For some reason the world has left the living Savior Jesus Christ out of the equation for the problems of the world

 

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13: 12-17  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013%3A1-17&version=NIV

Back in the 1990's there was a God-ordained men's movement that if it had been kept alive would have resulted in the greatest revival of this great nation and the world we live in.  Men's lives were being changed. Marriages were being restored. Men were swearing off the demon drink and staying home to spend time with their families. Married and single men were radically changing their lives by reading the Holy Scriptures we now know is the love letter for man kind.  Through the seed of one salvation, families were being restored and healed when the deep emotional hurts finally are confessed to their living Savior Jesus Christ.  What I know from my life is that the moment I prayed that salvation prayer in the late winter months of 1974, Jesus came into my heart to be with me and to help me through life's problems, and problems there were from the oil crisis of that year, to Watergate, to rumors of war in the middle east to the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, to the world trade towers collapse at the hands of the middle eastern terrorists, to the present pandemic. 

The founder of Promise Keeper's had a vision that if man's life can be radically changed from the inside, then God can changed wives, girlfriends, their children and then He can change the world. 

I remember around that time the Minneapolis Star and Tribune running a series of articles around the time of the PK men's moment that essentially crucified the movement by saying  it was a movement that was determined to keep woman in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.  The National organization of Woman were strongly oppose to anything PK had to offer and they relentlessly attacked the very heart of the men ( and woman) who were behind this movement of God. 

It appears to me that whenever the Church attempts to offer a solution to a unsolvable problem, the news media attacks it. Fast forward and now we have the great pandemic where people are told that Churches are dangerous places to go because there are 'asymptomatic' people who could give you the virus and 'kill you' or your senior citizen. We're told to only watch Church services on-line, but for heavens sake do not go to church. We are told that singing is bad and will cause a super spreading of the virus.

Once again, the news media has done a splendid job shutting out the Church even though it is the only solution we have for the nation's and the world's problems.

In the summer of 2020 we witnessed racial justice riots throughout the country and the world, all in the name of George Floyd.  Out of the ashes of these riots rose the Black Lives Matter, global organization which is anything but 'Christian'.  Somehow the media has nothing to say about a global Marxist organization that would love nothing better to do but kill the Church and see God's people killed. 

In this same newspaper I referenced I had several letters to the editors that were censored and rewritten so as to not offend the unbeliever's out there.   In one letter where I wrote of the importance of father's taking responsibility and be the father and husband they needed to be, the editor wanted me to be more gender neutral- thus destroying the message I was trying to relay.

I now realized that the National and local news media is behind the scathing attacks on Christian's through such organizations as NOW, BLM, global.  

My message to the news media are these words from Joshua 4:15, 'As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.'  I know from my salvation prayer I cited in 1974 that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and He alone is the secret to changing the world when very bad things happen.  https://biblehub.com/nlt/hebrews/13.htm

Just as Wellington Boone illustrated in this message at a Promise Keeper's conference changing the world first begins changing the heart for when we change our hearts toward God then we can changed the world around us and when the world sees us washing each other's feet they will see that Jesus Christ is relevant for a world in search for the reconciliation of the soul.  

Jesus Christ is the answer for the problems we are facing today.  If you want to be inspired I encourage you to watch many of the Promise Keeper's messages that are on Youtube.  

Revivals start with a heart felt decision to receive Jesus into your life.  Won't you pray this prayer from where you are sitting? 

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. If you said this prayer, please tell someone like a friend or Pastor. Then, begin knowing your Savior Jesus Christ by reading the Gospel of John from a bible source that is easy for you to understand. I personally like the New International Version for the way the words flow. Finally, grab a notebook and go on a 30 day journaling adventure and begin writing down the things that have touched your heart and your soul.


Revival begins one heart at a time. Jesus Christ wants to use you to revive others around you.

In these pandemic and uncertain times God continues to be my refuge and my shelter

But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,
For You have been my refuge
And a place of refuge on the day of my distress.
17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my refuge, the [t]God who shows me favor. Psalm 59

This morning I woke up early unable to sleep due to contemplating the evil that is in this world.  I had this impression that America has lost it's first love for Christ and to follow him like they did before the onset of this pandemic. There are so many distractions today that take one's mind off of the deep and more important Spiritual things of the soul.  

There are families today that are divided into pathways of evil and pathways of righteousness. One member decides to waste their life's savings away gambling while the other member pursues a life of knowing Christ through the daily devotion to the word of God.  One member begins drinking and doing drugs excessively with occasional trips to the emergency room when a health crisis occurs while bringing other members into this drama. 

Unresolved trauma is often at the heart of the spiritual crisis of the soul. The moment we lose a loved one we perceive as an injustice we begin to build thick callouses toward God. We blame God for the cruelty in this world. We pull ourselves away from God, drifting aimlessly on a silent and stormy and shark-infested sea without God's guidance we had before we rejected Him.  Alone and frightened, we drift not knowing when our demise will come.  Occasionally, we look afar and see well-lit lighthouses of hope. We want to drift toward those, but we cannot get past our anger and resentment toward God for the injustices that happened to us.  Some of us become so stressed from this internal war of the soul that we begin smoking, drinking, or doing drugs or for the purpose of trying to get rid of the pain that lurks in us- we just want this pain to stop.  There are some who are drifting aimlessly who suddenly realize that they need to give Jesus a second chance and so they drift toward those lighthouses of hope; while still others continue to stew in their hatred and rebellion until death overtakes them when their unchecked blood sugars, off the chart high blood pressure causes them to go into a cardiac arrest.

Regardless of what trauma or loss had occurred in your life, Jesus wants to be your life

preserver and lighthouse of hope. 

When God sent His son to earth 2000 years ago, He did so to show you the way through this uncertain life.

Just as I did so in the early spring of 1974, I encourage you to invite Jesus Christ into your heart by opening the door of your heart and letting him come in. I assure you that just as I did  Jesus will come into your life to give you peace and assurance that the world can never give you. 

Jesus is the reason we celebrate the Christmas season.

  

Christmas time for most of us is a time of mixed feelings as we think about those we have lost in the past years

 

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28

The year 2020 has been like no other year that I would just assume to forget.  The losses of friends we knew keeps piling  up on top of all of those  other losses which leads to a deeper sense of sadness. That Christmas you remember experiencing with your now deceased parents come flooding back with waves of tears flowing endlessly down your cheeks.  You try to be happy for your own children's sake so their Christmas can be filled with memories to look back on. 

 Each new generation, it seems, has to accept the loss of loved ones so they can move forward making memories with those still among us.  When I was a child, our family celebrated Christmas with the relatives in our mom's home town of Ronneby, Minnesota.  

There was one family that traveled quite a bit on the account of their dad being in the military.  For some reason they did not have gifts for their kids.  Mom took us 3 kids aside and explain their predicament and then mentioned that we can make their Christmas special by giving their parents some of our gifts so they could give to their children. My initial reaction was, "why" as if the selfish part of me wanted all the toys. 

When I look back at that Christmas time, mom and dad taught us a valuable lesson which was it was better to give than to receive. 

As time traveled on I lost more friends and family members. Each new loss brought on a new stream of tears as I remembered the parts they had played in my life.  

The gift we gave to our cousins doesn't compare to the gift that God gave us in the birth of of a baby boy  who would later become the savior of the world.  Today, there are so many people, young and old, crying out for hope in this crazy corona virus world which we will one day know as the great pandemic of 2020.  

It's hard to put your life you have always known it on hold to reduce the community spread of this dangerous virus, but I'm reminded whenever I talk to a emergency room health care worker how dangerous this virus really is  and that we do need to listen to the World Health Organization and the CDC and their recommendations of wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth, social distancing, and washing our hands. 

 These are the things that will keep us all safe until the majority of us can become vaccinated.  For those who continue to be in denial and want to believe the conspiracy theories, all I can say your are putting your lives and the lives of your loved ones at risk.

 I believe the recent development of the vaccine for this virus is in itself another miracle from God.  As one person said in my early morning men 's Zoom meeting, " Entrepreneurship is at it's best when crisis like these occur."  He is right. Since the beginning of this pandemic, our medical community have learn new techniques that have saved the lives of people. Our scientific community also came through with several proven vaccines which will  allow our country to eventually  resume normal activity like we had known before, but we cannot in good conscious let our guard down.

The hope I have this Christmas season is knowing my living and breathing Savior who comforts me through his word. I know that God is with us in this storm, just as He was with his disciples on the stormy sea.  

If you are feeling sad this Christmas season, I encourage you to make a list of the many blessings in your life and then thank God for being there for you during those times.   I encourage you to consider getting involved in a grief share group to help you work through the emotional pain of your grief. Remember, the amount of pain you feel is a reflection of the love you had for the person who died.  https://www.griefshare.org/

I heard the bells on Christmas day

 

In the midst of it all, Longfellow did what he did best – he wrote these lyrics:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Everyone of us need to hear news of hope, encouragement and good news about the coming vaccine....we need something to help us hang on.

 I saw this article in the Star Tribune which was a reminder to all of us of the importance that good, positive news and music play in our lives.  For once, I would love to hear the Minnesota health department bring up some positive news about what they are learning about the virus and the approaching news of a promising vaccine.  Today, the first of the Vaccines are being administered.  As one front line nurse who received her dose said, " I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  If enough people get the vaccination then the pandemic is dead. Today, I want to pay tribute to the life of this 33-year-old young woman, a gifted musician, who brought joy to many people with her music. I know that music will always be with us and we are blessed to have talented musicians among us- I look forward to seeing musical concerts again.

Violinist Leah Ottman, who played with many Twin Cities musicians, dies at 33

By Rochelle Olson Star Tribune
DECEMBER 15, 2020 — 5:30AM


Leah Ottman

As a 5-year-old, Leah Ottman heard an instrument she liked while listening to her parents' classical music and told her mother she wanted to learn to play "that one."

She began taking violin lessons using the Suzuki method, launching a passion for music that would continue until her unexpected death Dec. 2 at the age of 33. Family members said she had not been ill and her death was being investigated.

"Leah touched an enormous part of the Twin Cities music community," singer-songwriter Dessa said. "She collaborated widely and across the musical spectrum."

Dessa and Ottman, who used the stage name LOTT, shared a wall as neighbors in an Uptown apartment building, which meant trading apologies for late-night rehearsals, borrowing a printer or Wi-Fi and leaving each other notes or small gifts. During the pandemic, the two performed concerts while socially distanced in the hallway, Ottman on the violin and Dessa singing.

A classically trained musician, Ottman's uncommon range and her facility for improvisation were noted in the outpouring on social media after her death. TPT posted condolences and a video of her performing "With the Reply" for the "Pandemic Performances" web series.

Ottman was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted by Tom and Mary Ottman of Blaine, the second of five children and the first of four adoptees in the family. She studied ballet, set records as a swimmer at Andover High School and played in the Northern Symphony Orchestra alongside her teachers. She attended Bethel University in Arden Hills on a partial musical scholarship and graduated with degrees in communications and music in 2009.

"Leah had this charisma about her that she was never aware of," her mother said.

Ottman also had a range of interests, lots of tattoos and a warm, sassy personality. Friends and family recalled her devotion to Patsy Cline, Poliça and the Green Bay Packers.

Poliça was among the numerous notable Twin Cities artists with whom Ottman recorded or performed, including We are the Willows, Jeremy Messersmith, Jacob Pavek, FOG, Andrew Bird, Mark McGee and Rogue Valley. She joined Father John Misty on stage when he headlined Rock the Garden in 2018, and made the City Pages "Best Of" list in 2015 and 2016 for acoustic performer and vocalist.

Ottman worked in advertising sales for a while at City Pages, where she met Caitlin Sweeney, a fellow violinist. For a couple of years, she had a regular gig accompanying the University of Minnesota Dance program at practice.

Sweeney said Ottman juggled multiple jobs to pay the bills. "She just hustled," Sweeney said. "Leah was not the person to say no to opportunities."

After Sweeney moved to New York a few years ago, Ottman became a regular visitor, timing trips to coincide with Poliça performances. Sweeney said Ottman seamlessly folded into New York life, spending the day with friends or in an impromptu busking session.

Knowing Sweeney's love of pandas, Ottman once was unable to resist buying her an ugly ceramic figurine with bulging eyes, saying, "I'm sorry you're going to have to hold onto this." Sweeney laughed at the memory: "Seven years later it's still on my desk."

Messersmith said Ottman's skills and ability to improvise live were staggering. "She was incredibly irreverent and just a fierce advocate for herself," he said, describing with a laugh the time he asked her to play with him on a project. Her reply: "Yeah, what are you going to pay me?"

In addition to her parents, Ottman is survived by her sister, Jessica, of Minneapolis, and brothers Gabriel and Aaron, both of Blaine, and Michael of Winona, Minn. Services have been held.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747




Rochelle Olson is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune. Olson has been on the quick strike team for three years, writing about a wide variety of topics. She specializes in the intersection of sports, business and culture.

raolson@startribune.com 612-673-1747 rochelleolson