Chance, poop, and sin?

  I've been studying the sixth, and seventh chapters of Romans, and feel that I am to write about what they are teaching me.  What is the sin?  How can I have Victory?  Will I be Defeated?
  The Scripture says that we are not to cause our brother, or sister anger.  My lovely wife is also my sister in Christ.
 We own Chance, our dog, and he is a wonderful asset to our home, but he eats about 30 lbs. of dog food a month.  When I do the dishes, Pat appreciates it, if I vacuum she also appreciates that, but when I let the thirty pounds of dog poop accumulate in a frozen condition, she gets angry.  What I did  was to cause that anger, and the anger was not her sin, but my causing the anger is my sin.  If an intelligent man doesn't have wisdom, he ain't too smart.
  When I sat down to write, The Lord said "Go out and pick up the poop, then I will tell you what to write."  He still uses parables, and they still work.  As I was joyfully doing the 11th commandment,  He started to tell me that those dark spots (POOP) on the lawn, are disturbing to your wife, and the neighbors.  There are laws that the city has about those piles of poop.  Do you know why you don't pick them up on a regular basis?  "No." "Well I do. It's The Sin."  "The sin?"
  When John (the baptist) introduced me (Jesus) to the world, he said behold The Lamb of God which taketh away "The Sin of the world".  When I came to this world, My sight was set on undoing what Adam, and Eve did, and the only way that could be accomplished, was to die on My Cross as a perfect human sacrifice.
 When they ate of the tree of knowledge of good, and evil, sin was brought into the world, and the ability for all to sin.  It's a condition that was not intended to be, but I also gave man a free will. When they sinned, it became a part of the nature of man.  When I died on The Cross, I paid for the condition of man, but I didn't change the nature of man.  I replaced Law with Grace, but man still has a free will, the ability to sin.  That ability to sin is "The Sin."  It is a part of every person on earth, as is their soul, and body.  The only answer to any of the lost conditions of man is my Death on The Cross!  If you believe in what I did on the Cross, you can have Victory over  sin.  If you believe that you have to add to my victory, you will be defeated by the sin every time. I did all of the work, and you must place all of your faith in it.

Dreaming

     I dream a lot.  I used to compulsively tell people my dreams, but I discovered that people usually find other people's dreams pretty boring.  So, if and when, I tell a dream, I tell it as briefly as possible.  Recently I have had two dreams that have spiritual significance, at least to me, so I am going to tell them.

     Dream # 1:  I found out that my sister-in-law, Linda had been in a movie.  So I went to the movie and thought it was wonderful, but was kind of surprised that she had never mentioned it to me.  That's all I remember.  But as I was puzzling over it the next morning, The Lord gave me a meaning to it:
Linda is the type who is very modest, and does not seek attention to herself.  There are people all around who have needs, both spiritual and physical, and I need to be more aware of them.  I find myself blissfully unaware of times and places when I could be of service to God and other people.
    I was talking with my 13 year old granddaughter last weekend, and told her this dream.  She responded, "Oh, my gosh!  That's what my dream was about, too!"  She then told me about it and I can't remember it exactly, except that it involved lots of water, and her saying (in the dream)  "I can't find Grandma!"  Then I told her about the sermon from the previous week, which basically said that, while our works and good deeds can never save us because we can only be saved by grace, God calls upon us to serve others, and thereby serve him.  I also mentioned to Emma that we had received a text from her dad, who lives in Arkansas and is trying to get a soup kitchen started, that basically said the same thing.  Emma said, "Grandma, this is getting scary!"

     Dream #2:  In my dream, my husband was a surgeon.  His best friend had a serious condition requiring surgery, but when my husband would tell him he really needed the surgery, he continually put it off.
      In real life, my husband is semi-retired,  and works part-time as a cab driver.  But he does have a best friend, whose name is Mike.  They have been friends since high school.  For years, Del has been praying for Mike, and witnessing to him, but Mike has always said no to The Lord.  Well, obviously, the dream best friend and the real best friend have something in common:  their refusal to listen to the life-saving advice of their friend could cost them their lives.

   

My Christmas as a child.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, my Family Way!

  By the time Christmas came around, much time had gone into the preparation of the season, and the children put in most of the time.  The children?
  When I was growing up in east central So. Dak., "Christmas was a labor of love"!  We always had line's to remember, song's to memorize, and special parts in Christmas plays.
  Our first big task of the season, was the school Christmas program.  It was a rural school with nine boy's, and one girl, it was never a question who would be Mary.  I went back into Hoffman #55 years after it closed, and the two hooks that held the wire for the curtain were still in the walls.  After the program was over, there was lunch in the basement, taverns, potato chips, home made pie, and ice cream.  The mothers made the food, and charged a small fee for it.   Then the money that was made we enjoyed in the spring going on a school picnic, which usually corresponded with going to the circus in Yankton.  So we were paid well for our performance!
  The second big task of the season was the church program.  At the school program, the teacher was the producer, but at "The Church Program", Marcella was the producer!! Marcella had a eye for talent, like no other person in the congregation.  Her children were taking music lessons at the age of three,  so who could argue with her eye for talent.  After the "Greatest Christmas Programs ever"( I did them from K-8), as we were leaving the church, we would receive a sack of Christmas goodies.  The Christmas program, was always on Christmas Eve, and after the program, the childhood fun began.
  Over the hill, (there was only one) and through the snow, to Grandmother's house we'd go.  We would gather at the Grandpa Tschetters, all the local family, and we ( the children) wanted to do what kids like to do, open presents!  But Grandpa was a preacher, and he wanted to make sure that we understood that Christmas was about the birth of Christ.  He would read both accounts (Old and New Testament), but we wanted to open presents!  Today I am thankful for his diligence.  As a  child I was never taught that there was a santa, but I was taught there is a Christ Child.   All the gifts were given to us by people. "Could we please get to opening some?"!!!!
  Opening gifts had a ritual!  After the gifts were passed out, the opening order started, first the youngest would open one gift, then the next youngest, all the way to the oldest.  You were selective as to which you opened first:  if it was a boxed gift, it would be first, hoping it might be a game.  But ours was a simple family, so there were few games, much clothing, but always treasured memories.  Then it was time for neckoless (one of those words nobody knows how to spell).  All the sacks we received at church were separated into a bowls of  fruit, nuts, peanuts, and candy (some of the weirdest in the world).  We would all  gather around the oak table and the festivities would begin.  We would be up late and,  by the time we went home (over the hill), we were ready for bed. The next phase of Christmas. How many did you have???
    Christmas Day always started with a Christmas service.  If it was a alternating year we would go over the hill's (there were nine miles of) and through the snow (there were nine feet of) to the Bertsch gathering.  It was a repeat of Thanksgiving, there were so many we never exchanged gifts, but we sure had fun with all of the cousins, sledding down those long hills.  Mid afternoon we would go back home, and do chores, have a simple meal, and open presents from mom and dad.
  When I turned nine, the question was asked: "What would you like for Christmas"? "The golden opportunity"!! "I want a Daisy BB gun"!!!!  Mom and Dad knew, but they wanted to see the expression on their son's face:  the Daisy probably had been bought already.  Christmas Day, and time to open presents again.  There were two long gifts under the tree, and we could hardly wait.  Could they be our BB guns?
  The moment of truth had arrived, and we both (Darryl and Delmar) got BB guns.  Now for the big moment: Dad was going to show us how to use them??   When we received our gun's : "The first commandment don't shoot out any window's"!!  We understood the value of that, but you never take the first shot, with someone else's new gun, the second commandment!!!  "Boy's get that empty cereal box and put it on the table"!  "Really"?  What happened next we couldn't believe:  he loaded the gun, and pointed it at the cereal box, and pulled the trigger.  Through the box, and off of the table, and through the window the BB did go.( sang to the melody of over the hills to grandmother's house we go).  I couldn't resist, Dad.  All fond memories to a older man, and all the love that was shared with me as a child.  May this season bring you all, peace, and joy.                    

God is great! III

Yesterday I wrote about the I AM, today I want to wright about the GREAT I AM.  We as parents want better for our children, a better education, job, not to have to go through everything that we did. We work hard so they can have a better life.  God did the same!  Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,  and shall call His Name Immanuel ("God with us".) ISAIAH 7:14 (KJV). For unto us a Child is born, unto us Son is given:  And the Government shall be upon His Shoulder:  and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ISAIAH 9:6 (KJV)  The first scripture describes the name, the second all that he is.  In the new testament, He says I Am  the Way, the Truth, and the Life no man comes unto the Father but by Me JOHN 14:6 (KJV).  What made me lose the impact of these Scriptures?  When I was a child we would sing the song "oh how I love Jesus,"  after many times of singing it, I still loved Him, but it started to not have the effect that it had the first
time. The same thing happened with how Awesome God is.  If you read our Awesome (part 2)  blog it all started on Sunday with a presentation of I AM before worship.  A fresh new look at the Power of God, His worthiness of our praise, all that He is, all that He wants to be for us, His Grace, His mercies, all fresh and new again.  Pat made a statement that is so true.  We could title everything that we write Awesome.  Did we feel this way all the time?   No.  But the Holy Spirit is doing a new thing in our lives, and we want to share it with you.  He is taking things that were knowledge and putting them into our hearts in a new fresh way.  As we grow in Christ the scripture is still the same, but every time we read it, it has a deeper meaning to it, it's fresh and alive to us.  I remember one morning we were  having a disagreement; I wanted to make my point, Pat said let's pray, I didn't want to, she knew it, but being the good wife that she is she, just started to pray,  Since that time there has been harmony building in our relationship.  Things that we were in disagreement about have changed in our hearts. I must confess Pat was right and I was wrong.  A hard heart had developed in me.  I was having coffee out of a cup that I had since 1986, 26 years, that morning I  it of the lawn table and it broke.  Just as it hit the concrete a small, still, loving voice said, that's what I want to do with your heart.  Until we let him break our hard hearts it's impossible to start to do his will.  The new cup that I use has a thumb print on it it says I'm thumbody. In myself  I'm nobody In Christ I am a child of this Awesome God.  When I started this blog I referred to Jesus as the Great I Am. In finishing I want ask why great?  Think about this He Is God, yet He became human to die on a cross it was His total purpose of coming to earth to redeem mankind, that's AWESOME!!!

God is great! II

 And God said unto Moses, " I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shall you say unto the Children of Israel,  I AM has sent me unto you." EX. 3:14 (KJV). The name I AM translates : I was, I am , and I shall always continue to be.  This last Sunday our worship service started with a short video about The Great I AM.  He is The Beginning and The End;  He is everything.  I had been told this all of my life;  great thought.  Then the reality started to set in. So often we know something, but it hasn't settled  into our spirit.  It is just head knowledge.  We know about how great God is but we don't experience it in life.  The Lord  gave me a simple example, because I am a simple man.  It is the fall of the year, all the bright colors, the leaves falling,  a slight breeze, beautiful day.  I was enjoying a coffee with my friend Chance.  Looking at the leaves falling the thought came to my mind,  I know every leaf on that tree! I said, who?  Immediately I remembered Sunday service I AM THAT I AM.  I reveled  again at how big our God is.  He know every leaf, when it will fall, where it will fall.   That's Awesome. I feel that God wants us to understand how big he is, and  how small we need to become.  He knows every need we have!  But seek you first the Kingdom of God, and  His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. MATTHEW 6:33 (KJV).  Sometimes we forget the part about the righteousness!  Jesus is our Righteousness.  Everything that I need can be found only in Him, and what He did for me on the Cross.  We don't have a problem seeking His kingdom,  but His righteousness we do not seek.  We want the benefits, but don't always want to submit to his Lordship.  As I was watching the leaves falling,  some landed on my car.  I thought to myself,  I just washed the car yesterday!  Now it's covered in dust, leaves, and rain drops.  Just like me: cleansed by the blood, then sin makes me dirty again.   So I go once more to the Living Water and it washes me, and shows me the dirty spots, and helps me through life.  This is how his Lordship works.

God is great! I

   A word that can only describe the power of God (AWESOME)!  When Pat and I have our Saturday morning coffee we start talking about what's on our minds.  One morning we talked about how big is God, when you take into consideration that He is the only Living God.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which is to come, the Almighty.REVELATION 1:8(KJV) he will be able to accomplish all that He says.  We have a small idea, of how big He really is. I love  JOB 38-39 when God speaks to Job out of a whirlwind and explains to him the intricacies of the creation, from the springs of the seas, to the strength of the vision of the eagle, the power of a horse who eats only grass, there are many more things that He describes in these two chapter's.  I get all excited when I read them, and would recommend that you read them for yourself.  Shall he who contends with the Almighty instruct Him? he who reproves God, let him answer it JOB 40:2(KJV).  After God spoke Job's reply.  Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I will lay my hand upon my mouth JOB 40:4(KJV). Job made a good choice.  When the Lord was dealing with me, it all started this way.  I was sitting in my garage one night looking at my lawn mower, the Lord started to speak to my spirit, He said "I know where every particle of every piece of material came from to make that mower,  every drop of oil in the gas,  every drop of gas, and where they came from,  the person's that made every piece, the hairs on each person's head. Your son-in-law is always trying to figure out how many bushel of corn are in the field, I know how many kernel's of corn are in the field, where they are going what they will be made into, who will consume them. If the corn is fed to a cow what part of it will be made into milk, and who will drink it,The hairs on the head's of all person's involved." That's awesome! He knows everything!  I asked why did You show me that?  I want you to realise how big I am, that it's  impossible to understand, but I want to have fellowship with you, I call you friend. I want to have fellowship with everyone who is walking the face of the earth, I am so big that I can have a relationship with you as if you were the only person on the earth, and have that same relationship with everyone else on the earth at the same time. I know everything , can be everywhere, and can do everything.  For with God nothing shall be impossible. LUKE 1:37 (KJV).  We all need to consider how big He is, how small we are, but still wanting relationship with us as if we were the only one. What a mighty God we serve!

Our Purpose

  When we are born The Lord has a plan for our lives, and it always includes people.  People are the only ones that have eternal significance.  How many people do we influence, and how significant are we?
  I had a blog written yesterday about different people that I knew my life had impact on.  Somehow I hit the wrong button on my ipad, and lost everything I wrote.  I was a bit perturbed, and angry with myself.  I asked The Lord why, and He replied, "I want you to write it My way."
  When I was ten years old The Lord called me into His ministry as a Evangelist; later on He also gave the gifts of Prophet and Teacher.  I never went to Bible School, but The Lord always gives the revelation to me that is needed for the occasion at hand.  We serve a Faithful God.  He has called everyone to some kind of ministry.  How do our ministries work?
  When I started to write yesterday, I wrote about children that had ridden my bus, and now are riding my cab.  By things they revealed to me now as adults The Lord showed me that He was able to show Himself to others through me for over twenty years.  When Satan comes and tells us we aren't doing what The Lord called us too, we need to remember that he is a liar, and the deceiver.
  As the day progressed I was spending time with The Lord , and He began to show me some things that I want to share with you, that will encourage your walk with The Lord;  it's part of my job.
  When Pat and I pray in the morning, we ask The Lord for help with those who will cross our paths that day.  For His help to share His goodness in a lost world, and I find that sometimes all we have to do is show up.
  Times that I have had an appointment with people for ministry are few, but times that we have had appointments set by God  many.  The main message that we share is love.  The Word says that everything will come to a end, and only love will last for eternity.  It's easy to say "I love you;" but it's something else sometimes to show someone "I Love You!"  When I have been unlovely, showing me love will help me to see my error.  We all want to be better people, but can't be talked into it, but we can be loved into it always.  Love requires much doing, just ask Jesus how much.  He could tell us all of our faults,  yet He chose to die for all of them.  When I meditate on how He paid for my shortcomings, it becomes easier to let Him remove them, a true act of love.  
  When we stand before The Lord at our judgment, we may be surprised when He starts to point out little things that we did in life knowing, or unknowing, acts kindness, or the right thing to do.  We will get the reward, but He will get the Glory, and Worship for His Love for us.
  Just remember this one thing, become willing for God to work through you, and He will.  All He needs are willing vessels.  

Out with the old.

  Our family has had a year of all the emotions that we all suffer through, but the end of the year has had great rewards.  As the pages of life turn, so do the situations.  We are looking forward to the time of Advent anticipating great joy.
  The year 2013 was a time of getting to do things we never knew were possible, and things we thought weren't possible.
  One of the things we enjoyed was a long needed vacation.   It was a highlight of our year.  I haven't written about my side of that trip.
  We left Watertown on the 26th of September, and came home on the 9th of October.  This was a time of building bridges, and for me a time of sharing The Lord with people that I will not see on this side of Glory.  Sometimes we would check into a motel,  and The Lord would prompt me by His spirit to talk to the motel clerk.  I would be faithful.  Every time that this happened it would minister to me, and the other person would acknowledge that they needed encouragement, or it confirmed something for them.  I was so blessed by the times we spent with our siblings and with our friends, Steve and Gretchen.  I was especially blessed with the time I had to spend with Pat, and sharing things of The Lord with her.
  We just finished thanksgiving,  and the only situation that could have made it perfect would have been for our boys, and their families to be there.  It was such a blessing to see Pat, and our daughters enjoying each other.  And the grandchildren (the future cousins weekend) playing, and doing art projects.  If there is a blessing for a husband/father/grandfather it's observing his full quiver.
  All in all it's been a blessed year, and I find that relationships are still the high-lights of life, whether siblings, friends, children, grandchildren, or people I don't know.
  People are living souls, and there is nothing on earth that has a higher value than a soul. As a preacher I always marvel how The Lord works, and that souls are always the focus of His vision.  It is a humbling experience being a part of His vision.















  

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Monday, October 15, 2012

How I met their mother

  The month of October has special meaning to Pat and Del Bertsch its our anniversary month.  Our anniversary is the 23rd. of October. How I met their mother is still the best experience that I ever had.

  I was working for my friend Marv in the freight business.  He was my sponsor in AA so we had a good relationship.  I didn't expect that he would become my father in-law nor did he.  I had walked by his desk hundreds of times, saw Pat's picture there, but never payed much attention.  One day as I walked past the desk I had a prophetic moment. The Lord said "you and Pat will get married someday." I never thought that was possible!  She was married and so was I.

   I met the person I was married to while I was in treatment for alcoholism.  She continued to pursue drinking, I was trying to stay sober.  All the problems of drinking were present in that marriage, and they were getting worse instead of better.  I was talking to Marv one day, and  decided that divorce was my only option. I asked if  I could have a pay advance to start the process.  He agreed, still neither of us ever thought that we would have a father son relationship.

  After my divorce was final, I went to work one day and Marv asked if I would take a truck and go with Pat to Brookings and pick up her personal belongings.  I was taken by surprise. He hadn't mentioned  Pat was having problems.  I agreed, but first I was to  go over to his mothers house  and pick her up.  He's the boss. I followed his request.

 While driving to Brookings I got to know her a little bit. Small talk, likes/dislikes, and what kind of music she like. Just visiting.  Her dad called her one day, and asked if she would like to go along to get a load off  turkeys. She thought that he was talking about going to Canada.  She said no.  Sow I said to him let me call her, I explained that we were going about 40 miles from town, she agreed to go along.  Our first date, a truck load of turkeys, her father, Pat, and Del.
   After we got back to town I offered to cook supper. She agreed.  We enjoyed the outing. I liked her and she liked me.  I invited her to a AA Christmas party.  When her father heard about it, he was not pleased, and I decided not to take her.  The next week she started to work for her father.  I got to see her every day, we would get a bite to eat and  talk.  One day after we had been together a short time, I got bold and told her that we would get married.
   The odds off us making  by our standards slim to none, in Gods standard we couldn't fail.  When the Lord spoke to my heart about Pat, he had a very special purpose for us.  He always knows the right time and the right person.  I thank God every day for our special relationship

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Grandpa and Grandma Tschettr Thanksgiving

  Saturday, and all the chores are done, lunch is over, and it's time to go get the turkey.  To all my cousins, on mom's side of the family.  Did you ever wonder,  where did that bird come from?

    Saturday chores at Grandma's always consisted of waxing those beautiful oak floors.  First the paste polish, then the two wheel buffing .   I can still smell the wax, and hear the conversation of busy women, and two little boys.  Hurry up we have to go get the turkey!  Well,  in today's world that would be simple! Right?  Not in those days!  Grandma would get the car, and come into the house, grab a small sack of orange slice, and circus peanut candy, and give the command. " Fartich soo gaen"(ready to go) in hutterish, the unwritten language of the Hutterite people.

   In 1874 my Great grandfather, Paul Tschetter emigrated to the United States from Russia, and they were Hutterites, of the party of 1200 people that came to the US. 400 colonized, and 800 lived on homesteads ( a little history lesson).   We lived on a homestead.  But Grandma had a cousin that was married to the Boss of the Maxwell colony, and they raised turkeys, and that's where we were headed.  Every year some turkey was going to face "Black Saturday" (we didn't have black Friday).  I always enjoyed that trip with Grandma. It took a long time to get there, and all the old people would talk about the year's happenings, over a cup of coffee and a sviboke (biscuits still baked every Saturday at Hutterite colonies).  Then it was time for black Saturday.  We would walk down to the turkey yard, and out off 1000 bird's Grandma would point her cane, and he would be the one.  Every time she picked the bird.  Huska would ask; are you sure that's the one Anna?  She would nod her head "Yes"! After she pointed her cane,  five young boys would run through the flock of birds and grab a turkey, invariably two would get caught.  Huska had to ask "Which one Anna"?  she would point left or right with her cane and identify the bird.  After the 20 minute ordeal we would go to her other cousins house, and have coffee, and sviboke, and go to the broom house and Grandma would buy a yea'rs supply of brooms. (her cousins husband was the preacher and broom maker).  The whole ritual finally comes to a end about three and a half hours later.

  Thanksgiving day was always special, one of the days we got to see our cousins from the big city.  Uncle Bennie and his kids would come to Ma and Pas house and the two things that I remember are, Pepsi, and Coke.  They would get a 6 pack of each every week( I was told by Sharon) and when they came to Grandma's,  they always shared them with us.  It's where I acquired a taste for Pepsi which I still have today.

  There are many more memories I could share from a child's point of view, but your time, and mine are limited. So many fond memories, and it would be fun to do them again.   The people that made them have passed, but are still alive in my heart.  I love you all, and have a blessed Thanksgiving with your families..  Wish we could get together one more time.  Oh, by the way, now you know where the turkey came from,  and there is a black Saturday!

Grandpa and Grandma Bertsch Thanksgiving

  It was the 24th of November and no snow.   We only have two more days till Thanksgiving, and no snow?  How can it be, no snow in November, impossible, it has to snow!!!
  Every year that it was our turn to go to Grandpa and Grandma Bertsch's for Thanksgiving, snow was more important than anything else!  Good food, there would be plenty. Cousins, more than enough, uncles,  that could sled with us,enough of them, too,  but what good did it do if we had no snow!!
   The trip to Grandma's house started at about 11:30 Thanksgiving morning.  Some of my cousins would be there by the time we arrived, and some were always late. Usually there would be four or five of my uncles and aunts and their families at the feast.  So many that we ate in three shifts, first the men, then the children, and finally the women.  The women were really thankful if there was some left. The meal that was prepared for us was always goose, mashed potatoes, gravy, relishes (pickled beets and cucumbers) cranberries, and Grandma's sage dressing.  
   When the men started to eat, it started to rain a little.  They were getting concerned that it might snow.  When we sat down to eat it was snowing pretty good, by the time the women sat down to eat, it was really coming down!
   When the men got done eating they would go upstairs to the sitting room and visit in German;  I could enter into the conversation because I grew up speaking German.  I never thought about it before: what did the men who married into the Bertsch family think?  They couldn't understand a word of the conversation!  Grandpa always took a nap, then when he came into the room and started to visit, he would say something funny, and laugh at his own comments and we smiled respectfully.  The women visited in the kitchen dining area while cleaning up.  The kids and the young uncles couldn't wait until it was time for some fun!
   Up to the granary we headed, to get out the homemade sleds.  My grandparents lived in a creek bottom, and had the longest hills in the world, in the eyes of a 8 year old boy.  While we were eating the goose, it snowed about 4 inches of wet snow.  It came straight down and covered everything; so were  that  it packed under the rudders, making for a great ride.  Did I mention that the sled was homemade?  Well, you couldn't steer the sled, and the older cousins and Uncle LeRoy would like to do daring things.  When the younger cousins rode down the hill, the older boys would set us on a straight course.  It was a highlight of my youth: cousins, uncles, sleds, and snow.  The only thing that was missing were the cousins that lived too far away to join in the merry glee that we enjoyed.  To those of you that read this I wish that we could live those days over, and that you could come to the best Thanksgiving ever.
     Hoping you have a Thanksgiving almost as good as this one!  And don't forget to be thankful!          

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God's hand or Man's? VI

  Mary, the mother of Jesus, had some questions, but Faith of a great portion.  Her faith changed history for all eternity; it made possible the redemption of all humanity that would place their Faith in the Son of God.  Jesus two in one, God, and Man.
  Then said Mary unto the Angel,  How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the Angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 (KJV)  These Scriptures tell us the way it would happen, but when?  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of The Lord; (be it unto me according to your word.)  And the Angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 (KJV)
  The Holy Spirit ministered through the Angel, and when Mary placed her Faith in that spoken word, and said be it unto me, the conception of Jesus happened.  Mary still had to make the choice, and when she did God was Faithful.  The stage is set for the Redemption of mankind.
  We don't hear about Jesus' childhood, other than when He was traveling with His parents for His protection.  When Jesus was twelve, they had gone to Jerusalem for Passover.  Jesus stayed behind, and when they found Him he was in the temple about His Fathers business.  After that time the word say, "And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart."  For eighteen years we don't hear about Jesus.
  At the age of 30 Jesus began His earthly ministry.  In three and a half years after His ministry started, He did what He came to do for mankind, and went to The Cross, as our Sacrifice to shed His Atoning blood.
  I was reading the genealogy of Christ according to Luke, and it went from Joseph (as was supposed or adopted father) back to Adam, and at Adam it concluded, which was the Son of God.  Adam the created Son, Jesus the only begotten Son. 
  The difference.  Jesus came into this world the same as you and I, but He was sinless, and could pay the price required of The Lord God, one introduced sin, the other perfection, because He (Jesus) was perfect, we do not have to go from dust to dust.  We will die if The Lord tarries, but still we go from condemned  to  the Redeemed of The Lord, when we believe that what He did on the Cross is sufficient for the lost condition Adam left us in.
  The Lord created paradise for us in the beginning.  It was the condition He wanted us to live in and when all is said and done, Paradise is where we will spend eternity.
  This is Easter week, and His resurrection is our great hope, we celebrate this great hope with those who believe likewise.







   

God's hand or Man's? V

  Have you ever read genealogies in the Bible?  They always start with the name of the male, and talk about his begotten, and end with, " and he died."  The only exceptions are Enoch, and Elijah.  And Enoch walked with God:  and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:24 (KJV).
   When Eve had Cain, she said I have gotten a man from The Lord.  She believed the Covenant that God gave.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel Genesis 3:15 (KJV).  She knew that Jesus was coming, but she didn't know it would take 4000 years.  We know the story of Cain, and Abel, after Abel was dead Eve had Seth.  For God, said she, has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. Genesis 4:25 (KJV).  She started out with faith that Cain was the redeemer, but time weakened her faith.  Little did she know that Seth was the lineage of Jesus.  Jesus is the perfect man, that paid the price of our redemption.  He didn't pay the price to Satan, but satisfied The Lord.
  In the Jewish calendar when Jesus was crucified, there were two Sabbaths one the Passover, the other Saturday.  Passover was on Thursday, and Jesus was Crucified on Wednesday.  We celebrate His Crucifixion on Good Friday, and thats ok, but He had to go to the grave for three days.  When you do the Jewish days, He had to be there for three days to be dead, and His body was gone for three days, but He was about His Fathers work, taking captive to captivity, and telling fallen angels their eternal reward, for their sin.
  Tomorrow I will review the price He paid for our Redemption.  The only Perfect Man, the only begotten of the Father, The Word that dwelt among men, as stated by John, and He would come to the world through the seed of a woman.      
  

God's hand or Man's? IV

  The course has been set for a period of time, you shall surely die, because of disobedience.  I want to share a scripture, about why Adam, and Eve were expelled from Eden.
  And The Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil:  and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Genesis 3:22 (KJV).
  In one of my past writings, I wrote about the Omniscience of God, He knows everything.  Because of His Omniscience, He knows about evil, but He is not evil.  When Lucifer came against God, he became evil, and everything that is evil, Satan controls, he knows no good.  Lucifer, the fallen angel, and the one third of the angel's that agreed with him, are all evil, but he (Lucifer) is the prince of darkness.
  In the study's that I have done, and heard, we as human beings, are created just a step below God.  If we have a pie God is the top crust, we are the filling, and angels are the bottom crust.
  Angels are told by God what to do; they are His messengers.  When Mary was to conceive Jesus, a angel appeared to her, and made the announcement of the Messiah.  They are a free will creation, that   do God's directives, but have no Redeemer.  When Lucifer decided to go against God, God knew he would, and because of how Lucifer was created, and disobeyed, He and all of the angel's that agreed               with Him were separated from God for eternity, no redemption.
  We as the human race are made different; we are created in the image of God, but we aren't gods.  We can partake of the things of God, but we can't create things.  We have a soul that God breathed life into, and were created to worship God, but not ourselves.  All of creation worships God because it was created to.  We can chose to worship God, or Satan, and that makes us different from all other creation.  
  There is a prerequisite to be able to enter into the Kingdom of God.  When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus (John 3).  He said that he must be born again, but first we have to be born, and that is the prerequisite, a living soul born from parents, to living souls producing a living soul.  Nothing in creation can produce a soul, except humans.    

(To be continued...)

God's hand or Man's? III

  How many of us have children, or have been around children.  A child will at sometime, or another ask the age old question. "Why?"  If we know the answer we will tell them, but if we don't know, we say because "I said so!"  What is different about The Lord, and  how dos He answer our "Whys?"
  I was studding the first chapter of Genesis, and a question came up that I asked The Lord.  In the Word I read.  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (KJV).  My question was when did you create heaven, and the earth?  He answered with a question.  "How old am I?"  Much the same way he talked to Job, when He (God) asked him where were you when I formed the earth?
  When all of the questions come up, that some will base their belief systems on, we have to remember only God knows.
  Did prehistoric man exist, the evidence is there. The question did he have a soul, and was he created by God from dust, did God breath life into his soul?  Only God knows, there could have been life on this planet called earth, and again only God knows.  If it is something  we need to know The Lord will show us when we get to Eternity.
  To all of the fish, and all other creatures, God said be fruitful and multiply, but only to Adam, and Noah did He say, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.   Could it be a clue as to what this earth could have been before humanity?  The missing link of prehistoric, and historic could be, "and God breathed life into the soul."  I believe that creation happened just like Scripture says.
  If we are trying to explain to other's the Gospel, and hold fast to what we have been told, it doesn't make sense, but if we say that there could be a gap between the first, and second verse of Genesis it may answer questions they have.  (to be continued)       

God's hand or Man's? II

  I want to talk about paradise.  Can we even think for a moment what true paradise is.  Just imagine waking up in the morning, and not even thinking what will I wear today?  Walking out from where you slept, and eating the first good looking peace of fruit, or herb.  You don't have to go to work all that you do is talk to God, and tend His garden.  You would see a animal, and God would tell you what to name it.  Everything is perfect, and you don't do anything wrong, because you don't know what is good, or evil.  God's plan was paradise for the human race.
  Everything was created, a perfect environment, food, fish, birds, animals, and the last to be created was man, in the image of God.  The difference between man and all of the other creation, He (God) breathed life into man's soul, and with that came free will.  Because of free will, He (God) had to give man a choice to make on his own.  Thus the tree of knowledge of good or evil.
  When God finished creating something He always said,  "I looked upon it, and it was good."  Was there evil in His paradise, and why?
  I want to share a thought that I have had for some time.  God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth. Genesis 1:28 (KJV).  God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth Genesis 9:1 (KJV).  True I am 65 years old, but I am not repeating myself.  One commandment given at two different times, the first was to Adam, and Eve, the second was to Noah, and his sons.  Reading the account of Noah everything that breathed through it's nostrils died, but the fish didn't die.
  In whom the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the Image of God, should shine unto them. II Corinthians 4:4 (KJV).  When was Satan made the god of this world?
  Searching the Scriptures, there is no mention of the time that this happened, but reading the Scriptures it is evident that it happened.  Going back to the tree of good, and evil, God is the only one who is good, and Lucifer is all evil.  We have no indication how long this battle has been going on, but it started when Lucifer declared he could do what only God could do.
  What we do know is as soon as Adam, and Eve disobeyed God the first blood was shed to cover their nakedness, so the shedding of blood changed their appearance to God.  As the result of their disobedience of God, they were driven from paradise, and the curses were placed upon them, and all of their descendants.      (to continue)
                                                         
                                   

God's hand or Man's?

  It's been a while since I have shared a thought of the spiritual kind.  As the title too this blog, it makes a point, and it's biblical .  From dust you were created, and to dust shalt thou return. Genesis 3:19.  Was that Gods plan?  Why would God put that curse on man?
  I was watching cable news, and the conclusion that they came to was, we live in a changing world.  That is a true statement, the world is changing at a rapped pace, technology in overdrive heading forward, spirituality in overdrive heading backward.  They referred to us as the evolving society, but I see the world as a failing  morality.
  All blessing comes from God, and every curse also comes from God.  Loving , and kind, but just.  When I was reading the text in Genesis it was right after Adam, and Eve disobeyed God.  God alone has the power to keep dust alive, after the fall man chose to keep dust alive on his own.  It took 900+ years to find out that the physical body would die, but seconds to know the spiritual body was dead.
  After the curse of God was given, He immediately went and killed innocent animals, and covered their shame.  Telling the world then, and now, innocent blood is  the only answer for sin.
  I always know when the Spirit is speaking, somehow, much of what The Lord was saying was lost due to technology  I will pray and ask The Lord to restore the thoughts that He gave me, and continue this teaching, as He gives the revelation.
  When I am driving the bus I sing songs for the students I always tell them to listen close it's a one time song, because I won't  remember it tomorrow and my sermons are like my songs.  I reread blog's many times, so I learn what The Lord was saying at that time to me. This blog is a 5 part series.

Little Book Big Results?

    I was serving at a local nursing home, and I met the resident pastor. I introduced myself and asked him his name.  "The people call me Hungry!", he replied.   He is of small stature, and I thought he couldn't get enough to eat.  What kind of hunger did he have?
    The time was after the 6th of August, 1945 the day Hiroshima was bombed.  Hungry was walking the streets of a city in Japan and he was looking for food.  He wasn't able to find any, because  everything was destroyed.  The next day he went  looking for something to eat, and had the same result he had the day before, nothing.  This went on for 13 days, and no food.  On the 14th day he was going through a pile of rubble, and found a yellow New Testament. It was written in Japanese, and he began to read it.  As he was telling me his story you could tell he was still excited about finding The Word of God.  He stated that he was so into his new found treasure, that he read it and didn't even think about how hungry he was for food.  He said he found God's Word about mid- morning, and read late into the night!  Then he couldn't wait till morning to read some more.  "The Word of God satisfied my hunger!" He was only 12 years old when he found the book, and he has been saved and serving The Lord 67 years now!  Did he ever find food?  
     Hungry continued to tell his story.   There was a missionary's house in the city where he lived, and shortly after he found his treasure, he went there because they had food to eat.  
   When Hungry was 18 he decided to come to the US, to attend bible college.  After his education he went to Brazil as a missionary.  While he was there he met his wife who also was a Japanese missionary, and now he is still a missionary in the US.  I asked Hungry if his parents accepted The Lord?  He sadly replied,  "No.  My father was a Shinto priest, and after I became a Christian, he put me out of our house.  I lived at the mission until The Lord led me to go to Bible college.  I went back to see my father to tell him about Jesus, and the difference He has made in my life, but He refused to listen."   "Did he ever change his mind?,"  I asked.  "No, he died and went to Hell."
    I asked Hungry what frustrated him the most.  This is what he answered:  "When I found the little yellow Bible, I knew that it was true, but when I shared it with others,  they didn't believe me. The best that The Lord has for them, and they will not believe that it is true.  It's hard to be a minister, because you want everyone to become Christian, but few do.  This Christianity is not a religion; it's a relationship with the only Living God!"
          

What are you hereafter?

  This is a question that needs to be answered.  Have you ever heard someone say,"I want to go to hell because all my friends will be there."  They say it in jest, but can't possibly mean it.  Hell isn't talked about much; it's too negative. It's not positive, but it's real. I have a saying "If the hereafter, isn't what your here after, what are you here after?"  The problem, some are here after the wrong hereafter.
   I believe that when a soul goes to hell, immediately he or she will be a believer, but too late.  The word says every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is The Lord.
  I want to go to the book of Luke chapter 16: 19-31.  This is the account that Jesus gave of the rich man, and Lazarus.  There was a rich man, and Lazarus (a beggar) was laid at his door every day, wanting crumbs from his table.  Lazarus was also sick, the dogs licked his wounds.  And it came to pass, that Lazarus died, "and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom:" the rich man died, and was buried, (notice that he was not carried away by Angels).  And in hell he(the rich man) lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his (Abraham's) bosom, cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to me with a drop of water on his finger to cool my lips!"  Doesn't sound like a party to me.  Who's the beggar now?
  It's true God is loving, and kind, but he is also just. If you live by the law, you die by the law. If you accept Jesus, then you live by His Grace and Mercy.  God didn't leave us hopeless;  He sent Jesus,  who died in our place.  As negative as hell is, we can be saved by His Shed Blood.  If this blog has spoken to you, there is a solution. That if you shall confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. Romans 10; 9-10 (KJV).  A true step of Faith.         

My friend, George

     I just thought I should tell you about an intriguing and admirable man!
 
    George has worked with me for the last five years or so.  His job involves driving a truck and delivering freight.  In his spare time he has other pursuits:  he buys cars to fix up and sell, repairs cars for others, among other things.  He is a man of many practical talents!
     He is also a man whose heart is full of love:  love for God, and love for his family--in that order!
     George and his wife are the parents of four little boys, 6 years and younger, and are eagerly anticipating their 5th child, due any day now.  They are hands-on parents all the way.  His wife (or his queen, as George refers to her) manages their home and home schools their kids.  They don't have television, so the boys play together, help their mom,  and love to spend time with their dad as he works in his shop.
    I have worked with many men in my 24 years at my job, but George is unique in two very important ways.  He is unabashedly in love with his wife and his family, and he is unashamed to proclaim his trust in The Lord.  His life and his purpose revolve around those two reasons.
     A couple days ago George was telling me about their boys being sick with a stomach virus.  He said all four of them were sleeping in the bedroom with him and his wife, the littlest boy in between them.  I sort of groaned picturing the situation!  But George was not complaining.  He said, "But it's worth it, every bit of it!  Do you know why?  Because they're eternal souls."
                             ______________________________________

     We hear and see so much about dads that abandon their family, or consider their hobbies to be more important than spending time with their kids, or that abuse their families;  I just wanted to tell you that there are some good one.  Our world needs more of them!
    

Lester III

  This blog has three parts.  I think that this will be the last part, but if The Lord gives more I will write more.
  I started with three men: two biblical characters, and Lester.  So, now about me.  After the encounter  with Lester we came home, and I started to pray.  "Lord how can I help my friend to have a better understanding of you."  Should I tell him how much You love him?  What can I do to help?
  A little time past, and these words came to me.  " I did it for you Lester."  "I asked what do you mean?"  The Lord started to take me through the day of His Crucifixion.  I didn't understand to begin with, but there is a very personal touch that I experienced, and I pray you will to.
  It was after we ate the Passover Meal, that we went to the garden to pray.  On the way I began to feel a heaviness.  I knew that all I was sent to do was about to start, and the burden was great, but the reward was greater.  The word says take my yoke, so your burden will be light.  The reason for my earthly journey had come of time.
  I asked my Disciples to pray with me, but they were tired, and I loved them so much finally I let them sleep.  By now I was in deep agony, because I would experience something I had never experienced, and I did it for you,  Lester.
  I heard the crowd coming to the garden, and saw Judas with them.  The people in the crowd were church members that I spent time with everyday.  They could have talked to Me anytime, why were they treating me like a thief?  Did they need swords, and staffs?  No,  I would go with them peacefully.   The agony of what I would experience caused My human body to sweat blood, but I did it for you, Lester.
  They took Me to the church, and asked for two witnesses that would condemn me, and when the two stepped forward they said that I had declared that I would destroy the Temple, and rebuild it in three days.  But that wasn't enough to put Me to Death.  Then Caiaphas asked,  are you the son of God?  Then I told him that he would see Me The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God at his judgment.  Then Caiaphas tore his clothes, and accused Me falsely of blasphemy.  He asked the church what they wanted to do with me.   They demanded my death.  I did it for you, Lester.
  After they decided that death was the right punishment for Me, they spit on My face, punched Me, slapped My face, and said "If You are a prophet which one of us hit You?"  I did it for you, Lester.
  When they were done assaulting Me they took Me to Pilate' palace, and told him that I needed to be Crucified.  Pilate and his wife didn't want to punish me.  Pilate asked the people if they wanted Me or Barabbas.  The crowd was becoming riotous,  so Pilate washed his hands, and ordered Me to be Crucified.  But first, I was to be scourged with a cat of nine tails.  I did it for you,  Lester.
  After the scourging as I was being prepared for My Crucifixion, solders mocked Me, placed a crown of thorns on My head, and a robe to make me look like a King. I did it all for you,  Lester.
  I arrived at Golgotha with two thieves, every step that I took, every blow of the hammer to drive the nail's into my hands and feet, every time I raised  Myself to take a breath of air, I did it for you, Lester.  But the worst was yet to come.
  When I was hanging on The Cross I had to be sacrificed for all sin.  If you remember there came a time when I said;  "MY GOD MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME."    I had never been out of the presence of My Father, and I did it for you,  Lester.  When I said it is finished I was back in the presence of My Father.  In life you only make two choices that count.  One will you accept Me and let me be your Savior, or will you reject Me and be separated from My Father for eternity ?  Remember I did it for you, Lester!
 After The Lord shared this with me I started a blog, when I finished it He said no to publishing it.  I asked why, and was going to publish anyway, but I didn't.  The next day I understood why The Lord showed me that I could take out Lester, and put in Del, so I did.  It made the event much more personal.  You too can take out Lester and use your name in place of his.  If you have never accepted what Jesus did for you, now would be a great time to say, You did it for me (use your name) would you be my Savior.