What? Me Worried/

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' Luke 12:20

Like many teenage boys in my day I was an avid reader of 'Mad' Magazine.  You know the goofy cartoon like political satire with the funny looking character named Alfred E. Neumann.  I remember how mom never really cared for me to have that magazine in the house, but like most teenage boys I  would sneak it in and read it when mom wasn't looking. Now why am I telling you this information?  One cover had a picture of Alfred with caption, " What? Me Worried?" I was thinking of how people in general tend to avoid worrying about the future by being busy all the time.

We run around in circles doing all that we can do without any thought that life could end at any moment. We believe that we will live until 82.5 years and then die quietly in our sleep. Ever look down on an ant hill watching thousands of worker ants carrying food into the hole and pretending you were God wanting to help them by and you would remove rocks from their path making it easier for them to do their jobs? Those ants have no clue that it was you and they continue going on their merry business without any thought that all it would take to snuff out their life would be a large shoe or a truck tire coming in contact with their puny little bodies. 

Visualizing this gives us a reminder how it must feel to God who sent us so many reminders over the course of many years that He is who he says He is and He desires to be part of our lives"  But like worker ants we continue along the rocky path ignoring the tragic deaths we read about because we convince ourselves that the bible is just a book of fables and fairy tales. We are hurt bad by other people and automatically discredit the one source of possible healing in our lives.

I was driving home the other day and listening to the radio I discovered that C.Everette Koop died at the age of 96. Dr. Koop was the US Surgeon general under both Reagan and Bush.  They quoted Dr. Koop when he said that "he never met a parent who confessed to be an atheist at the bedside of a dying child". What an astute observation!. That same day I read about the hot air balloon that came came crashing back to earth killing the majority of people on board when something horribly wrong occurred that cause the balloon to burn up. 

Whether we like it or not sudden death does occur on a daily basis. We can convinced ourselves like Alfred E. Neumann and his silly grin that it would never happen to us because after all I am cautious and careful in the way I drive, the medications I use, and what activities I do and while our  bible sits unopened on the book shelve until something tragically happens to cause us to turn to that  source for comfort.

Where is God at this moment in time?  Is He in the back of the desk drawer sitting there like a insurance policy you hope to never use?  Is He sitting on the book shelve next to all of the other classics you placed there because you want to  have the appearance of being a believer?  God wants no one to perish, but he knows that this is a fallen world when tragedies occur all the time. I learned this back in 2007 when our daughter went in for what was thought to be routine orthopedic surgery, but in reality she died when medication she was on wasn't metabolizing in her system.  Our daughter knew her Savior Jesus Christ.  When we went into room to check on her in the early morning hour she had a smile on her face. Heroic efforts by my brother in law and the Coon Rapids Emergency medical technicians tried to save her, but her life on earth ended.

What about you?  Have you called out to God and asked him to come into your life?  Don't take a chance by postponing that decision until you accomplish such a such on such a such date and like our daughter be called  home before you make that decision.

All you have to say are these words, "Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that nothing I can do in this life can earn my way to heaven.  I know that you died on the cross for my sins and that God raised you up and you came back where many , many eyewitnesses saw you.  I open the door of my life and ask you to come in and be with me through all the days of my life.  I know it says in your word that by inviting you to come into my life I will have eternal life in heaven so that if I should experience a sudden death today I will be immediately be in the presence of Jesus Christ.

God really does have a wonderful plan for your life!..

The importance of relationships in our longevity and satisfaction

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:20

A couple of weeks ago we had a good time visiting good friends we have known since our single days. Yes, my son, we were young once. These friends came to our wedding in June 1988. The third friend was our soloist. It was a very hot day, but that is another story.  Because we knew these people so well we could go the rest of the year not talking to them and when we did meet again it was as though we never parted. 

These good friends helped us celebrate the adoption of our two children.  They were there through the good times and not so good times.  When Maria died unexpectedly they grieved for our loss. As we travel the forlorn road of our grief these dear friends went to their knees to pray for us for the pain of our loss.  When we gathered last night we not only enjoyed each other's company, but we also felt the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Relationships take time to build. First, you have to lay the foundation with biblical teaching, seeds of kindness and a openness to connect with people around you. Openness means allowing oneself to be vulnerable and risking rejection. Some of those seeds of kindness may die out, but others will thrive with roots that grow deep and strong.

Relationships take time to grow.  I was amazed one time when I discovered that the tree is as deep as it is tall!  It took a lot of water, careful pruning and the grace of God for it to reach the height of it's proper height.  Not all trees make it to full growth.  There are some that are destroyed in horrible storms.  There are others that die and lay rotten on the ground.  Some of these trees that were originally planted when the kids were little will bring out similar emotions of grief, especially if they have pictures of their tiny tots standing next to these young trees!

Relationships are risky because with those relationships come the risk of permanent separation when death occurs.  Whereas you once had a living, breathing relationship with the one you knew now you are left to grapple with the aftermath of emotional and physical pain associated with that loss. Our first inclination following any sort of loss is to hunker down and withdraw from all relationships with the exception of the few we trust. Rather than risk future relationship losses we gravitate toward solitary activities just to numb our pain.  

This is where our relationship with our Lord helps us.  Because we know that Jesus Christ was resurrected and was seen by many eye witnesses before he went to heaven we know that we have a vertical line of communication to heaven with Him.  God will help us get through whatever pain we may be going through in this life.  He will help us with our relationship problems if we allow ourselves to go to the source of all relationships. Before we can work on the horizontal relationships with each other we must work on the most important vertical one.

The tree that you so carefully watered and prune that was tossed down by the storm became a new tree with a new seedling.  In place of the dead tree became a living, breathing seedling which will once more bring new memories.

Relationships work the same way. Each person you meet in this life brings a blessing. Yes, there is a risk that the person you meet will die, but there is a greater likelihood that your life will be enriched because of that relationship. Our God is he author of all relationships.  We can take it to the bank that He will show us how to develop and maintain those relationships.  He will also help us to work through the pain of loss when one of those relationships ends.

Just as my wife and I were blessed the other evening with good friends we have known for years you too can experience similar blessings with careful nurturing of friends you meet.

There is always, ALWAYS Hope in Christ

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." 1 Peter 1:3-7

There is always Hope in Christ. It is so easy to pick up the daily headlines and see the hopelessness in the world we live in. Mass shootings, corrupt politics, wars being fought with no end in sight.are some of the hopelessness we see. Political debates which seem to divide this once great nation into two very different camps and wondering if we will ever be unified again. Kid's graduating into a world of uncertainty and worrying for them whether they will ever survive what belies ahead of them. Like the verse above I remind myself of my hope in Christ.

It was in 1974 when I made my own springboard into the world beyond high school. Like today the world was a very scary place. The Viet Nam war was ending and our veteran's were returning home not to a hero's welcome, but to cold shoulders and ambivalence. Drugs were beyond rampant as people disparately were looking for something to take their mind of the hopelessness of their existence. Sex seem to be the buzz as the beginnings of the Abortion industry was cranking up and kids were receiving free condoms at their college dispensary and were reminded that they were meant to experience the sexual revolution.

Our political climate was crumbling as we began to see the Nixon administration crumble before our eyes with the announcement of his resignation rather than face impeachment proceedings for his part in Watergate. For the first time people were wondering if we cannot trust our politicians then who can we trust?

1974 was a very good year for me. That was the year I discovered my hope in Christ through a simple prayer of salvation I said at the Minnetonka Coffee House, next to a small Community church in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The seed had been planted.  Little did I know that I was on the greatest adventure of my life. My hope in Christ was with me as I attended a local Community College and then to a 4 year college. My hope in Christ help me in terms of building my esteem from self centered to 'Christ' centered. My hope in Christ found a college fellowship group where I was encouraged in everything I did. It kept me away from the rampant drug scene. It kept me away from the dark side of life as though I had this constant sunshine glowing on my life.

My hope in Christ sent me on missions trips, to graduate school, launched me into my career, helped me meet some pretty neat Christian ladies before introducing me to the one who would be my soul mate and wife. My hope in Christ lead us to adopt two very beautiful children and raise them as our own. My hope in Christ kept us moving one step at a time when tragically and suddenly our youngest child was prematurely went to heaven. My hope in Christ kept  our family strong as we each traveled the forlorn journey of grief.

Just as there was hopelessness in 1974 there is hopelessness in today's world, but remembered a simple prayer of salvation is all you need to do to create a life of hope for yourself. Once again there is political corruption, seemingly endless wars, continuous drug use and free condoms being handed out at the college dispensary, but remember there is always hope in Christ to help you in this seemingly hopeless world.

Bitter or Better.......

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

I have this picture in my office of a hand pointing at a fork in the road as though the person were deciding which path to take and then thinking about how tragedy can put all of us in a dilemma. We can all be marred by tragedy by choosing the wrong path.  On the one hand we can choose to be bitter by always dwelling on the negatives and the wrongs of this life.  We lose a child and we can dwell on hating the system we believe harmed us.  Refusing to give up the anger will cause us to develop ulcers, chest pains, underlying cancers when the bad hormones take over our immune system. Giving up the anger and embracing the joy of the Lord will result in the good hormones taking over thereby preventing the ulcers and underlying cancers from taking over our immune system.  The choice is ours to make  Not an easy choice when you are so convinced that you had been wronged!  

I was remembering my last conversation with an attorney who happened to be Jewish. To this day I am convinced that God brought me to him.  I was hoping that he would see enough there to bring a wrongful death case against our deceased child's doctor and medical hospital, but after reviewing the same evidence the other attorneys had reviewed  he told me that although the medication she was on was something she could not metabolize it was a medication that is routinely used in the medical system. He then told me that I had a choice to make.  I could hang on to my anger and keep searching for an attorney who just might be willing to take our case, but the chances were he would look at the same evidence, talk to the same experts and likely would come to the same opinion  which was this would be a hard case to fight and decline to take the case.  In the course of that decision I will have destroyed my family and wreck my marriage.  Then he added that I could choose the route his wife and him did after their less than one year old daughter, Ashley, died which was to honor her memory by doing positive things in her name. Bitter or Better. That was the question,  

That was the beginning of the healing point of my grief.  I chose to pursue the better path.  That path lead to writing a letter of forgiveness to our daughter's doctor, having a reconciliation meeting with him, and traveling to Guatemala on a short term missions trip  Bitter or Better.  That lead to the healing of my grief and restoring my relationships with my wife and son.  Bitter or Better. That lead to learning to love life again by ball room dancing with my bride of 23 years.  Bitter or Better. That lead to my son seeing me as a healthy role model for handling grief.

I have no regrets for laying down my anger because I know that Jesus Christ demonstrated the power of forgiveness through his death and resurrection on the cross. Christ showed me through this Jewish attorney that Better is the Better path to pursue.

For better or worse......... until death do we part

1. from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. Love is in the air. Flowers are being purchased on line, standing in line or the old fashion way by phone. Delivery guys are staying busy delivering sweet smelling somethings to woman who are falling in love. This is the way it should be for it is valentine's day. Flowers are sent, proposals are made and weddings are being set. Kisses are being planted, embraces are being given and commitments are being made. Love is in the air. It was in 1987 when the girl I would eventually marry returned to Minnesota to settle down. She had been a missionary teacher in Haiti.  Linda and I first met each other when we were both involved in Campus Crusade for Christ at St. Cloud State University.  We knew each others friends  We had memories of traveling to Chicago for the Christmas conference, to San Bernardino for a Spring conference at the Campus Crusade headquarters as well as a trip with Crusade to Florida where we did beach evangelism. When I graduated from St. Cloud I went on a summer missions trip to Fort Collins, Colorado. She went to California.  When I returned I went to graduate school in Mankato. I eventually wound up working and memories of those days in Crusade were fading. God had other plans. Linda and I kept seeing each other at friends weddings. It was there where we would talk about what we were doing.  A few more years later I began dating a different girl.  Sensing that she was not the right one I broke it up and decided to travel back to Fort Collins, Colorado all by myself to do some Spiritual introspection. I stayed with Christian friends out there and attended a Evangelical Free Church in the area. I gave my dating life to the Lord and asked him to provide the woman He would like me to marry. Not long after I returned God answered my prayer when I walked into a Singles meeting at my church and saw Linda across the room.  I remember her from the days of Campus Crusade meetings and also from the days of seeing her at friends weddings. The moment I saw her again I felt my heart go thumpity thump, thumpity thump and on and on and on. We developed a good friendship.  I was so careful not to compromise my commitment to the Lord that one night at her apartment it began to storm and there were reports of highways flooding and cars floating away on the freeways.  Not wanting to fall into temptation I told Linda I was heading home, but that I would be safe.  I made it home safely. When we wrote our wedding vows we wanted the traditional vows which included For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, until death do we part.  I remember my  boss telling me how our vows were a really tall order and wonder if we would be able to keep them.  Our relationship was built on the rock with Jesus being the very cornerstone of that relationship.  We have been through some very difficult times with the worse being the death of our daughter, but God has been faithful in bringing us through the storms. As guys the greatest thing you can do for your wife, or for your future wife is to commit yourself to the Lord and build a firm foundation from which not even a death of a child can destroy. Happy Valentine's day to everyone.

Jesus promises to calm the storms of your life

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

We just had a storm move through our area. A snow storm. A mixture of freezing rain, snow, and then more freezing rain was causing havoc in our area with flat tires, and lots of cars in ditches as people underestimate the power of nature and drive as though it were just an ordinary day. The storm isn't permanent much to the chagrin of our school children who yearn to hear those magic words on our beloved WCCO, " all schools in Anoka County are closed". As I write these words I look out and see the snowplow clearing the road in front of our house.

I have this image from Matthew 8. I am standing in this large boat with my family. We're enjoying the afternoon on a clear, pristine day until dark clouds move in from the west and we begin to feel the boat toss and turn larger and larger waves. I panic and I worried that we're not going to make it out the storm and we will end up being fish food. Then I see the savior standing on the shoreline. He sees my family with the worried looks of despair on our faces. He begins walking on the water toward us until He steps in our boat. Like a seasoned captain He takes the helm and guides us to the safety of the shoreline.

That was exactly what the Savior did for my family when Maria passed away suddenly on June 10, 2007. He came into our boat and rode with us through the storm until we reach safety. I can honestly say that we have been to the bottom. There is nothing more painful than a sudden, unexpected death. In our despair God took each of my family and helped them with their grief and made each of them stronger and more resilient in the end.

 That is God's promise to you. If and when you enter the storm of your life God promises to take the helm of your boat and guide you to safety. Now that is the assurance you can hang onto.

Tragedy to Triumph lessons learned

 have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16<33

One of my favorite commercials is the Allstate Mahem one that shows a guy representing life's dangers about to wreck havoc on a family's possessions.  The moral is that you should be covered by Allstate to minimize the danger of mahem like him.  Many of us will rush out and compare rates and coverages often over months before making a decision on which insurance to buy.  This is a good thing and assures that we're getting a good bang for our money.

Many of us take for granted the importance of selecting a church family to commit our time too. Many of us neglect the importance of being involved in a small group through the local church we select to attend. Yet, what most may not realize the selection and the commitment to a church body is equally as important as the insurance we buy. Both of them protect our families from Mahem.  Only one assures us that God will walk with us throughout the entire journey of our mahem experience.

I know.  Our family was fortunate to belong to a church. Our children were fortunate to belong to a children's Sunday school class and we as their parents were fortunate to belong to one as well.  Our commitment Sunday after Sunday enabled us to lay our roots down, form deep and meaningful relationships and it form a starting off point to begin the new week. A good day in church almost assured us of a good work week,

We learned of the many benefits of our commitment to this church body in the early morning hours of June 10th, 2007. Plunging into despair and depression we had the church body to come to our rescue.  These people became our angels as though they were sent by God to offer us words of encouragement and assurance that God has not abandoned us.  The faith of these people were what sustained our family through our darkest days.Their faith lifted us up like Aaron held up the arm of Moses.

The question I have for you today is 'have you made a commitment to a church body where you can go to worship the Lord and sink your roots down and allow people to get to know you?  Being committed to a church body just may be what you need to go from tragedy to triumph should the unthinkable happen.

My greatest enjoyment is seeing God's handiwork outside my bay window

Fresh snow. White, fluffy, sparkly snow.I like looking out my bay window at the slow falling snow flakes as they drift ever so gently to the ground. I finally figured out why my Christmas lights shorted out. I fixed the problem and now I get to enjoy watching the soft lights fluttering against the light fluffy snow drifting slowly to the ground.  It's February 3rd, but who says one can't have their out door lights turned on? Watching this light powdery snow puts me in the mood for a good old cup of hot cocoa and a good page turning book

 White, fluffy snow is sort of God's way of giving us new scenery to look at instead of the brown one with patches of dirty snow that makes us wonder when winter will finally end. Fresh fluffy snow is a reminder of how God makes all things new again in in the midst of our tough times.

Looking out at this scene of white fluffy and unblemished snow reminds me how God has taken away the stain that our lives possess simply because of Christ death and resurrection. That white, fluffy snow reminds me that God has paid the penalty of our sin in full and that one day we will stand before God pure just like that snow we watch drifting ever so slowly from the sky.

God really does make all things new again. He really does want to exchange your stain tattered wardrobe with a sinless and pure one. He is standing at the door of your heart. He is knocking and he wants to come and make all things new with you. Won't you take a break from looking out the bay window at the fluffy white snow and invite Him in to make all things new?