The Weekend Sermon -- "More Than Words"

     Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon again this week. I hope that everyone is doing well. I want everyone to please continue to pray for those affected by the hurricane in the Caribbean. 

     This week, my message is entitled "More Than Words." Our text is found in I John 3:16-18 which reads, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

     These are powerful words written by the Apostle John. In many ways, they remind me of what James told us when he said faith without works is dead. 

     In this passage, John is telling us that love is the most important thing in the world. Love is what the Christian faith is all about. Jesus is the man of love. The Bible says that God is love. But, John wants us to know that true love is not just words. True love is more than words. True love is action. 

     The Bible is quite clear that God loved us. John 3:16 says that God loved the entire world. That is wonderful to know that God loves the world. The Lord did more than say that He loved us. He demonstrated His love for us. Jesus Christ came into this world to redeem us from our sins. He came to break the power of sin, death, hell and the grave. He just didn't say it. He showed His love by His actions. 

     We can say that we love God and our neighbor. That is great. But the Lord wants us to take it the next step and demonstrate that we are people who love God and love our neighbor by our actions. I believe that we demonstrate that we love the Lord by being willing to do what He told us to do. We demonstrate our love for the Lord by spending time with Him and by telling others how much Jesus means to us. 

     When it comes to loving others, we need to demonstrate that as well. We show that the love of God dwells within us when we are willing to help others and to do what is in our power to do in order to help people have a better life. 

     John says that if we see a brother or sister in need, and we have the resources to help, that is what we are supposed to do. If we don't, John says that we can't say that the love of God dwells within us. 

     It is important to say to people that we care about them and that we love them. It is very important. It is equally important to show it. If you say to someone that you love them, yet you are mean to them all the time, your actions betray your words. 

     Let each of us this week work to demonstrate our love of God and our love for our neighbor. Let us strive to live according to the Lord's will. Let us try to find some way to do good and help others in need. There are many in desperate need. Let's show our love by our actions. And, let us show our love by our actions in our relationships with our family and with our friends. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I want to thank the Lord that the storms in my area did not cause any problems. I would ask that you keep praying that my health will improve. Thank you. 

     We need to be in deep prayer in regard to the hurricane. Many have had their lives turned upside down in the Caribbean. Pray that the people will get the aid and the help that they need to recover. 

     Keep praying for peace. Pray for Ukraine and Sudan. Pray that peace will hold out in Israel and Gaza. As I write this, there are difficulties. Keep praying for peace. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post a topical message. I have a new series planned, but I am holding off until after Advent. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and I will post the next chapter in the book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 9

 Chapter 9

     I took many trips with Toby over the years that we were together.  Every summer, we would always go out and visit my Grandma and my uncle in Cheyenne.  Instead of just going straight out there, we often took different routes and tried to explore some new places where none of us had ever been before.
     One year, my Mom decided to take some extra vacation time, so we had an additional trip that year.  That particular year, Mom wanted to go up to Iowa and visit some of the places where she lived as a girl.  She also wanted to see the place that her Dad grew up, and we wanted to explore some family history.  So, we all decided to take a trip up to Iowa.
     The first day of the trip, we went to the towns my Mom knew as a young girl.  She was born in Vinton, Iowa, so we stopped there first.  We also visited the town of Van Horne where my Grandma was born and where she lived as a girl.  The town of Garrison is nearby.  That is where my Mom's grandparents lived.
     It was interesting to see where my Mom was born.  Visiting Garrison made Mom sad.  She said that it was so different from when she knew it.  Many of the businesses were closed.
     From there, we made our way to the towns of Traer and Dysart.  Dysart was my Mom's least favorite place.  She actually didn't want to visit there, but I wanted to see it since my Grandma said that she liked it. My Mom said that when she was a girl, everyone who was in her class was Scandinavian.  They all had light hair, and they made fun of her because she had black hair.  They called her a terrible name that I won't repeat.
     There really wasn't that much in this part of the trip for me and Toby to do.  It was mostly just a trip for my Mom.  I did have fun walking around Clear Lake with Toby.  My Mom spent most of her younger days in Mason City.  She would often go over to Clear Lake to the Surf Ballroom and listen to the big bands play.
     The second part of the trip was very interesting.  We decided to go and visit what was left of the religious colony where my Grandpa was born.
     I'll have to give a little history of how this religious colony came to be.  My Great Great Grandfather originally lived in Prussia.  He began reading the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and became a member of the Swedenborgian Church.  Because my Great Great Grandfather wasn't a Lutheran like his neighbors, many of them began persecuting him for his religious beliefs.  He decided to leave Prussia and come to America where he could have religious freedom.
    He eventually settled in Saint Louis where he met up with some other Swedenborgians.  They decided to build a religious colony in Norway, Iowa.  They lived communally for two or three years.  After that, each family owned their own land.  They had their own church and school.
    This is where my Grandpa was born in 1901.  The church that these early Swedenborgian pioneers built is still there.  Toby and I had a great time visiting this old church.  I could just picture my Grandpa sitting in the pews listening to the sermons that were still given in German when he was a boy.
    My Grandpa loved dogs, and if he had been alive to know Toby, he would have loved him too.  When my Grandpa was a boy, he decided to get an old, retired racing greyhound.  My Grandpa went rabbit hunting with that dog almost every day.  My Grandpa's brother told me that they kept the whole family fed one winter with the rabbits they caught.  This was quite a task as my Grandpa had 12 brothers and sisters.
    My Grandpa's old farm was just across the street from the church, and I could imagine that if Toby would have been there the two of us could have had many great adventures in the rural Iowa countryside.
    My Grandpa didn't remain a member of the Swedenborgian Church.  He became convinced that they were wrong, and he joined an evangelical denomination.  Services are no longer held in the old church in Iowa.
    Toby and I walked around the countryside for many hours. We visited the cemetery where my Great Great Grandparents and Great Grandparents are buried.  Many of my Great Aunts and Uncles are buried there as well.  I remembered my Grandpa and all of the fun we had when I was a boy.  Every day I wish that he was still around to talk to.
    After we visited the religious colony, we stopped at the Amana Colonies and looked around.  I walked around there with Toby for a long time.  At one shop they were giving out free samples of red clover wine.  I decided to take a shot.  That was a mistake.  That stuff about knocked me over.  Toby began barking at me like I was stupid for even trying the stuff.  Once again like at Mount Rushmore, too many people wanted to pet the dog.  We went back to the car and ate lunch while Mom and Dad continued there excursions.
    We had a very enjoyable time in Iowa visiting all of the old family places.  I just enjoyed being with my family and my good friend Toby.  I always enjoy the scenery and the beauty of the earth.

Verses For The Week And Prayer Requests

 First of all, let us all pray for the safety of those in the path of the terrible hurricane in the Caribbean. Also, we are having a lot of rain where I live. Pray that all will be safe. 

Verses:

Deuteronomy 31:8 -- "And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

Psalm 32:7 -- "You are my hiding place, you shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Don't Get Weary"

     It is time again for the sermon. Thank you for reading it. I hope that you have had a good week. I have been doing well. 

     Today, I want to post a message about a verse that has meant a lot to me over the last few weeks. This verse is Galatians 6:9 that says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

     Sometimes, I feel like everything that I am trying to do that good in this world is not amounting to a whole lot. I get discouraged as it seems like the forces of wrong and oppression seem to just keep growing. I at times get the feeling that I would just like to do my own thing, take care of myself and forget about what is going on in the world and in the lives of others. Of course, this isn't the right way to feel, but I'd be less than truthful if I didn't admit it. 

     There are also times when all of us I believe see those who don't care about God or the things of God in this world becoming more wealthy and more powerful while those who try to follow God have one problem after another. It makes me wonder what's up.

     Some of the people that Paul was writing his epistle to must have felt the same way. He encouraged them not to grow weary in doing good. Like them, we need to follow Paul's admonish and keep on going and striving to serve the Lord and do good and right in this world. 

     We all need to keep going and trying to live lives of holiness and righteousness in the world. Even if others reject us, we need to follow the principles and precepts of what makes for a life pleasing to God as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. 

     All of us need to keep trying to make a positive difference in this world. There are many who are hurting in this world. They are poor and oppressed. We have to be the one to meet the needs of those who the world has forgotten. 

    As I've said before, the greatest good that any of us who follow Jesus can do is to spread the message of His love and forgiveness. If more people would come to Jesus and follow Him in His way, the world can't help but to be a better place. 

     We all sometimes feel weary, but we need to keep in mind the second part of our verse for today. We will reap a harvest if we don't give up. The Bible says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When we do good for others, God will reward us in Heaven. We will receive a reward from the Lord for serving Him and striving to do what He would have us to do in this world. The greatest reward will be to see Jesus face to face in all of His glory. 

     Another harvest I believe we will see in Heaven if we keep going for the Lord are those who came to faith in Jesus as a result of our testimony. What greater joy than to see people in Heaven with Jesus who we told about Him. 

     Let each of us keep going for Jesus in spite of the hardship and the struggle. Don't give up. Let us all keep on doing good, and let us keep doing what is pleasing to the Lord. Amen. 

Prayer Request

     I have been feeling up and down. Please keep praying for my health. 

     Continue to pray for those in Alaska who lost all they had in the storm. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need to recover. 

     Let us pray for an end to the diseases occurring in the world. There are new cases of M Pox here in the US and measles is still a problem. Pray that this will all come to an end here and around the world. 

     Pray for peace. Ukraine needs our prayers as does Sudan. There is a terrible refugee crisis as a result of the war in Sudan. Keep praying of peace to hold between Israel and Gaza. Pray for Haiti. Pray that no more conflicts will begin. Also pray for refugees affected by war such as the Rohingya. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of India and Tanzania. Pray that many will come to know about the love of Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post the message on Friday. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and I will post the next chapter in the book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. 

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 8

 Chapter 8

 I begin this chapter by stating flat out that I haven't been to too many places.  I am not well traveled.  I remember students in school telling about where they went on summer vacation.  Some of them went overseas to exotic places.  My family stayed pretty much in our area.
     I have never traveled very far outside of the Midwest.  To the north, I have gone as far as South Dakota and Minnesota.  I've been as far south as Arkansas.  Westward, I've gone to the Rocky Mountains, and to the east I've been to Illinois.  There you have it.
     What's nice about these travels is that everywhere I went, Toby always came too.  After a short time in our home, it soon became apparent that Toby was the type of dog who really attached himself to the family.  He would have been totally heartbroken if I had left him in a kennel while I was off enjoying a good time.
     Besides Toby's attachment to me, I also took his special needs into consideration.  Toby needed special food in order to keep his digestive system working properly, and the little guy had pills that he needed to take on a daily basis.  If he wasn't along on the trip, no matter how good the boarding facility, I wouldn't have been able to have any fun for fear that Toby wasn't receiving the proper care.
     For these reasons, if was decided that at all times Toby would accompany me on all vacations and trips.  As you will see, having him along made the trips much more fun and memorable.
     The first trip came along when we took a trip to the Ozarks.  We went down there quite a bit and stayed in Springfield, Missouri.  There was a nice hotel there that offered a golf course, tennis and three swimming pools.
     I was very pleased with the way Toby behaved on this initial trip.  He didn't make any fuss in the car.  We just drove down there peacefully and in comfort. This place didn't care if Toby was with me on the golf course as long as he didn't get on the greens.  He followed me around while I played.  I embarrassed myself greatly as I always do on the golf course.  I think I caught Toby laughing at me on more than one occasion.  It's probably a good thing I can't play golf anymore.  The last time I played about ten years ago, I hooked the ball so bad it went over the safety netting by the course edge and landed in the practice putting area.  I just missed hitting a man in the head.
     At restaurants, I stayed with him out in the car and just ate out there.  On warm days, we would go sit under a shade tree and have a picnic.  I never left Toby alone in the car.  Even with the windows cracked, a car will heat up tremendously.  For a time, I also feared he would be stolen.  At one time, there was a high incidence of pet theft where I live.  Since that time, I've always been afraid to leave any animal unattended for too long.  By the way, a person has to be really sick to steal someone's pet.
     Most of my Mom's family lived in the state of Wyoming, so when my Grandmother was still living, we went out there almost every summer.  The first trip out west with Toby was fun.
     Instead of driving straight through the barren Kansas Plains to Cheyenne, we decided to take a circuitous route and visit the Black Hills and other sites in South Dakota.  Our first stop was in Sioux Falls.
     When we arrived, everyone was worn out from driving.  We didn't plan to do much in town, but I discovered the USS South Dakota monument listed in a travel brochure at the hotel.  All of us went out to see it.
     This monument consists of a concrete outline of the battleship which is built to the ship's exact dimensions.  An interesting museum and gift shop are located in the middle about where the ship's bridge would be.  Toby and I walked around there for a long time.
 We got up early the next morning and headed west.  We decided to make a quick stop in Mitchell to visit their number one attraction, the Corn Palace.  We didn't stay too long because we wanted to make it to Rapid City by the evening.
     The Corn Palace is a really interesting place.  It is definitely worth a visit.  The outside facade of the building is decorated in a different picture each year.  All of the decoration is made of corn and some other grains.  If I remember right, the building is mainly used as an auditorium.
     Our next stop was Chamberlain by the Missouri River.  I live near Kansas City, so I've seen the Missouri River many times.  However, the river at Chamberlain is extremely wide.  The water seemed to be much clearer than down by where I live.  The surrounding scenery is also much more eye pleasing.
     We came across a nice rest area.  It was situated on top of a hill that afforded a grand view of the river and the surrounding countryside.  This area had several picnic tables that were covered by steel poles in order to resemble a giant tee-pee.  Toby and I walked all around through the park and had an enjoyable lunch.  I was going to go farther, but Toby was getting too hot.  He never could stand very much heat.
     The next stop on our South Dakota excursion was the Badlands.  This is a spectacular sight.  One can drive through the area and see the devastating effects of erosion on the Great Plains.  The area looks like a section of mini-mountains carved out of the barren landscape that surrounds it.
     Toby and I got out to explore.  We walked quite a way down one of the trails taking in the sights.  I was worried about rattlesnakes, so I didn't want to go to far.  Toby was crazy when it came to going after things.  Once, there was a big black snake in the back yard by the garden.   Toby went after that snake barking.  Toby was in the fenced part of the yard, and the snake crawled just outside the fence.  However, it started turning back towards Toby.  I dispatched the snake.  Black snakes aren't poisonous, I didn't want to mess with a snake that was.
     When we arrived in Rapid City, we had a hard time finding a place to stay that accepted pets.  We finally found a place that on the outside appeared to be a dump, but the rooms were very nice.  The restaurant's buffet was great.  Toby and I ate our dinner, and then we went for a long walk.  We really enjoyed South Dakota.
     The next morning, we decided to explore around Rapid City.  We went to a place called Dinosaur Park.  At this park, there are several life-size dinosaurs made from concrete.  The park is up on a little hill.  My Dad is so scared of heights, that he wouldn't even get out of the care.  As we were coming down from the park, my Dad buried his head in his lap so he didn't have to look out the window.  Toby must have thought that my Dad looked ridiculous because Toby jumped up into the front seat and kept licking my Dad's head  and barking until my Dad sat back up in the seat.
     Traveling through the Black Hills was fun.  Toby and I stopped at one place and looked at the bison.  One of the bison at the farm was friendly and let me pet him.  He and Toby sniffed one another.  Knowing Toby, I thought that he might decide to try to go after the bison, so I got him out of there in short order.
     After more sight seeing in nature, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore.  This was the one part of the trip that I did not enjoy.  It was so crowded, you couldn't hardly move.  Toby came with me, they allowed dogs at that time.  We couldn't walk five feet without someone bothering Toby.  People would reach down and try to pet him without even asking.  One person poked him in the eye.  Toby growled.  Who can blame him?  The two of us got the heck out of there.  Another thing that I hated about the place is that at least twenty people must have asked me if that was the kind of dog Queen Elizabeth has.  I was about ready to put a sign on Toby saying, Queen Elizabeth has a corgi like this.   We went back to the car and escaped the madness.  Mom and Dad came back an hour or so later and said how great a time they had.  The best time that Toby and I had there was our nap time when we got back to the car.
     We left South Dakota and arrived for an uneventful stay at my Grandma's house.  We did go out to visit my uncle's ranch about 40 miles outside of Cheyenne.  We were supposed to have a picnic at his house.  All the time we were there, my uncle kept telling me about how many rattlesnakes were around the place.  Toby and I wished we had stayed in town.  We couldn't even enjoy our meal.  I kept watching for those darn snakes.  Needless to say, when everyone decided to walk around the ranch, we stayed at the house.   Neither one of us cared much for the outdoors.  I remember someone saying once that they were an avid indoorsman.  That would describe Toby and me.
     We returned from our trip through Nebraska which is about as exciting as Kansas.  Toby and I never went back to visit South Dakota.  I wish we would have.  It is a nice place.

Verses For The Week

 James 1:12 -- "Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

Psalm 73:26 -- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks"

      Thanks for reading the message this week. I hope that everyone has had a great week. I want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post the message this week. 

     Since we finished our series on the book of Philippians, I've been having topical messages for the last couple of weeks, and that is what I am going to do today. When I was listening to something on the radio this week, the verses that I am going to be posting about today were brought up. I was really touched by these verses in a way that I haven't been before.

     Isaiah chapter 42 gives a description of the ministry of the coming Messiah. In verse 3 Isaiah writes, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out." 

     One of the things that you should note is that Matthew in his Gospel likes to show us and tell us how Jesus fulfilled in His ministry the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. In Matthew 12, we are told that Jesus fulfilled this particular prophecy when He healed the sick from the large crowd that was following Him and listening to His teachings. 

     This week, I was thinking about the significance of a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out. A bruised reed is a reed that is about to die out. Some would just go ahead and break it off and put it to an end. A smoldering wick is just barely putting out smoke. It isn't lighting up anything, it is just stinking the place up. It would be normal to just put it all the way out and total extinguish the little bit of fire that was remaining. 

     What does this mean for us as people? There are a lot of people who are hurt in this world. They are bruised reeds. Life has dealt them a bad hand. They have had one bad thing after another happen to them, and they are barely hanging on. These are the people that Jesus helped so much during His ministry here on this earth. He cared about the ones that other people had given up on and didn't really care about in the first place. He healed the sick and ministered to the least of those among us. He didn't turn anyone away from His love and His kindness. He was always there to help everyone, even those about ready to give up. 

     There are many people today who are struggling and having a hard time. Jesus is there to be with you and help you. He loves you and He cares about you. Turn to Him in every hour of difficulty. Seek His comfort and His help. He wants to help you in every way.

     Now, a smoldering wick He will not put out speaks to me not of the physical life and its battles but of the spiritual life. There are people who where once really on fire for the Lord. There whole life was about serving Jesus and living a holy life that is pleasing to Him. However, they have cooled way down in their fervor for serving the Lord. They may have fallen so far into sin and selfishness that there isn't much spiritual life left within them. Jesus wants to help. He is not there to condemn. 

     If you feel that you are about to burn out spiritually, tell Jesus. Ask Him to renew His presence in your life. He has not given up on you. He knows that you can get back on track again, and He is there to help you.

    This needs to be how we feel about people in our lives. Let us not give up on people. Let us help those who are knocked down by life in so many ways. Let us help those who are in a spiritually bad place to get back on track with the Lord. Let all of us help bring healing and wholeness to the world for all just like Jesus did and does. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a really hard time healthwise again. The arthritis in my hand is really severe right now, and I am having other issues as well. Please be in prayer. Thank you. 

    I want to thank the Lord that the remaining hostages have been freed. Aid is coming into Gaza, and there is a ceasefire. Let us be thankful, and let us pray that peace will hold in that part of the world. 

    Let us continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and Sudan. Let us pray for Haiti as well. 

    Please pray for those in Alaska who were affected by the typhoon remnants. Pray that they will get the aid that they need. 

    For our prayer focus countries this week let us pray for those in the nations of Suriname and Mauritius. Pray that many will come to know Jesus and His love and forgiveness. 

    Next week, I will post another topical message. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and the book about Toby chapter on Wednesday. May God bless you all.