Peter’s Posts

Isaiah 35

I read Isaiah 35 this morning. It has a prophecy in it that Jesus fulfilled.

“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.

The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived. And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.”

Isaiah 35:5 – 8 – NLT

Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, he also healed the mute, healed lepers, healed internal bleeding, and he raised the dead. This he did literally.

The second half of the prophecy seems to be more metaphorical.

It may have seemed that the entire prophecy was metaphorical to the original readers, even up to the time Jesus began his ministry. It was impossible for a human to heal the maladies listed here. Even today it is difficult, I have friend who has a birth defect in his right eye and even with modern science his eye cannot be restored. Most people with spinal chord injuries are doomed to a wheel chair because there is no cure. But with Jesus, blind men were given sight, lame men were healed and walked for the first time, deaf could hear, mute people were given speech.

Jesus did not bring water to the desert, nor did he build a Hiway,…or did he? Certainly not literally but metaphorically Jesus brought (and continues to bring) water to thirsty souls. In John 4, while talking to a woman with a dubious past He described himself as a spring of water.

“Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”

John 4:7-26 – NLT

Jesus brings to every dry desert place, a well that bubbles up giving eternal life.

In John 14 Jesus declared himself the way. He is the hiway to Heaven.

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 – NLT

In Jesus this prophecy is fulfilled.

I believe that Jesus is the promised messiah. He is the one who gives us the righteousness, the holiness, required to travel on the Hiway of holiness and to join our Father in heaven and our spiritual family.

On the way home I had two strong ideas that seemed linked.

The gospel according to Winter, Winter Warlock.

(Winter Warlock is a character in the Rankin/Bass animated show, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.)

And these verses, especially the first 1/2 of verse 5.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”

2 Peter 1:5-9

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith.

Now how do theses verses and Winter Warlock come together? What if I add some words from James?

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:14-17

Well here is how they connected in my brain.

Peter tells us to add to our faith. When we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection and that his gift of love for us pays for our sin, we are saved, it is a done deal. Like when in “Santa Claus is coming to town” animated feature Winter Warlocks frozen heart is melted by Santa’s gift. But Peter said to add to our faith. If our salvation is secure in Jesus what is there to add?

When a baby is born it is a complete baby. But is that baby a finished product? No, it must be fed and nurtured and cleaned and guided and protected. The baby is added to, even though it is a complete human at birth. So it is with us we are born anew or born again. We need to add to our faith, grow our faith, nurture the new life that Jesus has birthed in us.

The verse in James says that we show that our new birth has made us new by our change of heart which is shown in our change in behavior. Winters heart was changed which changed the way he acted, and what he was able to do. He couldn’t curse, he could only bless.

Winter Warlock doesn’t mention Jesus, but he is changed by love. It isn’t a perfect fit but I hope it brings a new dimension to our Christmas season viewing.

Merry Christmas. Thank you Jesus for coming as a child, then finishing the grueling work of redeeming the world. Thank you to for continuing your work in me until I’m finished in your eyes.

(Originally posted 12/06/17)

The original title of this song is The lullaby of our Savior. It was written by a priest around 1855. The priest lived in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland (pictured). The song has 29 verses and was first written for midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

Mary sings the first verse in Scots Gaelic. She learned how to pronounce the words of the verse, but She is now studying the language to learn how to speak it. Mary selected her favorites of the 29 verses to record.

The song talks about a miracle. God came to earth. He didn’t come as mighty warrior, or regal king, or a staunch iron fisted ruler. He came like all the rest of us come, as a baby. His parents followed an angels instructions and named him Jesus. He experienced life as we experience life. He then experienced death as we deserve to experience death, except he was innocent. Our sin has earned us a horrible painful death. An innocent man, Jesus, died in our place. God raised him up on the third day so now Jesus is alive forever.

Please take a moment and click on the link and listen to Mary’s version of Taladh Chriosda. If you like it, please share it with your friends and family. You are our only way of getting this beautiful song out to the ears that need to hear it during this special season of the the year. Thank you for taking the time to read this and now please click and listen.

Eph 6:18 “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…continually keep on praying for all the saints”.

When I was a kid I used to play with green army men. My least favorite man was the guy with the radio. He wasn’t fighting anyone, he was to my mind useless. As I’ve have grown up watching documentaries on war, I have learned how important the radio guy is. He is the one to call for air strikes, to call in more troops, and to call in for medical help. Paul here in this passage is telling all of us that we all need to be radio men. We need to stay in contact with the God who controls the spiritual air strikes, supplies and troops and the medics. I need to pray more because God is my help.

(Originally posted 12/05/12)

Relational estrangement. Two parties separated by some force. It’s kind of like when I try to push two magnets together using the same polarity. They will not adhere, there are invisible lines of opposing force separating them, pushing them apart. No amount of force will connect them, they actually repel each other.

That is kind of like where we are at with God. When we are born we have a nature of rebellion, of selfishness, of isolation. We are opposed to God. That nature in us repels us away from God. But God would not let that opposition stand. He wants to be with us, to be near us, to love on us, to live in us, to be our Father.

Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God had been working up to his plan to redeem our relationship with him. Then God visited us. He came as a baby so he would experience life as one of us. He lived a life as workman, a carpenter and then when it was time, he died a sacrificial death, as a payment for our rebellion. Death could not hold him in the grave and on the third day he rose from the dead. God is with us. He has reversed the polarity of our magnet and now we can be together again. We just need to believe in what he did, and receive him as our payment, our polarity reversal.

Mary recorded this song about God coming to earth, God with us. It starts with our grandchildren singing away in a manger and then Mary sings and then she is joined by our son Aaron. Please click on the link and listen for free. If you like the song, please share it with your friends and family. May this song and this season end all of our estrangements, between us and God, and between each other.

 

Hebrews 3

Are you a fan? A fan of a team or a movie star or an athlete or anything? I am a Chevrolet fan. I own 2. When I talk about one of the two, my 57, my eyes glass over, my lips curl into a smile, my speech speeds up and even my voice gets a little louder. I am a fan of Chevrolet s but especially a fan of my 57 Chevy pickup, (I call him Rusty) and I love to talk about him.

The writer of Hebrews is a fan of Jesus. One of the biggest fans. Rightly so. Who else is worthy of our attention and affection? Who else has saved us and who else intercedes for us? There have been great men, great servant leaders, Moses was one. But as great as Moses was as a leader, Jesus is better.

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.”

We have only one day to do what we have to do. That day is today. All we can do is work in the moment that we are in. If we knew we were dying what would do? Put our affairs in order. What day do we put our affairs in order? Today.

““Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.””

We get right now. What will we do with it?

Jesus loves us and died to

Prove it. He lives now to intercede for us. Have you accepted his gift yet?

I think I slipped into rabid used car salesman mode. “What’s it going to take to get you into this…?.” Im not selling anything. Jesus is giving us freedom, forgiveness, family and salvation.

““Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.””

It’s today. Now what?

(Originally posted 12/04/15)

I grew up a Lutheran

I grew up a Lutheran, in our house we were not C&E Lutherans, where we occasionally attended, like on Christmas and Easter. No, my mom had some kind of built in radar and if the church doors opened, our family would be in attendance. Yes we would be late, but we would be there.

Lutherans have a liturgical service, and as part of that liturgy, we sang a lot. There were so many words and little songs. I was not an avid bible reader in those days. I didn’t realize that most of the words and the little songs were excerpts from the Bible. All the words drove me crazy as a kid but now I realize what we were doing, actually singing and reciting the Bible, as I have aged I now appreciate the hymnal writing and the writers and kind of miss the liturgical nature of the service.

My own personal bible reading recently took me to 1 John. As I read it I recognized it as part of the liturgy that I recited as a kid. Parts of Chapter 1&2 are part of the order of service.

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

1 John 1:5-2:2 -NLT

In Jesus, there is forgiveness for sin, but we need to confess our sins.

When we were raising our kids and they did something wrong we would make them say that they were Sorry. In addition to saying sorry we would often have them tell us what they did that was wrong. They had to confess. They to verbalize what they had done wrong, what rule they had broken, or how they violated boundaries or hurt someone else. In this way they had to think about what they had done.

We recently had an opportunity to visit a Presbyterian Church and participated in their Sunday worship service. Part of their order of service was a printed confession that we read together as a congregation. I thought it was good. I will quote it here and hope that whoever wrote it gets the credit due them.

“Father, you have revealed your will to us. It is clear. No other gods. No idols. No misuses of your name. We are to worship weekly and honor our parents. There is to be no killing and what we do with our bodies must come under your intentions for sexuality. We are forbidden to steal and speak falsely about our neighbors. And internally our hearts are not to covet what others possess. Such commandments reveal our absolute need of Jesus Christ. Forgive us for ignoring your word and our failure to take your commandments seriously. We humbly repent and ask you to forgive us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hear us in your mercy as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us.”

Then we corporately prayed the Lord’s Prayer.

I thought this was a very good way to remind us of what Gods standard is and then how we have failed to measure up. The confession is walk through the 10 commandments. We can forget where we fall short if we don’t use the measuring stick that God said is the standard. Jesus is our ruler both in that he is our King and he is the standard we measure ourselves against. The Ten Commandments are not a whacking stick to punish us when we fail, but a guide to live by and beacon to bring us back to Jesus for forgiveness when we fail.

“If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us… but if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness…”

I can be prideful at times when I consider my avoidance of sin, not stealing, or lying or killing or cheating on my spouse, but Jesus took it even deeper when he said that if we hate someone we have killed them in our hearts, or if we look lustfully at another person, that we have already thought about act and are guilty. God looks at and know our hearts so even if we have clean hands, our hearts can be dirty.

In Psalm 51 we get to read a confession from a man who had an adulterous relationship, got the woman pregnant, then had her husband killed so he could cover it up. He thought he had gotten away with it but was confronted by a friend.

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:4-7,10-12 NIV

I remembered this verse in part because it was a part of the liturgy that recited every Sunday for most of my childhood and adolescence.

We all sin. We all break the rules in one thing or another. The rules are not there to shame us but to guide us and bring us back, through confession and repentance, to a relationship with our loving Heavenly Father who sent his son Jesus to die to pay for all of our mistakes and failures, our sin.

So I say to myself, as well as to you who are reading this, repent and confess and be restored. Our God loves us and wants us to come home to him.

Mary and Joseph were young folks with their first baby. They couldn’t find a room in a hotel, let alone a hospital. They ended up in a barn. I would imagine it was drafty and cold. But this is where the King of the universe chose to be born, humbly, in  a barn, in a little tiny town in a little tiny country that was at that time, under the rulership of a foreign nation.

How do you get a baby to sleep? My wife Mary and I have had four babies and we have been blessed with 10, soon to be 11 grandbabies and we have found one of the best ways to get a baby to sleep is to snuggle them, rock them and sing to them.

I believe the writer of the Christmas hymn had all of this in mind as he wrote the song Taladh Chriosda. It is a lullaby sung from the viewpoint of the mother, Mary. When my wife Mary recorded it, she decided to learn the first verse in the original Gaelic and that’s what we did.

I hope that you will click on the link and listen. If you like the song, please share it with your friends and family.

May this season be blessed for you and your family. May you see the baby Jesus with fresh eyes, may his purpose in coming to redeem the lost, find renewed meaning in your lives this Christmas.

Hebrews 2

The writer compels us to remember Jesus message and ministry. A ministry that was affirmed by miracles. Blind men seeing, lame men walking, the dead being brought back to life.

Jesus is Lord of all creation, and Lord over all creation. The title Lord means he is the boss. He is the boss of me.

“In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

Jesus, the only Son of God took on human form so that he might experience life like we live it. He suffered, he was tempted and yet he didn’t sin.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[k] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

We have a savior who can sympathize with us. He is God and yet he became a man. He suffered through temptation, he suffered death all to give us a way out of our slavery to sin and death.

Jesus loves us. He loves me. He loves you. He loves us. How will we respond to this great love?

(Originally posted 12/03/15)

The thrill of the first snow, it is exhilarating. I remember the thrill as a kid but even as an older adult, a grandpa even, I was looking out my window yesterday a watched with childlike glee, the sparkling white flakes, dance gracefully to the ground. We finally got our first real snow. It is a late one this year, usually we get snow towards the end of October but this year we had to wait until the first day of December.

Snow for us can be like a salve. It covers over the drab and dreary landscape that fall leaves us with, all the greys and browns get covered with a sparkling white sheet of snow.

Our granddaughter Molly wrote a little song that shares the joy of that first snow of winter. Mary added some verses and then had Molly help her sing the song on her CD.

Please click on the link and enjoy the thrill of the first snow of winter. If you like the song, please share it with your family and friends.

 

I’m shopping. It’s the season right? I’m shopping for which book of the bible to read next. I’ve read the first chapter of Titus, Hebrews and 1 Thessalonians. I’m hoping for a spiritual nudge but so far none has come.

I’m leaning towards 1 Thessalonians but I wonder if a day or two on vocabulary would be helpful?

The bible and those who live by its texts use words that are unfamiliar to our culture. The most basic Christian principle and word that is misunderstood and misused and maligned is sin.

I am not a theologian so check what I say out. Don’t take my word for it. Investigate.

This is what I’ve been taught and how I understand it. Sin is anything less than perfection. The word means Missing the mark. In other words, Not a bullseye. If we shoot a million arrows at a target and miss one, it doesn’t matter if we shoot another million arrows and hit bullseyes every time. We missed one. We are not perfect. We sinned. We can’t erase our bad shot with more good shots. Like that, Our spiritual record is based on our lifetime encompassing all our actions and thoughts over our entire life.

Sin is anything less than a perfect score. A sinner is one with a score anything less than perfect. Perfect in thought word and deed. Things we have done- and things we have left undone.

I’m out. Out of perfection. I’m in the group called sinners.

In contrast:

God is absolutely perfect. We have trouble conceiving that. Nothing around us is perfect or pure. I think about it this way; God is like a diamond. He has many facets but no matter how I turn and twist Him it’s still him, solid, pure, transparent, dazzling.

God cannot associate with sin but he loves us sinners. What to do?

He sacrificed his only son, whose perfect life and undeserved death covered over, paid for, redeemed, forgave our sin. God sees us now through the lens of Jesus substitutionary death. He sees us as perfect. All we have to do is accept Gods gift of Jesus and we are made clean.

Sin: it’s ugly. It’s pervasive, everybody has it and does it. Jesus death, his blood that he shed washes us, all of of us who have accepted it, clean.

“Doctor God, report to surgery. Doctor God, report to surgery. ”

Every time I read Gods word I open myself up for him to do spiritual surgery on my hidden parts, my heart, soul mind and spirit.

I read parts of the Bible most every day. The i share what I’ve read. I quote large chunks of scripture when I post. I want to show what I’m reading so it can be seen in context.

The Bible is no ordinary book. It is the very words of God. It is alive and powerful. It can heal. It can save.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

By reading his word we open ourselves up to being changed by them, changed by him, made better, healed and repaired by God as we read his word.

The Bible is all about Jesus. In the Old Testament it points to him in the future. The Gospels tells about his life, and the rest of the New Testament show us how to live as a follower of Jesus. Who is this Jesus? He is both fully God and fully man. In the Christmas season we will sing about Emanuel, which means God with us. This God whose words can heal us has sent his son to us to be with us, live as one of us, experience our life, and live it without sinning, and then die for us to pay for all of our mistakes, misdeeds and failures.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

So far I’ve only read four chapters of Hebrews and the writer has already quoted Psalm 97 3 times. It may be become my anthem.

““Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”

Guess what day it is? Correct! It’s Today. What will we decide to do about Jesus today? Will we accept his gift of forgiveness today?

(Originally posted 11/29/16)

God with us.

My son Aaron was our first born child. He was an early talker. Once when he was about 18 months old we were visiting his grandma and grandpa Ledgerwood and while walking through grandma’s garden, he pulled up a tomato stake, using it as a pretend microphone said to his audience, “Christmas is for Jesus! Everybody sing!” and then proceeded to sing a carol.

Fast forward 36 years, when Mary was pulling together the talented folks to help us with her Christmas album, we leaned pretty hard on family, especially our son Aaron. He is a gifted singer and can fill in harmonies just by listening and singing it.

This song is one of my top 3 favorites of Mary’s album. It starts out with four of our grandchildren singing away in a manger and then Mary sings a verse, then Mary and Aaron sing a duet and then Aaron takes a verse. I get weepy every time I listen.

Please click on the link and listen for free. I hope that you enjoy this song. If you do enjoy it, please share it with your family and friends.

Is it safe to say it now? We are officially in the Christmas season, so… Merry Christmas!

Forgiveness. That is Gods main business. Yes he is creator. Yes he is sustainer. Yes he is Judge. But primarily he is our forgiver.

Psalm 130

“1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel

from all their sins.”

I personally have no need of a God who rewards perfection. I need a God who forgives me and cleans me up when I fall, when I sin. Not if I sin. When I sin. In Jesus I have that.

Jesus is my hope.

(Originally posted 11/28/19)

The door was closed.

She couldn’t get on her flight.

She missed and no one could or would help her.

I was at Seatac. I was at my gate early. Not bragging, just saying I was there early. Next to my gate was another gate flying somewhere far away, Texas maybe? I had seen this lady on the other side,the main terminal. She was being seated in a wheelchair by an airport worker. When she showed up at her gate she was walking. Earlier I had seen the airlines hostesses walking the length of the terminal calling out names of missing passengers and heard multiple announcements asking for passengers to go to the desk, announcing boarding and then final boarding. Then they closed up the desk, walked through the doors and boarded the plane. After all of that happened the lady showed up. She was at the right gate but she was late. She couldn’t find anyone to help her. She walked through the seats asking for help, loudly asking for someone, anyone from her airline to help but they were all in the plane already.

She tried crashing the door. She could see her plane still parked at the gate but she couldn’t get on.

When she crashed the door an alarm sounded and security personnel arrived rather quickly. But they couldn’t get her on the plane either. It didn’t seem to make any difference why she was late or how loud she got with her protests. She could not ride that plane. Even with a boarding pass she could not get aboard the plane.

It was a scene that played out in my life that I️ watched like it was a performance for me. It made me wonder and now over 2 weeks later I am still pondering it. As the character Scrooge says in the Christmas Carol, “why was I privy to this conversation?”.

At the same time I have Been reading 2 Peter. In chapter 2, Peter mentions some times when God’s timing and the peoples time ran out.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;”

2 Peter 2:4-10

So did God show me this so that I would present it as a cautionary tale? As a culture we are constantly exposed to and driven by schedules and time tables. Is it a surprise that God also has a schedule and a time table for his plan for us. None of us knows his time table and schedule. Not even Jesus knew when the end would be. Can we say that God is a meany head for having a schedule? Or can we say thank you to him for his patience with us thus far?

Further into his letter Peter had this to say,

“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:3-9

Mary calls me Debbie Downer because I see the dark side of things, I really don’t want this to be that.

God loves us. He sent Jesus to us not Just to say I love you, but to do I love you. Jesus came to die for sins we cannot pay for or erase. Then he rose from the dead to lead us into God’s heaven. He made a way for us.

We get today. We have today to choose.

I don’t know the outcome for the poor lady who missed her plane. I do know the outcome of everyone who missed Noah’s boat. I do know the outcome for everyone who misses God’s grace in Jesus but I would rather talk about the splendor waiting for those who receive God’s great gift of forgiveness in Jesus.

Today, all aboard.

(Originally posted 11/28/17)

Sometimes we get blessed by having a trait or physical feature passed on into the next generation. Mary and I have 4 kids, Aaron, Rachel, Elizabeth and Hannah. None of them strongly resemble either one of us. Aaron has Mary’s blue eyes and curly hair, the girls all have brown eyes like me. In 2009 we were blessed with the birth of our first grandchild, a little girl and her parents named her Molly, Molly Joy.

From birth we noticed a deep connection between Molly and Mary. (The name Molly is a form of the name Mary). First off there is her physical features, she is blond and blue eyed, she looks like Mary did as a child. Molly also has a deep love of music. She has been Mary’s piano student since she could sit at the bench. As Molly grew up we saw in her an uncanny ability to mimic songs, to figure out melodies and plunk them out on the piano, but then she also started creating her own songs.  When Molly was seven she wrote a little song and called it “White Sheet of Snow”. When Mary’s second CD was coming together Mary wanted to include Molly’s song so Mary added some verses. I think the end result is magical. Kind of like the magic of the first snow of winter, which is what the song is all about. It is pretty exciting to so see part of ones self live on in the next generation and that is what we are seeing in Molly, Mary’s little mini-me.

Please click on the link and listen and if you like the song, please share it with friends and family.

Happy Thanksgiving. May this years celebration bring joy and thankfulness for the bounty God has provided, including his great love and mercy in sending his son Jesus to restore us back to relationship with him and with his family.

It’s cyber Monday. (Posted in 2017). A busy day for shopping. Mary has been asking me what I want for Christmas and I I’ve been humbly replying “I am content with life, I want for nothing” but then I went to Home Depot with my son in law Michael. SO much stuff, so many tools and gadgets that I don’t have yet. It’s all so shiny and new and exciting!

But I caution myself with what the apostle Peter says in his second letter.

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

2 Peter 3:8-13

Everything we see and know will eventually be destroyed by God as he prepares a new heaven and a new earth. All of those widgets and gadgets and hobbies and must haves. Even my beloved 57 Chevy truck that I named Rusty. What? Even Rusty? Yes even old Rusty. Only two things will remain, the word of God and the souls of men. We are created to live forever. And we will, but where will we spend eternity?

God loves us and longs to spend eternity with us but our sins separate us from him. He knew that and prepared a way for us to be forgiven and cleansed from our sin through his only son Jesus. By accepting Jesus death as payment and believing in his resurrection we can spend eternity with our Heavenly father.

I’m going to try to not let this holiday season be about the stuff of life in stores but about hastening the return of Jesus by expanding his kingdom through sharing the story of a God who loves me enough to die in my place. A baby who came to save me, save us. He doesn’t want to have anyone die without knowing about his free gift of salvation. He is waiting to return until the last person who ever will believe in him, gets to hear the story and chooses to believe.

Who can I tell about Jesus today?

It has been said of my wife Mary that she is the Queen of Christmas. (Ok, it was me, I was the one that said it). Even queens have a childhood, I guess in childhood they are called Princess. Princess Mary’s childhood took place in Ephrata Washington, a tiny little town in the center of Washington state. Ephrata is to Seattle like a saltine cracker is to a wet sponge. The city Washington state is famous for, Seattle,  gets on average 37.5 inches of rain, in 2017 it got 47 inches. Ephrata gets 8 inches of precipitation per year. Seattle gets rain and rarely gets snow but that’s okay because of all the rain it is green all of the time. Ephrata in contrast, is dry, and grey, and drab. In summer we get the green of irrigated crops and orchards, watered trees, grass and flowers. But winter is different. Winter can be monotone. Winter can be drab. Winter can be long and boring. One of the blessings we receive in winter because it is colder here than in Seattle,  is that some of that precipitation falls in the form of snow.

Mary wrote about a Christmas from her childhood where the magic happened, there was a Christmas snow.

Please listen to Mary’s song Merry Mary and enjoy a peek into princess Mary’s Christmas memories. If you like the song, please share it with your family and friends. You folks that read my posts have been deputized into being our distribution system  for Mary’s Christmas album. Please help us spread these free samples of a Christmas filled with joy, joy because God remembered our need and sent a savior, Jesus.

Mary recorded this song to honor her Scottish heritage. It is a hymn traditionally sung on during midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Mary sings the first verse in Gaelic. I like to use my imagination as I listen. I try to go back in my mind to when the song was new. It was written in the mid 1800s, when it was first sung the sanctuary would have been lit by candle light. The room was probably cold and everyone would’ve been bundled against it and snuggling as much as possible to stay warm. The hymn has 29 verses, it took a while to sing. No one was in a hurry to go anywhere, the room was filled with people who were there for one purpose, to worship a king, a king who entered our world as a baby. This was no ordinary king, this king was not a king of city or country or a land mass, he was THE king, the king over all of it, all of us over all of creation. He didn’t get crowned as king, he was born the king. this little baby was God in the flesh.

The song touches on the mix of the mother and baby, but the baby was the savior and king. He was (and is) fully God, but he was also fully a human baby and he still needed his mother and needed a soft lullaby to sleep.

Please click on the link to listen. If you like the song, please share with your friends and family.

James 5.

Riches. Having some makes us want more. On the eve of the day we as a nation give thanks for Gods abundance that he has given to us, James has this to say to us.

“And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You’ll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment.

4-6 All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You’ve looted the earth and lived it up. But all you’ll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you’ve done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.”

Will our fattened corpse that we leave behind testify against our indulgent lifestyle? How much is enough? What have we done to earn what we have? Is having more our goal or is having enough and sharing the rest?

“7-8 Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

9 Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.”

Patience, waiting, delayed gratification. Those are not popular practices in our culture. We are not of this culture. Christians have been waiting for the return of our messiah for 2 thousand years. He is closer now then he has ever been and each day is closer still. We Look around, we watch and wait, we stay busy building the kingdom planting the flag in a heart here or there. Gods kingdom doesn’t exist on the soil, it exists in the hearts of people. We can’t claim America for Jesus but we can claim Americans for Jesus.

Pray. Pray for Americans, pray for each other, pray for the sick. Pray for needs to be met. Prayer works because God is all powerful and He works. Not like a genie but like an all knowing, all powerful God.

Sing praise to our great God because no matter what situation we are in, he is worth praising. There is none other like him.

“19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.”

(Originally posted 11/25/15)