Over my first cup of coffee I mistakenly turned on the national news and saw more rioting in the streets of major cities across America. In my mind I uttered these words, "people need Jesus." When I heard that one person lost their life when a truck ran over them, I again listened to the inner voice, "people need the Lord." Pain seems to everywhere these days with everyone suffering from dangerous levels of anxiety from the stress hormones with in. If only someone close to the brokenhearted can go to them and tell them the good news of a good shepherd named Jesus who wants to come into their life to be a comfort to them through these difficult days. I was reminded by this speaker that the Hebrews spent 40 years wandering the desert. Today, feels like we're in a desert. Most of us are alone and isolated from others because of this pandemic, but there is hope that when we lean in closer to Jesus Christ our soul will be refreshed and restored. There is hope in these difficult days, but I believe when we come out of this desert experience we will come out stronger and more resilient than we every did going into the desert. If you aren't sure if you ever made a decision to accept this Savior who died for all mankind, you can be assured through this simple salvation prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
If after you said this prayer, you may hunger to get to know this Savior better. I encourage you to find a church where you can receive God's message to refresh your soul and give you the desire to read the word of God. One place I call home is this church my wife and I have belonged to for over 30 years. New hope Church
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. Deuteronomy 18:10-14
I watched the final night of the Republican convention with President Trump giving his acceptance speech. I heard more testimonies from people who appreciated what President Trump had done in his first 4 years in office. Each one described President Trump as a man who knows how to get things done. He admitted that his style is different from other candidates, but he gets things done. President Trump believes we need strong law enforcement.
Within blocks of the White house were trained Marxist trained BLM protesters demanding that our President step down. They looked menacingly dressed in black and carrying BLM signs.
As I did some research on the Black Lives Matter movement I discovered that the founders of this movement were 'trained in Marxism'. I also discovered that this organization was able to put together a school curriculum that trains our children as young as kindergarten how to protest at Black Lives Matters events, usually following a police shooting.
I also discovered that the founders of BLM, Alisa Garza and Patrisse Cullers not only are trained Marxists, but they use mediums to call and communicate with the dead. At most of these BLM driven protests, they will incite the protesters they dispatched to those cities to 'say the name of the dead black person over and over again as though their name has some magical power.
Ladies and gentleman, this is clearly divination and witchcraft. The bible clearly cautions us not to communicate with our deceased loved ones. In one of our grief share groups we talk about the danger of going to mediums and communicate with our deceased loved one.
The more I learn about the BLM organization the more I see it as a Marxist driven ideology that wants to overthrow our Government. Think about it for a second.
In each city BLM goes to they demand the defunding of our police departments and with that the security and protection of the local residences.
If they are successful at the dismantling of these police forces it makes it so much easier for these Marxists driven protesters to get away with the destruction and mayhem of our American history with the destruction of national monuments, religious artifacts and the places of worship that have brought comfort to many through time.
If they are allowed to get away with this psychologically disturbing ideology it is only a matter of time before they are successful with implementing a new totalitarian government where identities are stripped and the right to private ownership of property is abolished. BLM has successfully infiltrated their ideology into the Democratic party platform with this statement: In a 2015 interview with Jared Ball of the Real News Network, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors described herself and fellow co-founder Alisa Garza as “trained Marxists” who are “are super-versed on, sort of, ideological theories.”
“I think that what we really tried to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many black folk,” she explained.
Moreover, according to Axios.com, Cullors is moving beyond a voluntary model for organizing to now orchestrating the forced adoption of the Black Lives Matter political agenda into the platform of presidential candidate Joe Biden.
During a July 27 virtual committee meeting for the Democratic National Convention, Cullors, who is a Bernie Sanders supporter, called for “sea changes our movement recommended for the 2020 Democratic platform.” Among the changes she is seeking is a plank in the party platform advocating for the BREATHE Act, which includes defunding the police. So it is correct when President Trump said that Joe Biden will go soft on law enforcement. I recommend that everyone of you contact your congressman/or woman and demand that they do not support the BREATH Act by voting to defund our police. As Christian's, we are called by God to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, the perfecter of our faith. In John 14:6 we are reminded by Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." This is a reminder that we are not to have any involvement in sorcery, divination , calling up the name of the dead person, or witchcraft. We need to see that hell is a very real place for those who do choose to cry out and worship the dead person. My wife served in Haiti for several years and she remembers how rapidly the country went downhill when President Pa Pa Doc began communicating with the dead. Satan continues to have a heavy grip on Haiti and this alone should remind America what is in store for us if we forget the name of the Lord our God.
We need to see that heaven is a very real place for those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ and according to Hebrews 12:2, "2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Here are some things we need to do to prepare us for this spiritual warfare that is ahead of us.
(1) pray and fast. In Matthew 6:16-18 are these words, "“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
(2) Confess to God the times you might have invoke the name of a loved one, or made any attempt to communicate with them through the use of a medium, or going to a BLM protest and following the lead of the activist to "say his name over and over again as though it were to invoke some magical power.
(3) Take down any BLM signs you may have in your yard, on your car, or in your home and recognize that we all were created in the image of God.
(4) start a regular bible reading program and start meeting with other believers in social distancing small groups and regularly pray for each other for God to provide you with the inner strength to weather the spiritual darkness in the days ahead.
(5) When you vote you must consider the worldview of the person who is running. There are many counterfeits that may seem like they are benevolent, but when you did deep like I did when I examine the founders of BLM you may see the spiritual darkness of the candidate that is running. We must stop any attempts of including their false ideology into the party platform, or become law in our land.
(6) Pray for our law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of this spiritual warfare. Did you know that our police have the highest suicide rates, highest chemical dependency problems? It isn't difficult to see that when you consider the dark and depraved situations they have to go into. I am reminded of when the World trade towers collapse that just as the worker's in those buildings were running from the mayhem and instant death, it was our police and fire officers that ran into the mayhem.
In 2 Peter 3:9 I am reminded by these words from the message bible, "Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change."
In the coming days look for opportunities to share with others that are struggling with the BLM ideology and share with them how God loves them so much that He has a wonderful plan for their lives and then help them to pray the salvation prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
The bottom line is that we are not as racist as the BLM folks would like us to believe. They have come to divide this nation. This is a Marxist driven organization that is bent on destroying our country. Remember, we are all created in the image of God who must not have any thing to do with sorcery, witchcraft or communicating in a trance with the dead by calling their name in repetition.
If you are struggling with a pain loss of a loved one, I encourage you to the grief share.org website and find a 13 week group near you. Grief share is a group that will teach you how to go through the pain, not around it. Grief share.
Below, I have included a video from a friend who use to live in the Soviet Union who wants everyone to see the truth behind the Marxist ideology. As you watch this ask yourself, 'is this something you want for America? My guess you will shake your head and say no.
My wife and I attended the 7:15 showing of 'I still believe', a story of Jeremy Camp's anguish and healing after his wife lost her battle to cancer. As I watched, I realized how refreshing it was to see a man's emotions so easily displayed after loss occurs. Jeremy met his first wife, Melissa, at college. He was drawn to her for her faith and desire to be a witness to others for Christ. Fast forward many months and now Melissa is Jeremy's fiance. She is in the audience of one of his concerts not long after they received the news of her cancer. He asked if everyone would lift their hands toward Melissa to pray for her healing. Several months later they received the news the cancer remission. They planned a wedding and were married in a beach ceremony conducted by Jeremy's dad. They went on the honeymoon with no unexpected issues, but toward the end of their honeymoon Melissa began feeling an ache in her stomach. When they returned to their home and saw the wedding gifts and the welcome home signs Melissa's symptoms began to get worse until she asked that her husband bring her to the hospital. Jeremy would find out from the doctor that her cancer had spread though out her body and their was little hope for her survival. Jeremy stayed by her side until the very end and watched the hospital staff unplugged the machines that monitored her vital signs.
"I Still Believe"
Scattered words and empty thoughts
seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
seems I don't know where to start
but it's now that I feel Your grace falls like rain
from every fingertip, washing away my pain
The only place I can go is into your arms where I throw to you my feeble prayers in brokenness I can see that this was your will for me Help me to know You are near
I suppose Jeremy was questioning the goodness of God and wondered why God allowed this to happen to a young woman he loved and wanted to spend every day with her? I suppose his mind went back to the concert with thousands of people praying and lifting their hands toward Melissa and the healing that shortly would happen with the help of the medical community?
I could relate to the very emotions Jeremy was experiencing when my 10 year old daughter, Maria died the first night home from the hospital where she had had successful surgery for better alignment of her hip, back and knee. My mind went back to the kid's prayer team at our church when a prayer blanket was laid across Maria as 20 kid's laid hands on her for her healing. I remembered being so angry with God when she never woke up for my wife to check on her that first night. My anger filled many pages of my journal and later in a blog until one day my anger was gone. My book, 'A fathers grief from anger to forgiveness after the loss of my daughter was the result of the completion of my journey.
Jeremy Camp was so angry with God that he smashed his prized guitar his dad had given him breaking it into a hundreds of pieces. He laid on the floor crying out his anguish. Jeremy looked across the floor and discovered in the midst of the broken strings and broken pieces of that guitar were journal writings from Melissa. As he read each one a little smile would begin to be evident. One journal writing asked him to pick up his guitar again. He knew he had smashed this guitar, but across the room was his other one he had for many years, and so he began playing and composing a song in honor of his loved one.
After one concert a woman sought him out after recognizing who he was at the concert. He learned that she was in that same hospital that Melissa was in and told him that she came to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because of Melissa's conversation with her Her name was Adrienne and in time she became his wife.
Jeremy learned as I also learned that God is a good God even when the unthinkable happens to us. The bible talks about grieving with hope. There is this hope because of Jesus death and resurrection from the cross. His death enabled all of us to come to God. His death gives us a new hope that when each of us takes our final breath on this side of the veil that we would take our first breath in heaven, but God gives us free will to make that decision.
You can be assured of your own eternal destiny simply by praying these words: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
If you say those words with heartfelt compassion I assure you like Melissa and my daughter Maria you will awaken in this new place called heaven once your mission on earth is fulfilled.
If you are in pain after a loss of someone special in your life, I would encourage you to sign up for this 13-week Grief share group which is design to teach you how to go through the pain, not around it. https://www.griefshare.org
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Everyone I've spoken to about sudden loss will say that they were caught off guard when their loved one died. Never in their wildest dreams did they realize that losing someone they loved was even possible. Most would assume that their loved one would live as long as they do, and when the call comes in the middle of the night informing them of their death they are thrust into a state of shock and hysteria. For many people this shock and hysteria may last for months and in some cases years to recover. The days and weeks in the beginning will seem like they were zombies as they walk aimlessly through life.
I heard many stories that once they reached their driving destinations they suddenly wonder how they got there. Shock will do that to a person and in some cases can lead to a fatal car accident. This is one reason why each of us have to process our emotional pain after a loss occurs. We can do this by finding trusted listeners willing to climb in the muck and mire of the pain and truly listen to your story until one day the emotional impact of that story becomes less painful.
The bible teaches us that because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for each of us and by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior that not only will he dwell in you forever, but when you take your final breath on this earth he will accompany you to Heaven, your new forever home. It will be in heaven that you will see your loved one again. Some have asked why can't I just go there now? To which my response is as long as you have breath you still have a purpose to lead others to the Savior. I encourage you to bookmark this video and watch it together with a unsaved friend, praying they may see their need for God and invite him in at the end of the video.
For those who struggle with grief and loss I encourage you to go to this website and sign up for a grief share group near you. This 13 week group will teach you how to go through he pain, not around it. https://griefshare.org
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that the Corona Virus is simply just a really bad flu, or to believe that this was political entrapment on the part of one political party against the other so they will win the Presidential election. In this video I was struck by the isolation in all the countries of the world- the empty highways, few pedestrians, and empty shopping malls. As my attention turned to the hospitals treating the victims of corona virus I had tears that fell down my cheeks at the sight of the oxygen bubbles, the vital machines, and in one scene a doctor performing CPR on a patient that was flat lining. Still in other scenes I watched with amazement as doctors and nurses were praying for God's intervention.
Then I heard a Pew research which suggested that fewer people were watching online church services as this pandemic stretches on. Regardless, our God continues to be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I remember a friend telling me that this pandemic will separate those who are merely 'playing church' from those who's faith remains strong in the face of the pandemic. My faith in Jesus Christ stands on solid ground. It originates to the salvation decision I made as a 18 year high school senior at a time, like today, was filled with uncertainty and anxiety. Like it says in Joshua 24:15, "15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
I learned that the God I worship is worth serving when times are good and in times that are horrendously bad like the current pandemic we find ourselves in.
If you are having doubts about your faith, pray and ask God to give you that assurance and strength to get through these challenging days. If you are not sure you know Christ as your living savior, then take a few moments and pray this prayer to God.
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.[20] Once you have finished that prayer read the Gospel of John followed by all of the other gospels- for in those gospels your faith will be strengthen. Finally, start a regular bible reading session while keeping notes on what you have read. I encourage you to watch a on line church service to strengthen your soul. One Church that has the on line service is New Hope Church at this link: https://newhopechurchmn.org
As you begin your faith journey, you will discover that our God is truly an amazing God!
I love to listen to people's stories. I could do this every day and never get bored because if they have a story then something, good or bad, profoundly impacted them in such a way that it left a indelible mark in their life to want to share it with others. The stories I'm especially drawn to are the ones where profound loss occurred. We live in a time where it seems these types of stories are more prevalent in the lives of people. As I listen to those stories, I'm reminded that few of us are equipped with the tools to navigate through grief as losses occur.
I was reminded in a dream a loss that profoundly effected the families who lived in the Ford road/18th street neighborhood of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. There was a family who lived on the corner with a little boy named Danny. Danny was the same age as my younger brother. They were both in early elementary school. I have memories of my younger brother playing with Danny either at our house or at Danny's home until one day my parents received a phone call letting our family know that their son, Danny, died last night. We would soon learn that Danny died from Meningitis. Like my daughter Maria, his death was sudden without any warning they could have grabbed onto that would have saved his life.
It is these sudden losses that leave a permanent mark on the brains of people who suffer them. As a community we need to do a better job at communicating empathy to bereaved people. Rather than saying "I'm so sorry for your loss and walking away," sit down with them and listen, really listen to the anguish of their pain for this is what bereaved people need from you.
As we go through this life our brains become a storage vault of our pain. This is my story, this is my song, is a reminder of Jesus Christ precious love for each of us. Your story becomes your platform of sharing how God carried you through the losses of your life.
If you are processing a pain so deep from a sudden loss I encourage you to look at a 13 week group called Grief share. Grief share will teach you the skills of how to go through pain rather than simply burying it in the ground. https://www.griefshare.org
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ... Psalm 71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, “'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.”
I was thinking the other day about the changes we have seen through this present pandemic- changes in the way we eat out, avoiding large crowds, and in the way we do business.
For someone like myself, I lament over the passing of the things that brought me comfort and a sense of normalcy. I want things to be just the way they were when I was a child when my parents would take me shopping or a sit down restaurant- it made me feel special when I could order off the menu.
I lament not having professional sports to watch in person. I lament not being able to see a movie at a large theater with it's state of the art surround sound and their delicious popcorn.
When I read and watch things about the 1918 Spanish influenza I see major differences between then and now. In 1918 Government wasn't being truthful regarding the seriousness of the Spanish flu- they didn't want anything to interfere with the war effort when they permitted large war effort parades.
Today, we have the World Health organization given us as much information we need to survive the corona virus pandemic, but for some people they would rather listen to the conspiracy theories that in the end will kill more people.
There are 3 things that will save us and bring us through the pandemic alive: (1) social distancing at least 6 feet, (2) washing ones hands frequently while not touching one's face, (3) wearing a face mask when in a public place like shopping or in church.
As a Christian, I have the hope of knowing Jesus Christ that we will get through this pandemic safely and alive- but we must listen to the truth from the CDC and World health organization. If we all adhere to these guidelines, I believe things will eventually return to normal, our businesses will open and thrive, and the things we use to enjoy like spectator sports and theatrical events will once again return. Until then, continue to keep the faith while connecting with loved ones by phone or social media.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
This morning instead of watching the online church service we decided to dress up and attend the in person service at New Hope Church. As always, I was incredibly blessed by another well placed sermon on my heart.
The topic was on fear and over the last several months with the daily accounting of Corona virus cases, cases hospitalized and death cases, all of us have become so overwhelmed by this tiny little virus that we essential stop living.
We forget that before the corona virus there were other viruses that effected some people more severely than others, but we never considered not enjoying life. We shelter in place so that the impact and the unknown of this virus keeps us from considering enjoying and living our lives as we did before the onset.
In a sense, the virus fears have caused us to stop living. The lyrics of this song remind me that because we are children of God we have little to be afraid of in life. The song makes reference just as the scriptures reminds us that God parted the red sea so that we can walk right through it. When the Hebrews saw the red sea parting they felt over whelming dread as the approaching army came closer to them, but they also saw the promised land on the other side while being over whelmed with fear that they will drown at if the water comes crashing down on them.
Our Pastor made reference to the Psalms which are filled with many of David's fears as God reminded him to place those fears his hands and trust Him.
From this message I learned that I cannot stop living because of the unknown of this virus. Yes, I can practice the social distancing, the hand washing and wearing a mask when in places where I might sing or where social distancing isn't possible, but I cannot stop living and enjoying the beauty of this country.
Our friend Paul loved building grand pianos.While he wasn't real gifted with hands in his earthly body when he got to heaven he quickly realize that he could do things in his new heavenly body he could never do in the earthly one. Since he always loved the sound the piano which was likely the result of going to his children's piano recitals, or listening to them play the moment he reentered the home after a day at the office he knew he wanted his job in heaven to be one where he made these masterpieces of sound.
Paul took a break from his work making his way out doors where he could listen to the crisp sounds of the song birds forever chirping it's melody as though they were playing their version of a piano piece. Paul waved to his little friends in the distance as they climbed the trees he learned previously they could never climb in their earthly existence because of a physical infirmity. His young friends waved back to him while doing amazing acrobatic tricks in the tree like hanging upside down from a high tree branch or walking on a tree branch like the guy he remembers walking across the Grand Canyon on a thin wire with nothing but his out stretched arms to balance him.\
He took in the view of the colorful waterfall in the distance as it careened down the jutted rock surface. His eyes took in the beautiful flowers that bloomed all year round with it's rich aroma of fragance that were a smorgasbord for his senses. He heard church bells in the distance that reminded him that a new arrival was having his or her own heavenly home coming
He watched people hanging welcome home banners and blowing up balloons to welcome them. On this side of heaven there was a lot celebrating when someone enters this place. There was no mourning, no crying, no grief on this side. Paul often wished loved ones on earth could get a glimpse into this place like a kid looking through a knot hole at a baseball game he couldn't afford to see. Maybe those who were still alive in their earthly bodies would be more fervent in sharing their faith with friends and family around them.
Paul knew from talking to Jesus that just as Jesus came to him the day he died Jesus would speak to his friends and family in ways that can only be thought of as a miracle. He could imagine that his earthly wife would be fully engaged in life and attending bible studies at church and using the loss of her earthly husband to lead others to Christ. Paul knew there was no better impact in presenting the gospel than to remind people that everyone of us will have to stand in the judgement seat and being accountable for every thought, word and deed and just when they feel the most helpless and fearful of their fate they are reminded that Jesus took their place in this judgement seat.
Paul thought of his son and the impact he is having on his high school friends and wondered if any of them came to a new found faith because of his little sister's and his dad's homecoming. A little yellow song bird landed on his head at that moment which was common in this place. Heaven was a place where wild life freely roamed and where there was no fear of getting bitten.
Straight ahead he noticed a group of people gathering around a small group of musicians. As he got closer he noticed it was one of the many small informal worship groups singing wonderful praise songs to God. As he walked closer he heard the song as it came out of the mouths of believers: "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
Paul knew those lyrics. Every time he sang that melody he was reminded of the moment he came to Christ and how it had been at a Billy Graham Crusade that his parents took him too. He remembers hearing a powerful message presented by Reverend Graham which was followed by a testimony of a professional athlete who had come to Christ.
So moved was he that he could barely retain himself when Mr. Graham asked the people to come to the front no matter where you were in that stadium. He was just barely 10 at the time and when the invitation was made he remembers looking back at mom and dad and how they both encouraged him to go forward by walking with him in this God filled moment.
As he remembered that moment tears streamed down his eyes.'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed. This time he sang those words along with the hundred's who had gathered at this impromptu time of worship. This was by far his favorite time in heaven.
Heaven was a place where fear never reigns and where men, woman and children didn't have to worry for their safety like they did on earth. Heaven was a place of calm, a place of harmonious living. Not the harmonious living that the New Age religion espouses with it's incense burning and mantra chanting. The kind of living that is only made possible because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Heaven was a place where celebrations were common when a new person made their entrance here. If only their loved ones could see them now, but then he reminds himself that is why the Church exists on earth. That is why everyday men and woman are called to serve as Pastors and teachers of the word to feed those who are hungry to know Christ more. When the worship is done for the moment Paul makes his way back to his shop taking a longer cut by a meandering stream with it's water that is so crystal clear and sweet smelling and where he could see fish swimming along as though they were going the same direction as him. He saw his piano shop and noticed that his three friends were waiting for him. He waved toward them and picked up his pace to see them. That was another day in heaven with our friend Paul.
The end of the Pandemic Unemployment checks has arrived and now the growing rate of homelessness will increase unless we can find some way of providing affordable housing and open up the economy so all people can resume working. As one homeless woman said, "these are not bad people, but people who fell on hard times." I can see both sides of the pandemic. On the one side is a virus that destroys lives and on the other side, I see that this country is built on the backs of working men and woman, and when they are forced out of their jobs to prevent the virus from spreading chaos and homelessness results.
Before this pandemic there was homelessness, but now we have a even bigger problem with the deserted office buildings and the out of work with no place to go. When Mayor Frei was asked, he responded that we have a plan to address the affordable housing issue, but when he was asked about the problem with homeless mental health issues he didn't respond.
When I watched this video, I felt overwhelmed by the problem of homelessness and the violence it brings to the city street- a city I always admired for it's theater district, it's vitality, and it's beauty. Now, when I look at Minneapolis I see a city on life support, in need of immediate care.
Please pray for Minneapolis and all of the other metropolitan cities that now must deal with the problem of homelessness, the unemployed, the violence and now must search for solutions to the problem,
As one woman said, "these are good people who fell on hard times ( caused by the collapse of the local economic climate and the pandemic)
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded 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.”
Have you ever walked on the beach where you had this sensation of sinking into sand? I know I have and I remembered the feeling I got when I finally made it back on solid ground. As I watch the daily accounts of the Corona virus I reflect on how my faith and belief in the risen savior, Jesus Christ, has helped me to weather this storm, just as it had with all of the things of the past- things like the Viet Nam war, Watergate, the riots of the 1960's, gas wars of the 70's and several conflicts in the middle east that cost more lives.
As I think about those things, my mind goes back to the late spring evening in 1974 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord of my life and how God orchestrated the events to encourage and make me stronger as a believer. It has been said that the bible is the handbook for all humankind. To claim those words of truth which has been tested in time ultimately results in a firm foundation. Matthew 7 talks about the rains and the flood which swept the house built on sand away. In some ways, the corona virus is a metaphorical flood. It ravishes the land as it takes innocent peoples lives.
God had a plan when he decided to send his own son, Jesus, to pay for the penalty of mankind's sin and to die on our behalf as a sacrificial lamb just so that we have an opportunity to be close to God. For those of us who personally knows this Savior, how many of us have felt the holy spirit whisper of things we needed to hear from God? This voice is as thought we have the living savior walking beside us like the good shepherd tending to his sheep. God wants us all to feel secure and safe on a solid foundation of God's word so that whatever happens to us in this life we will always feel the hope of Christ!
Where is your spiritual house built? Is it built on a forever changing worldview depending on your mood of the day, or is it built on a faith decision you made declaring Jesus as your Savior and Lord. You can know for certain simply by opening the door to your heart and acknowledging that you cannot save yourself based on your accumulated good deeds, but Christ alone. The decision you made will assure that your spiritual house will remain standing through the future floods.
