Smile!

It makes the soul happy.

Is That Thunder?

With warm weather trying to make its way into southern Michigan the threat of spring storms increase. In fact just a few days ago we had a very brief thunderstorm, the first of the year. The kids had been in bed for about ten minutes and were starting to drift off into peaceful sleep when BOOOOM! the whole house shock with the sound of thunder. Just then sounds of little feet pounded on the stairs as three fearful boys came running. They were soon followed by the girls and we all huddled on the couch waiting for the storm to pass.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It freezes the deer in the middle of the road, causes bulls to stampede, and teenage boys to loose hours of sleep trying to get up the courage to ask that girl out on a date. Fear triggers the fight or flight response in humans and animals. It causes us not to think correctly and can make us do things that are next to impossible for a "normal" human. Fear is a powerful thing that, when used correctly, can keep us from danger. However, if our fears are preyed upon we are easily mislead and can fall victim to many things.

Over the last few months I have sensed a rise in the fear level both in the church and in the community. Many people fear the loss of retirement plans, homes, and jobs for good reason.
The winter months bring the fear of getting sick or slipping on the ice for young and old alike. Just this week I ministered to several people who, for various reasons, have been gripped with overwhelming fear over past sins and how those sins effected their relationship with God. It is disheartening to see all of life's joy taken away by this overwhelming sense of fear.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation who shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold in my life of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) The psalmist asks these questions with the understanding that in faith a Christian is able to answer through faith in Christ we fear nothing. Sin, death, and the devil have lost all power and fear through Christ on the cross. Even the uncertainties of this life loose the fear that is easily attracted to them, because in faith we know that God is in control of all things. There will always be storms in life and the thunder and lightening will rumble and flash. Fears in life will come, but they need not overcome us. Through Jesus we have the power to take control of our fears, leaving them at Jesus' feet and letting Him take over.

As the first spring storm passed by, it was special to see the children fall back into peaceful sleep. Their fear of storms still there, but knowing that He who watches over them is stronger than their fear. If only we adults could learn from children to put our hope and trust in Jesus so easily and rest in peace leaving our fears in Jesus hands.

"Dust you are and to dust you shall return."

Normally these words are spoken at the graveside committal of a Christian reminding everyone present of our mortality. These words take us back to the garden and Adam's sin and fall from grace. There God promised if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he and Eve would die. Through Satan's tempting they ate and even though it was hundreds of years later, the bible records for us the death of Adam. And it has been the same with every human born since, because dust we are and to dust we shall return.

Yet, in our busy American lives how often do we pause and contemplate our own death's? How many of us have created wills, discussed end of life issues with our children, or even made arrangements for our funerals with a funeral director or pastor? The truth of the matter is that not many of us have done any of these things for a variety of reasons. I believe the biggest is that we don't want to admit to ourselves that one day we will die. Then the church thrusts into our lives a day that forces us to think about our own deaths. This day, Ash Wednesday, can be very depressing if it is not understood in its proper context.

On Ash Wednesday Christians gather in church and after a time of personal reflection, come to God's altar and humbly kneel and receive God's verdict upon our lives. "Dust you are and to dust you shall return"... a pronouncement of our own sins. A connection of our own lives to Adam's fall and our own deaths. Yet, the pastor does not place the ashes on in any old manner. Like the words, there is meaning in the ashes. They are taken from the Palm branches used on Palm/Passion Sunday the previous year, reminding us of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The ashes are applied to the forehead in the shape of cross reminding us that even though we may die, we have life through Jesus death and resurrection. They are placed upon the forehead taking the baptized back to their own baptisms were, through water and the Word, they were marked as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

On Ash Wednesday the season of Lent begins and for many it is a time of deep personal and spiritual reflection. I would encourage everyone to take these 40 days and think about you own mortality. Make arrangements with family, funeral directors, and pastors for your funeral. Think about the legacy of faith that you are leaving behind for your family. But most of all, remember the cross of Christ has the final word. For dust you are and to dust you shall return.... And through faith in Christ you shall live again.

Bread from Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

4th Petition to the Lord's Prayer.

With the current economic trends and all the debate over the billions of dollars in the new stimulus package, many of us are still unsure of what tomorrow will bring. Layoffs, unemployment,and economic slowdown still threaten those of us stuck in the middle. When will this change? When will the good times return? Or will they ever?

Like many of you, I think about these things as I go over my own bills and ponder how I will be able to afford college and all the stuff that is just around the corner for my family. In fact last week I woke up and could not go back asleep because my mind kept racing around all the possible scenarios. Worried, depressed, overwhelmed, and very tired I did the only thing that seems to help me in a time like this, I prayed. And as laid there praying, I made it the Lord's Prayer and stopped on the 4th petition, " Give us this day our daily bread."

There was the answer to all my worries that night. As hard as it is for us as humans, God wishes for us to trust Him for the things we need in life. As I pondered this petition I thought about the children of Israel in the wilderness. How every day God would send manna, heavenly bread, to them in the form of a morning dew. Each day the people would go out and collect just enough for the day. No more, no less. In fact if they did try to gather enough for the next day, the bread would become full of bugs and rot away. The lesson for us today is that God still provides us with daily bread.

The hard part for us is understanding the differences between what we need and what we want. In times like this God has a very gentle way of showing us the important things in life by literally taking away from us the ability to have extra stuff that are really just distractions. And ultimately pointing us back to the the best "bread" that God has provided. Which is not really bread at all, it's Jesus. Jesus calls Himself, "the bread of heaven." Manna from God to feed not the body, but the soul. It is Jesus and our faith in Him that provides all that we need in this life. As Jesus said, " seek first the kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you." I would encourage you this week to say the Lord's Prayer every night and as you come to this petition remember all that the Lord has given you to support your life and your soul with Him forever.

Fingerprints

As I sat down to watch the Superbowl last Sunday, I noticed that all over the screen were dirty little finger prints. There were peanut butter prints, jelly prints, sticky kool-aid prints and yes even some crusty snotty prints (yuck!). At first I was upset that the kids continued to touch the TV after having been told "thousands of time" not to do just that. But trying not to have this little thing ruin family night, I washed off the fingerprints and sat down with the kids for the game.

Then over last few days, I have noticed those same fingerprints everywhere. There are some on the walls, the doors, the windows, on the mirrors, and yes even on my glasses. With five children running around the house it is very hard to keep things clean. Yet, in the quiet moments of life I stop and smile at those fingerprints because, to a father, each of them are special. I can tell, based on size and location, who left what behind. Even the twins leave different fingerprints. God, in His Divine wisdom, has created each person to be different. No two of us are alike. We look different, have different talents, hobbies, and as scientists tell us,we even have different fingerprints.

Where have you left your fingerprints? Is it in the life of a son or daughter? A grandchild or neighbor? Are your fingerprints all over church as you use your gifts and abilities in God's house? I encourage you this week to stop and look at the fingerprints around your house. Marvel and enjoy them for a moment before you wash them away. And if you can, try to leave a few fingerprints of your own in the lives of someone close to you. Let them know you love and care for them.

Fill it up.

For the first time in my life, I said those words at a gas station here in town. I was heading back home from a shut-in call and needed to stop for gas so I stopped at a small BP station. As I stepped out of the car to pump the gas I was greeted by a young man who asked how he could help. Suddenly realizing that this was a full service station, I told the man to fill it up and I got back into my nice warm car. I watched the man pump gas, clean my windows, and lights and I thought how rare this service was in America. The last time I remember being at a full service station was when I was a little boy and watched it all from the back, back seat of the family station wagon.

Why did gas stations stop offering full service? Was it a cost cutting measure? Were people too busy to wait for someone else to pump their gas? It was a pleasant experience to interact with someone in what usually is a solitary activity and in some small way it made my day. I would encourage everyone this week to think about a few ways that you can help fill up someones day with a warm smile, a friendly handshake, or an unexpected offer to help. Maybe these small acts of kindness and self sacrifice will go a long way into making this self serve world a better place.

To Serve and Protect

Today I watched as New York's finest once again ran to the rescue of those who were trapped in a downed plane in the Hudson Bay. As I watched the events unfolding I thought to myself, what emotion would drive someone to risk their own life to save another? Could it be compassion? Wikipedia describes compassion as, " a profound human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering."


This coming Sunday the church celebrates Life Sunday. A time when we remember God has given to each of us life. Yet throughout our lives we are confront by so many different things that threaten to destroy God's gift of life. Sickness, accidents, war, murder, abortion, assisted suicide and so many others attempt to take away that which God has given. This threat does not just exist from the outside. Our own sinful nature continues to tempt us to do things we know are against God's will causing us to sin. In sinning we fall under the God's judgement that declares to each of us that, " wages of sin is death". Who will rescue us from the death that is all around us? The answer can be found in the cross. There on Calvary, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate compassion. Dying so our sins could be forgiven and we can have life.

Keep in your prayers those who were aboard the downed plane and their families, that all may be safe and uninjured. Pray also for those who continue to put their own lives in harm way so we may be safe from evil and harm. And most of all, as you celebrate the life God has given you, be on the lookout for the opportunities God will give you to show compassion to someone and in doing so reflect Jesus' love and life with those around you.