies. So the fire and the flame in these metaphors are good things, just not for the smoke or the wax. It makes me think of 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The fire and the flame are a heat source, light source, food source, and defense source for those who depend on it. It is only for the smoke and the wax that the flame and the fire cause them to flee away. So yes, the wicked are the wax and the smoke, fleeing from God in every direction. The wicked rebel against God and try to get as far away from Him as they possibly can. However, for those of us who are righteous in Jesus’ salvation and redemption, we are drawn towards the fire. We are drawn towards the light of the world that the darkness cannot overcome, towards the heat of the flame that keeps us warm, towards the sure defense of the flame’s protection. This is exactly what verse three goes on to say too. “But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!” So while the smoke and the wax are fleeing in every direction because to them the heat of the flame and the fire is the end of them, those of us who are the righteous because Christ has died for us, redeeming us in His blood, are being drawn to the light. The wicked flee like the smoke and the wax, but you and I who are saved are drawn to the never-ending light and warmth of that loving, gracious fire and flame who is our God, the one and only Triune, Almighty God. Amen.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Psalm 22
Psalm 22:17 “I can count all my bones, they stare and gloat over me”
One of my favorite games to play with young children is “How many ribs do you have?”. This is a game of my own invention. I “count” their ribs by gently pressing my finger along their rib cages solely for the purpose that it an extremely ticklish spot for them. I have yet to play the game with any niece, nephew, or friend’s child who did not end up giggling and laughing so hard they can barely breathe. It makes me laugh because there is hardly a better sound than a child’s laughter. It is just a fun and silly game that always leaves everyone laughing.
However, in Psalm 22 as David writes about counting his bones, it is not quite the same joyous, silly game. David feels completely surrounded by his enemies. He is tired, hungry, and probably sore from running and hiding in caves. He can count his bones from the weariness and soreness each individual bone causes him in his current situation. Then as you hear Jesus quote Psalm 22 from the cross these words get even further away from a silly game. As Jesus quotes verse 1 of Psalm 22 from the cross, it is most commonly understood that He is referring to the entire psalm. So as you see Jesus referencing these words of David, Jesus means that he is so beaten, so dehydrated, so famished, and so exhausted that He can (most likely literally) count all His bones as they sorely press against His tender, bleeding, and bruised flesh. The nails pressing again his wrist bones, most likely cutting off circulation to his fingers and hands; his own weight causing his elbows and shoulders to feel like the tendons are going to rip off the bones; his ribs trying to keep the weight of his tired, sagging body from crushing his lungs; his spine trying to hold him as upright as possible; his neck bones struggling to hold up his own head; his skull pounding from the pressure points of the thorns and the previous blows; his legs, already too sore to carry his own cross up the hill, now using every ounce of strength he has left, pushing up off the nail through his feet to still stand up. Our suffering, dying Savior can count his bones from the excruciating pain each one is causing Him upon that cross. This is not a silly game. He is not laughing as He counts His bones.
And yet, His pain is our gain. His counting those bones just before His death, is our joy that gives us the freedom to laugh at silly games in this life. As Scripture says:
We can still play silly games, we can still thoroughly enjoy the beautiful sound of a child’s laughter, but we have these joys of life only because our Lord and Savior was willing to experience such horrible pain, such horrific torture, and such a miserable death so that He could grant you His righteousness and eternal life. He counted His bones in the pain of that cross, so that He could count Your bones as redeemed. Praise be to Christ, that we can laugh, play, and rejoice in the fact that we are forgiven, we are counted as righteous because of Him, and have eternal life in His name. Amen.
One of my favorite games to play with young children is “How many ribs do you have?”. This is a game of my own invention. I “count” their ribs by gently pressing my finger along their rib cages solely for the purpose that it an extremely ticklish spot for them. I have yet to play the game with any niece, nephew, or friend’s child who did not end up giggling and laughing so hard they can barely breathe. It makes me laugh because there is hardly a better sound than a child’s laughter. It is just a fun and silly game that always leaves everyone laughing.
However, in Psalm 22 as David writes about counting his bones, it is not quite the same joyous, silly game. David feels completely surrounded by his enemies. He is tired, hungry, and probably sore from running and hiding in caves. He can count his bones from the weariness and soreness each individual bone causes him in his current situation. Then as you hear Jesus quote Psalm 22 from the cross these words get even further away from a silly game. As Jesus quotes verse 1 of Psalm 22 from the cross, it is most commonly understood that He is referring to the entire psalm. So as you see Jesus referencing these words of David, Jesus means that he is so beaten, so dehydrated, so famished, and so exhausted that He can (most likely literally) count all His bones as they sorely press against His tender, bleeding, and bruised flesh. The nails pressing again his wrist bones, most likely cutting off circulation to his fingers and hands; his own weight causing his elbows and shoulders to feel like the tendons are going to rip off the bones; his ribs trying to keep the weight of his tired, sagging body from crushing his lungs; his spine trying to hold him as upright as possible; his neck bones struggling to hold up his own head; his skull pounding from the pressure points of the thorns and the previous blows; his legs, already too sore to carry his own cross up the hill, now using every ounce of strength he has left, pushing up off the nail through his feet to still stand up. Our suffering, dying Savior can count his bones from the excruciating pain each one is causing Him upon that cross. This is not a silly game. He is not laughing as He counts His bones.
And yet, His pain is our gain. His counting those bones just before His death, is our joy that gives us the freedom to laugh at silly games in this life. As Scripture says:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
We can still play silly games, we can still thoroughly enjoy the beautiful sound of a child’s laughter, but we have these joys of life only because our Lord and Savior was willing to experience such horrible pain, such horrific torture, and such a miserable death so that He could grant you His righteousness and eternal life. He counted His bones in the pain of that cross, so that He could count Your bones as redeemed. Praise be to Christ, that we can laugh, play, and rejoice in the fact that we are forgiven, we are counted as righteous because of Him, and have eternal life in His name. Amen.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Psalm 116
Greetings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ. I just got back from an amazing vacation. It was a lot of time in the car with almost 2,000 miles, but it was also kind of fun to be on a long road trip again. It had been quite a while since I had a true road trip. I made a big circle down through Iowa to Kansas City, over to Cheney, Kansas, up to Omaha, back over to Iowa, and then headed north to home again. I got to see lots of people and spend some good quality time with family and friends. The Lord blessed me with smooth sailing the whole way and even gave me some hot sunny weather to enjoy.
Now I am back home, back to work, and starting my chicken farm. I brought 45 baby chicks home with me from Iowa. My goal is to get down to about 20 to 25 egg laying hens by leaving the other 20 to 25 for meat. It has been fun and gives me some minor chores to do every day.
I need to get back to writing more psalms devotions, but here is one I wrote a while ago.
Psalm 116:6
“The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.”
These words may be some of the most comforting words I have ever read. Why you ask? Because I am one of the simplest people you will ever meet. I am a simple minded, country boy, from small town Iowa. My seminary buddies used to get so mad at me because I always said, “I’m just a big, dumb brute.” Perfect example, after saying that line a hundred times, I still had to Google how to properly spell brute. Now, I do not deny God has blessed me in many ways, and if He had not blessed me with the intelligence He did, I certainly would not be where I am today. And yet, when you look past the fact that school always came easy for me, I really do think I am a very simple person. It doesn’t take much to impress me. I am easy going, happy-go-lucky, and don’t really expect much out of life. Another example, I used to love “running” a stop sign for eight hours straight when I worked road construction. I could entertain myself so easily, it was almost scary. One time I distinctly remember making myself laugh out loud as I was talking to myself. Maybe that is more crazy than simple, but you get the point. I am not fancy, I am not classy, and I do not think I am too proud. If anything, maybe I am too proud of the fact that I am a simple kind of man. It means Lynyrd was singing about me (I hope you get that reference).
Here, our psalm for today says God preserves the simple. Simple kind of people do not worry about what other people think about them, they do not get all worked up about everything going exactly right, they do not expect that they deserve more than what the world is actually going to hand them. Simple people go with the flow, are happy with almost any situation, and are just happy living life. These are the people God preserves. Why? Because they don’t let their high-class society distract them from their faith. They do not expect to be served by everyone else around them, but rather would graciously help their neighbor in need. They are more worried with what God thinks about them, than what their friends or neighbors do. They are more than willing to admit they need help and depend on God.
This verse continues with the fact that when God brought me low, he saved me. By destroying my own self-ego, my own self-image, God allows me to see what or better yet, who is really important. By realizing that everything doesn’t revolve around my desires and demands, I can see what the world really does revolve around. And it’s not the sun, but rather the Son. This whole world is about being the creature of God you are. You are entirely dependent on Him for everything. You are dependent on Him for food, shelter, house, family, and physical blessings. Even more important though, you are dependent on Him for your forgiveness of sins, salvation and your eternal life in His Son Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to serve, not to be served. Christ came to die as a ransom for many, not to demand high-class, center of attention, perfection. We are brought low in remembering that we are sinners who deserve eternal death. However, once He brings us low in this confession, then He saves us through the free gift of grace and mercy in His Son’s death and resurrection and gives us eternal life.
So it is OK to be simple. In fact, God wants us to be simple. He wants us to remember we are sinners and are only saved because of what He has done for us through His Son. He wants us to serve those around us, instead of demanding to be served. He wants us to find the joy of serving Him and living in His mercy each and every day. So for a simple kind of man like me, it is comforting to know, God preserves the simple. When life tries to bring me down, part of those low times is knowing I can turn to God and am reminded I am only saved by Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
Now I am back home, back to work, and starting my chicken farm. I brought 45 baby chicks home with me from Iowa. My goal is to get down to about 20 to 25 egg laying hens by leaving the other 20 to 25 for meat. It has been fun and gives me some minor chores to do every day.
I need to get back to writing more psalms devotions, but here is one I wrote a while ago.
Psalm 116:6
“The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.”
These words may be some of the most comforting words I have ever read. Why you ask? Because I am one of the simplest people you will ever meet. I am a simple minded, country boy, from small town Iowa. My seminary buddies used to get so mad at me because I always said, “I’m just a big, dumb brute.” Perfect example, after saying that line a hundred times, I still had to Google how to properly spell brute. Now, I do not deny God has blessed me in many ways, and if He had not blessed me with the intelligence He did, I certainly would not be where I am today. And yet, when you look past the fact that school always came easy for me, I really do think I am a very simple person. It doesn’t take much to impress me. I am easy going, happy-go-lucky, and don’t really expect much out of life. Another example, I used to love “running” a stop sign for eight hours straight when I worked road construction. I could entertain myself so easily, it was almost scary. One time I distinctly remember making myself laugh out loud as I was talking to myself. Maybe that is more crazy than simple, but you get the point. I am not fancy, I am not classy, and I do not think I am too proud. If anything, maybe I am too proud of the fact that I am a simple kind of man. It means Lynyrd was singing about me (I hope you get that reference).
Here, our psalm for today says God preserves the simple. Simple kind of people do not worry about what other people think about them, they do not get all worked up about everything going exactly right, they do not expect that they deserve more than what the world is actually going to hand them. Simple people go with the flow, are happy with almost any situation, and are just happy living life. These are the people God preserves. Why? Because they don’t let their high-class society distract them from their faith. They do not expect to be served by everyone else around them, but rather would graciously help their neighbor in need. They are more worried with what God thinks about them, than what their friends or neighbors do. They are more than willing to admit they need help and depend on God.
This verse continues with the fact that when God brought me low, he saved me. By destroying my own self-ego, my own self-image, God allows me to see what or better yet, who is really important. By realizing that everything doesn’t revolve around my desires and demands, I can see what the world really does revolve around. And it’s not the sun, but rather the Son. This whole world is about being the creature of God you are. You are entirely dependent on Him for everything. You are dependent on Him for food, shelter, house, family, and physical blessings. Even more important though, you are dependent on Him for your forgiveness of sins, salvation and your eternal life in His Son Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to serve, not to be served. Christ came to die as a ransom for many, not to demand high-class, center of attention, perfection. We are brought low in remembering that we are sinners who deserve eternal death. However, once He brings us low in this confession, then He saves us through the free gift of grace and mercy in His Son’s death and resurrection and gives us eternal life.
So it is OK to be simple. In fact, God wants us to be simple. He wants us to remember we are sinners and are only saved because of what He has done for us through His Son. He wants us to serve those around us, instead of demanding to be served. He wants us to find the joy of serving Him and living in His mercy each and every day. So for a simple kind of man like me, it is comforting to know, God preserves the simple. When life tries to bring me down, part of those low times is knowing I can turn to God and am reminded I am only saved by Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Be not far from me!
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. Well I am officially living in my house. I love it. I mean it is a lot of work and I get overwhelmed with all the things I either need to do or want to do to it, but I am still content. I have been mostly working on the yard now that I am pretty much all settled in inside. It truly is a blessing from the Good Lord and I most certainly feel blessed when I call it home!
Psalm 35:22 “You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!”
In the words of this Psalm, we hear David crying out to God, “Be not far from me!” How often have you cried out those very words yourself? During times where life seems to be crumbling around you, and in your mind God has distanced Himself from you, this plea for His presence is very comforting. During those dark, scary, sad, or tragic moments, we want nothing more than our all-powerful God to wrap His loving arms around us and hold us tightly. We want Him to be right there with us, just as a scared child wants to be close to his or her mommy and daddy.
However, I wonder how often God has wanted to say these words to us. When life is getting us down, we want God to be right there with us. So we cry out to Him to be near to us and not only does He hear us, but He does come near. He comforts us with His presence. Yet, when life is going good and everything seems to be working out just fine, how quickly do you stop wanting God to be right there with you? Are you like the toddler who once comforted by his parents’ loving embrace, jumps out of their lap and runs away to play forgetting all about mom and dad being there at all?
As our Heavenly Father watches us jump out of His embrace and run away to go play now that life is all better again, I wonder if His plea is for us to not be far from Him. That we would know we are dependent upon Him even during the good times. That our prayer would be for Him to be near us, even when life is great. That we would cling to Him every day no matter how life is going.
This came to my mind because now that the weather is nice and I have been spending much more time outdoors, working in the yard, cleaning the garage, etc. I have noticed my own devotional and prayer life slowing down. It is so easy to get busy with the fun things of summer, golfing, fishing, boating, camping, etc. During these fun, busy months of summer it is also very easy to be far from God ourselves. As you get busy, it is easy to put off your daily devotions, your evening prayers, or even going to church. And it happens without us even really noticing. This is when I can picture God, watching us go about our busy lives without Him, wanting to cry out to us, “Be not far from me!”
I pray you do get to enjoy these summer months and that your life is going very well right now. However, I will also pray for all of you, that even as life goes well and is so busy, you do not let yourself be far from God. Our loving Father is there with you every day; He has answered your plea for Him to not be far from you. Our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is with you every day. He has made Himself present in your life through His living and active Word, through the forgiveness of His Son, Jesus Christ, through His Spirit keeping you in your baptismal identity, and through the gift of prayer. He is not far from you as He is with you always. How will you answer His plea for you to not be far from Him?
God’s blessings be with you all.
Here is my newsletter article for June:
Psalm 35:22 “You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!”
In the words of this Psalm, we hear David crying out to God, “Be not far from me!” How often have you cried out those very words yourself? During times where life seems to be crumbling around you, and in your mind God has distanced Himself from you, this plea for His presence is very comforting. During those dark, scary, sad, or tragic moments, we want nothing more than our all-powerful God to wrap His loving arms around us and hold us tightly. We want Him to be right there with us, just as a scared child wants to be close to his or her mommy and daddy.
However, I wonder how often God has wanted to say these words to us. When life is getting us down, we want God to be right there with us. So we cry out to Him to be near to us and not only does He hear us, but He does come near. He comforts us with His presence. Yet, when life is going good and everything seems to be working out just fine, how quickly do you stop wanting God to be right there with you? Are you like the toddler who once comforted by his parents’ loving embrace, jumps out of their lap and runs away to play forgetting all about mom and dad being there at all?
As our Heavenly Father watches us jump out of His embrace and run away to go play now that life is all better again, I wonder if His plea is for us to not be far from Him. That we would know we are dependent upon Him even during the good times. That our prayer would be for Him to be near us, even when life is great. That we would cling to Him every day no matter how life is going.
This came to my mind because now that the weather is nice and I have been spending much more time outdoors, working in the yard, cleaning the garage, etc. I have noticed my own devotional and prayer life slowing down. It is so easy to get busy with the fun things of summer, golfing, fishing, boating, camping, etc. During these fun, busy months of summer it is also very easy to be far from God ourselves. As you get busy, it is easy to put off your daily devotions, your evening prayers, or even going to church. And it happens without us even really noticing. This is when I can picture God, watching us go about our busy lives without Him, wanting to cry out to us, “Be not far from me!”
I pray you do get to enjoy these summer months and that your life is going very well right now. However, I will also pray for all of you, that even as life goes well and is so busy, you do not let yourself be far from God. Our loving Father is there with you every day; He has answered your plea for Him to not be far from you. Our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is with you every day. He has made Himself present in your life through His living and active Word, through the forgiveness of His Son, Jesus Christ, through His Spirit keeping you in your baptismal identity, and through the gift of prayer. He is not far from you as He is with you always. How will you answer His plea for you to not be far from Him?
God’s blessings be with you all.
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