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.


















       












                        

Lester II

      I stopped yesterday with this question:  "What will David do?"
  The decision that David made was to have an affair with Bathsheba.  He then arranged for her husband, Uriah, to die in battle.  He was very remorseful after Nathan the Prophet pointed out his sin.   Bathsheba conceived a child, and the baby died. David was grief stricken, and his servants were scared to ask what was wrong.  David was grieving about his sin more than the loss of their child, and to try to make things better he went to war, and defeated the city that took Uriah's life.  After the loss of their first child, they had a second child, Solomon, who became the King of Israel, and built the first temple, where sacrifices were made to God.  The first house of Worship.  Oh,  by the way King Solomon had 500 wives.
  Even though David committed adultery, and murder, God still used his bloodline to bring the Savior of the world to us, through Bathsheba, the one with whom his sin was committed.
     Recently Pat and I went to dinner at a local restaurant.  When we walked in, we noticed Lester, and his wife Edie.   We said hi, and asked the usual friend questions.  When they were ready to leave Lester stopped at our table and asked,  "Why don't you guys stop over some time?"  The conversation went on, and Lester always ends by saying,  "Well, I'm an old sinner, and probably will end up in hell. But I won't be the only one."  As soon as that statement came out of his mouth,  I replied, "What if when you go to hell, you find yourself all alone, in solitary confinement for all of eternity?"  All of a sudden he had a very serious look on his face, instead of that silly little smirk.
  Lester reads the Bible at least once a year; I know one year he read it twice.  The word says,   If you shall confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and shall 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)
  Apparently Lester missed that one;  maybe I need to point it out to him.  It seems terrible to me that he could read The Word of God, and still miss going to heaven.
  I've written about three men.  Two were called Godly, and one does Godly things, but believes that he is going to Hell.  This is what led me to write this blog.  What did The Lord show me to share with Lester that might change his mind?            
                

Lester

  I want to start this blog with some interesting people of the Bible, and a friend, then myself.  The  Bible  people that I want to write about are Noah and David.  Then I will talk about  my friend Lester, then myself.
  I have often wondered why the faults of great men of God were written about in Scripture.  Noah was a man of God.  His family were the only ones to escape death in the great flood.  God gave him instructions how to build the ark, and I heard a engineer tell that if Noah hadn't followed God's directions to the letter, the ark couldn't have withstood the pressures of the water.  After Noah was a builder he became a husbandman;  he grew grapes, and having more then enough to eat, he decided to make some wine.  One night he decided to taste the fruit of his labors,  drank too much and became drunk, and took off his clothes. " And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent." Genesis 9: 20-21  (KJV).  Noah's son Ham went into the tent, and when he saw Noah's nakedness, he preceded to expose the first drunk to his brothers.  They did the honorable thing, and covered him.  This is the first time in Scripture that drunkenness is mentioned.  A fault of a Godly man.
  The second person I want to touch on is David.  David was the son of Jessie, a ruddy red head, fair complected, not real Kingly looking, compared to his brothers.  Samuel the prophet went to Jessie's house as directed by The Lord.  Looked over all the brother's, but The Lord said no to all of the prospects.  Samuel asked Jessie "Do you have any more sons?"  Jessie said, "Just David.  He's out tending the sheep."  A shepherd watching his father's flock, not real King material.  While he was tending sheep he became bored, and took up music, flutes, and the harp.  He stood guard over the sheep, and learned how to kill lions and bears.  And I forgot, he also became good with the sling shot, just a boy doing boy things.
  When Samuel heard about David,  he told Jessie to bring him to him.  As soon as Samuel saw him The Lord said "This is the one" Samuel asked are you sure?  "  The Lord replied  "Yes."  Samuel took a horn of oil, and anointed David as King.  David didn't become King David immediately he had some things to do.  I won't go into the complete story of David, but he was a man after God's Heart, another Godly man.
  When David was 52 he decided to take the spring off, and not go to war, as all King's did.  It was early evening, and David decided to take some time on the top of the palace.  He looked to the east, then, the south, the north, but when he looked west he saw more than he should have:  Bathsheba.  He asked his servant,  "Who is that beautiful lady next door?"  The servant told him it was wife of Uriah the Hittite.  David knew that Uriah was at war.  Uriah was one of David's commanders.  What will David do?  







                             

Be Prepared!

     I think most people would agree that our world is in turmoil.  Even here in the United States, where we have always lived in comparative peace and safety, we are seeing more and more murder and mayhem.  In fact, we are seeing more of the signs of Jesus' imminent return!
     Many of you reading this are my family and friends.  I want you to know that I love and pray for you all!  What I want to tell you is this:
               If you have never put your trust in Jesus as your saviour, don't delay another day or moment!  If you have wandered away from your faith, return to it and cling to it like a lifeboat, because that is truly what it is!
      
     Jesus told us to watch and wait and be prepared for his return.  He told us the very signs to watch for.  Those signs are everywhere right now!  We don't know the day or the hour, but we need to be ready!  

The Secret Place

     "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of The Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.  Surely he will deliver you from the fowler's snare and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover you with his feathers,  and under his wings shall you trust.  His truth shall be your shield and your buckler."  Psalms 91:1-4


     Don't you sometimes feel like you need a place to hide?  I know I do!  The world that we live in has so many reasons to stress and worry and fear.  I used to have a recurring dream where I would look out the window and see a tornado headed toward me.  I would look again, and there would be three tornadoes, all bearing down on my home.  So I would grab my kids and take them into a hiding place where we would be safe from the tornado.  It was not a scary dream, as you might think.  Instead it was exciting, because I always seemed to know we would be safe.
     The scripture above tells us that God has a hiding place where we can dwell, where he will protect us in his very shadow, and beneath his wings.  Sometimes, though,  I seem to choose to dwell elsewhere:  places like fear, anger, and unforgiveness.  Places that are right in the path of the tornado.
In order to dwell in God's secret place, I have to leave the place that I am dwelling, and put my trust completely in Him.
     So, if you find yourself in a place where you really don't want to be,  if storms are headed toward you from all directions, grab your kids and head for the cellar!  God's shelter may not take away all your problems, but he is able to still the storms in your spirit.