Important Prayer Request

 The weather forecasters are predicting a bad ice storm for my area starting tomorrow night. Please pray that this does not materialize. Pray that there are not power outages. Thank you.

The Paths We Might Have Taken

 I've been thinking a lot about my friend Toby today. For those of you who don't know, Toby was a Welsh Corgi who was my friend from the time I was 16 until I was 28 years old. I believe that Jesus gave him to me to be my friend because both of us really needed each other at that time. 

When Toby came to live with me, I had just experienced some very hurtful things from the fundamentalist church my family attended and from the school operated by that church. I was also dealing with serious health problems, and I needed a friend. Toby's former owners were being mean to him, and they weren't taking care of his health problems.

Toby and I were great friends, and the years we were together were the best years of my life.

I've been thinking about some of the things I wish we'd done together, and I've been thinking about what we would do now if he was still alive.

I wanted to be a pastor of a church when I was a young man. I went to Bible college even though I felt as if I was already pulling away from the rigid fundamentalist religion of my parents. When I finished Bible college, our denomination said that I was too liberal, and my politics we're too leftist. They kicked me out. I thought about becoming a minister in a different denomination, and I also thought about starting an independent church. I was very tired of organized religion at that time, and I didn't do it. The mainline churches have always thought I'm too conservative, and the conservatives thought I was too liberal. I did become an ordained independent minister, and the Lord has allowed me to minister through writing, here on the blog, and I've worked in evangelism.

What does this have to do with Toby? I really wish that I would have gone with him and started a church in an area where we could have helped people facing a hard time. I really regret that we didn't do that together.

I also wish that we would have tried to hike on the Appalachian Trail together. Neither of us was ever in good shape, but it would have been fun to try.

We did many fun things during our years together. I miss him every day. I wish that he was still around after my parents passed away 11 years ago. I know that my life right now would be much better and very different. We would have traveled all over the US. We liked to travel and go places. We did take a lot of trips together, but if he was here right now, we'd find some way to see all the lower 48 states. We might have to stop and work a little to get some money, but we'd make it and have fun because we were together.

If Toby was here now, I wouldn't be as sad as I am now. When he was around, I always knew that someone cared about me. I think that Jesus brought him into my life so that I would know that I was loved for who I was.

I can't know for certain where our paths would have led, but we would be together, and that's all that really mattered.

I hope that you will really do the things that you want to do in this life. I let others discourage me, and I wish I hadn't. 

I know that Toby and I will be together again with Jesus one day. I am looking forward to it.

Verses For The Week

 Isaiah 11:9 -- "They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

Isaiah 12:2 -- "Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."

Weekend Sermon -- Christmas

 Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season. It is not often that the day for posting the sermon falls on Christmas day itself, but today is such a day.

For today's message, I want to focus on the gift of love that came to us at Christmas. The Bible makes it clear that everyone has sinned and come short of God's righteous standard. However, God did not give up on His creation, and He did not stop loving us. In Genesis 3:15, we have the first promise that God would provide a way of salvation.  Scripture records in many places the promise that the Messiah would come to redeem the world from sin.

On the first Christmas day over 2,000 years ago, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ,was born. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Jesus was God come to be with us. He had come to save us from our sins. 

We often don't think of it as a Christmas verse, but John 3:16 sums up what Christmas is all about. It states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God loved us. Jesus came as both God and man. He lived a holy and sinless life as our perfect example. He bore our sins in His body on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus rose bodily from the grave triumphant over death and hell.

Whoever sincerely comes to Jesus in repentance and faith will find forgiveness. Whosoever will may come and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus will take away our sin, and He will impute to us His righteousness.

Christmas is about God's gift of love and salvation in Jesus Christ. If you have never turned to Jesus and accepted Him as the Lord of your life, I pray that you will do so today. Amen.

Prayer Requests

I started my new job this week, and it is going ok so far. I would ask you to pray that the winter storm predicted for my area next week will not be bad.

My nephew's wife is out of the hospital. Please continue to pray for her full recovery. Thank you for your prayers.

Continue to pray for peace. Pray for peace in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Ethiopia.

Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the vaccines will be distributed quickly and efficiently. Pray that those who are sick will soon recover.

Our prayer focus countries this week will be Madagascar and North Korea. Pray that many will come to faith in Jesus.

Next week, I will post a message on the New Year on Friday. I will try to post a review on Wednesday. I am reading more now, and I hope to regularly post reviews again in 2021, Lord willing. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.

Verses For The Week

 Numbers 6:26 -- "The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."

Matthew 5:9 -- "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Weekend Sermon -- Light Came Into The Darkness

 Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone is well and having a good week. 

This week, I want to focus in on the Advent season and the meaning of Christmas. If you read the sermon regularly, you may recall that not long ago I posted a sermon about some of the ways the Lord has brought light into my life to drive away my personal times of darkness. As I mentioned in that message, the ultimate light in life is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Christmas is about the light of Jesus coming into the world to drive out the darkness. In John 3:19 Jesus says, "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." In John 8:12 Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world.

We have many different symbols at Christmas time to help us remember that Jesus is the light of the world. The lights appear on homes and shops. Christmas candles remind us that Jesus is the light. We also have the beautiful lights on Christmas trees, and the star on top the tree reminds us of the star that led the wise men to Jesus.

The world needs the light that Jesus brings. The world was trapped in the darkness of sin, but Jesus came to bring forgiveness and new life in Him. Many are still living in darkness, but Jesus will fill anyone who calls upon Him with the light of His mercy and love.

Jesus brings His light into the darkness of this world in other ways. By the example of His life, we know that we should care for the least of those among us. We know that love and goodness triumph over hate and greed. Jesus brings light through His resurrection. The darkness of death has no control over those filled with the light of Christ. The ultimate splendor of the light of Christ will be revealed at the Second Advent when Jesus comes in power and great glory.

One thing that those of us who are followers of Jesus need to remember is that Jesus had called us to shine our light in this world. We shine the light of Christ into the darkness when we tell others about Jesus. We shine the light when we work to make this world a better place.

During this Christmas season, let us remember that Jesus is the light, and He has called us to help shine the light for Him. Amen

Prayer Requests

I would like to thank the Lord for my new job. Please pray that all will go well. Please pray for my nephew's wife. She is in the hospital and not doing too well.

Thank the Lord that there is a coronavirus vaccine, and pray that this pandemic will soon end.

Pray for the people of Fiji. That nation was hit by a bad storm.

Continue to pray for peace. Let us focus our prayers this week on Yemen and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries, let us pray that the message of Jesus will reach those in Guinea and Malaysia.

Next week, I will post a short message on Christmas Day. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Some Christmas Memories

   I just wanted to repost this piece I wrote a few years ago. Merry Christmas everyone.

     The best Christmas memory I have from when I was a young boy didn't start out that well.  When I was young, I had extremely poor health.  Just before Christmas, I had been sick with a terrible bout of pneumonia.  The doctor's weren't even sure that I was going to make it to Christmas.
     That Christmas, the gift I wanted more than anything else was a Stretch Monster.  This was a type of action-figure that was filled with some type of solution that allowed it to stretch far out and then return to normal size.  They were very hard to find, and I kind of doubted that my folks would be able to get one.
     That year, my health improved just before Christmas Day.  Waiting for me under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning was a Stretch Monster.  I kept that thing for 25 years.  Eventually, it fell apart.
     My best Christmas memories in more recent years involved my friend Toby.  I remember one Christmas Eve that was very fun.  The two of us were together by ourselves because my parents had gone to a Christmas party with my Dad's children from his first marriage.
      For Christmas that year, I received a telescope that I'd wanted for a long time.  On Christmas Eve, I decided to assemble the telescope and go out for an observation session.  I'd loved astronomy for a long time, and I studied astronomy in college for a little while.
     As always, Toby had to be a part of whatever I was doing.  While I was trying to assemble the telescope and the mount, Toby kept crawling in and out of the boxes and pushing the packing materials all over the living room floor.
     I finally got the scope set up, and Toby and I went out to observe.  It was a clear and beautiful Christmas Eve night.  We stayed out for hours looking at the stars filled with awe and wonder at the creative power of the Lord.
     The last Christmas Eve that I spent with Toby was extra special.  Toby had been diagnosed with liver cancer the previous May.  He had surgery, but the oncologist had not expected him to live more than six weeks.  Toby was still going during Thanksgiving, but when December rolled around, he wasn't feeling well at all.
     I thought that the cancer was finally taking its toll, but Toby had a very bad lung infection.  It took about three full weeks of treatment, but by the grace of God, Toby pulled through.  Since he had been so sick, I chose to stay with him during Christmas Eve.
     I love listening to the BBC on radio, and they often have religious broadcasts on.  I tuned in on Christmas Eve because I knew that they were going to have a broadcast from a large cathedral in England.
     It was a beautiful service.  During the message, the dean of the cathedral spoke about remembering those who are important to you at Christmas time.  He invited everyone to lay their hand on someone they love and repeat a Christmas prayer of thankfulness.  I placed my hand on my friend Toby and thanked Jesus that Toby and I could spend another holiday season together.
     By the way, in spite of what the oncologist said, Toby lived for 13 months after his surgery.  It was one of the best years of my life.
     I hope that all of you who read this blog have some great Christmas memories.  I hope that this Christmas season is filled with peace and joy for you all.  Give God all the glory this Christmas for the gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses For The Week

 I John 1:5b -- "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."

John 8:12a -- "I am the light of the world."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Mercy

 I want to start today by saying thanks be to God, I now have a new job. Thank you all for your prayers. I also want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.

This will be the final sermon in our current series. Starting next week, Lord willing, we will begin a couple of sermons dealing with Christmas. I have a new series that we will begin after the first of the year. 

Today, we will focus on the characteristic of mercy. Mercy is part of who God is. He has shown His mercy upon us by redeeming us from our sins. Because He is merciful, God expects us to be merciful as well. In fact, God tells us in Hosea 6:6 that He desires mercy more than sacrifice. In addition to this, the Lord Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes that the merciful will be blessed for they will receive mercy. 

I believe that there are at least two aspects to mercy. First of all, we have mercy on someone who is indebted to us in some way. For instance, someone may owe us a lot of money. We can show mercy by forgiving a debt or modifing the loan terms to make it easier for someone to pray. 

Another aspect of mercy is compassion. When people are hurting, we extend mercy by helping them in their time of difficulty. Some hospitals have mercy in their names. This is to signify that they are reaching out to assist those who are sick.

One major way that we can show mercy to others is by aiding refugees. These people are fleeing wars and incredible poverty. They need us to extend a helping hand to them in the name of Jesus.

We can also show mercy by helping those who are struggling with loneliness and depression. We can listen and help so that others can have a better life.

One of the greatest ways that we can be merciful is to tell others about the love of Jesus. We can explain to them how much Jesus loves them, and how they can be delivered from their sins. Amen.

Prayer Requests

Let us thank the Lord that a vaccine for coronavirus is now available. Let us pray that the vaccine can quickly reach people around the world. Pray that the pandemic will end, and pray that the sick will quickly recover.

Please continue to pray for peace on Earth. Let us focus our prayers on Libya, Yemen and Syria this week.

For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for Nepal and Mauritania.

Next week, the sermon will deal with Christmas. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Something I Want To Share

I intended to post a movie review today, but I have something else I need to share. As many of you know, I work as a writer, and I also have another job to help make ends meet. The job that I have been working at over the last few months has been a nightmare. I am so depressed that I have to get out of this job as soon as possible. 

Tomorrow, I have a chance at two jobs. Please pray that one of these will come through. Pray that God's will will be done in this matter. 

The problem with my current job isn't the work. I don't mind working hard. A couple of employees and a manager are constantly harassing me, and upper management doesn't want to do anything about it.

In another matter, I have been considering selling my house for awhile. I need the Lord's wisdom on what to do about this. The house I am living in isn't in very good shape. This may be the right time to sell. Please pray for God's will in this matter.

Thank you for your prayers. Lord willing, we will finish our current sermon series on Friday.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 5:7 -- "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

Matthew 6:14 -- "For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Weekend Sermon - Christian Characteristics - Forgiveness

 Thank you Lord for the opportunity to post this message. Thank you who are reading this for taking the time to do so. 

For today's message, we are continuing are current series on Christian characteristics. ForgivenesF is our characteristics today, and I think that this may very well be the hardest area of the Christian life to live out in imitation of Christ.

The Lord demands that those who follow Him be those who forgive others. Jesus said that if we are not willing to forgive others for the wrongs done unto us, we will not be forgiven by God. The Lord's Prayer states, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us." 

On one occassion, Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive someone who sinned against him seven times. Jesus stunned Peter by saying not just seven times, but seventy times seven times. In other words, we should forgive on an unlimited basis.

Jesus told an important parable on the subject of forgiveness. He said that a man had a servant who owed him a great amount. The servant begged to be forgiven of the debt, and the master did forgive it. Later, the servant was asked by a fellow servant to forgive a small debt. The servant who had been forgiven did not forgive his fellow servant. This angered the master who withdrew his forgiveness.

We must forgive because we have been forgiven of so much. We have all sinned against a Holy God, and we can do nothing to earn forgiveness. Because He loves us, God sent His Son to redeem us and provide the way of forgiveness through His death and resurrection. When we truly realize what we have been forgiven of, how can we not forgive others.

I know that it is hard to forgive someone that really hurts us. We can only do it through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus is our example of forgiveness. He forgave Peter for denying Him three times. Jesus even asked the Father to forgive those who were mocking Him while He was on the cross bearing the sins of this world.

If you are having trouble forgiving someone, ask the Lord to give you the grace and strength to follow the example of Jesus. Amen

Prayer Requests

Please pray that I will be able to find a better job.

Let us thank the Lord that a coronavirus vaccine is on the way. Let us pray that those who are sick will get well soon. 

Continue praying for peace. Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Syria need our prayers.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Western Sahara and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.

Next week, we will conclude our current series. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you.

Movie Review

 I watched a dog movie last week that I have mixed feelings about. "The Great Alaskan Race" tells the story of Togo the dog and Leonard Seppala his owner. When Nome, Alaska faced a diphtheria outbreak, the town had to bring in a vaccine by dog sled team relay. Togo and Seppala went much farther than the others, but Balto received the most accolades since his team was the one that brought the vaccine into Nome.

This movie had a lot of historical inaccuracies. It is an interesting movie, but for those who want to know the truth about the serum run in Alaska, I highly recommend that you read a book called "The Cruelest Miles". 

As for this film, dog lovers might enjoy it, but there are better dog movies available.