The Weekend Sermon -- "Shine Brighter"

      It is time for the sermon. I am glad to be posting it, and I am glad that you are reading it. 

     Today, I want to talk about something that has been on my mind for some time now. That is the subject of Christians making a difference in the world. The verses that brought this to my mind most clearly are found in Matthew 5:14-16 that read, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

     The Bible has a lot to say about light and darkness. The world is trapped in the darkness of sin and rebellion to God and His ways. There is a lot of evil and wickedness in this world. No one can deny that. The Bible says that Jesus is the light that has come into this world. He is the light and the darkness cannot overcome it. 

     In our passage today, Jesus tells us that we as His followers are the light of the world, and He tells us to let our light shine. To my way of thinking, these are two different things. By being in the world as followers of Jesus we are light. We are those who shine out the light of the grace and mercy of Jesus into the world so that the darkness of sin is driven back and people can see that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

     There is another thing that Jesus is saying here. When we do that which is good in the world and work for the good, we are actively shining our light. We are in a sense putting a spotlight on problems and making them disappear. Jesus said that when people see the good works that we are doing, they will glorify God. 

     We live in an age that has a lot of bad things going on right now. We as followers of Jesus need to shine brighter. We need to be actively engaged in shining our light for Jesus and driving out the darkness that is in our world. There are so many things that are problems right now. The world is facing many wars. We need to be the peacemakers that Jesus called us to be. Many in the world are dying from hunger and from treatable diseases. We need to shine the light into these situations and do what we can to overcome these problems and the oppressive systems that cause these things to happen in the first place. 

     What troubles me greatly right now is that we are seeing many engage in hateful conduct to others based on their race, ethnicity or immigration status. Let us shine brighter and remember that Jesus loves everyone. There is no distinction in Jesus. The Bible shows us in the book of Revelation that all people will bow and worship the Lamb on His throne. 

     What I am trying to say is that all of us who are believers in Jesus need to start shining brighter. We need to step up and try to combat the darkness of greed, selfishness and war. We need to be the ones who are making a difference in the lives of people who need help. 

     Each of us has been gifted to work in different ways. However the Lord is calling you to make the world a better place and to shine your light in the darkness, do it unto the Lord with all of your might. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am still having health issues. Please keep me in your prayers.

     Let us keep praying for those affected by storms. There are people in Alaska and the Caribbean who need help, so let us pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     This week, I want us to focus hard on praying for peace in Sudan. That is a horrible situation. Please pray.

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

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

Toby -- The Story Of My Friend -- Chapter 10

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 10

 I went with Toby on many trips, but I just want to focus on one more that was probably the best trip that we took together.  It was also a trip that almost ended in tragedy.
     On our annual trip out to my Grandma's house in Cheyenne, we decided to go down through Southern Kansas and then visit Colorado Springs.  One of the first places that we visited was Greensburg, Kansas.  This was before the terrible tornado hit the town.  I can't fathom the fact that everything I saw in that town was absolutely wiped out.  Thankfully, the town has rebuilt.
     No offense, but I can't say anything really positive about our trip through Kansas.  Through most of the journey, we passed cattle feed lot after cattle feed lot.  The smell was horrendous.  Even with the windows up and the air conditioner on you could smell that awful stink.
     The trip just about ended at breakfast the next morning.  The folks stopped for breakfast, and I waited outside with Toby.  They brought me something to eat and told me what a wonderful meal they had.  I took a piece of toast and gave some to Toby.  He wouldn't eat it.  He smelled the toast and turned his head away.  He wanted no part of it.  That should have tipped me off right there.
     I thought maybe Toby was having trouble with his stomach.  No, he knew that there was something wrong with the food.  I ate the toast.  About two hours later, I was so sick I thought I would die.  My folks didn't have any toast, and they were fine.  This is just one of many occasions when I should have listened to the dog.
     I recovered overnight, and was well enough to enjoy Colorado Springs.  This is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen.  The city is right next to the mountains that seem to be a reddish color.
     We found a motel that faced the mountains.  We had a great view of the Air Force Academy.  I went out on the balcony with Toby, and the two of us watched the gliders at the Air Force Academy for hours.  These training gliders were taken up by an airplane and then released.  They released the gliders, and then the gliders would circle in broad swoops with the mountains as their background.  Toby fixed on the gliders and watched them go around and around until they landed.
     Later that day, the two of us went for a long walk in the area behind the hotel.  We didn't know it, but we were actually on Air Force property.  There wasn't a fence so we just walked on.  I didn't notice until we got back that there was a sign that warned people that if they went on the land that they were subject to criminal prosecution.  I'm glad no one noticed a fat man and a corgi.
     The next morning, in spite of my Dad's protests, we went up into the mountains.  It was a great day of hiking and enjoying the sun and the mountains.  I was worried about Toby in the evening, however.  I think that we over did things because he wouldn't eat.  Finally, before we went to bed.  I fed him some of his food by hand, and he ate it and then ate the rest of his bowl of food.  We went out and watched the city for a long time.
     The next morning we had to be off.  We drove a short while and decided to travel up to Estes Park by the Big Thompson River.  Along the way, Toby and I got out and took a walk down the river.  When we were there it wasn't a raging torrent, but it was flowing along pretty well.  For quite a while, we watched the trout jumping up out of the river.  Every time one of the fish would jump out of the water and splash down, Toby would growl.  I though that this was funny until he got it into his head to go out after the fish.  Toby leaped into the river trying to get a trout.  I had his leash on, but the current was pulling him away from me fast.  He wasn't swimming too well either.  I went down into the water, and the current was more powerful than I thought.  I had a difficult time keeping my footing.  I grabbed hold of Toby, and I got us back to shore.  We were soaked and the water was ice cold.  I thought I'd lost him down the river for sure.  But, we would have gone together because I was going after him no matter what.
     Dad finally couldn't stand the mountains any longer, so we went Cheyenne.  Everyone went out to my uncle's ranch again except for Toby and me.  We didn't want to have anything to do with any more rattlesnakes.  The two of us walked down to the park and had a nice day and a nice meal.  We watched the ducks in the pond for a long time.  I'm glad Toby didn't decide to go after them.  He just watched them floating along.  We then went over and looked at the old steam locomotive.  On our way home, we looked at the abandoned church behind my uncle's house.  I would have loved to have bought that little church and have started a ministry there.  However, the dentist office had already purchased the church and were going to rip down the building and use the lot for parking.
     I always wished that the two of us could have taken more trips together.  By the time I graduated from college and really had the chance to do as I pleased, Toby was not in good enough health to travel much.  The last trip we took out to see my Grandma, Toby developed some trouble breathing.  The veterinarian said that it was altitude related, and that Toby shouldn't go out to the mountains anymore.  So, the two of us just took brief excursions not to far from home.  We went to Omaha on one trip. On another trip we went out to see the Winston Churchill Museum in Westminster, Missouri.  Whatever we did, it was fun because we were together.

Verses For The Week

 I Timothy 5:8 -- "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Proverbs 21:13 -- "Whoever closes his ear to the cries of the poor will himself call out and not be answered."

Galatians 6:2 -- "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

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.