Peter’s Posts

How big is God?

Is he bigger than my worries?

Do Not Worry

12:22-31pp — Mt 6:25-33

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

One of my worries just became a reality. My hours are getting cut. The juicy money stuffed hours of overtime.

My question in a time of change is not will he provide for us but what have I added to my life that is extra and burdensome? What will have to go? God has always provided for our family.

Like the families that came out west on the wagon trains who realized that their precious stuff that they thought they needed was just a burden. The lighter the load the easier the journey. I don’t think God is as enamored with my stuff as I am. Hmmm.

Stay tuned to see what God will do.

(Update: our hours were cut back for short time but then we went back to our regular 50+ hour weeks. Now management is talking about cutbacks again. God has continued to bless and provide for us and we are slowly trying to shrink our load of debt.)

Wikipedia says this about weeds. “A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, “a plant in the wrong place”. Examples commonly are plants unwanted in human-controlled settings, such as farm fields, gardens, lawns, and parks. Taxonomically, the term “weed” has no botanical significance, because a plant that is a weed in one context is not a weed when growing in a situation where it is in fact wanted, and where one species of plant is a valuable crop plant, another species in the same genus might be a serious weed, such as a wild bramble growing among cultivated loganberries.”

The picture is of a a group of baby quaking aspens. We replanted a volunteer and now the first tree wants to start a family. I have been just sniping off the sprouts but in two Weeks or so I just have to do it again.

Sometimes sin in my life is like this. Its source is a root buried in my heart and every time it gets a chance it sprouts up. I can spend time sniping off the tops or I can dig down and get to the roots and yank it out by the source.

The writer of Hebrews mentions this while talking about how God disciplines us.

“Hebrews 12:9-16 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ”

Some things I deal with have origins in my childhood, some go back generations in my family. Chopping at the tops doesn’t kill these. I have to dig down to the root of the issue.

Luke 13.

Jesus healed The woman after being doubled over for 18 years. And got in trouble for it.

First let’s be amazed at the healing power of God. Some chronic illnesses we have to adjust to. We have a condition and this is my life now. For the rest of my life. Then Jesus “put his hands on” and we are healed. I want that. I want that for Mary’s celiac and my diabetes. I will keep praying for those but in the mean time, I will keep showing up at church. That’s where she was. At church. Worshipping God in spite of being bent in 1/2. I will Contend for healing but I will not let my condition keep me from praising God. She walked to church bent in 1/2 and came home healed. Set free. God is amazing.

The pastor yelled at Jesus because he broke a man made rule about how we should act at church and on the rest day. People are amazing. How we can get so mixed up about what is important? Rules over relationship. It seems so obvious from this side of the story. That obviousness makes me question my own life. Where do I have blind spots? Where am I putting the established order of things in place of caring for people?

There is grace and healing for the sick and broken and bent in 1/2. Even for rigid misguided rule followers if they repent and seek the One who rules.

Luke 12 exposes my weakness.

“22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

Do not worry. I break this commandment dozens if not hundreds of times a day. Sometimes if I’m not worried I worry that I’m too confident. I worry about worrying. Does that sound like I am man who believes in a loving and merciful God? I am that. I do believe that God provides for me, for Mary and me. He always has. And yet I worry. Forgive me Father.

Thank you God for always providing for us. Thank you for taking us to places that we never imagined.

He is watching.

Not Santa, Jesus, Jesus is watching. Not to see if i do wrong but to see if I do right.

Matthew 25s third story is about Jesus weeding us out, separating genuine believers from false believers.

“Matthew 25:31-46 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ‘

My behavior counts but not in a points score. My behavior shows the condition and attitude of my heart.

If I want to change my behavior step one is a heart transplant.

Ezekiel says about God’s intent for us, “Ezekiel 11:19-20 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.”

What are the statutes and ordinances?

“Matthew 22:37-40 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” ‘

I have accepted Jesus as my savior, his death and resurrection cover my sin and make it possible for me to be counted as a sheep. The way I treat others will show Jesus my sheepness.

Luke 11. Jesus teaches what to pray.

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: ” ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ‘ ”

Then he taught us how to pray.

Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Persistently, boldly pray.

Why?

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I pray because I have confidence in the One to who I am praying. (Probably supposed to be whom).

What is worse a fake Christian Or a weak Christian? At the end of the world it appears it’s worse to be fake than weak.

In Matthew 25 the second of three stories is about 3 servants.

“Matthew 25:14-30 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I am looking for the key, for the definition of a true believer so I can point the way or help other people not end up like the one talent guy.

It seems to lie in their beliefs. What do we believe about God? Is he hard and harsh or loving and compassionate? Once a person has met Jesus it’s difficult to continue to see God as hard and harsh. Once a person has met Jesus and received him as savior our view of God has to change.

There is a day of reckoning coming. Christian believers, there is a day coming for us when we will show what we have done. We will be judged on how well we did with whatever God has given us to use.

Paul says this in his first letter to the people in Corinth, “1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”

Later he added this in his second letter, “2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

There is an old song we used to sing in church, the refrain, based on John 13:35 is this, “they will know we are Christians by our obedience to a list of rules”. No, that’s not it, “they will know we are Christians by our successes and wealth”. No! “They will know we are Christians by our LOVE!” Yes, that’s it!

“John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ‘

While we were in the hospital the question came up, “why can’t I just go home to Jesus?”

Who wants to suffer? Who wants to keep slugging it out? Why keep working and fighting? Paul wrestled with the same question in 2 Corinthians.

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

If we wake up in the morning and are still able to fog a mirror, There still must be a purpose on this earth for us.

Then again in his letter to the Philipians he says, “eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”

Keep on. Who needs to hear the good news? Everyone! Who will accept it? Some. I say this to myself, keep on going, Keep on sharing, keep on serving…He could come back today…or more likely, I could go to Him.

Luke 10. An expert in the law was close but not there yet. He summed up the entire Old Testament in two sentences.

27 He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

He understood it all intellectually and could sum it up better than anyone But with his next question he showed that the message hadn’t taken his knowledge the 12″ south to his heart.

Who is my neighbor?

I have talked about the list of people that I pray for. Sometimes I don’t get a chance to pray through my list so while I’m on my way, I will ask the question “who should I pray for?” Who should I pray for? Come on Peter! Let’s make it quicker, Who should you not pray for? No one. Everyone, every person I know that’s who I should pray for. And every person I don’t know.

The answer to the mans question, who is my neighbor is “yes”. Yes, they are your neighbor. The person in trouble, they are your neighbor, the ethnic group the has historically been outcast, they are my neighbor, the downtrodden, those in power, those in prison, those that are sick, those that are well, the young the old. If they are breathing, they are my neighbor.

Who is my neighbor? Yes. Who should I pray for? Who should I be actively involved in sharing Jesus with? Yes. Who should I be servant to? Yes.

How am I doing? Not so good all the time.

Luke chapter 9. I never noticed this before. The numbers don’t seem to line up. Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 years. Luke has 24 chapters. Luke 9 Jesus is already thinking, planning and talking about his departure. That means that most of what we see about Jesus life and ministry in Luke happened in the last few months.

We will see Jesus entry into Jerusalem in Luke 19. It’s as if maybe Luke 9-18 is a flashback or synopsis of all that Jesus taught and then we rejoin the story or maybe all of this happened on the way to Jerusalem. The point is Jerusalem was always the end of the journey. Jesus knew what was coming and did it anyway.

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

There is so much in here: he sends out his team to minister, he feeds 5 thousand people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, (that’s about the entire population of my little town of Ephrata), Peter makes his statement about Jesus, “You are the Messiah (Christ, savior, long awaited hope of Israel, the One, the Man/God), the transfiguration where Moses and Elijah pop in for a minute, healing a demon possessed boy that disciples couldn’t help, the discussion of who is the greatest ending with Jesus stating the upside down logic of Christianity, for whoever is the LEAST among you all, he is the greatest. The chapter ends with Jesus telling us all that following him is free but it will cost us everything.

My take away is knowing all that he was going to have suffer through, knowing all the sins of the world, my sins, our sins he did it anyway.

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

Luke chapter 8. It starts out with the parable of the sower and the seed.

“While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ” ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

There are hard hearts that will not receive the seed of good news that Jesus loves them and died for them. There are other hearts that will hear, accept it, flourish for a short time and then die away because their hearts are like rocky soil and the good news can’t take root. Then there are some hearts that will hear, will accept the word of God, will grow for awhile but will eventually be choked out by the cares of this world, money gathering, feeling good.

These three situations make me so sad. Thinking there are those who won’t make it. But I recognize myself and my life before I got saved in all of these situations. So it’s like the Christmas carol when Ebenezer is faced with his eminent death and he says “why show me this if I am beyond all hope?” Why would Jesus point out these heart conditions if there wasn’t a chance for us to recognize ourselves and ask God to change our hearts so that we can receive the word and become the soil that produces a hundred fold? Where am I today? Where are you? If we are bad soil will we pray for God to loosen up our hearts , to remove the rocks and weeds? If we are the good soil are we producing? Are we multiplying the seed that was planted in our hearts?

I have been the hard soil, I have been the rocky soil, and even now without diligence and Gods help and mercy I can easily be overrun with the cares of this world.

Jesus keep my heart clean and receptive to your word. Make me fruitful.

Luke chapter 7. Being dead isn’t the end. Jesus encounters a funeral procession and is moved with compassion for the mother of the deceased, a widow.

Jesus said “don’t cry” and to the son he said “get up”. And the story for the widow and her son changed.

God had compassion on my mom. When I was 11 I was in a car accident. My sisters Kitti and Judi , my foster brother Rodney and my sisters boyfriend Paul(?) were headed to Pendleton from Milton-Freewater. It was a dark and foggy night. We didn’t make it to Pendleton that night. A couple of miles out of town our truck hit a car head on and then we were immediately hit again by the car we were passing. The impact tore the cab of our truck off the frame and it was tossed out in the field. We were all alive. Busted up but alive.

It was a busy foggy night. Before it was over I understand that there were 17 cars piled up in the crash. It was busy at the hospital. I was on a gurney in the hall when my mom arrived. She saw doctors checking me then leaving me. She asked if it was okay to talk to me they said “it doesn’t matter now” and walked away. My mom touched my leg and I started coughing. The doctors turned on their heels and rolled me into ER. What my mom didn’t know was that I was dead. By the time I got to the hospital I was clinically dead. No pulse, not breathing, dead.

But being dead isn’t always the end.

The story about the boy being raised back to life isn’t really the one I wanted to talk about but it gives me an opportunity to share my story.

Read the story of the woman who lead a sinful life. Verses 36-50. Hear what Jesus said to her. “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you ; go in peace.” Weep in repentance and be forgiven. I did. I was and am.

Luke chapter 6 starts out with Jesus breaking a rule. He did not break a commandment. The commandment is to rest on the 7th day. To do no work. Then someone asked, “what Is work?” and the answer to that question became the rule that Jesus broke.

Rules became more important than people. Do I do that? I’ll have to think about it. I don’t want to do that.

Jesus has given us a new way to live and it’s not to amass wealth or possession or power. It is to serve.

“27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

The Christian lifestyle is simple but it is not easy.

How am I doing? If this is a test God I fail. Forgive me when I fail. Thank you for your great mercy.

The Christian life is counter cultural. Come join the, I want to say revolution but it’s not a fight, not with flesh and blood anyway. There is a battle but it is not against people. People are what we are fighting for. Join me as I follow Jesus. Help me up when I stumble and I will help you.

Luke chapter 5 has a lot going on. Jesus calling of the disciples, but first providing a miraculous catch of fish, healing a leper, healing the paralytic with four faith filled friends, (it doesn’t say 4, I’m just thinking one on each corner), calling Levi the IRS guy and then answering the question about ministry style with a parable.

2 things stand out to me. What the leper said, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

More importantly Jesus answer, “I am willing, be clean”

And the second is Jesus reply to the Pharisees about who he hung out with, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”.

I need Jesus to touch me and make me clean today. I need a savior who is seeking me out not because I’m so good but because I need spiritual healing.

Thank you Jesus for seeking me out and touching my unclean life and bringing me back into a relationship with you.

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us parables to help us grasp important concepts about the end of time, aka his return.

The first story is about 10 virgins. When my son Aaron was about 5 he asked me what a virgin was. From the look on his face and the discussion I had with Mary afterwards, I have determined that My answer was too accurate for a 5 year old brain. I recommend from experience that we define a virgin as an unmarried woman.

Let’s read the story.

Matthew 25:1-13 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

When I was in 3rd or 4th grade my mom bought me a basketball. Well I thought it was a basketball. It was a ball, it had lines on it like a basketball. It bounced and rolled like a basketball. I had a new friend Matt Millier that came over to play, I suggested that we play basketball he agreed, he was good at any and every sport he played. I brought out my new ball and he said “that isn’t a basketball”. I was deflated. I argued but it became evident that I had been wrong. My basketball was a reasonable facsimile. It was not the real thing. It was a cheap plastic play ball that was painted or printed to look like a basketball.

When I first read this story in Matthew and saw that the ladies fell asleep I thought that the sleep thing would be the point Jesus would make. It wasn’t.

Of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom it seems that 5 were genuinely part of the party. The other 5 were reasonable facsimiles. We can tell that they weren’t the genuine article because the bridegroom says “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”

We see in the virgins not preparing for the long wait that they were not genuine in their relationship with the awaited bridegroom.

We need to be careful to look at our own hearts and our faith to make sure we have the faith to wait, and the love and longing for our bridegrooms return. We need to be genuine Followers of Jesus, not reasonable facsimiles.

Matthew Millier, if I didn’t say it then I will say it now, you were right, that wasn’t a basketball.

The pull of adventure can sometimes feel like gravity.

I’m not sure if this memory is a Prologue to a cautionary tale about an untimely death or the first paragraph of a legend starring me.

The scene is me at about 4 years old. My butt and my right leg are plopped inside the big brown coaster wagon, it wasn’t a radio flyer but it was along those lines. It was a lot of work to pull the wagon up to the the top of the east hill. Grandpa Loeffelbein’s little orchard was divided east and west by a deep gulley and the gulley had a small creek at the bottom. There was a bridge across the creek, just wide enough to drive grandpas Fordson tractor over. The road to the bottom was a gravel two track trail. The west side road was the steepest. Dead mans hill. Only fools tried riding the wagon down the west side. I had pulled the wagon down the west side and up the east side.

It would be epic I thought to myself. I was sure there was an award ceremony in my near future if only. If only I could over come the crippling fear that kept my left leg on the outside of the wagon extended with my heal dug in. I had my hand on the tiller. I don’t know if I squinted as I stared down to the bottom the hill, charting the course. It wasn’t that complicated. The road went straight to the bottom of the hill. All that was required of those bold enough to try was use the tiller to steer the wagon and keep it on the road and get over the bridge. On the north side of the bridge was about a three foot drop into the creek. On the south side it was more like a 4 foot drop and there was the barb wire fence and stinging nettles. If I had to ditch I would head for the north side. I didn’t know much about stinging nettles but rumor had it that it could result in blindness and death. Nettles were to be avoided. The course charted, and the plan made. As soon as I could swallow the fear I would begin.

I don’t remember what the trigger was that released my left foot emergency brake. I have an older brother and I suspect that there may have been taunting or some other challenge. It could’ve been the thrill effect where the excitement and anticipation of a thing fills up and over flows the brain bucket to fill and over flow the logic bucket and boldness bucket. Like a teeter-totter these three buckets on one side tipped the scale. The left foot came up, brake off, left leg got pulled over and in, tucked in and gravity took over. The part that I couldn’t have or at least didn’t anticipate was the vibration of the wagon and how it affected the steering. I was all over the road. As the speed approached Mach 10 and the vibration took over the controls I did the only rational thing my preschool brain could think of, I ditched to the north. As an adult I look back at this scene and see some dangers. The water in the creek isn’t deep to me now, shin deep. As a four year old my shins weren’t that tall. I remember that I was suddenly very wet and very cold.

The house where the adults were was at the top of the west side hill. There were some stairs that were made of old truck tires stacked and terraced into bank of the hill. Somehow my parents and grandparents were alerted to my catastrophic accident and near death experience. I don’t remember those details but I do remember the thrill of the ride down and the moment of deliberation before the thrill.

There were consequences. I did crash. I did get wet. I did cry. I don’t remember the wagon being at grandpa and grandmas house on the next visit.

I have dreams not of this but like this. One where I am sitting in a parked car the car is parked on a steep hill which turns into a cliff. In my dream the car starts to slide toward the edge. Not matter how hard I press on the brake it continues to slide down the hill.

Why are these stories in my head? I was trying to think of an example of getting pulled away from safety into danger. How the excitement can overcome reason, and reasonable fear is pooh-poohed away. I walked away. Like a good landing is any landing you can walk away from, what doesn’t kill you makes you maimed, wait no, makes you stronger? Hmmm. Same guy who said that also said God is dead. Not a fan of the man or his philosophy.

Anyway, I did face a fear, I took a chance, had an adventure, scared my grandparents, (I’m not sure my parents were ever concerned about safety, they had a bohemian mentality in some areas), I had fun up to a point. I started writing this because I was feeling the pull of sin like I felt the pull of fun and adventure and sometimes it feels almost like the pull of gravity. Becoming a Christian didn’t make all of that go away however I have this working for me.

“Romans 6:15-23 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(This post is from an hospital stay in 2016, Mary made a full recovery).

I’m sitting in a quiet hospital room. Watching my wife sleep. There are a lot tubes and gizmos.

We had just returned from a nice trip to see family and the ocean. She started to have stomach pain and it kept getting worse. Finally she let me take her to the ER.

Now we wait in this quiet room for things to improve either by Gods miraculous power or by surgery. It’s not a “death is imminent” situation but it is “death is possible”.

We have been here before. Twice in our marriage she was a surgery away from checking out.

Mary is ready either way. She has trusted her heart and life to Jesus.

I guess I just want anyone who’s not following Jesus because they think they have time to consider how unpredictable life is. And I hope that those people will hear the love of a Father who longs to gather his children in like a hen gathers her chicks, scooping them gently into her fluffy feathered bosom.

God loves you. He sent Jesus, his only son Jesus to die in your place, to die for your sins. He died for all of our sins. We are all lumped together in the group called sinners. We just need to admit it. Confess we need someone to help us because we cannot, not sin.

Paul talks about this in his first letter to the Corinthians.

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

We just don’t know the number of our days. Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

I ask of you 2 things: 1. Pray for Mary and her recovery, 2. consider your own soul. Have you found a way to wash your sins clean? Jesus is THE way.

In Luke chapter 4 we have the story of the temptation of Jesus. Jesus was victorious over sin because he was victorious over temptation.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Luke 4:4,8,12

Jesus crushed every temptation with the word of God.

What do I do? I explain to the temptation why it wouldn’t be a good idea. I explain the consequences of moral failure. Sometimes I just say, not now. So the temptation comes back again and again. Temptations are very persistent. They keep coming back. What else do they have to do?

I wonder how much less sinning I would do if I would just counter every temptation with “here’s what God says about that…..” But then I would actually have to know what he said. Hmm?

It stinks.

It gets everywhere and touches everything.

It’s odor is on everything.

Invasive.

Pervasive.

Sin.

Did you think I was talking about the smoke? Well that too. But it just keeps reminding me of the human sin condition. There is no escaping it. Young or old rich or poor ugly or beautiful, high or low. Sin and smoke. They are both permeating all of us.

What is the answer?

Rain.

Rain can wash the air clean. Rain will quench the fire that is causing the smoke.

There is a cleansing for the cloud of sin too. It’s not as pretty. The cleansing comes through blood.

The song asks, what can wash away my sin? Then answers, nothing…but the blood of Jesus.

Paul says this in his letter to the Ephesians about the effectiveness of Jesus blood in washing away the stain of sin: “Ephesians 2:13-18 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ”

Sin and this smoke are infecting and affecting everyone in the area.

Let’s pray for rain. Rain for cleansing and let’s pray for forgiveness through the blood of Jesus.

Next up? The good news according to Dr Luke.

For 400 years there is silence from heaven. No prophets, no revelation. The people of God carry on. They continue to pray and worship. It becomes routine

Worship can become routine. We do it because we do it because that’s what we do. Then something happens. Last week our power went out right before service started. It broke up the routine and we had to decide to worship not because it’s what we do but because we want to connect with the God of the universe, with the great God of mercy, with the God who loves us enough to die for us.

Zechariah was doing his job, his routine and a messenger of the great God he was serving showed up and had an answer to his prayer. It’s what we should expect. We should expect God to answer. He is listening. He is aware. He is watching and waiting for His perfect timing. Sometimes the routine becomes the thing. We forget that there is a God and a relationship with this God behind all the trappings.

I guess what I’m getting out of this is don’t give up praying. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. We have a God who hears our prayers and will answer them. Sometimes the answer is NO, and sometimes it is WAIT. What’s the difference? Time.

There are people that I have prayed for to get saved for over a decade with no change. There are others who did decide to follow Jesus. So I keep on praying and believing that God is hearing me and that someday he will take away the barrenness in this relationship and bring new life.