Thanksgiving (before the post-Halloween shift to Christmas)

I know, Thanksgiving is still almost a month off, but as Halloween is only a few days away, we will immediately shift in stores, sales, advertisements, and music to Christmas. I am thankful that Thanksgiving is not highly commercialized, but we all tend to shift gears with the changing of displays in Walmart (or higher end stores if you so desire), and Thanksgiving tends to get skipped.

I was given an advantage yesterday in the Thanksgiving season. I received a call inviting me to speak at the local Bethany Fellowship Thanksgiving's Eve (actually Thanksgiving's Eve's Eve) Service in Jamestown. So I began to think about preparing a message on giving thanks.

So often we approach Thanksgiving with a "let's reflect on what I'm thankful for" attitude. A home, a job, our families, our church, our friends, etc. The more honest kids come up with the list of toys, games, and yummy treats. When we have a list like that, it doesn't necessarily make us 'thankful', because who wouldn't be thankful for something that brings them immediate pleasure? Other times, people will practice thanksgiving by looking at the "it could be worse" side of things. Well, I lost my job, but at least I still have "xxxxxxx". What happens when that thing you cling to is lost?

David often gave thanks in the Psalms. He gave thanks in difficulty. Sometimes after difficulty was resolved, but often in the difficulty itself. Why? Because he knew his God.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
- Psalm 95:2-3

God's Word tells us to give thanks in everything. I can choose to be thankful in lean times because Jehovah Jireh - The Lord provides. I can be thankful in stressful times because Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is my peace. I can be thankful when men revile and persecute me because Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is my banner. I can choose to be thankful in times that make me feel weak and insignificant because the Lord is my strength!

We had a series of years where our vacations brought car trouble. Flat tires, wheel bearing, overheating, . . . In those years God taught me that he was good when things went wrong. People often pray for no mechanical troubles while traveling, but I have learned that Jehovah Jireh applies to providing what we need even when far from home and away from familiar means.

Rather than ask what you are thankful for this year. What will you be thankful for this year? I've been convicted in the area of my schedule, so I plan to be thankful in interruptions because Jehovah-Palm Pilot, The Lord is my Scheduler.

Invisible People

Have you ever noticed how many invisible people there are in the world? Probably not. People are invisible because we fail to notice them. Case in point, this past week in Erie, police discovered the body of a woman, in her home, who had passed away in April. You might think 5 months is a long time for someone not to notice this 'invisible person', and you would be right. Yet this lady passed away in April of 2008. 17 months ago! Her utilities had been turned off, her mail had been returned to sender and they canceled delivery. If she lived in Chautauqua county, her property would have already been listed in the newspaper on the delinquent tax rolls. Her husband had passed away several years before, and with no children of their own, and being among the last of her peers, no one noticed when she simply 'disappeared'.

The shut-ins at church, the elderly neighbors, the people we see week by week but never seem to notice (cashiers, tellers, attendants, etc.) - these are the invisible. They are off our radar, and often out of our thoughts and schedules. Many times, we can be invisible to those around us. We can feel alone even though we interact with many people throughout the day.

I see in scripture that the invisible people in his day were important to Him. Matthew 5 starts out with what we call the beatitudes.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Blessed invisibleness. I guess when we feel invisible, it is good to know that God still knows our name and watches over us. But I also think that there are many blessed people out there that we might not consciously avoid, but maybe we ought to start consciously looking for. It is hard to feel invisible when you can make a difference in someone else's life. Empathizing with someone else helps avoid empathizing with (ie. feeling sorry for) ourself.

Keep looking up! He's coming soon!

Living Up to a Legacy

This past week, a dear friend of our family passed away. He leaves behind a wife, 7 children & their spouses, and 25 grandchildren. I say passed away, but only his body passed away, and he'll get another one of those that doesn't have the limitations that his previous one had. We know from scripture that his spirit has been promoted into the presence of the Lord. He was a godly man and a definite follower of Christ.

The funeral was this past Tuesday, and through the magic of Facebook status updates, pictures, and even some of the words that were said, I was able to enjoy the feeling and content of the funeral. A common theme was that the children desired to live up to the legacy that their father left them. They want to be children that bring honor to their father by living out the faith he lived out and taught them from an early age.

It got me thinking about being proper children. The desire that is there to live up to the expectations and example of our parents often drives some of our decisions and especially at a time of loss encourage us to make good decisions. God's Word tells us:

But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven:
for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
- Matthew 5:44-45

Talk about a legacy! When we see the sun shinning, it should remind us of the living legacy of our heavenly Father. When we see the rain falling, it also should remind us of our heavenly Father's living legacy. I guess that takes away our complaints about the weather. If we thought about how each natural gift of our Father is given on the good and the bad, and each sought to emulate that pattern in our lives, we would grow more and more toward living up to the legacy of our Heavenly Father.

Back to the Future

Whether it be Science Fiction or popular movies or prime time television, our world seems to be obsessed with the future. Paid advertisements claim to be able to give you a look into the future to help your investment strategy. Science Fiction dares us to dream of a time when transportation will be clean, cheap and effortless. Television and movies prompt us to consider what we would do if we knew what the future held.

Two examples really stand out in my mind - "Back to the Future," all three movies make us ask the question "what would change if I knew the outcome?" In the first movie, Marty sees the results of his temper and is able to overcome it. In the second or third movie, Biff knows the results of every sporting event and is able to make it rich betting on games. In another example, a new show is being advertised where the whole world passes out for 6 minutes and sees their future. While I have no plans to see the show, the plot it seems has to do with 2 things. First, can I make secure / avoid the future I saw, depending on whether they liked it or not. And second, is it possible to take advantage of the glimpse of the future to benefit mankind (or any particular man)

While interesting, the premise of both the movies and this new show are not "way out there." We can see the future of certain tendencies and behaviors - where they will lead us to, and we can chose to change them and modify our behavior to achieve a more desirable outcome. We can also make sense of the future to help us "bet on the winning team" or take advantage of the future we know is coming.

Perhaps you've already figured out where this is going. I've been reading in the book of Amos - Prophetic material telling Israel what they could expect, why they could expect it, and how they could turn the tables of judgment into blessing. "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:" (Amos 5:4) Do we not still have God's promise of blessing, growth, and benefit when we follow him? We can chose what response we receive from God.

I'm also preaching through the book of Revelation. Having just finished the messages to the seven churches, I'm entering into chapter 4 - "Come up hither, and I wil show thee things which must be hereafter" (vs. 1b) Not simply the outcome of every major sporting event, or just a snapshot of my life in 6 months or a year, but a fairly complete picture of the end of the world. God is still on His throne, a look at where people end up based on their response to God in this life, and even God's final plan of how He seeks to get man's attention. Everything we need to know to make wise choices today.

Maybe, like Marty McFly, all you need is a glimpse of the future God has in store for those who reject Him - to change your thinking and therefore the outcome of your life. God is not willing that any should perish, He wants all of us to come to him. Or maybe you are a Christian and yet the cares of life, the pleasures of this world, or just pride have pulled you away from God and you are experiencing his correction as Israel in the book of Amos - the solution for all of us is to "Seek the Lord"

September?

Well, it's official! When it comes to blogging, I am a slacker! I've passed the one month of no posts mark. It was a busy month, but certainly one that was full of opportunities for learning, and looking up. Yesterday was day 71 of work on the addition, and the last day for the contractor. He has 'finished' the project. With all the contractor stories that I have heard over the years, I would have to say that we are among the fortunate ones. I have not always felt fortunate in the process - the list of undone things and steps I 'helped out with' along the way so that some things actually got done has been staggering at times.

My biggest lesson over the past 71 days? The reality of joy in the life of the believer. Joy is not a reaction to circumstances in life, joy is a choice based on God's work (past, present and future) in our lives. Firstly, we have joy because of what Christ has done for us - made us acceptable to God through his shed blood on the cross. Second, we have joy because we know that God is working things for our good, perfecting us through joy and trials in life. And finally, we can have joy because of what we know is coming. Eternal life in heaven with all the blessings that go with it, certainly. But on this day, the future joy that stands out most to me is in Philippians 2:6:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

This is one long term construction project going on in my life. But the joy? When God is done, the work will be finished! No floors to polyurethane, no doors to repair, no walls to patch and paint, no trim to fix, no furniture to move, bars to put up, shelves to install in closets, . . . well, you get the point. God has His 'punch list', and it is complete! He will not forget or miss anything, His work in us will be accomplished according to His plan, and right on schedule.

Joy? It's a choice. Some days are joyous because of the circumstances that come with them, but all days are joyful for the believer because of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. To God be the glory for His great gifts!

Loving Children

I was listening to a good sermon this morning, a sermon on discipling children. I found it to be a good challenge to me in many ways. I probably don't agree with the speaker at all points, but I appreciate his 'shoot from the hip' style of speaking on family matters. I also appreciate that he agrees with me on a lot of the family issues - which made the challenge even more of a challenge, I couldn't dismiss him out of hand for not having a proper view of the family. You can listen to the sermon here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=5209234630

I may have it easy in part of this aspect, I have always loved children, and for the last 10-12 years have been convinced that biblically, the number of children I would have is not up to me, but up to God. For this reason, Jen and I have not, and will not practice any form of birth control. We have heard comments from many about "Well, what if you have 8 kids?" (Only two to go, then!), or "But we have a responsibility to not have more children than we can afford" (Even though we live in one of the wealthiest nations on earth - afford? Really?) We haven't broadcast our views on the subject, so often have heard "Have you figured out what caused it yet?" And I'll have to admit, the comments have, at times, soured my view of children.

My main point today: I want to encourage you to have a positive view of children. God's Word tells us children are a blessing from the Lord. We pray that God would bless us, we pray that God will bless our church, we hold out our hands and sing "Showers of Blessing" at church, but then we turn our noses up at one of God's most precious gifts. How many other things in Scripture are directly called a blessing or reward from God? Children must be one of his best. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone should have 20 kids, I'm just saying that I think most of us could use a biblical attitude adjustment from time to time and should ask God to help us see children for the blessing that they are. When we do, we won't be counting how many children we have, or worrying about the expense of another pair of sneakers, we'll be basking in whatever blessing God brings our way - whether in our own family, or in families around us.

"Except the LORD build the house,
they labour in vain that build it:
except the LORD keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows:
for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
- Psalm 127

Success in Marriage

I know, coming up on my 10th anniversary this year, I don't have a lot of experience to share, but I can share what I've learned from others. You see, last week we celebrated my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. All of us kids got together and had a banquet to honor our parents with a nice meal, family togetherness, and sharing with them what the strength in their marriage has meant to us.

When each of us kids got married, our dad picked a verse to go with our wedding day (He got the idea from Ron Smith in Wappingers Falls, NY) For example, I got married on August 7th, 1999 - and my verse was Song of Solomon 8:7 -

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."

So I spoke about the fact that I have seen in my parent's marriage the strength of their love for each other. Through illness & injury (most of the injuries were mine), through blessing and trial, through the good and the bad their love has stood unquenchable. But love does not just happen. At times, the feelings can come in waves of joy and gladness, but at times love means doing that extra something for your mate, and love always means sacrificing ourselves to our mates: husbands in a sacrificial love, and wives in sacrificial obedience. When love involves giving, it cannot be quenched.

There were other characteristics shared as well. Contentment with "such things as ye have," and contentment with the "wife of your youth." Godliness - which has value in all things. And the priority of putting God first - seeking God early and often.

Our parents have been faithful to one another for 40 years. Not a ground-breaking landmark, but certainly a good opportunity for us to honor them, their faith, and their success in the marriage God has blessed them with.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!