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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