Weekend Sermon -- "A Message For The Upcoming Year"

      Thank you for reading the message this week. I had a good Christmas. I went out for dinner with my brother, and we had an enjoyable time. I got more for Christmas than I ever thought that I would. I am thankful to the Lord for His blessings.  I hope that you all had a great Christmas, too. 

     As we move away from the Christmas season, I want us to focus our attention on the year that is to come. We have done a lot here on the blog. I really enjoyed going through the book of Philippians, and I have some series already planned for the year that is to come. It was great to post again the book I wrote about my friend Toby.

     In this message, I want to look at what I would like to see for the year that is come. What do I hope 2026 brings?

     In 2026, I hope that I will be able to be more committed to fulfilling the Great Commission given to us all of the Lord Jesus. I, of course, will keep posting messages here on the blog telling people about the love and forgiveness of Jesus. I will keep calling people to turn to the Lord if they have never turned their lives over to Him. But, I want to do more than that. It is my hope in 2026 to find more opportunities to share the message of the love of Jesus with more people. I hope to do that through writing and through interactions with those who I know at work.

     That is a challenge I make to all of you for the year that is to come. See if you can find more ways to share the message of Jesus. Let us all commit ourselves to telling as many people as we can that Jesus is the one who has come to bring life, light and salvation to the world. 

     In 2026, I want to see more being done to help the least of those among us. I get so distressed when I hear about those who are hurting and don't have enough to get by. In 2026, I hope that all of us can do more than we ever have before to find ways help people. If all of us do just a little bit, it will make a world of difference to helping people who don't have enough. 

     As a new year rolls around, I would like to see people acting in a kinder way to one another. In addition to my work as a minister and a writer, I also work in retail. This year, and especially during this holiday season, I've noticed people are being very mean, cruel and rude. There is a great lack of kindness out there. 

     Let those of us who call Jesus Lord work this year to be kind one to another and be kind and good to all those with whom we come in contact. Let us speak words that heal and lift up and not words that hurt and tear down. 

     Finally, I want peace in the year to come. I am so tired of seeing so many lives ruined by war. Let us be peacemakers in our homes and in our communities. In this new year, let us pray more than ever that peace will come to those who are at war. 

     I know that the Lord is going to do great things in the year to come. I hope that you will keep reading the messages and that you will join with me in praying for the needs of this world. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please keep praying in regard to my health. Thank you. 

     Let us keep praying that those affected by natural disasters will get the aid and the help that they need. Those in Washington state have been hurt by the floods as have areas in Wales. We also need to pray for those in the Caribbean especially those in Jamaica.

     Continue to pray for peace. Pray for peace in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza. Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Venezuela. 

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

     Next week, I will have a topical message. On Tuesday, I will post the verses. May God bless you all. 

Merry Christmas

     I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading the blog this year. I have really enjoyed being able to post the messages, the verses, and the other things on the the blog. I hope that everyone has a great new year. 

Some Christmas Memories

      I have been thinking a lot about some of the Christmas times that I had years ago. It brings to my mind what Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. 

     I think of it being better to give than to receive in the context of the joy that I had giving presents at Christmas to my friend Toby. I remember some of the things that I gave him for Christmas, and his various reactions to these things still fills my heart with joy. 

     I remember one Christmas I decided to give him a treat that he really enjoyed. Toby liked turkey bologna. He was not allowed to have too much since it wasn't the best thing for him to have with his colon issues. If I gave him some, it was only a very small portion. However, one Christmas I decided that I would let him have half a slice for Christmas. He was so happy to get that you would have thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. What's even better is that it didn't cause him a single problem. 

     Another Christmas I decided that Toby needed a good warm coat to help him withstand the cold, Kansas winters. I bought him a red plaid coat for Christmas. I am sorry to say that this was Toby's least favorite Christmas gift of all time. I put that coat on him and he stood still as a statue and would not move. He hated it. It was funny though watching him stand totally still and not moving at all while he was wearing it. After much coaxing, he finally would go outside with it on if and only if I did not tighten the loop that went under his belly. 

     I had many many good Christmas days with my old friend. I bought him toys, gave him treats. One year I bought him a fancy color to wear when we went on trips. Another year he got what I thought was a beautiful leash of many different colors woven together. 

    Toby always liked his Christmas presents, except for the coat, and we had fun opening packages and making a mess of wrapping paper on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. He always had to inspect what everybody received for Christmas. 

     We always looked forward to Mom's great Christmas dinner. We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner too. My Dad's children with his first wife and their kids came over on Christmas Eve, and we had a little party. On Christmas day Mom always fixed us a turkey and many other delicious things. Of course, Toby always got some so he could enjoy Christmas too. 

     Christmas is a time of joy, fun, love and memories. I look forward to being with all of my family again one day. 

Verses For The Week

 Isaiah 7:14 -- "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

John 1:14 -- "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Christmas"

      I hope that everyone is having a happy holiday season so far. I finally am starting to feel like I am in the Christmas spirit. Thank you for taking the time to read this week's message.

     This is going to be the last Weekend Sermon before Christmas Day is upon us. With that in mind, I wanted to sum up our series of Advent messages with focusing on what the Incarnation of Jesus is really all about. Why did Jesus come? What does His coming mean to us and for us?

     First of all, Jesus came because God loved the world and He wanted to redeem us from our sins. Jesus made this abundantly clear in John 3:16 when He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but shall have everlasting life." 

     Jesus came into this world in order to save us. He was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. He lived a holy and blameless life. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet He never committed a single sin. Because of this, Jesus was able to bear our sins on the cross. He took the punishment that we deserved in order that we might be redeemed by placing our faith and trust in His finished work on the cross of Calvary. 

     On the cross, Jesus took away our sins. Through His glorious resurrection, Jesus conquered over the consequences of sin. He defeated death, hell and the grave. 

     What else does Jesus' coming mean for us? Jesus name is Immanuel. God is with us. Jesus has come, and He told us that He would not leave us and He would not forsake us. As we go through life, we can have the assurance of the presence of Jesus in our hearts. Whenever we are facing a difficult moment, we can look to Jesus and feel that He is with us in a special way. 

     Jesus has come, and all things have been made new. The world can never be the same again because Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus through His life and teachings has revolutionized the world. He has given us a message of love, peace and non-violence that can change the world we live in if people would put into practice what the Lord has taught us. He has show us a new and living way that those of us who call Him Lord are to take to the uttermost parts of the earth. 

     Because Jesus came to this earth, the light has come into the world, and the darkness has not and cannot overcome it. The power of good will overcome the power of evil. The way of the cross will overcome the way of the world. Jesus will come again, and all will be restored by the power of His great love. 

     At this Christmas season, you can know Jesus as your Savior and Lord. He invites you to receive the gift of love, forgiveness and salvation that He offers to all people everywhere. Whosoever will may come. And that includes you. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray that my health will improve. Thank you. 

     Let us pray for peace during this holiday season. Please keep praying for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Myanmar. Pray that there is not a war in Venezuela. 

     Please pray for those who are recovering from the attacks in Australia and Rhode Island. Pray that violence like this will come to an end. 

     Keep praying for those recovering from natural disasters. Pray for those in Alaska, Washington and in the Caribbean. Keep praying for those recovering from the floods in Wales.

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

     Next week, I will post a message for the new year. I will post the verses on Tuesday, and I will have a Christmas Eve post. May God bless you all. 

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter 16

 Chapter 16

     After I graduated from college, Toby and I began what for us would be an event filled eighteen months.  The summer after I graduated, Toby and I went out to Saint Louis for vacation.  It wasn't a very long trip, but we had a lot of fun.  We visited the Winston Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri on our way home. We got to walk around sections of the old Berlin Wall that are on display outside the museum. That summer was a time of just relaxing and enjoying the days.  Dad and I did quite a bit of fishing, and sometimes Toby came along with us.  Once when we were out together, we saw a huge flock of wild turkeys.
     That fall, I decided to go to graduate school and get my master's degree is history. It was over an hours drive to get to the college, and I didn't like the professors at all.  I was doing fine, and it was just about the end of the semester.  I knew that I wasn't going to go back after Christmas.  However, I had to quit before the end of the semester because I was injured in a car accident.  An almost 90 year old woman hit my car and another car.  She totaled the other driver's Mercedes Benz.  She was not hurt in the accident.
     I recovered pretty quickly.  While I was still going to graduate school, I'd been spending my free time working on writing.  I'd written a few poems and sent them in for publication.  I was quite surprised when a few of these initial efforts were actually published in some small journals.  I decided that I was going to give writing a try for at least a little while.
     Being at home and working on my writing during the day was just like being back in home school again.  It was great.  Toby never left my side when I was working on my writing.  When I was at my desk working on the computer, he would lay at the foot of the bed.  We had fun setting up that computer together.  As I was trying to get everything out of the box, Toby kept pushing boxes and bags around the room with his nose.
    In order to improve as a writer, I enrolled in an off campus writing program with the University of Wisconsin.  With writing, investing and studying I stayed very busy.  But I was never too busy for my old friend.  Toby was getting old.  That year when I started writing, he turned twelve.  Our walks became shorter.  I  really had to make sure that he stayed cool, because Toby never could stand much heat, and that became more pronounced as he got older.  We still played hide and seek.  Toby actually would chase the ball a little as he got older, but he never was much of a ball dog.
    Our favorite activity was sitting out on the patio and having dinner together.  I used to like to cook steaks out on the grill.  It was always nice having a family meal together.  We'd sit out on the patio just about every night until the mosquitoes started in.
    About two days after Toby's twelfth birthday, our time of joy came to an abrupt end.  Toby became extremely sick.  For the past year, he had been in what for Toby was good health.  But, one afternoon he just started vomiting uncontrollably.  I called our regular veterinarian, but he was out of town, and he didn't have anyone handling emergencies.  I called my back up vet, and he was out of town as well.  I decided to call the vet in a town north of us, and they had an appointment available right away.  She examined Toby, but she really didn't know what was wrong with him.  She gave him some medicine to see if he would improve.  Toby did improve a little, but he still wasn't right.
    I got Toby an appointment with our regular vet as soon as he was back.  He discovered Toby's problem right away.  Toby had a large tumor in his abdomen.
    My vet got Toby an appointment that same day with a cancer specialist.  I feared the worst.  The cancer specialist ran some scans, and he seemed optimistic.  He felt that Toby's tumor was operable, and we scheduled the surgery for the next morning.
    I really started to pray that night.  I was so nervous.  I was just about a basket case.  I don't think I slept a wink which just kept Toby up, and he needed his rest.  I took him into the surgeons that morning.  The way that Toby looked at me when I handed his leash to the surgeon is a look I will never forget.  His eyes looked at me like I was abandoning him and he couldn't understand why.  It was horrible.  I felt horrible.  I prayed all morning and into the afternoon.  Finally, I got a call from the surgeon.  The tumor was malignant, but he thought that he got it all out.
    Toby was supposed to stay at the hospital for three days after the surgery, but they called me the next afternoon and wanted me to take him home.  They said that he was sad and depressed and they didn't think that he could stand being without me anymore.  He was also trying to bite everyone who was trying to help him.  He wanted his friend and was tired of everyone else.
    When I came to pick him up Toby was so relieved.  He let out a great big sigh of happiness.
    The next day I received the bad news.  Toby's cancer was so malignant that it had metastasized.  They only gave Toby 6 weeks to live even with chemotherapy.
    I decided to pray and ask Jesus to help Toby.  I would not have any chemo for him.  What would be would be.
    Six weeks came, and Toby was acting like he was in the prime of life.  He was jumping around and acting like a young pup again.  I kept writing and getting things published.  Every day Toby and I would play and just try to enjoy being together because each day that we could be together was a gift from Jesus.
    Each month I took Toby into the vet's for a check, and he got a clean bill of health.  His stomach improved and he wasn't really having many health problems.  He just kept on going.
    We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The two of us ate so much at Thanksgiving we had to lay down the rest of the day for fear that we might explode.  Christmas at the house was always a fun time.  Toby liked to push the branches over to me while I put the tree up.  His favorite part of Christmas was playing in the wrapping paper.
     We celebrated Toby's 13th birthday.  He was still going strong.  I was still giving the glory to God.  But nothing lasts forever.  Toward the beginning of June, Toby went down hill fast.  His lungs started filling up with fluid and all of his blood tests were terrible.  This time I knew it was the end.
     Toby died on June 5.  He lived 13 and a half months after his surgery.
     Toby was the best friend that I have ever had.  He came to me at one of the lowest points in my life, and he made me fell like someone loved me for who I was and not for what they wanted me to be.  Toby has been gone for several years and I still miss him every single day.  I know that he is in Heaven with my Mom and Dad.  I look forward to a family reunion some day. I am thankful to Jesus that I found Toby on that cold day in January all those years ago. I love you Toby.

Verses For The Week, Prayer Requests and Something I Want To Say

 Romans 12:15 -- "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn."

Matthew 5:4 -- "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Prayer

     It has been a sad week. We have experienced the attack in Australia and at Brown in Rhode Island. Along with that Rob Reiner was killed. Please pray for those who are injured in the attacks that they will speedily recover. Pray for those who mourn in each of these situations. Let us also pray that the Brown Univ. attacker will be quickly apprehended. 

Something I want to say

     I am appalled at the response of the President of the United States to the death of Rob Reiner and his wife. I never in my lifetime thought that a President of my country would act in such a way.