God often uses our painful journey' s to bring hope to a world searching for that hope

““He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1Peter 2:24

I believe.  In the book entitled 'God's not dead 2,  the right to believe and tell someone the powerful redemption story is being placed on trial because someone was offended by the mere mention of the name of Jesus.  In God's not dead 2 we discover that a public school teacher risks losing her license to teach simply because she answered a student's question about the historical figure Jesus in her history class.

The significance of this book was highlighted further when I read  what was currently happening in Russia when the president of that country signed a law that took effect in July 2016  that would make it unlawful to talk about God and evangelize anywhere outside the church, including on-line.  

Why is it ok to openly discuss the historical philosopher's from Emmanuel Kant, Socrates, to the modern-day atheists like Richard Dawkin's, but it isn't Ok to discuss the evidence that give credence to the bible?   While society would love nothing better to tape the mouths of Christian believer's, they fail to see the powerful impact the Holy Spirit has in motivating people to share God's love.

Take, for example, the  thousands of people that  are called  to travel to all parts of he world because of a dream God laid on their heart to share his message.

The bible, for example, is filled with story upon story of people of all ability levels to be God's mouthpiece. to speak God's message.

God uses imperfect people to bring his message of hope to a world searching for meaning and a solution for their inner pain.

 In God's not dead 2, the family who brought the lawsuit against the teacher had suffered the loss of their son just months earlier, and were in my opinion in the throes of anger toward God for 'taking their son'. 

Instead of accepting the reality that they live in an imperfect world where occasionally bad things happen to good people they decided to 'blame God' for what he did to them. Like most of us have done, I'm s sure they rationalized that 'if there truly is a loving God then this wouldn't have happened to us. A fallacy if I ever heard one base on my own experience of losing a child.

People need the message of hope that the bible has for them. What better way to receive that message than from the very people who successfully traveled this painful journey with the help of the loving Savior, Jesus Christ? 

 As long as I'm still living and breathing, I am obligated to share this message of hope to people hurting by the losses in their lives.  

God is certainly not dead, but he is alive.

I am a living and breathing child of the king who has been redeemed. I am no longer to be tossed like a small boat on the sea of public opinion and volatile news feeds

Now I stand on solid ground,
and I will publicly praise the Lord.Psalm 26:12

Lately, I have been feeling as though I were a rudderless ship out on the open sea being tossed every which way by the 10-foot waves made bigger and stronger by the perilous seas. Each time I reach the peak of the next wave I see another one coming and I grab for dear life the sides of the boat hoping and praying I wouldn't be thrown overboard.

That is sort of what it feels like when I read the sensationalize news from the networks. Forgetting that the news they create is meant to sell advertisings dollars, I allow the impact of their news to filter into my mind where it ferments my brain cells until I start feeling the effects.

I have to keep reminding myself that I am a child of the King made in the very image of God, and for that matter so are you. The book of Ephesians refers to this very thing of what is presently happening to us with these words: 14 [g]As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness [h]in deceitful scheming; 15 but [i]speaking the truth in love,

Lately, I have taking control over what I allow to enter my mind by unfollowing these sensationalize news feeds. My faith as a believer in Jesus Christ was built on solid ground, not the tumultuous sea of public opinion and sensationalize news.

Remember, my friend, the next time you are feeling the effects of reading too many sensualize newsfeeds that you are a child of the King made with a better purpose. I would encourage you to fill your mind with the encouraging words of Jesus by memorizing those verses so, in time, you will find encouragement in them. If you are interested in memory packs, I highly recommend this system and I am posting this link here for you.

You are a child of the King, made in the very image of God who has given you a solid foundation to stand on!

 http://www.navigators.org/Tools/Discipleship%20Resources/Tools/Topical%20Memory%20System

God gives us a story- to see the conclusion of our story we have to ride the roller coaster of emotions of whatever we are experiencing.

27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor).28 Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near. Luke 21:27-28

When my kids were little we often read to them their bedtime story from the comfortable Lazy boy chair in the living room. As a father, I  loved that responsibility. It was a chance to bond closer to my children To my children it was a chance for them to relax with a happy thought from whatever children's book we read to them. 

They loved stories

I've learned in time that God is the author and perfector of our stories.  

So often, we forget that when bad things happen in this life. 

 Yet, I am reminded that if we stay the course with our grief, God will reveal to us the epilog of our story, But first, we have to get through all of the pain, abandonment, the emotional wounds. 

A real life novel is like that. The pages of the book take us on a roller coaster ride of emotions,that keeps us captivated to every page. We keep reading until we reached the story conclusion- the epilog.

Our lives are like that.novel.

If we stay the course we will see how all that messiness of our lives fits in God's plan.

This is why I am not afraid to attend funeral services, or what I like to call the celebration of life services.

Yes, it can be very sad to recognize the finality of the person  who has died. Yes, there are feelings that I would rather not conjure up inside me, and yes, I would rather be driving my 2016 rental Ford Mustang on Route 66,

But that isn't the point. The person who's timeline has ended had a life and a story to share with the rest of the world. We may not have known the person who had died, but we get to experience their life through the pictures the family share.

God is the author and perfector of our lives. He is our redeemer and the one who gives us a story to share with the rest of the world. Just as he was able to use the lives of  the people in the bible, he wants to give you a voice and a story to share with the rest of the world- of God's redemption for our lives.

Our job is to cling to the very promises of God and one day we will see how everything fits together.

  

When the storms come and they will Jesus can help us build that firm foundation.

Build Your House on the Rock
 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

In the background, I could hear the sounds of hammering and sawing. Josh, who just accepted Jesus into his heart is enjoying talking to his new best friend Jesus as he hammers boards of lumber in place. 

"Jesus, thank you for coming into my life when I prayed last night."   Jesus smiles while assuring Josh that he is only a prayer call away.

Josh momentarily stops hammering and asks Jesus what they were building. 

"We;re making a firm foundation" Jesus answers while continuing to saw the boards of lumber..

"A firm foundation?," Josh asks." What's wrong with the one I have?"

Jesus sets his saw down while looking into his eyes, " It's Ok, but I want to make it stronger."

"Why?" Josh asks.

Jesus gently places his hand on Josh's shoulder and with a smile he adds, " because I want your new faith in me to survive those times when storms come."

Josh acts surprised when Jesus said that.

"Whoa, what storms?" Joshua feels a sense of panic setting in. "I thought when I prayed that prayer inviting you to come into my life that my life would be happy and I would always have success."

" and you will have lots of happiness because I am with you, but I want to help you build a firm foundation of faith so that when the storms in this life come your faith will stand."

Josh reflects on what Jesus said, "What's wrong with the foundation I have?"

Jesus points Josh toward a different direction, " Josh, look at that foundation and ask what is the difference between that one and the one we're building for you?"

Josh studies it for a moment.

"It looks like that one is built on sandy soil," Josh pauses. " the one we're building is on top of a solid foundation."

"You are so correct Josh. When the storms of this life come and plummet the ground with rain and the wind which foundation will survive? The one I'm helping your build or the one that was built on sandy soil?"

As though it were a no-brainer Josh answers. " The one we're building." Jesus smiles. 

" You are correct Josh." Josh and his new friend go back to constructing his foundation before he was hit with the question that most of us in life wonder.

"Jesus, I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Jesus sets his tool down while looking into Josh's eyes.

"the storms you said would come my way."

Jesus reminds Josh with these words, " This foundation we're building for you will stand against those storms. I will be with you through the good times of your life and I will be your guide when those storms do come. You have the assurances of my word to bank on that."  

Josh had peace with that thought before quipping. "Let's build the strongest foundation we can for my life."  

Jesus and Josh return to the sawing and hammering of the boards as they continue building Josh's foundation of faith that would help him weather the storms of this life.

"

" 

Build Your House on the Rock
 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

In the background, I could hear the sounds of hammering and sawing. Josh, who just accepted Jesus into his heart is enjoying talking to his new best friend Jesus as he hammers boards of lumber in place. 

"Jesus, thank you for coming into my life when I prayed last night."   Jesus smiles while assuring Josh that he is only a prayer call away.

Josh momentarily stops hammering and asks Jesus what they were building. 

"We;re making a firm foundation" Jesus answers while continuing to saw the boards of lumber..

"A firm foundation?," Josh asks." What's wrong with the one I have?"

Jesus sets his saw down while looking into his eyes, " It's Ok, but I want to make it stronger."

"Why?" Josh asks.

Jesus gently places his hand on Josh's shoulder and with a smile he adds, " because I want your new faith in me to survive those times when storms come."

Josh acts surprised when Jesus said that.

"Whoa, what storms?" Joshua feels a sense of panic setting in. "I thought when I prayed that prayer inviting you to come into my life that my life would be happy and I would always have success."

" and you will have lots of happiness because I am with you, but I want to help you build a firm foundation of faith so that when the storms in this life come your faith will stand."

Josh reflects on what Jesus said, "What's wrong with the foundation I have?"

Jesus points Josh toward a different direction, " Josh, look at that foundation and ask what is the difference between that one and the one we're building for you?"

Josh studies it for a moment.

"It looks like that one is built on sandy soil," Josh pauses. " the one we're building is on top of a solid foundation."

"You are so correct Josh. When the storms of this life come and plummet the ground with rain and the wind which foundation will survive? The one I'm helping your build or the one that was built on sandy soil?"

As though it were a no-brainer Josh answers. " The one we're building." Jesus smiles. 

" You are correct Josh." Josh and his new friend go back to constructing his foundation before he was hit with the question that most of us in life wonder.

"Jesus, I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Jesus sets his tool down while looking into Josh's eyes.

"the storms you said would come my way."

Jesus reminds Josh with these words, " This foundation we're building for you will stand against those storms. I will be with you through the good times of your life and I will be your guide when those storms do come. You have the assurances of my word to bank on that."  

Josh had peace with that thought before quipping. "Let's build the strongest foundation we can for my life."  

Jesus and Josh return to the sawing and hammering of the boards as they continue building Josh's foundation of faith that would help him weather the storms of this life.

"

" 

Why we must walk by faith and not by sight

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight 2 Corinthians 5:7

This simple train illustration helped me understand the difference between faith and my feelings when it came to my decision to accept Jesus into my life as a high school senior.

I knew my entire life would be filled with sad and depressing moments, but I must not place my emotions ( the caboose) before the engine (my faith) or the coal car( the source of the engine's power.

I know, for example, that if I were to place the caboose ( my emotions) in front the my faith the train won't go anywhere. It would sit dead on the track. My emotions are too volatile to be trusted to guide me.

As pain enters our lives our emotions will likely persuade us to stay home instead of placing one foot in front of the other and go to a church to sing praises to our creator God. They will likely be the reason we drink a 6 pack of beer or down a bottle of wine, or stay up all night playing video games.

So our emotions must not be the deciding factor why we choose to follow Jesus, or turn away. As important people suddenly die your emotions will rise and fall, but it is when you cling to your faith and the knowledge that supports that faith you will, like the Ever Ready Bunny, keep going, going and going.

Our emotions are important, but we must temper those emotions by trusting God that he knows what he is doing with our life.

When pain and loneliness hit it is usually God's greatest moment to touch our lives

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.Galatians 5:22-23

One of the hallmarks of Christianity is watching believers come together in the face of  tragedy. While others are running away to get as far away from tragedy, believers are embracing tragedy and growing closer as a community. Christianity isn't to be lived in isolation but in a community of believers. No, Christianity was meant to be lived out in a living and breathing community wth others.

Every time my family goes to church, I see the evidence of Galatians 5. My emotions may not always be the same from any given Sunday, but I know that when I attend my local church almost invariably someone will touch my life with a word of encouragement. Whether it is a friend, or someone I just barely know, or a sermon message delivered by our Senior Pastor Stephen Goold I know that I had been encouraged.

When someone shared the good news of Jesus with me, I remember the train illustration. Our emotions were like the caboose and the bible was like the train engine. Because our emotions are so irregular and unpredictable they were never meant to drive the train. We must not allow how we are feeling at any given moment to guide us in our decision to not attend Church.

The world tries to tell us that God isn't alive, that his bible is nothing but a book of fairy tales and the world tries to destroy important archaeological sites to erase reminders of God's previous evidence of his glory, but one thing they can never take away from us is the powerful influence of God's holy spirit that is inside all believers in Jesus Christ.

It is for this reason that God's greatest moment comes, not in times of abundance, but in times of pain, sorrow and adversity.

So, the next time you are feeling depressed, sad and not wanting to attend a church that morning, remember, as I did, the important role you play in the body of Christ and who you just might touch with an encouraging word, and who just might encourage you at the same time.

This has undoubtedly been a hard month

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

This undoubtedly has been a very hard month on an emotional level. First, there was the discovery that the remains found in a Minnesota farm field were indeed those of Jacob Wetterling, a young man who has gone missing for several decades now.

Then there was the news of the loss of our former and beloved Pastor Stephen Goold Finally, there was the news of the death of one of our friend's father. Just as you climb out of the pit of your stomach you fall again. Death has a way of doing that to us. It is the reason why we need a community of believers to be part of, and why we must never forget to fellowship as Hebrews 10:25 reminds us in this verse: 'Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.

When the bible was written, it was written for us as a reminder that in this life we will have struggles and there will be hard and frightening times, but as we each cultivate our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will begin to sense his 'walking' alongside us- sometimes carrying us through the rough patches. In short, we need Jesus to shine the light on our path and we need each other and others need you to encourage them.

Pastor Steve has meant a lot to our family. His messages have lifted us in good and not so good times. From the national tragedy of 9/11 to each of our own personal 9/11 tragedies, his messages have lifted us up 'on eagles wings' and have given us the ability to soar with the hope found in Jesus.

Sure, death stings, but as we learn to process the emotions of our loss we will in time begin to see the hope that is in Christ, and a little glimpse of what our loved one is experiencing in heaven

I have to admit that I , like most Minnesotan's were left with a heavy heart with the discovery that Jacob would not be coming home.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms,placed his hands on them and blessed them.Mark 10: 14-16

This past week has been a horrible week for all of us in Minnesota. The headline in the paper left us all with sullen and heavy hearts. For many of us, we lived with the daily reminders that there was a family missing their son Jacob. Most of us were 1/2 our ages when Jacob was abducted.

 There wasn't a day that didn't go by without reminders of Jacob on the backs of milk cartons and billboards. We all turned on our porch lights in hopes that Jacobs could use those to guide himself home. Most of us remember the 1991 World Series Champion Twins with their tribute to Jacob and the broadcaster's letting the world know that this 11-year-old boy had been abducted.  

So when the killer confessed to his evil deed, I immediately had this image in my mind of the Blue Angels flying their missing pilot routine; only this time that missing pilot was Jacob. I was crushed when I heard this tragic news as most MInnesotan's were. It didn't matter what racial background you were because most of us felt the pain of the Wetterling family as if we too had a son named Jacob missing from our table..

It is my opinion that the pain we are feeling  is the result of the loss of moral absolutes from our educational curriculum. When we are told that there is no right or wrong and everything is gray we begin losing our moral compass that guides our lives..

When we could no longer say a prayer in school, recite the pledge of the allegiance (one nation under God), and when the institution of the Church began losing favor in many homes, we began a slippery slope down the path with how we view sin. When we are told that wealth is the means  to happiness instead of learning to live within your means, we entertain the thought of  acquiring wealth through oftentimes illegal means. We justify embezzling from the employer because when that big payday comes in you will pay it back.

 Before the legalization of gambling, few legislators would have considered using gambling proceeds to offset state budgets. Yet, today legislators all across America are using this to fund pet projects back home. Today, some convenience stores make more money selling lotto tickets than they do with food products. God is losing relevance at a time that He should be more relevant. It comes out in the following ways: 

God is dead

There is no right or wrong

If it feels good do it

Who needs  the church?

Amassing wealth is the key to happiness

I don't need to confess my wrongs

I don't need to be involved in accountability groups

What I do is my own business

Instead of placing God on the throne of our life, we are placing ourselves on the throne of life We are worshipping, not the creator, but the created.

The consequence for this callous disregard of God is a lifetime of addiction. Because we are so concern with propping up our fragile self-esteem, we turn to  alcohol, drugs, and gambling to find relevance in our lives. 

Alcohol treatment programs popped up to teach people the 12 steps and the importance of having God in one's life to help you maintain sobriety.  But some people  objected,  so they rewrote those 12 steps and encourage people to worship whatever they wished to worship- a rock, a garden, or a doorknob; anything but  the moral absolutes.

When sin is allowed to run rampant sin it will eventually begin harming innocent people around us. You insist on smoking then many around you are harmd with your second harm smoke. You gamble and lose the house, your family loses the one place they call security. You do drugs and you open up your home to the dangers of drug gangs. You embezzle and you go to jail and your family suffers from the loss of your income.

God made us who we are. He made us for a purpose. One would not consider building an airplane without reading the step by step instructions, nor, for that matter, should we expect to understand God's purpose without reading God's word. 

When life is understood in the context of moral absolutes it is as though we have guard rails on both sides of us that keep us from making the wrong choices.. .The hole in our hearts is filled with the  good things God desires for us, not the slippery slope of sin that harms us in the long run.

As I watch the Wetterling family through this time of earthly suffering, I see a family who has never given up their faith. Instead, they created a foundation that has lead to new laws to assure the safety of future generations of children. Because of their efforts, we now have alerts on our Smartphones whenever a child is reported missing.

Just think of what this same faith would do for us if we decide to turn to God and consistently attend church regardless of how we might be feeling,or how we might be suffering?

 Is it possible that the temptation to gamble our life savings would disappear or the desire to get drunk would dissipate? 

 God truly has a wonderful plan for your life.

1000's of Elk Horn residents turn out to help celebrate what would have been a little boy's 3rd birthday

 

Romans 12:15New International Version (NIV)
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

In one of our stops on this end of the summer trip my lovely bride, we stayed with relatives on her side of the family, not far from Elkhorn, Nebraska that I didn't know until I read the Omaha newspaper that it was home to the family who lost their little boy tragically on a Disney World vacation meant to bring happiness and a lifetime of memories, but instead tossed them into a world wind of emotions and pain beyond what many of us can imagine. My wife's cousin mentioned that the town has tied blue ribbons around many of the trees to honor this little boy and, in addition, they recently gathered to release 1000's of balloons into the air to show their support for this family.If this were a perfect world, then this family would have returned with their son intact and wonderful memories to cherish,  Here is the rest of their story found in the Omaha newspaper.

Thousands of blue balloons angled into a soft blue sky Saturday as friends and neighbors showed their support for an Elkhorn-area family in grief.

Melissa and Matt Graves’ young son, Lane, died June 14 in an alligator attack on the beach of a Disney World resort in Florida.

Neighbors Brandi and Mike Miller organized the event at the Elkhorn South High School football field, where hundreds of friends, relatives and supporters stood in a huge heart shape Saturday, which would have been Lane’s third birthday.

Melissa and Matt Graves spoke to the crowd before an aerial photograph was taken as the group released close to 5,000 balloons into the breeze.

The mother said she doesn’t care for public speaking but felt obligated to her boy to express her feelings. “My baby ­­— I owe it to honor him,” she said into a microphone as the crowd stood arrayed in the heart pattern. “You’ll always be Mommy’s loving, sweet, baby boy. ... We miss you, buddy, and we miss those hugs and kisses.”

Some who attended were small children, whose balloons were tied around their wrists and fingers. “Our kids all played together,” said neighbor Jennie Gollehon, who has three children. The Graveses have a 4-year-old girl, Ella, who also attended the event.

“My kids talk about Lane, and they know he died, and they ask questions about ‘When are we going to die?’ ‘How long are we going to live?’ ” Gollehon said as the group gathered outside the football field.

Brandi Miller said she wanted to pay tribute to Lane and his family. “I really saw an opportunity for the community to come together and wrap their arms around the family on this day,” Miller said. “Blue is just the color that we chose to signify a little boy.”

Molly and Brian Anderson, who don’t know the Graves family, came from Bennington with their five children. They said they wanted to show their children what it means to be there for other people.

Susan Bender, a 65-year-old neighbor of the Graves family, said she’s been astonished at how nobly the family has endured the unfathomable tragedy. The Graveses have said they won’t sue Disney World. They have started a foundation in their boy’s name to make donations to various charities.

Music played over a public address system Saturday. A ukulele version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” drifted over the field. “This was their wedding song,” said family friend Tom Ross.

Two priests from St. Patrick Catholic Church arrived. Melissa Graves wept and laughed with them.

“They’ve become like family to us,” said the Rev. Tom Fangman. The family attends Mass there and Ella goes to school there.

During the ceremony, Fangman told the crowd that it was a day of sorrow, gratitude, awe and hope. Lane was full of life and an inspiration to live to the fullest, Fangman said. He called Saturday Lane’s “first heavenly birthday.”

Fangman and the Rev. John Norman hugged the Graveses, who took turns carrying Ella for a while.

Matt Graves also used the microphone to say that they appreciated the support. Lane’s life brought them so much joy, he said. “My wife will tell you those are the happiest days of her life, and I couldn’t agree with her more,” he said. “Happy birthday, buddy.”

A reporter-estimated 600 attended, releasing their balloons, posing for the photo taken from the sky by a drone. “Yeah!” a child said as the balloons took off.

Melissa and Matt Graves held hands as they walked off the field. Then they stood behind a table just outside the field as people lined up.

The couple offered M&M’s cookies — Lane’s favorite treat — and handed out little silver crosses with blue ribbons on them. A basket contained a prayer card with a photo of Lane on it and a decal of a blue “Lane” ribbon.

They stayed to the end. They shed tears, offered smiles and hugged hundreds of people.

rick.ruggles@owh.com, 402-444-1123, twitter.com/rickruggles
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