Sermon: Pride and Humbleness

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Luke 18:9-14

From bible.com

Boy does Jesus love his parables. Today we read about one that at first, might sound rather straight forward, but when we dive a bit deeper, we find we might not be on the right side of this parable. So much of the gospels paint the Pharisees to be the antagonist, which they are. We know Jesus often used them as examples of what not to be.

Pharisees held very strongly to tradition and the laws. They believed in one God. This is evidenced in them reciting the Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one." They were considered wise. There is a story in a Pharisaic book where a gentile walked up to two Pharisees and asked them to stand on one foot and teach him the wisdom of the Laws or the Torah. One told the man to go away, but the other simply said "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation – now go and study." Which is very much the same as Jesus answering the question "Which Commandment is the greatest?" by saying "Love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Or as we tend to simplify it now, "Love God, Love people. The rest is just details." These guys actually seemed like they might be some good people. Looking out for the people of Israel in life and after life.

Tax collectors on the other hand, were Jewish citizens working for the people in power, taking money with authority. No one likes people who take your money, especially people from the government. They were the equivalent of lawyers and politicians today. People generally regarded them as selfish, greedy, and to use church words, sinners.

Let's take a look at the prayer of the Pharisee first. "God I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income." This prayer was probably all true. Pharisee comes from the Hebrew word Parush meaning to be separated. He set himself apart by strictly following the laws. By Jewish definition of the law at that time, this man was considered to be righteous.

Our society teaches this kind of behavior, this self exaltation. When we post our good deeds on Facebook and wait for the likes to come in. We are rewarded with endorphins because people can see how good we are and we feel good about it. And I think that the Pharisee probably felt good about himself too. We compare ourselves to others that come across our path. We think to ourselves how good we have it because we live in the greatest country in the world. As we take pride in the good things we do, in the land we live, in the status of our lives, we begin to sound a lot like this Pharisee when we pray. "Lord thank you for letting me live in a land where I am not persecuted for my belief. Thank you that I am comfortable where I am and that I am not led into poverty." Pride is a terrible friend of ego, and both are living comfortably in our heads every day.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that all the Pharisees were good people, just like anyone else, there are bad seeds as well as good in every group. Yet we know that when Jesus used a Pharisee in a parable, they were the example of what not to do. How many times have you ever said to yourself, "Man, Glad that is not me." Have you jumped at the chance to give some of yourself to the people in jail, on the streets, in group homes? Have you ever thought to yourself that at least I'm not a murderer? We tend to compare our bad with the others around us and thus say we are better than that other person and our thoughts are now very much like the prayer of the Pharisee. I don't think the Pharisee was boasting, he just missed the point.

The tax collector though, he understood he was nothing. He prayed "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." He stood off to the side, away from the "better" people and prayed. Tax collectors were often rich, though not from the Roman government paying them well, but by padding their wallets with taking just a little bit more money than was needed by from the people. Yet, despite probably having money, he knew he was nobody, and shouldn't be able to appeal to God's mercy.

Jesus seemed to rather enjoy using tax collectors as examples of good things to do. We have him calling Matthew to be a disciple who he found at a tax collectors table, in the middle of the day while he was working. Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house to eat because he acknowledged who Jesus was. And because Jesus had love for all those who seek him, he went to eat at Zacchaeus' house. They were the opposite of the Pharisees, in the Pharisee people knew them to be righteous, the tax collectors were known to be sinners. A great example how God will use the sinner to teach the people of his power and love.

The tax collector knew he was a sinner. That the only one who could make a sinner righteous was God. The tax collector came and humbled himself and allowed God to do his work in him. When people give themselves fully to God, great things begin to happen, not just in them, but also in the people around them. Look at the places in the world where the only thing people have is God. Every day these people don't know if they will be eating, or if their government is going to kill them for their belief, yet God is working well over there, every day bringing more people into righteousness. The tax collector found salvation in knowing that he was nothing without God.

We still have a problem like this in the world we live in today. One side thinks that when someone is dependent on God, that we are weak of body and mind. We are stupid because we believe in something that we can't see and they don't feel. They look down on us. The other side knows that being dependent on God relieves us of worldly pressure and allows us to put ourselves aside and follow Jesus where ever he leads us. Allows us to live for others instead of our selves. We can set aside our pride and ego, and become servants to the people, regardless of their position in life, who need God the most.

Both of these people knew who they were. One knew who he was by knowing who he wasn't and the other knew who he was by knowing who he actually is. One did everything right, but missed the mark. The other, did a lot of it wrong, but where it counted, did the only thing right. The Pharisee went in righteous by the law, and left unchanged, but the tax collector humbled himself before the Lord and left justified.

 Humble is a word from the late 13th century. It means "submissive, respectful, lowly in manner, modest, not self-asserting, obedient." We can trace its root back to the PIE root, which I am not going to try to say, because my brain doesn't understand what sound dghem would make but if we move forward in time, the Latin humilis "lowly, humble," literally "on the ground," from humus "earth."

Try to Remember

My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands.
Proverbs 3:1

The other day in church we had a family baptizing their baby, which, as so many random things do, got me thinking. We baptize as an outward symbol that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is a memorial of the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God for the forgiveness of our sins.

In the Methodist Baptismal Covenant, we reaffirm our rejection of sin and our commitment to Christ. Though we aren't the ones getting wet, we remember our baptism, remember that our sins have been washed away. We also pledge to intermix our lives with the child as a family under Christ. But what I was thinking mostly about was, should we remember our baptism more often.

Think about this, at the Last Supper Jesus said, as he broke the bread and said, "Take, eat; this is my body which is given to you. Do this in remembrance of me." And the he lifted the cup and said "Drink from this all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." I take these word from Jesus as a command that every time we eat and drink, remember what Jesus did for us. He came as a man, though completely God to live and die for our sins.

And why do should we do this at every meal? Because we are a forgetful people. We are actually very good at forgetting. We forget important things that effect our own lives, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas. We also forget things as a whole, thousands of years of history, we edit the past to better suit what we want now, instead of learning from it. We forget the value of hard work for the small but quick buck. We are forgetful and too stubborn to remember. Even the Jews, while wandering the desert for 40 years, would forget God. That was no small feat considering he was present in a pillar of smoke and flame.

So if we are to remember at every meal, so that we don't so easily forget the love God has for us and that our sins were forgiven, should we not also, as we bathe and wash ourselves daily remember our baptism, our faith, and our rejection of sin? I think we should do this. Every morning, or evening if you are one of those people, while we wash ourselves clean, we should also prepare our hearts and remember that we have been forgiven, and work hard each day to reject the sin that is ever so pervasive in our lives.

This combined with active prayer all day long, and remembering communion at each meal, I think we can change the world. Change the view of what Christians are to the world, and flood the whole world with a love so deep and true that love, joy, hope, and peace will cover the earth in a kingdom like none the earth has ever seen.

Devotional: Brokenhearted

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Psalms 34:18 NLT

In today's world, love is a planned obsolescence and our spirits are supremely selfish. We write pre-nuptials, plans for the eventual failing of marriages so that we can keep our stuff. Instead of going all in, we make sure "What's mine is mine" even from those we love. First real troubles in marriages we give up. It is easier to turn and run, than to work it out. We do not let ourselves in all the way, because it might end up hurting us.

But as much as it does hurt, God is right there for you in that hurt. It is the times of broken hearts and crushed spirits that a person really grows. If you avoid all kinds of emotional hurts, how can you really grow into the person God knows you can be. In those times where even your soul feels destroyed, God can and will piece you back together. Like a broken bone, when your broken heart is set and it heals, it will be stronger than it was before.

Though we will break down and want to give up from all the exhausting pain, God will give us strength and we can stand tall and proud, stronger than before, because we have a God who loves us so much that we can face any pain, any ache, and know with confidence, God is beside us, picking us up, until the day he calls us home one last time.

Lord, we sometimes fear taking chances because of the hurt in our hearts. Fear the harshness of rejection in our souls, but we know you are here, now, ready to rescue us. Give us the courage to risk a broken heart so we can show the world what love really is.

Devotional: Here I Am

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

Every person on this earth has a calling. Whether they believe in God or not, or know his son or not, God has something in mind for them that only they can do. God wants each us to complete this task, and is calling to every man, woman, and child. Sadly many people will never hear the call, because they can't imagine something greater than themselves. Some others will never hear it because they are too self centered to realize they can help this hurting world. Others will refuse the call, because it doesn't line up with what they want. Some will misinterpret the call because they don't understand who Jesus really is. And sadly, some just don't care.

We have a call that begs to be answered in our lives. It is different for each person, for Isaiah, it was to go to the people and speak some harsh words to them but he went and changed Israel. In the same way, we can go to the people God wants us to go to, speak words that challenge the status quo and what they might believe. If we give them the words God speaks we too can change a nation.

From Bible.com

There is no denying that America is hurting. Drugs are killing people as fast as a pandemic. Alcohol is breaking up families. There is a hole in the soul of America. People turn to these things to try to find a temporary peace, a stop gap in this giant hole in our souls. God is looking for someone to step up, be willing to be sent out into a hurting world to heal the world with God's great love. The time is right for a revival to sweep the nation. Are you willing to answer God's call today and say "Here I am. Send Me!"

Lord, we are hard of hearing sometimes, and other times we are resistant to any kind of change, but here we stand for you today. Lead us this day in what you have asked us to do. Let our voices be Your voice and Your light for a hurting world.

Sermon: Sometimes the Simple Things

Hey there folks, I recently gave the message at the Johnston UMC church in Johnston, OH. I thought I would share it now with you. Enjoy.


When I first was asked to preach today, I didn’t really want to, but gave a tentative ok. Before I gave a for sure “yes” I went to see what the lectionary had for that day. I read through all the verses. You have Psalm 30 with David praising God for how even at his lowest, God was ready and willing to raise him up. When David needed help, God was there. I thought to myself, “That’s a good one talking about how great it is that no matter what we have said, thought, or done, God is ready to turn us around and heal our wounds.”

Next I read Isaiah 66:10-14 and about God’s unfailing love for Israel and those who mourn when Israel mourns, and rejoices when Israel is joyous, God will bless you for it. Also that God will bless Israel and many great things will come from her that you will like. When you are down, God will comfort you and that comfort will come from Israel.

I think this comfort is not only God foreshadowing Jesus and the Holy Spirit to us, but also of what the future will hold. Did you know that Israel has some of the leading Doctors in the world when it comes to curing cancer, and they have developed new and better ways of desalinating ocean water into usable and drinkable water? God said, “I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream.”

Next I read Psalm 66: 1-9, it didn't stand out too much to me, a fairly standard Psalm of praising God. How great and mighty he is, and we should be worshiping him because we are alive. Very true, but I’m glad I didn't have to write a sermon on that.

Next was Galatians 6: 1-16. I actually really liked this passage. Paul was very quick to point out, that if you catch anyone in sin, you should, with “the spirit of gentleness” work to overcome that sin in their life, together. Paul goes on with a lot of good and powerful ideas verse after verse. “Bear one another’s burdens.” Those who think too much of themselves, deceive themselves. Test your own work, not someone elses because this is a cause of pride. Everyone in the family of God must carry their own weight. That is literally the first 5 verses.

So many good things I could think of in these readings. But no. Dad picked something else. Dad picked 2 Kings 5. I had read about it, thought about it. I didn’t really like it. Not that there isn't anything good to be learned, obviously there is or I wouldn't be up here, but nothing really jumped out at me, so I thought about again, read it again, thought some more, eventually things started building. Like why did the king of Israel tear his clothes?

Naaman was a mighty warrior, who God even seemed to like, but he had leprosy. Right away here, you find that Naaman was a very important man. He was probably second only to the king. He had a title that only one man in a kingdom could own. He was Naaman, Commander of the Army of the King of Aram. Naaman had power, fame and probably riches to go with it all, yet it was disease that brought the mighty man down. His fate was sealed. He was going to die.

I want to stop a moment to talk about Naaman’s title. “Commander of the army of the king of Aram.” This is an important title to remember. Because it is used elsewhere in the bible as well. Joshua 5:13-15 says:

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

And again, in Revelation 19 we read:

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords.

This title tells of the importance of the one who holds it. In Revelation we know it is Jesus who holds this title. He Rides out at the front of the Army of Heaven. And though there is some debate on who was before Joshua, I believe it was Jesus “Pre-incarnate.” Yes the title between Naaman and Jesus is slightly different, the title nonetheless is meant as a great honor and should be something to be remembered.

But I think Naaman was actually a good man as well. He listened to people. In fact, we are told that it was the slave of his wife that had mentioned that there was a great prophet in Samaria and that this man could heal Naaman. This slave girl was captured during a raid into Israel, yet even far from home, she had enough faith in God that she would mention to Naaman’s wife about this. And Naaman listened.

It might have been a bit of listening because he didn't want to die yet, but he listened and believed her enough that he approached his king to ask permission to go to Israel and be healed. And I believe the king loved Naaman because he not only gave permission, but also a large amount of Silver, Gold and new clothing. When was the last time you went to your boss and asked if you could do something and your boss gave you a rather large sum of money to make it happen. Or even gave you a single piece of new clothes, let alone the 10 sets of new clothing the king of Aram gave for Naaman to go and get healed?

But not everyone seemed to have as much faith, or was maybe a little confused. The king of Israel did not understand why Naaman was there, sure he knew that he was there to be healed, but how could the king do it? “Am I God?” he asked and thought this a ploy to pick a fight between the two kingdoms. He tore his clothes in frustration. Tearing your clothes was an outward act of showing how upset you were. Not an angry upset, but a mournful and worried upset. The king of Israel was probably at his wits end and was worried war was going to come.

Then as gossip so easily does, word spread to Elisha’s ears that the king had torn his clothes he sent a letter to the king. So the king sent Naaman and his people to Elisha. Elisha sent a servant out to tell him how to cure himself. Naaman was angry that the prophet didnt make time to visit him. The people of Israel surely knew who Naaman was. For a man as powerful as Naaman was, to be snubbed by a prophet of some other people.

But here is where the real meat of the story comes in. Naaman left angry, I'd guess he was probably thinking of war with Israel for this snub. But his servants tried to calm him. They talked some sense into him. "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, 'Wash, and be clean'?"

From Bible.com

Naaman goes to the Jordan River bathes seven times and is clean. He is healed of his Leprosy. Naaman’s story didnt end where our reading did. Naaman went back to Elisha, his skin “as healthy as a young child’s” Now before the prophet, Naaman announced that he now believed there was no other god in all the world except in Israel. Naaman would no longer offer burnt offerings to any god but except God. And even went on to say that though he will have to go to the temple of Rimmon with his king, when he bows he will be bowing to the LORD.

There is a lot of trust in this whole passage. First the young slave girl trusted in the LORD enough and was brave enough to mention to her mistress about the man of God in Israel. Naaman’s wife trusted the girl enough to mention it to her husband. And whether it was out of desperation because he didn't want to die, or whatever it was, Naaman trusted this slave girl too, enough to ask his king.

Naaman also had to trust in the words of the Elisha. Many times in life, we hear people trying to heal themselves, mostly now its cancers or another sickness and even problems in our day to day lives, but the plea to God is the same. It causes me to wonder, how many times to we beg for God to cure us, he tells us exactly how, but we want something different. We want a grand display of God working in our lives. We use the excuse that if God can cure me of this disease or fix my problem with a big display, then I can show the world how great God is. Yet we ignore the simple command because it seems too simple.

Our call is simple. To go and make disciples. We are to do this by loving God and loving people. This is not a hard thing. Actually this is a very hard thing to do when we are looking on taking on the world by ourselves. But we aren’t alone. We have a body of people who, at a moments notice, should be ready to throw love like a hot potato at a world of hungry Irish. Sadly we make it harder when we think along the lines of, “what’s in it for me, How can we do this, we don’t have enough people, we don’t have enough money.” But when God wants something done, he will provide for it.

Naaman’s life was changed that day he took a bath in the Jordan River, so too where his families, and maybe his friends. Maybe if we would just once, do just what God says, no matter how easy or hard it sounds, our lives will also be changed, and with that, the lives of everyone around us as well.

Sermon: Don't Stay Afraid

Sometimes I think it is hard to follow the flow of the bible. I mean we often take an hour a week to look at a small part of the bible in a bit more detail then we take another small bit the next week. So when you look at all you know about all these little things, its hard to remember that a lot happened in a very short time. Biblically speaking, not much has happened since Jesus' resurrection from last week to this week, and by not much I mean we are still on the same day. Just a few hours ago, Peter and John ran to the tomb and found Jesus was gone just as Mary had said.

From Bible.com

They have been hiding in a house for the whole day. They were afraid of the Jews, their own people. By now word had reached the Jewish Leaders that Jesus' body was gone. It would seem a natural thought that maybe his disciples had taken the body. But at this point, even the disciples didn't understand that Jesus was to die and be resurrected. If anyone in Israel understood the scriptures on the Messiah, and understood what the Resurrection would mean, it would be the Pharisees. It would also mean the loss of their power, so I can imagine they would not want people to be spreading this news. Silencing the disciples before they had a chance to say anything would be logical for the Pharisees. I can understand why the disciples were hiding out.

You probably know that my mother and I both have our black belts in Karate. A lot of people see getting your black belt as the ultimate goal of martial arts. At this point you know everything you need to know to defend yourself. But it simply isn't true. When you get your black belt, you will have finally learned enough for you to be able to learn. The black belt is not the goal, it is a new and fresh start into something much more.

We see a new and fresh start here too. Jesus finally came to his friends and surprised them by coming into a room that was locked. They were overjoyed to see their rabbi, whom they watched die on a cross two days before, alive and well. Twice Jesus had to calm them down. And this is where John tells us Jesus starts something new. Jesus tells his friends "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." Everything they have learned to this point has finally got them ready to begin the real journey. 

Jesus breathes on the disciples, mirroring God breathing life into Adam, so too do the disciples now have a new life in Jesus. This is also a great point from John, showcasing Jesus as the Son of God. Fear was keeping the disciples in the house, and with a simple shalom, and a command, Jesus was able to take away the fear in them and replace it with the Holy Spirit.

I'd like to take a moment to mention that this story of receiving the Holy Spirit is very different than in the other Gospels. It was probably two difference instances where the disciples received it. This one I think was a point of getting them ready, tuning them to begin God's work to the rest of the world. For example, my brother-in-law Paul, a few years ago, accepted Jesus as his savior while at a church service. He said he felt weird, something in his chest didn't feel right. Not a pain or anything else like that, but a discomfort and he wanted to cry. I think this was probably similar to what the disciples felt. Paul had not yet asked the Holy Spirit to into his heart, but still, his heart was feeling it and desiring it. The Holy Spirit coming down on them filling their heart for this, but not yet making a home there. I think the home was made later at Pentecost, or as I like to call it, the tongues of fire thing.

Fear is something that can really lead us into directions we might not want to and shouldn't go. Fear made the disciples stay indoors. Fear often keeps us within our walls away from a world that would hate us. But truth is, if we really have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we should move forward without fear. If we choose to not move forward without fear, sometimes it can leave us with regret.

The last time I got to go to Scotland to visit my sister, there was a woman with a broken foot crying sitting across from us while we waited to board the last plane. I didn't know her, nor her story, but I knew she was hurting. Red eyes and pain spread all across her face, and it didn't look like it was from the foot. There was a deeper hurt in the tears. Maybe she had lost someone, or ended a relationship, I don't know, but like a fool, I looked at her, felt bad, and stayed silent. And looking back I know now  that it was fear that kept me from talking to her. I felt God asking me to go talk to this lady, but I didn't know her. I was afraid to walk up to a stranger and ask her if she was ok. Fear kept me in my seat when I should have been next to her telling her how much Jesus cares about her, and he too is feeling her pain as she mourned. Fear has left me with a regret I will always have. A regret that I may very well have to explain on judgement day.

Jesus told his disciples to go out there and make disciples of all nations, yet many of us aren't even willing to make disciples in our own communities. We wont invite people to church, we leave every morning, our neighbors still in bed and our minds don't even think twice on them. Though people may argue, I kinda think this is a bit of shame on our part, or at least some embarrassment and definitely fear.

I have never been the type of person that likes to get up in front of people, even if I know them, and talk. Every time I had to do that in school, I would get all jerky, mean, and sick feeling the days before hand. When it was over, I would melt, relieved that the stress was gone and zone out the rest of the class. I even would make sure my work was only ever average in class because some teachers liked to point out how some students did really well on the tests. I did not want to be seen. I wanted to pass on by unnoticed, so I never had to deal with anything.

But this is not what God has called us to do. I find myself compelled to write a blog, put myself out where people can actually see me (figuratively speaking). I don't put up the shell of protection as I do in real life, but this isn't the same as going out there. This is staying where I am safe and looking through a window leaving notes for people to find in hopes that maybe, just maybe, they might see God, feel his love, and join us in his endless praise. I also know that this isn't enough.

It's pretty hard to talk to strangers about Jesus, true. But many of us sit here with rarely speaking about Jesus to our co-workers and friends. This should be much much easier to do, but for me, for example, I begin to think about them thinking less of me because I believe in something they can't or don't want to. Even when I am not talking about Jesus, I am still the butt of many jokes about what I believe and if I try to tell them its so much more than that, how much more will  they make fun of me. I have tried to learn from my regret of that lady. But even now, when I feel God telling me to say something even when attacked, I have a hard time trying to remember I have the breathe of new life in me. I do not need to fear.

Sheep beget sheep. So we must get out there and get the sheep mill going. Be smart when you feel God telling you to talk to this person. Pray quickly, and let him guide your conversation. The Holy Spirit is ready to jump in at a moments notice. If God is for us, how can we ever be afraid of doing anything we do for him?

We will be hated, we will be scorned, spit upon, called names that will hurt us very much. We will be hurting emotionally, and physically, but we will never break, we will never die, when we have have God supporting our efforts. We need to get out of our comfort zone, and out there on the streets, praying for people, worshiping God and being a total nutter for Christ. How much the better will our lives be?

DC Talk have a song called Jesus Freak, old song, but still good, and I'm sure many of you have heard it, but it says 

"What will people think
When they hear that I'm a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it's true
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth."

We should never be ashamed of God, and who cares of we are labeled and put down? We have Christ. We have life. We will be with him forever. So we should have no fear in our lives. This is a war, so as any good warriors do, before we go down, we take as many as we can with us. Just this time, we take as many as we can to life with us. So I ask you, look into your life, do you feel that there maybe a little bit of shame and fear in there? Are you ready to just take a moment, pray and let go of the fear, breathe in the Holy Spirit and go out and share God with the world? God is ready to reformat the world, and it starts with you.

Devotional: Answer Gentle

A gentle response deflects fury, but a harsh word makes tempers rise.
Proverbs 15:1

From Bible.com

I am not a very patient person always. When trying to explain things, I can get a little "snippy" sometimes. It comes from having to explain what I think are basics but obviously I am wrong on how basic it is. I grew up right at the start of computers becoming mainstream. I remember my school having Apple IIe computers which seemed so great despite the green and black screen. A bit later at home I remember thinking how amazing Windows 95 was and how cool games like Doom were. I have been around them a lot. So how to save a file, organize said file, and sending an email are pretty basic stuff. So when I have to explain how to do them to someone else, I sometimes get short, and maybe even have a harsh word or two.

Proverbs tells us that a gentle response deflects fury. Instead of saying something sharp and getting people mad at me or me mad at them, I should reply back with gentleness. Words are like knives, sharp and able to cut to the core. When used wrong, we can do more damage than we are equipped to fix. The wrong words can cause people to stumble and fall, breaking friendships and at worse causing someone to lose faith.

Everything that we say should be thought out and gentle. We should never try to make tempers rise and stir up fights. Sure there are times when you will need to put a foot down, take a stand for what you believe, but never should those words you use be attacks, trying to cut down those who oppose you. So think before you speak, build up others with your words and always be ready to defend what you believe. Show the world a love unlike the love they already know.

Father, guide my words today and help me to speak kindness and love. 

Parody: New Product

From Bible.com

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
Psalms 51:1-2 (NLT)

As an adult, we are tasked with so many mundane tasks. Having to wake up, go to work, earn money so that we can do things we want to, but I think the worst of all is having to do laundry. I mean every week or so, you have to take all these gross and dirty clothes you previously wore, and put them into a machine with some soap and some water so that you can get them smelling good again. It is an unending chore that should just not be a thing in 2019. But God has a better way for you.

Introducing, Blood of Jesus Life Detergent. From the Maker of the World comes a new way to be clean of all guilt and sin and be purified once again. No more having to try to clean yourself anymore, let the Blood of Jesus do it for you! Got a big stain of shame in your life? Just hit it with a dab of the Blood of Jesus and bam! it's gone. Right now, for a limited time* you can get a life time supply of the Blood of Jesus for free! That's right, if you simply ask God, he will grace you with your own supply of the Blood of Jesus. You do not need to do anything for this amazing deal of a lifetime, simply accept Jesus as your savior, ask for mercy from the Creator of All Things, and you too will be washed clean from all your sins by the amazing power of the Blood of Jesus.

But wait, there is more! Right now and for that fact, even before you were ever born and long after you die, you will receive a free Unfailing Love, directly from God himself. That's right, God is offering his Unfailing Love for you for free. There is nothing you need to do at all, because God's Unfailing Love is always free to every person ever born, ever. No purchase ever necessary God is always wanting to share his Unfailing Love with the world.

Lord, Thank you for loving me so much to send your son to die in my place. Thank you for wiping my sins away and bringing me back to you, clean and new.

*Time is limited by the end of your life, or the end of the world, which ever comes first.

Devotional: Don't get Mad, Get God

From bible.com

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Amos 5:24 (NIV)

I don't have kids, but I have a dog. She is an adorable Bichon Frise. If you look up the breed, you will find that they are cute, sweet, cuddly dogs who's only purpose is to be a lap dog. They have stupid hair and sparkly eyes and sometimes they like to use your new carpet to do their business even if they asked to go out minutes before. It is just something they do. And like any parent, you get mad at them when they do this. You might even yell, to which they will roll over and stare at you with those dark sparkly eyes that say, "I love you, don't yell," but you are mad nonetheless. But no matter what, you love that pesky little dog because she is just a part of your heart. Sometimes we mess on God's carpet and He gets mad at us.

Many times in the bible, God has gotten mad at his people, as this whole chapter in Amos tells us. They turn to idols and false gods even when God was present among them. We forget all the stuff God has done for us and look to ourselves or other people. It is understandable that God will sometimes get mad at us. Though He will never stop loving us. God loves us so much, that he made a way for us to be washed clean of all these sins, to bring us back into his presence and to live with him forever. Though we can do nothing to earn this, God has given it to us for free.

God doesn't want your religious services, your festivals, your sacrifices or your offerings. He wants your heart. All of it, the whole thing, in everything you do. As I love my dog, no matter how bad she might be, I love her completely no matter what. And if I can love like that, with my sinful heart, imagine how much more God can love you, He who is Love, no matter what you do. The Lord asks us to seek him and live. To seek goodness and love and live life with those to guide us. So when the world is at its darkest, we can firmly be beacons to those that do not believe yet.

Lord, I ask as I go out today, remind me to love everyone like you do. If I get angry, calm me with Your love and patience. Remind me to tell everyone of your amazing deeds so that I do not forget you today.

Devotional: Heart of Flesh

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 (CSB)

From bible.com

Have you ever met one of those people who seem to be rather cold? The ones who, when something bad happens, they seem very distant from it. Or maybe you know someone who seems to lack empathy for people they don't know. You would almost say they have a heart of stone. Like Pharaoh in Exodus, people's hearts are often cold and broken. Even God said that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17). Yet we put the heart as the center of our emotion. How can any good come from a place so cold?

God knows our hearts, he knows the good behind our selfishness. God is also a fantastic spiritual surgeon. He wants to remove our hearts of stone, put in a heart of flesh. A heart full of a new spirit. A heart filled with the most delicious fruits you can imagine. Love, joy peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If we embrace these fruit of this new spirit God wants to put into us, we will have hearts of flesh.

Stone is not a comforting thing. Go hug a rock, you won't get anything back. But flesh is welcoming and warm. Now go hug your father, mother, sister, brother, or child. Go hug anyone who cares about you and feel how much better it is than stone. Now take that warmth you just got, all those good feelings of "The Fruit" and go share it with someone who might not have that comfort. You are the hands and feet and face of God in this world. God can break through any heart but you have to take him there first.

God, take this cold stone heart of mine and give me a heart for you and your people. Let me be the evidence of all that your grace can do for those nearest me.

Devotional: Mountains Fall

God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil.Psalms 46 1-3 (CSB)

From bible.com

There are legends of cataclysm all throughout the ancient world. Stories of great floods, asteroids, and earthquakes can be found all over the world. Right now there are two possibly huge catastrophes we are worried about. The first gets all the attention and that is Climate Change. There is no doubt that it is changing and will change much of the world in the near and distant futures. The second isn't so widely talked about, but that is the magnetic poles shifting. Both of these have a chance to kill millions of people and we need not worry. God is always there for us.

No matter what is going on in the world and in our lives God is here for us to take shelter in. God sent the Holy Spirit to be that helper in everything that comes our way. When people working hard for God go out into the disaster areas, God's glory and strength are shown to the world. When you offer a comforting word to someone who is hurting, God's love is shown to that person. We should be showing the world of a safe harbor in the storm, a refuge from all the weights of the world.

We have the creator of this world on our side. He offers us aid, though we did nothing to deserve this grace, so even in the hardest moments in life, we can be comforted. The mountains will fall into the depths of the sea someday, and the world will feel like it is ending, but God will be there offering us refuge and strength through it all. We should face each day with strength and love because we know not even death can keep us down.

Lord, I thank you for being there for us at every hurt and every joy. Help me face every day, no matter what it brings, with strength and love so that I can be an example of your grace to a world on the edge.

Devotional: Do Good

Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
Hebrews 13:16 (CSB)

We are alone. Utterly and desperately alone. For most of us, there is only one voice in our heads, our own. Though our hearing allows us to hear other voices, in the end, there is nothing but ourselves rattling in our heads. We are so alone in fact, you cannot do anything that I cannot dismiss as my own head making it up. This is a long philosophical thing I am not going to go into, but to sum it up, we are alone in a world of billions.

From bible.com

With being so alone in our own heads, sometimes it is hard to do good for people, and to share with people what you have. Our isolation breeds a certain amount of greed and selfishness. It is natural to want to keep what you have, and to get more for yourself. Normal to not sacrifice anything for people because it might end up hurting us, or worse, killing us. But God isn't natural, He is supernatural and he wants us to be too.

Our isolation in our heads leads to selfishness, but God wants us to ignore our natural instincts and and become more selfless and more Christ like. All sin comes from a common root, selfishness. So to combat the sin in our lives, God calls us to do good for other people, to share with those in need and to give up some of our own things so others can see the full glory of God working today.

Take time everyday to make sure you do good. It is easy to overlook doing good in our overly crowded days but we must try. As followers of Christ, we must put ourselves out there as servants to those who are hurting and with out, those who hunger for something that is beyond natural. God is big enough to fill any hole in every heart and by giving a bit of ourselves to the world, we not only please God, but bring joy to the lives of others. This is how we grow.

Lord, give me every opportunity to do good this day. Remind me to share with those I meet so that you are shown to every man, woman, and child. May your restoration of the world begin with me, today.

Devotional: Amazing Things

Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

1 Chronicles 16:24 (NLT)

From bible.com

 Do you remember a time when you were so excited about something, maybe it was meeting your current partner, getting that one toy when you were a kid that meant the world to you, getting a new job, or finally getting something you have been working toward for a long time seeing buzzards come back in spring? Do you remember how excited you were, how you went up to every person you knew and told them about it? How your friends got tired of hearing about it, wanted you to just shut up, yet you kept going on and on. For weeks you talked about it off and on. So often something comes along in our life, we simply are excited for. We literally jump for joy when we think about it. It makes us feel so happy.

What was it that you thought of, and object, a person, a moment in time? Did you think about your salvation, a gift given to you by God for simply putting your faith in him? Did you think about the assurance that when your time is done here, you will go on to live for eternity with God? Maybe you thought of that sun rise yesterday morning, how the sun lit the frost? How Jesus died on the cross, while you were still a sinner, to pay for all the wrongs you have done to Adonai? How right now, in the way God sees the world, Jesus is still there, on the cross, waiting for you to come and kneel before it.

Every little thing God does for you, for a friend, to a stranger, we should be shouting out to the world. We should be telling them how amazing a friend to sinners he is and how much he loves everyone out there. We should be putting it in newspapers (Are they still a thing?), on the television, plastering it on the internet, and telling everyone we see about the amazing things he did today. Take a moment this day to stop, find at least one thing God did for you, no matter the size, and share it with someone. Then do it again the next and then the next. I challenge you, and myself, to do this until we come face to face with Jesus at the end of all things.

Lord, remind me of all the things you do everyday and everyday remind me to tell the world until everyone knows the glorious things you have done.

Devotional: Encourage and Comfort

Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father, God of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages us in all our trials, so that we can encourage others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CJB)

The world excels in bringing us to our knees. Unable to stand anymore, we break down. Loved ones die, close friends leave our sides, and our hopes can smash into a million pieces and it can all happen in a blink of an eye. We live in a world of sadness and despair. We can see in the news, nearly every night, that people are hurting. Some hurt to the point where they will hurt others so they can feel just a tiny bit better. People are killing themselves because they see no light. As Christians, it is partly our fault.

From bible.com

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Being sad is not a bad thing. There is a bit of odd joy in it, you will feel better. God is always there to encourage us, He will build us back up every time we break down. Mighty things can happen when we fall to our knees. We rejoice with each other when God brings us back to standing beside him. Some of us do not go out there, like we should, showing the world a God who encourages, and builds. We are the "blessed who mourn." We are those who receive comfort and encouragement so we should be the ones on the front lines of the drug epidemic showing people a God who does care and can make you feel something amazingly grand inside. We should be the first responders when someone is on the edge, thinking they would be better off if they were dead.

God comforts us so we can comfort a hurt and broken world. It is our time step out of the shadows of our churches and step brazenly into the darkness as beacons. We can take whatever the world throws at us for we have Christ backing our every move.

Heavenly Father, God of all encouragement and comfort, set me ablaze with your light and push me out into the depths of the darkness in our world. Let me be the evidence of what your Grace can do for this hurting world.

Devotional: Bring me Joy

From bible.com

I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Psalms 94:18-19

So many things in our life threatens to bring us down. Maybe it is an ending of a relationship, or failing an exam. Maybe you didn't get that job you really wanted or maybe you feel alone in a world where everyone seems to have someone. Maybe your family seems to have raised against you. Maybe you feel like God has abandoned you out in the wilderness, like a malformed wild animal. Sometimes that firm foundation you are standing on is slick from rain and if you even breathe you might slip and fall into the cracks, be lost forever in the darkness.

It is natural to feel like this sometimes. But God is always near by. When we feel broken and falling into the depths, God is right below us to catch us. In every dark moment in life, God will send a light for you. He will fill your heart with hope and cheer. The psalmist said The LORD is our fortress so when times are hard, we can fall back into his strong arms deep inside His fortress and be safe. When the storms hit us, the winds break even the strongest of trees, laying the country side in ruins, we can rest assured that God has his arms around us. He will whisper his love into your ear, filling you with comfort only He could give.

Lord, renew me with your hope and cheer. Fill me with your unfailing love and remind me to fall back into your fortress when times are hard.

Sermon: Strangest Day

I've really been struggling to get any ideas down on paper or screen. Every time I think of something and start talking it out in my head, or out loud to myself if no one is near by, I don't have the means to put any of it to letter. It's been a while since I have been struggling with this, so-to-speak, writers block as you can tell if you read my blog posts here. They have been rather few and far between.

Things have been stirring in my head though, recently I talked to the Superintendent of the district our church is in about becoming a local pastor. It's a step and I have another step coming up for which I am pretty nervous. But all of this has got me thinking, how strange it is to be on a journey which I know not the destination.

For so long I, and I imagine many other Christians, have been comfortable where we are. But it doesn't mean it is doing any of us any good. I think we have lost sight of the goal, what we want when we turn to the cross each Sunday morning. What we all should be striving for each day. What we have to simply remember, Jesus. We have grown deaf and dumb to all that is around us. The hurt the world is in. Maybe it is too much for our minds to bear, but it is still there. Maybe we aren't even awake yet.

We are here in this long long story of God. This story started long before time existed, before any bang ever happened, in the infinity stretching back to always. We are here for God. It is rather hard to understand, I think I even confused myself a little bit there. I often wonder why God even wanted to make us, what was the point, what was the thinking. Then I think of all the stuff mankind has done. Look at our imagination and the thinks we have dreamt of in movies, books and our dreams. Look at the accomplishments man has made, we have left the confines of our planet and walked on the moon. We have stared so deeply into space that we have seen things hundreds of thousands of years ago. We have computers that rival the power and depth of our own minds. (Thankfully we do not have AI running amok yet.) We have art, music, and capacity for great love. We manage to capture a tiny, tiny speck of the abundance of all that God is.

Yet we hold on to ourselves. We cling tightly to all that we can do, because what we can do is really great. I like to think that when God said "Let us make man in our image" he completely meant all of the stuff we are capable of such as arts, sciences, maths, love. I feel like those 4 things are really important to humanity, but this isn't about those. This is about letting go of all we know.

So far, in the few tiny steps I have made, I feel there is a change occurring inside my head and my heart. I feel that God is rearranging me for his goal. It's a very small change, and one that I often overwrite in an attempt to hang on to me. But I am trying to let go, giving up me, for Christ. And when I manage to let some of it stick, it is beautiful. When someone does something stupid, like driving 3 miles an hour under the speed limit, I think, "This guy should not be allowed on the road," then I think, "but God loves him, that is good enough for me."

It is a strange feeling, loving someone even when you don't want to and it shows us how much more to life there is than we can ever know. We might not see the seed we planted turn into anything, but knowing we planted it, it feels great. I find it hard to love people when I am at my best, but with each little thing I give to God, I find it easier to love, easier to live and to trust. It is easier to have faith and say, "Here I am, Send me."

I was a child the first time I heard the song "Here I am Lord." But it is a song that has always stuck in my head. I feel like it was the first song God used to call me to be a pastor. The chorus is so good in its few lines. "Here I am Lord," Right there, the singer is acknowledging that God is calling us. God is calling each of us into a journey with him. He is calling us to do something, anything, that he will use for the continuing of his Glory. For some it is pastoring (Pastorizing anyone? eh?), some it might be mentoring, others to be teachers, some might just be to lend an ear, or offer words that someone needs to hear at that moment. But we have to first answer God, Here I am, Lord.

"Is it I, Lord?" Now we question if we are able to do it. Alone we can't, but God is going to be right there so I think we can. In the readings I have had to go over, and what I am building up to at the end of the month, it talks about being able to discern what God is calling you to do, for me it has always felt that God is calling me to be a pastor, but maybe it will change a little and maybe its more of a specialized place that he has in mind, who knows? I don't but I am going to sit with God and a group of people I don't know and figure things out. I hope.

From bible.com

Then in the chorus "I have heard you calling in the night," We are now realizing that he has been calling us from the day of our birth, into something that is almost like a birthright. That place he had picked out for us so very long ago. Then we finally do it, "I will go Lord, if you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart." We answer that call of the Lord. Sometimes I wish it was an audible one like Samuel or Isaiah. But even if it was, I think I am too deaf to hear him, so he uses people, songs, anything he likes to call us.  We can go do it, I can go do it, if we let Jesus lead us, we can learn to love when we don't want to. It would be such a great joy to be fighting about who is going to go out into the darkness outside, spreading Jesus to the world, instead of fighting about the color of the curtains or how much it is going to cost.

When we let go, and follow Jesus like he asks us to, it will feel like a mistake, we will worry about the money, how we could manage do whatever it is we are doing, and we will worry greatly over all the smallest things, but nothing will prepare us when God will make all things clear. We will break out of our anger and grumpiness, break out of our worry and fear, and it might feel like a very strange day, but it will be just the start of an even more amazing life. We can break out and shout "This is it, it's what we are waiting for, so here I am Lord, send me!"

So I ask you, What has God been calling you to do? Have you shared it with anyone? Have you had support in your calling? A comfrimation? Will you support others as they are called? Will you work together in many callings to spread the word of the Lord to everyone, everywhere?

Devotional: The Good Spell

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile.
 Romans 1:16 (NLT)

The Gospel, as we often call it, literally means "good spell." This does not mean spell like something in magic. Spell is a story, a message. Think of someone says to "Sit down for a spell." They are not talking about casting some magic but sitting and sharing stories, telling tales, history, commands and news. The Good News we share, the Gospel, is what God did, and is doing, to bring salvation to the whole world.

Paul told the Romans that it is "the power of God at work..." We have to keep in mind that the gospel, is working now, is as relevant now, is as important now, as it was two thousands years ago. The whole world can receive this salvation if they believe in Jesus. Currently there is so much anti-Semitic hate in the world. In the news, in jokes, and worst of all in the church. But God chose the Jews to be HIS people. He chose to bring salvation to the world through this people that he loves. How can we hate a people who God chose over all the other people of the world to bring His son to the earth through.

From bible.com

We should never be ashamed of God, of what he did, and should embrace it and share it with all the world. It is a wonderful thing to share because we can see it at work still. God is always working and someday we will get the honor to stand witness, with his people, of the completion of his plan for mankind.

God, I am not ashamed of your Good News about your son. Help me to show the world your power at work for all the nations.

Devotional: A Little Me Time

In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.

Isaiah 26:9 (NLT)

Do you have a routine that you do daily? Maybe you get up at a set time, spend a few minutes on the internet before you shower, then go to work. Maybe when you are preparing for bed, you hit that game up again, just to relax, or play a podcast or listen to music right before bed. We all have things that we do every day, a little bit of ME time, as part of our continuing daily routine. God wants to be our ME time. He wants you to come to him and spend time with him and you, in intimacy. No matter the time of day, we should be searching for God in all we do.

From bible.com

Or you can look at it like this, in the night, when things are dark, hard to see, things coming after you, beating you down over and over. Troubles, seemingly unending, hitting from all sides, we need to turn to God to make it through. In the morning, when things are calm, the rapids have given way to a peaceful current, and we can relax and recover, we should turn to God.

When we follow God in every step, dark or light, night or day, troubles or peace, we will show the world a peace that could never come from man made treaties. No political party could ever bring a peace so complete and good as the peace God can bring. But until God comes back to judge the earth, putting all things right again, we will have tides of night and day and we can face them all if we seek God with our whole hearts.

God, teach me to search for you at all times of the day. Teach me to put you at the center of my ME time and the center of my troubled times as well.

Devotional: Love it Up

Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
Romans 13:10 (NLT)

If you have played a modern survival game, or nearly any game at all, you know will understand the long list of requirements involved to get anything done. Find some plants to make a fiber rope, then find some sticks to make the handle, find a good stone to use for the blade, and you can make yourself an axe. You can use it a few times and then it will break and you need to make a new one, or find better materials to make a better one. Some mobile games task you with building this building before you can build the one you want to build. Some games require you to kill so many enemies, or gather so many items to progress further. Anyway you look at it, games have a lot of requirements to fulfill to complete tasks. God also has many laws you have to obey to be with him.

From bible.com

We have the ten commandments, a list of laws that if we break, will remove us from God. we break the laws we will stand condemned. But God knew we would break even the simplest of these, so he sent his son Jesus to redeem us, to purchase our lives so we can live forever with the Father.  Jesus came because God loved us. The price of redemption was a love overwhelming, a love so deep that it died on our execution stake.


With our souls purchased, it is for us to take the deal. Once you have, our only goal should be to show that same love God had for us, to the rest of the world. Love will fulfill any requirement of law or life we can face. You won't steal if you love with your whole heart. You won't hurt someone else if you love like Jesus. And you can change the world if you give every ounce of love you have like Jesus. Love is always the answer.

Lord, help me to love in every circumstance, in every trial or while I rejoice. Help me fulfill your laws to the fullest by loving everyone I met today.

Devotional: Every Path

From bible.com

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
Proverbs 5:21 NLT

Remember when you were a kid, you could be hundreds of yards from the house, but when you did something bad, your mother new about it. You could be surrounded by tress, in a dense forest, and you did something you shouldn't have, mother knew about it. Whether we called that the eyes in the back of her head, or what, mothers knew more of what was going on that they should have. God also knows what bad things you have done.

 It doesn't matter if you try to hide your wrong doings in the darkest of rooms, or miles underground, God will know. God sees so much he can see the path you are headed down to the end of the line. He knows what you will do and when. He knows every possible outcome of your life, even if you don't know what tomorrow will hold.

None of us know the future. We can't tell if we will be hurt tomorrow or if we will be doing the hurting. We are stuck in the here and now. But we can face each day as if we did know. If we are wronged we can forgive them for it because we know God already has. If we do the wronging, we know that God will forgive us, even if the other person won't. We can try and make amends with the knowledge that we are forgiven. 

We should go and face every day as the best we can be, because the best there ever was was sent to forgive our wrongs. We should face each day with strength and courage, it might be our last. We should face each day with the love of God for everyone out there is a child of the Most High.

God, give me the strength to face each day with confidence and love as I follow you down the path of my life.

Devotional: Godliness

Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.   -Proverbs 13:6

I once read a story in the news, it had a picture of a car half in a lake with a headline, "Woman followed GPS and drove into a lake." How does one not see a lake a head of them and drives into it. Surely people have enough intelligence to realize they aren't on the road any more. See the difference between a dock and a road. Sadly, sin blinds us to troubles and sometimes we can find ourselves sinking in a lake wondering how did we get here.

Sin leaves us blind to many things in our lives and in the world. Sin causes us not to have a heart for the broken, lost and used people out there. Sin tells us that because that person has a different amount of melanin in their skin, they aren't as good as we are. Sin says because they do not believe the same as me, or wear different clothes as me, they are horrible people, cretins and deplorables. Sin leaves us lost. But when we live in God's love and follow is commands, we will start to see how wonderful these differences are.

When we live a life close to God, doing our best to be like him, we begin to love more and are willing to embrace even our most feared enemy. So let's start letting love lead our lives, be more like Jesus, and live godly lives. The -ness in godliness means an action, quality, or state of whatever it is attached to. So in this case, Godliness means we are acting in a manner that is God like, or have a quality of God. And since God is love in all its forms, then being godly should be being overwhelmingly loving. And when we love, our path will be lit with the biggest and brightest light, and our road will be straight and clear. We will never find ourselves lost, and have that feeling deep in our guts wondering how we will get home from here.

From bible.com

Lord, when my road starts to get dark, be the light and make it bright to me. Help me to love everyone out there as you do.

Farewell Little Rover

"My battery is low and it's getting dark." These are the last words, the last message to NASA, that the Mars rover, Opportunity sent back to earth shortly before it went offline during a massive sandstorm. The sandstorm was so big, it swept around the planet. NASA said it was the most ferocious sandstorm they had seen. While these words aren't exactly what was said, it was probably something like "Battery x%, Light level low." the meaning is still there. Whatever it sent it was more computer and less human.

The Opportunity rover landed on Mars in 2004 alongside its sister rover Spirit. They were sent to study the surface and geology of Mars. While both completed their primary 90 day mission, Spirit died a few years later in 2010. Opportunity kept on working for another 8 more years. It holds the record for the longest distance traveled by an off-earth wheeled vehicle with a distance of 28 miles. Over the years, it sent back tons of data about Mars. It showed us pictures of the first intact meteor found near the landing area of the heat shield for the lander. And much more. 14 years and 46 days (more than 55 times longer than designed) Opportunity sent its final message back to earth. While attempts continued for months, NASA finally declared Opportunity dead on February 13th of this year.

While the end of a mission that long is sure a sad thing, I think the last words of this rover will be some that last in the hearts and minds of people for years to come. While it was in reality just a message sent updating NASA of its status, not that much unlike people posting that they are eating, these words hit the hearts of many nerds and science lovers around the world. It is very easy to put human feelings to this machine. It lived its life hundreds of miles from its sibling and millions of miles from its home, Opportunity worked diligently for 14 years giving scientists much to study.

It is much like a story setting here, the underdog rover did its job and so much more until the very end. Slowly heading down the western slope of Perseverance Valley, as the storm grew bigger and bigger, it sends a final message to its parents, "My battery is low and it's getting dark." A fitting place to rest in peace for this incredible rover, in a valley named for something it did naturally.

I will admit, the last message made me tear right up. It still does. At once it is a message home, a cry of loneliness, and an honest feeling when we stop and think about our own mortality. We all know that someday we will die. It is easy to feel alone, feel scared. I know I have mentioned being scared of the dark before, but mostly I joke about it, but what I really do feel very scared about is my own death.

I cannot help but have a few doubts that pop into my head. What if I am wrong? What if I did not do enough? What if there is nothing? What if I have to do all this again? When ever I think this way, I have to stop and pray. I need God to come and hold my hand when I am afraid.

Now I completely believe in a Creator who has made all there is, and keeps it going by his will alone. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Creator in flesh to bring us back to himself. Of this I have no doubt of who God is. Sometimes I have doubt if he cares about us and other things of this sort, but I never doubt that He is there. And if he is there, and Jesus is his son, then whatever doubts come my way, I have an answer for.

This is what I think of when I read those last words, "My battery is low and it's getting dark." I think of a single lonely cry in the darkness, of a lost and sad soul hurting for comfort. I think of my death, my end. I think of sadness and pain. Then I think of God. Then I feel a peace in that I can mange to deal with it all. I will continue to go on, and maybe someday at my end, when I am descending my own Perseverance Valley, I can offer some words to those that I leave behind that will make them hurt, cry, fear, love more, be comforted and smile. That they can take comfort in knowing that there is so much more for us in store. That no matter how devastating the storm is, even if we do not make it through, all that we leave behind, all the friends and family, it was all worth it, and what we look forward to is even better.