Devotion 12.31.20

Happy New Year!

Response:  And also with you.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:16 - 25 

2020 has been quite a year by any standards, historical, personal or other such measures. Not that each generation doesn't believe its period of time to be unique.  We hear people say today that "it is worse now than ever in our history," completely ignorant of the fact that they were saying that in 1920, 1820, 1720.... you get the idea. Still, in my 61 years of living, 2020 has been unique.  

It is my first pandemic of sorts, although I was born at the tail end of rubella (German measles), as well as being born at the tail end of polio and small pox, the vaccines of both being administered to eradicate the disease in my lifetime.  I had the measles, chicken pox and the mumps, and I have met people who had polio who are close to my age.  Yet still, it has been a few generations since we've had to face a pandemic (this is NOT a political statement or writing, so don't read any opinion in this).  

We also had an election the likes of which I've not seen in awhile.  In my youth, I vividly remember 1968, which brought two assassinations (on the heals of a presidential assassination in 1963) and an election.  There were riots and more riots and counter protests at the Democrat National Convention in Chicago. 2020 has seemed to be equally contentious to that period as well, but whether or not we have peaked has yet to be seen. 1968 seemed like the peak at that time looking back in history.

All that to say, 2020 has been quite a year, at least as we are still standing on this side of the timeline with 2021 set to kick off tomorrow (Jan 1). Interestingly enough, I heard a person speak on this topic this week in a brief meeting, during which she challenged all of us to reflect on 2020 this way: 

3.  What are three lessons you learned in 2020? 

2.  Two stories from 2020 that speak to you?

1.  What is one question you take away from 2020? How will it make you different as you seek the answer to it?

She then shared a story and said one of her lessons is this:  We are all "carriers." Certainly that comes from COVID-19, but in a broader sense, we are, have been and always will be "carriers." We do carry things and share them with one another.  Sure, it can be a virus or a bacteria, but it can also be attitude, knowledge, actions and behaviors. As you look to 2021, what is it you want to carry?

Paul wrote that we carry the sins of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit.  In a sense, as I look to 2021, that is my hope: That I bear fruit of the Spirit.  I note that Paul says that against these behaviors, "there is no law." The law was written to curb the flesh.  So, what do we hope to bear as we move forward in our lives? What do we hope to "carry with us and share with others?"

Pray that we becomes carriers of the fruits of the Spirit at the very least, and that perhaps we carry with us the unbridled enthusiasm to share that good news with others who are also seeking answers and searching.

Devotion 12.28.12

"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." Luke 2:15

And so the shepherds speak in terms that would have driven several of my college professors insane, saying "thing" in a sentence.  It seems that "thing" is an over-used, non-descriptive word in the world of academia. It lacks precision. The temptation to use "thing" is great because it's general and covers a wide-array of subjects or objects. 

"The thing about the game yesterday...."  "The thing that drives me crazy these days...." You get the idea because you use it too. So, here are the shepherds, awestruck by the sight of an angel, and then further a heavenly host singing "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14) The shepherds have just learned about the birth of the Christ (in a form of announcement not available to mortals here on earth, we seem to be awestruck by gender reveals that have a small detonation that blows up blue or pink).

The angel plainly says, "...you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger," (2:12) to which the shepherds say, "this thing that has happened."  This is why I am convinced these were common laborers, skilled in the methods of tending flocks. They were blue collar types in those days of everyone being blue collar except those privileged in some way.  They've been spoken to by an angel, sung to by a chorus, and the best they can say is "this thing." The thing about it is, their lack of precision still meant something to them, and to God. They knew and He knows what we mean.

Paul tells us in Romans 8 that "...we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words." (v.26) The shepherds go on to start the process of spreading the good news of Christ immediately after seeing him in the manger, clearly not worrying about the precision of their language.  That had to be quite a night, from one angel to several to Christ himself.  Their joy and excitement had to be overwhelming as they left feeling compelled to tell anyone who would listen about the good news of what they had witnessed.

Our prayer is that we, too, share that same level of joy and witness to the good news of Christ to others.

Devotion 12.24.20

 "And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there a voice came to him and said, 'What are you doing here Elijah?'" 1 Kings 19:11-13

When you picture God, what do you picture? What's He look like to you? When I think of God, personally, I get an image of something along the lines of Michelangelo's painting on the Sistine Chapel, a clearly older image of God in a gray beard, hand reaching out to touch man, finger to finger.

We learn that words are worth 1000 pictures when it comes to God.  God has come to us in scripture in various forms throughout the Old Testament.  We see Him in the Garden with man, walking and talking to Adam and Eve.  We see Him as a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke in the Exodus accounts.  We see Him as a whirlwind in Job, voice thundering, as He stands Job to account. The image of God is difficult to develop because He is vast, powerful, filling man with fear and awe when He appears.  How can you capture that image?

Elijah looks for God in the obvious:  great wind, earthquake, fire.  But God will not be contained to man's image of Him. God comes to Elijah in a whisper.

Isaiah tells us "... a little child shall lead them," (Isaiah 11:6), but our minds find that hard to believe.  A kingly and royal God coming down from His heavenly throne tossing aside power and might to be a lowly human, born as an infant to a young woman. God as a whisper and God as an infant are not the images that come to my mind when I pray or think of God, but it is the image we are given as we near Christmas Day. Fragile, small, needing everything done for Him as He relies on His mother and father, like all of us in the first few years of life.

As we prepare for Christmas Day, these are the images we are left with, and we lift a prayer of thanksgiving for God's presence in our lives as He cares for us in our own fragile state in life.

Devotion 12.23.20

 "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is might has done great things for me, and holy his is name." Luke 1:46 - 49

I had an opportunity to hear a story about a child who is about to give birth to an infant - soon in fact.  What age is this child? you ask. I believe around 19 or 20, which to me is a child. According to the person sharing this information, this child has no idea what she is in for. Since it is a true story, she needs our prayer because she is relatively "clueless" about not just childbirth (not really aware of the pain she will endure), she also has absolutely no idea what she's getting into when the baby comes into her life. The length this person sharing this with me to prepare her for the tremendous responsibility has been admirable, but like with anything, the learner has to be ready to learn.  In this case, she sounds sweet, but again, she has no idea of the responsibility she's taking on.

What a great story to hear at this time of year.  Mary, probably much younger than this girl, has a great deal of preparation, thanks to appearances by the angel from God, to visiting with her cousin Elizabeth, also the recipient of a miracle from God being pregnant with John. All this helps Mary's state of being, her mindset, as she takes on the responsibility, along with Joseph, of being the mother (parents) of God in the form of Christ.

We hear Mary, fully aware of her tremendous honor and responsibility in "The Magnificat" (Luke passage above), as she praises God for all He has done for her.

We, too, have opportunities at all times of year with great responsibilities in terms of our own family and relationships that God has gifted us with. What's our mental framework as these opportunities arise?  I can only confess to my own which at times was either/or. Either I handled it like a champion and rose to the occasion or I went into denial and sunk to the occasion, hoping it would just go away.

As we observe Advent's closing hours, let's pray that this preparation has set before us a mindset to take on the tasks and challenges God gifts us with, that we rise to these occasions with the joyful heart of a servant of God in Christ.

Devotion 2.21.20

 "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings O favored one, the Lord is with you!" Luke 1:26 - 28

Ever been involved in a truly disruptive event. Disruptive events historically speaking are those events that dramatically change the course of things. The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 are three that occurred in recent history.  Disruptive events can occur in the ordinary man's life as well.  Loss of a job, loss of a loved one (especially out of the order of life - a younger person for example like a child), a big move to a strange and foreign land.

For us, it occurred twice in our marriage:  a tornado hitting our home directly only three months after our twins came into our lives in 1992, forcing us to move and rebuild; and, the move to Lubbock from Houston for a career move.  One was done in crisis mode and the other well-thought out and planned, but both had a similar impact of disruption.  The disruption is marked by a change in how things are done.  The tornado was clear, but the move unfolded as I moved from being a certain and known person in education to a "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." I went from a trusted environment where people usually took my word to a move to a land where I was viewed with skepticism, to be tested at every turn from the simple to the complex.  In the end, it made me much better at life, but the path was difficult.

You have your story too.  Of this I am certain because you are living and breathing here on earth where disruption is certain.  That is all a set up to say this:  Can you even begin to imagine being Mary? Engaged to be married in the Jewish tradition to a man, plans probably if not certainly have been made. One night an angel visits and life as you know it will never be the same again.  Later in Luke after our introduction in the verse above, we see the beginnings of the disruption as Joseph considers divorcing Mary "quietly" until God via Gabriel intervenes again. This is the beginning of many disruptive events in her life, when it is likely she only had the simple dreams of any woman of her time in her culture of being married, having a family, and raising them in the Jewish faith as well as teaching them a skill or a craft.

How does Mary respond and model for us at all of this? "Behold, I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (v 38) Most people we've seen in the bible fight, resist, or deny God's initial request.  One even runs to give us a humorous look at trying to flee God's will (Jonah).  But Mary remains faithful and seems to take God's call as it is.  

We pray when disruptive events come our way that we turn to God and "let it be to us according to your word." We pray for God's guidance as these disruptions occur, knowing that He will certainly be there to guide us and send His Spirit to strengthen us and give us wisdom.

Devotion 12.17.20

In the book "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, we are treated to analysis of the unlikely. In a chapter on cheating, for example, the authors draw lessons from two sources, sumo wrestlers and teachers. Both are professions of honor, and both, if conditions are right, can be lured into cheating.  The incentives have to be there. For example, a teacher (a profession I know very well) can be lured into cheating by providing a system to check and change answers on important tests, like tests that determine the rating in an accountability system. It has to be a perfect storm though, one that offers an incentive (or disincentive) such as a monetary award for great scores or loss of a job if the scores over time are poor. Sumo wrestling is cheating your way into a different weight class for the opportunity to wrestle in a category where the wrestler has an advantage.  To win is great honor in Japan, so the incentive is there for the wrestler to work to fudge the numbers.

People do, however, cheat if the opportunity is there and the perceived or actual incentive is right.  My accountant, who reads this, has a saying when it comes to deductions on taxes, "The difference between a pig and a hog is this: You feed a pig.  You slaughter a hog. So, do you want to be the pig or the hog?" (when it comes to declaring deductions on taxes). Lesson:  Don't be a hog. It's a good lesson for all of us in tax season.

Runners in long races wear computer chips these days to track time.  Races provide them for the serious runner who is there to run a specific time or better in order to qualify for the great races (like New York or Boston Marathons).  Yet, the check points are known in these races, placed at specific points along the course, with one exception.  It seems as though runners will be tempted to shave off portions of the course in order to improve their time, usually because they are seeking to qualify for these other races.  So, the course director has a couple of surprise check points that are not known before the race. To fail to cross them means you probably were guilty of attempting to shave off a portion of the run. In essence, you get caught.

This takes me to the 2017 Astros.  What on earth was the incentive to do what they did? This was a team that had a history of working hard, learning the system and playing hard using metrics in ways no one else had.  They were the darlings of sports writers, making the cover of Sports' Illustrated four times in a short period.  They were hailed as the team doing things right.  Then it all came crashing down on them (and us, their fans). Not that cheating doesn't exist in baseball.  Baseball will even say it is okay within reason.  The runner on second taking signs and trying to get the pitch to the batter.  Players in the dug out watching for signals from other dugouts or base coaches. The 2019 Washington Nationals, playing the Astros, were well aware of their system and changed their method of signs completely to throw them off because baseball players are drawn to take the edge regardless of what it takes sometimes.

What was the incentive?  You can say a World Championship title, but it's not that simple.  Somewhere in the Astros organization, the drive to win had to be incentivized in 2017 to the point of taking a short cut and making the outcome worth it. I'm still, as a recovering fan, waiting to learn of that part of the take.  It had to be pressure, money, reputation, pride, arrogance and several other things on the line to make it worth it to knowingly do what they did. Worth it in their minds that is.

Fortunately, because of our cheating ways, God had and has a plan. We see it unfolding in Luke chapter 1 during Advent, as the flurry of activity is swift.  Creation has come to the point of two births:  John's and Jesus.  One will prepare the way for a wayward people and the other will be the salvation.  God took no short cuts.  He didn't shred up all He created and start over. He didn't destroy what we had ruined.  In the end, God's plan unfolds and is here before us as we wait for Christ's second coming. In the end, God triumphs over our cheating ways and other short cuts in life we take.

We lift a prayer of thanksgiving for God's plan as it unfolds during Advent, that He chose to redeem us from ourselves.

Devotion 12.14.20

 "But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days." Daniel 12:13

Rev. Dr. Michael Ziegler, the Lutheran Hour speaker, delivered a message yesterday everyone should hear (click here for that message). First, the church in China is growing.  That growth is fueled by the Spirit working through brothers and sisters in Christ willing to risk all earthly status and belongings.  They grow in homes instead of churches which may be taken if it's discovered they are worshiping in them. They use prison as a place to teach the word when they've been sentenced to prison for teaching the Gospel. In the face of persecution, they have grown to 100,000,000 in China.  

Ziegler takes that to the POW's in Vietnam, and one in particular mentioned in the book "Good to Great." In the chapter called "The Stockdale Paradox," Jim Collins interviewed and cites Admiral Stockdale, a former POW (and one-time VP candidate to Ross Perot), who talked of survival.  "What was the one characteristic that was a fatal flaw to survival in the POW camp?" Collins asked.  "Those who were optimistic that we would be freed soon." The paradox, it seems, is that survival is facing the brutal reality of the situation.  In China, it's preaching the Word of God knowing the earthly cost if you are apprehended. In Vietnam, it was knowing that the situation was not good, but survival required that sober assessment to communicate in the face of torture, deprival, and substandard conditions.  

Ziegler then takes that to the prophets.  They were not given good assignments from God.  They were told to go tell Israel the truth.  In the New Testament, we read of Elizabeth, old in her years, becoming pregnant with a son who will prepare the way for Christ.  He will get Israel to turn from their ways to ask for repentance to prepare for Christ who will offer that forgiveness.  Luke chapter 1 has Gabriel telling Zechariah of the impending pregnancy and birth of John. Daniel, the prophet, was given a difficult assignment as well.  He's helping the occupied land of Israel survive that occupation with God's hand guiding him every step of the way. 

Like all prophets, their message is dire but there is also hope (the paradox).  We see the last verse in Daniel as Daniel has lived a long life a prisoner of the various kings of Babylon who is occupying Israel.  Daniel has maintained that sober assessment of his life.  Now God gives him the future he will enjoy (as did Isaiah in chapter 61 yesterday in church).  That's the "Prophet's Paradox." Knowing and speaking to Israel and to us about our current condition, but reminding us God has a plan.

In a year like 2020, we need to hear that and know the conditions we face, but also know God has a plan. We pray we listen to God and seek His plan for us.

(Lutheran Hour, Michael Ziegler, December 13, 2020 message)

Devotion 12920

 "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these this take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." Luke 1:19

And he (Gabriel) The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born to you will be called holy, the Son of the God."  Luke 1:35

Gabriel, an angel, sent from God's presence to deliver messages.  Both passages above are responses to people like us, one Zechariah who will be John the Baptist's father (at an advanced age) and the other from Mary (a virgin who is engaged). Both are startled by the sudden presence of an angel, and both are skeptical about the message he is delivering on behalf of God. "How can this be, my wife is old?" or "How can this be, I'm a virgin?"

The only thing missing from this story is a reach, a touch, a grabbing of what he is wearing to see if he is real or if Zechariah or Mary are hallucinating. No question for credentials or something official for them to see.  Other than that, the story is real for us.  "You're saying what now? Me? At my age or condition? Really? Please...."

I find the flurry of activity interesting.  Heaven is making its move.  Angels dispatched to deliver messages.  Angels speaking with calm but authority.  People in disbelief but now in the middle of God's plan.  Can you imagine being at an advanced age and telling your family you need furniture and clothing for a baby? Can you imagine having to tell people how it is possible to be pregnant but not from your fiance (or really, any other man at this moment) and that all plans for the future are on hold.

This is but the beginning.  For generations, God's chosen people have been waiting for this moment.  The unbelief of the moment will continue throughout his life, to the point that the unbelief will result in his suffering, death and resurrection to forgive us from our own sin.  God's plan is unfolding, and at Advent, we acknowledge it will unfold again, as Christ returns to us.  

We pray that God hear our petition that we "do believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) We pray that God continue to strengthen us when we, like Zechariah and Mary, are skeptical.  Lord, help our unbelief!

Devotion 12620

 Matthew chapter one opens with the genealogy of Jesus and concludes with an angel appearing to Joseph to tell him of the birth of Jesus to Mary, the virgin, as fulfillment of the event foretold in Isaiah, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Immanuel (God with us)." (v 23)

Pastor Dan noted yesterday of the family that Jesus came from, and how families are depicted in our society and in scripture. Dan shared Christmas stories from his own family with us, traditions born intentionally, to pass down to new generations.  That's the image we want for Christmas, but I also thought of Robert Earl Keen's song about Christmas, "Merry Christmas from the Family," that paints an accurate picture of Christmas for many as well.  Drinking, smoking, running to the store for stuff, inane banter about life... it's all there.

Now, at this point, you may draw a line and say, "That's not really appropriate for Christmas time in a devotion." Oh really? Dan pointed out the complete dysfunction in our society in families that is reflected in scripture from the fall of man forward. 

That Jesus, our savior and "God with us," came from the family tree that He did is amazing, as noted by a recent devotion from the Lutheran Hour's Kari Vo.  We see murderers, liars, adulterers, and a host of other sinners blotting the lineage for Christ. Abraham and his intent on taking on God's vision himself through his maidservant.  David...  You know his story.  Solomon, born from an illicit affair.  

Yet God saw fit to unfold His plan in time for Mary to bear His Son to come and save us from sinners like ourselves. We know our sins, our fall from grace, and yet we see God using people just like us to deliver us a savior, Christ the Lord.  At Christmas, perhaps we should focus on the blessings from God through His Son's life on earth.  Maybe really explore the Christmas story with our families.  Our prayer is that Christmas is more than just gifts and presents, and that we take on traditions that lift the Christmas story to the point that we know of God's amazing grace given to us.

Devotion 120320

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

What is the opposite of fear? Believers are taught not to fear as far back as God established a relationship with His creation, even after it fell.  God commands Joshua in Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

So, is the opposite of fear courage and strength? Christ echoes these words in Matthew 28:19 - 20 (the Great Commission) when in v 20, He says, ".... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." So then, are we to assume we can exercise a certain amount of courage because God/Christ is with us?

Ken Blanchard, a leadership author and speaker, has a book titled, "Servant Leadership in Action." The book is compromised of essays from various authors in the field of leadership including names like John Maxwell, Stephen MR Covey, Patrick Lencioni, and others.  In one essay, Raj Sisodia says this radical notion as he examines the acronym for servant leadership he uses:  "SELFLESS." The first "L" in SELFLESS stands for "love," and he notes, "The opposite of love is fear."

For example, should we fear death?  It is natural we will, but John 3:16 puts us at ease when John writes, "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son to die for us that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."  It doesn't stop there.  There are many bible verses that put love at the top of the list of attributes from God and that we are to have love toward one another.

So, why do we fear, as in a year like 2020 - fear of the unknown and what we believe we know or may actually know? Peter gives us a clear example as he begins to sink after walking on water toward Christ:  He takes his eyes off Christ and looks down (Matthew 14).  When we take our eyes away from our LORD, Christ, we immediately forget the command to love God with our whole heart, mind, body and spirit.  We remove the trust we have in God and place it in ourselves or something else.

Will we fail?  Absolutely, but when we do, we turn our eyes back to Christ because forgiveness and eternal life are at hand for us to be strong and courageous.  Our prayer is that we do not take our eyes of Christ, for forgiveness when we do, and that the Spirit strengthen us daily so that we keep our eyes on Christ.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 11.30.20

 "...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.... Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:6 - 8

Paul, the author of this letter to the church in Philippi, wrote from prison when he said this. From prison!

We refer to this as an optimistic mindset in the leadership arena. Mindset refers to attitude.  What's your attitude? Sometimes I can be the cynic and most often the realist. I call it as I see it with data to back it up (or sources). Yet, in spite of those two ways of looking at life, I'm also optimistic and hopeful because of my background in history. I don't see any generation as worse than any other because history shows us every generation feels the younger ones are far more spoiled than their own generation. Yet each generation has its issues.  History also shows peaks and valleys.  We got attacked at Pearl Harbor, and we signed a peace treaty after unconditional surrender with Japan in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri several years later. 

So here we are in 2020 declaring it the worst. year. ever. It's been a challenge no doubt. We have a pandemic in an election year and leaders in science, medicine and governments scrambling to find answers or solutions that have direct or indirect impacts on all arenas in life.

But Paul, writing in prison, a Roman citizen knowing what Rome is capable of (having known about Christ crucified and others executed), writes a letter to the church in Philippi (Greece) giving an excellent note of encouragement, a list of Christian virtues - truth, honor, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellence, worthy of praise... "think on these things."

The message to us is clear.  What's your mindset? Paul tells us to practice what we have seen in him.  "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things...." (v 9).  Do not just as I say, but do as I also do.  As Christians, men of faith specifically, as we see the world around us, have the opportunity to live and speak as Paul did.  Place our mindset on the virtues Paul gives us. Place our minds on the salvation and grace from Christ.

Devotion 11.24.20

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 118:1

So begins David psalm of praise, as he highlights all that God has done for him and for Israel, from before David's time, through his time and personal life and for future acts yet known.  David had much to be thankful for.  He was, after all, a "man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). David moved up quickly as the youngest of sons from Jesse to fight Goliath and demonstrated great faith in that capacity and other aspects of his life. David became a young king and demonstrated great skill.

David also stumbled.  In fact, he fell greatly, but not from grace.  David, after being confronted, redeemed himself (Psalm 51).  Through it all, David turned to God.  "Out of my distress, I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free." (v 5) "I was pushed hard so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and salvation." (v 13-14). "The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death." (v 18) "You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (v 28 - 29)

Where has God been for you? You are chosen by God as well as a redeemed child of Christ.  When have you stumbled and turned to God? When have you been distressed and turned to God? When have you been disciplined and yet remained thankful to God?

On thanksgiving, we give thanks to God, for he is good.  We give thanks that his steadfast love (the love of His Son Jesus Christ) endures forever.  We give thanks for all moments, mountains and valleys, and we give thanks for he is our God.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and count your blessings, even in 2020, and lift a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 11.23.20

 The world is made up of flawed men and women.  Our flaws are encapsulated in one word: sin.  Every Sunday we confess our sins before God to hear the words of forgiveness.  The old confession from the Lutheran Hymnal I grew up with said, "I confess my sins and inequities and justly deserve thy temporal and eternal punishment." I said it as a child without knowing what I was saying, "temporal." It's another way of saying "earthly," a reminder to us that our time here on earth is "temporary."

I use this as a reminder that everything earthly is temporary, and it is from the corrupt body of men and women that we choose people to lead us.  They, along with us, are equally corrupt and along with us deserve and merit that same "temporal and eternal punishment."

The Reverend Dr. Michael Ziegler of the Lutheran Hour noted in his sermon today that politics are temporary, yet we need to be reminded of that periodically.  Politics can divide us, and we hold people in general and the people who lead us in contempt when they don't hold the same opinion and viewpoint we do. Ziegler points us to the book of Daniel to remind us of our duty to God as citizens of two kingdoms, one temporary and one eternal. Ziegler notes that in Daniel, our author (Daniel) records events of a takeover of Israel by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his two fellow Israelites are taken by the king, as was customary at that time, to be shaped in the ways of Babylon as young men, but Daniel remains true to his God, our God, while in service to the king. Daniel even speaks to the king about his dedication to God and requests to be able to continue in the ways of his faith.

In his sermon today (11/22), Ziegler notes Daniel's awareness of the temporal situation Israel found itself in and that his true calling in life was to God.  Despite the desperate nature that Israel found itself in, we see God is in control throughout the book.  For us today, as we wring our hands in frustration with life and the leaders we have in our midst, it is a good reminder that our true calling is to Christ and the kingdom of heaven.  Our life here is temporary, so our service to God/Christ is that of passionately sharing the good news of the cross to the lost and praying for all, not just some, to hear and be receptive to that word. It is a focus on the eternal nature of the kingdom we ultimately serve. In Daniel 7:13 - 14 Daniel's vision includes seeing a "Son of Man" given dominion.  That is a reference that Christ will use in reference to Himself as He speaks about the "Son of Man" having authority to forgiven sins (Matthew 9:6 and Mark 2:10-11).

Our prayer is that we remember our lives are temporary and that we have a commission from Christ about our lives while on this earth to go to all ends of the earth to all nations to bring Christ to them.  Our prayer is to remember God is in control at all times and that our politics and governments, equally temporary to our own existence, need our prayer as citizens in this world as well.  We lift a prayer of thanks to God for continuing to watch over us and guide us daily as his people.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 11.9.20

 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." Leviticus 19:17 and 18

God speaking very pre-incarnate Christ-like in this passage from a book of law in the Old Testament. It's an interesting passage that served as the text for the sermon at church Sunday, as Pastor Hiner examined it from the perspective of Christians in community. Just where is that community? may be a fair question. Depending on the platform, the community may be very local and it may be very global.

Think of where we interact with "our neighbor" and there you find a sense of community.  I have friends on Facebook who live in the following places:  Houston, Lubbock, Plainview, Amarillo, Austin, Texas, Minnesota, New York, Mexico, India, Uganda... you get the idea. Some I interact with routinely, almost as much as face-to-face.  These are former students now friends, people I know well from days in Houston and in Lubbock, people I've recently met and people I've never met except on social media. We meet and interact in the coffee houses, the church, schools, the grocery store, at work, over the internet, in writing and digitally.  We have a number of opportunities to impact the lives of many, all of whom are our neighbors.

So, how do we set that tone for interaction? As we look at Leviticus, it states from our heart to our words and actions, and then it ends by stating we are to love our neighbor.  God then signs the command Himself with the famous "I am."  "I am the Lord." It's as though He anticipates our rebellious nature in advance, as though He knows we are going to say, "Just who are you to tell me?" My brother, as you know God, offended me deeply.  My brother, as you have seen, slighted my good name.  My brother, as you have seen, put his nose where it didn't belong.  My brother, as you have heard, ignored me in my time of need.

Here, here is how you behave when it comes to your brother then... and I am the Lord.  

So, we think about how we interact with one another, in person or at a distance via cyberspace.  We think about our hearts and our nature and the impact we really desire to make, in the name of Christ, who died for our sins of the heart, known and unknown, and our sins of action, intentional or omission.  

Pray that we focus on Christ and that we seize opportunities to love on another.

Devotion 11.2.20

God.  Family.  Country.  Job.

I've heard that nice pecking order of life on many occasions.  Some may call it their prioritization order.  Personally, I think it is a late 20th century creation.  My dad, born in 1923, lived through the depression and served in World War II.  He suffered job loss on several occasions.  If I had uttered that to my dad, I would have gotten a stern look.  That look would have communicated, "What in the &%$* is that supposed to mean?" His dad (my grandfather) lost his wife, my dad's mom, and a job simultaneously. Dad had seen hardship, and his dad's solution when he lost his job and his wife was simple, get people to watch the kids while I find work and try to make some money.  My dad was raised, for a period, by his grandparents on a small farm in Minnesota. His oldest sister became mom in care-giving and two sisters stayed with his dad to tend to the house there for him. There was no pecking order stated like above. 

To my dad's generation, you couldn't separate work from providing which meant meeting the needs of those you love.  Work provides food. Work provides shelter and comfort (heating, running water and AC). How on earth, someone like my dad would say, can you put it that far down on a list?

Pastor Dan used the occasion of All Saint's Day to talk about those who have walked before us and are now in the presence of Christ.  Using John 19, he looked at a critical passage dealing with relationships on earth.  "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home." (26-27) This coming from Christ on the cross. A dying Christ setting the relationship.

Sin has corrupted our relationships and our world.  What is the perfect family? As Pastor Dan noted, tv has given us family shows since its inception, from "Leave It to Beaver" through "The Simpsons." My how families have changed in the world of entertainment, but has there ever been the "perfect family?" Dan noted, as I have in education as well, that some people worship their family to the point of idolatry.  Look, for example, at the recent "college gate" where some noted Hollywood figures (and many others) lied just to get their children a "leg up" to get into a choice college assignment.  They aren't alone.  We witness it daily in life in many ways.  In short, it's unhealthy because of our sin-filled world.

Does putting life in an order like the one earlier help? I don't know.  What does help? As Dan noted, putting Christ at the center of our relationships and making the effort to put those we love and their needs above our own, in as healthy a manner as possible.  It's easier said than done, but it is worth the effort. 

We pray for God to open our eyes and our hearts to the needs of those around us, especially our families, and we ask God to help us with wisdom and discernment to meet those needs in a Christ-centered, God pleasing way.

Devotion 10.29.20

 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:12 - 13

I've just finished a book about a specific aspect of World War II, "Solo into the Rising Sun." (If you are too young to remember, the Japanese flag was known as "the rising sun.") The book is about a squadron, VPB 117 (visual patrol bombers). That was the squadron my dad belonged to as a "naval ordinanceman," better known as a gunner.  The squadron was comprised of B-24s the navy had converted and referred to as PBY4's (1 and 2).  Dad flew in the nose of the bomber (click here for an image of the bomber), and he went into combat in the Pacific in late 1944 after over a year of training.

Visual patrol bombers were different in the navy than in the Army Air Corps for several reason.  One was the look of the aircraft (the front gunner was in a turret and not a glass enclosed front like the image above). Secondly, and most importantly, the navy used them as reconnaissance to advance into forward territories occupied by the Japanese, a particularly hostile and aggressive enemy to confront. Consequently, the bombers flew solo, not in formation like you might remember from any movies about bombings in Europe (hence the title, "Solo into the Rising Sun").

There are many things I learned in the book which I may reference from time to time in devotion, but one thing I learned was just how hostile the action actually was that my dad and others in the squadron was. To listen to my dad talk of his days in the Navy was like listening to your son come home after a great experience (going to a game or out hunting or something along that line). My dad loved it.  First, flight was still in its youth at that time, having been achieved earlier in the same century, so the fascination with an aircraft and being in one was truly an experience of awe. Secondly, it was my dad's first experience with indoor plumbing having grown up in rural Minnesota and shared a bathroom with five sisters. Third, my dad loved the camaraderie which he often spoke fondly of.  

The war?  I learned in the book of his actual war experience, because when he spoke of it, it was always a very positive experience.  In the book, a factual record by the son of one of the pilots in the original squadron, it was battle.  Search areas on Southeast Asia along the coast of Vietnam or China or "Formosa," see Japanese fighters or guns from destroyers or fleets you inadvertently stumble on (remember, they are doing reconnaissance) and find yourself in a hot mess. About five crews were lost (35 men).  Plane crashed or were shot down (low on fuel, engines stop, took fire and crashed or crash landed into hostile territory). In all of it, the glue that holds the unit together is the love between the crews.  Competition?  Yes.  Love? Absolutely. There was a bond. The pilot and HIS crew, and among the crew itself.  To account for each other and to seek until exhausted in a loss is a theme. 

What about us regular guys on a daily basis?  What does Christ mean in his famous passage, "greater love has no one than this...?" How do I give up my life for my brother when I don't face hostile action? How about this: you give your life to Christ and reach out to your brother or sister in need? We love one another in our actions.  We surrender to Christ and not the daily enemy who dwells among us (temptation) and we account ourselves to one another.  We ask each other how the day is and we are sincere. We give up this desire to win and win at all costs and reach out and help a brother or sister behind us as Christ stopped and reached down to Peter as he sank in the sea, but we do so because one day we will sink and need a brother in Christ to reach out and pull us up.    

Maybe that is the start, but it is certainly our prayer, that we be there for one another as Christ is for us.

Devotion 10.26.20

 "...Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25:40

There was a superintendent in these here parts who I spoke with a few years ago.  We were both close to the end of our careers, but I enjoyed visiting with him annually.  He was both a good man and a man who expressed his faith openly.  His faith clearly guided his work as a school leader.  

When we spoke, we were talking education philosophy, and he said, "I work with staff all the time, and we are clear on one thing: It's not the students we know that I think about in my work, but it is the one of least concern - that kid who is not involved in much, whose story we don't really know.  He's the one who comes and goes quietly and goes unnoticed. He makes enough of a grade to stay off the radar, but really, he is the student of least concern.  That's who we need to search out and see how we can teach them and help them better." That stuck with me the day he shared that, and I began immediately looking at people very differently.

The passage in Matthew is one of the clearest pieces of evidence of what we will hear on the day of judgement as we are divided - sheep from the goats (not the "greatest of all time" acronym either).  It's the worst passage to teach with adults for me, because the questions come from a justification standpoint immediately.  "Okay, so, when I drive past a guy with a sign that says, 'Out of money, no work, need help' and I don't stop or give him money, does that mean I've not done what Jesus is asking here?"

You can wrestle with that as well because my answer is always about faith and salvation.  In fact, the note in the study bible is very clear:  Salvation is the result of faith in Christ, not works.  "Scripture teaches that people do good works in God's sight only after they have come to faith and been justified by Christ. Good works are the result of salvation, not its cause." So, in this world, we will blow it from time to time, but in the big picture, do we spend time seeking out that person of "least concern?"

In the pastors' continuing series on people who have a passion for the gospel and God's work as His people, Pastor Dan used yesterday's observation of the Reformation to remind us of the gospel and Luther's desire to get people to understand that it is faith alone, grace alone, and scripture alone.  Yet as God's people, we do have a role to play in the least of these among us.  We pray that God opens our eyes and our hearts to be servants to the least of these and that we recognize the opportunities as they arise.

Devotion 10.22.20

 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3 - 4

Pastor asked us last week, "How do you create a passion for souls" in the church? That's an interesting question even from the perspective of creating a passion. Are you passionate about sharing good news because doing so may ensure the Spirit's work to bring that person successfully to faith and then eternal life?

Did you know, on any good day according to Gallup, that maybe 35 percent of the staff in any workplace is fully engaged? 35%.  You've experienced it when you walk away from someone when you've been out shopping and mumble, "Man, don't bend over backwards to help me out today." What is workplace engagement? Simply put, it's being "in the moment." You intentionally seek ways to improve the space you occupy. In a thriving organization, leadership engages staff to intentionally improve the customer, client, or student experience.

In team sports, that is the coach doing several things at once:  getting the players to lift the team above individual performance; getting the team to leave it all out on the field; getting the team to see something greater than itself; and seeking/giving constant feedback to bring out the best in a player. As I noted in the last devotion, when you've studied it enough, you know it the minute you experience it.  An employee engages you and your experience is negative, you know that behind every action is a manager failing to engage staff. A lack of engagement in staff is a lack of leadership and management. Oh yes, it is that simple.  

Paul talks about it among believers in Philippians - we are passionate because we know the cause is greater than any one of us.  We are passionate because of the love of Christ that binds us and drives us.  We are passionate because that same love for us and the grace it extends should be shared with others, so they, too, may come to know the love of Christ. "...but also to the interest of others." Paul is clear.  It's not just about ourselves. In Christ, we are about more than just ourselves.

We pray that we constantly engage and seek those who don't know Christ to share that good news with them. We pray for our leaders as they remind us in prayer and God's Word in sermon of our commitment to that passion for finding the lost and sharing the good news.

Devotion 10.19.20

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:14 - 15

"Good is the enemy of great." Jim Collins, Good to Great

I have been a student of leadership studies since 1985.  I have taken formal classes, formal trainings, studied awards that recognize leadership, and have read informally (on my own) about leadership during that time.  As my studies developed and furthered, I began to notice you dissect the world through that lens.  I say that because I watched high school football on Fox Sports Southwest last week to see how my old high school team did. I could only watch through the lens of leadership as they played and then did postgame interviews.

Galena Park North Shore, or North Shore for us alums, won handily on their way to what is predicted by Dave Campbell's annual magazine and others as another championship season.  Should the Mustangs win this year in their 6A division, it will be a three-peat and five since 2003.  When I went to North Shore, we could hardly field a winning team.  Their best record came in my junior year when they went 5-5, bookended by two 2-8 seasons. 

Winning is not just performance, but it is a by-product of culture.  Winning starts with mindset and attitude which is shaped by the culture of a program.  How does that look and sound at North Shore?  When the game was over, Fox interviewed their blue-chip receiver (several blue-chips I might add) and asked about his incredible game.  His answer went something like this:  "You know, we have a great team, and it was a team effort.  The QB (a blue-chip as well) and the line deserve all the credit.  I'm blessed to be part of such a great program.  Coach always tells us...." You get the idea, and as he spoke, I thought, "North Shore has an incredible coach who can get kids to say things like that with almost a natural sound."  They sounded the same way last year when they won the championship and were interviewed.  Great team.  Great sacrifice.  Not me.  Like to thank the team.  

The coach, to his credit, sent a player home last year before the big game (running back signed with an SEC standout if I'm not mistaken) for violating team rules.  The coach met with the team and asked their input before his decision, along with the district staff (I know many of them) and the player's parents. The team didn't miss a beat.  They won easily.  THAT sends a signal that no one is indispensable or irreplaceable.  THAT puts the team on focus about what's important.  The team is most important.  No individual is the team or above the rules of the team.  THAT is mindset and culture.  The coach doesn't settle for yesterday's performance or a player's individual stardom, that is reflected in settling for good and not pursuing great as Collins notes.

A winning culture has a passion for excellence, not just winning.  Read about John Wooden, the all-time winning coach in NCAA basketball with UCLA and you read about culture, excellence and winning.  

This serves as a lead in to Pastor's sermon yesterday, part of a series on "People," this sermon focused on "A Divine Passion for Souls." The early church, and the early Lutheran church under C.F.W. Walther, the first president of the LCMS in the 1800s, had a passion for Christ and winning souls for God.  Pastor talked about it from the perspective of Paul in Corinthians, whose passion boiled down to the passage at the start, "For the love of Christ controls us...."  A great church is passionate and has the culture centered around that love of Christ.  It seeks excellence in sharing the gospel.  Pastor spoke of working together with Dan and staff on creating ideas that further the gospel through our efforts as a church, but a winning program doesn't just include ministry staff, nor is the burden for excellence theirs alone. The passion and excellence in ministry is a mindset and culture that brings the entire body of Christ, as it did in the early church and the early LCMS.  The pastors and staff shape that culture and add value to that culture, as do the lay leaders, but the passion and the excellence is reflected in day-to-day activity and action for the members of the body.

As a friend from Uganda on Facebook asked me last week, "Hello my beloved friend in Texas, what are you going to do to the glory of God today?"  I've never been asked that before, but perhaps that should be our morning prayer each and every day and maybe we should ask each other that daily.  Let that be our prayer this week, that each day we seek to bring glory to God through our thoughts, words, prayers and actions.

Devotion 10.15.20

"Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord or what man shows him counsel? Whom did he consult and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding." Isaiah 40:13 - 14

Interesting that this chapter of Isaiah is titled, "Comfort for God's People." It's interesting because this chapter has language comparable to Job when God finally comes to Job, upon Job's request, to hear his complaint.  "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding?" (38:4) It continues from there as God lays out question after question to humble Job.

We seem to have a number of experts these days speak for God.  Sure, it's a political year coupled with a virus we still don't quite understand, but in truth, this year is no different than any year where believer and non-believer alike question God or speak for God. Social media lights up with comments such as "Jesus was a socialist," "God loves (fill in the blank)," "Why does God allow...?", and now, we read where one political leaning is clearly aligned with God over the other. 

The pastors have done a great job this year in the midst of all the turmoil by giving us a forum to analyze these various issues through the light of the Gospel and through the lens of the Word of God. Through it, we have learned about the issues and the grace we as Christians show as we seek to be active citizens in this world, navigating the world like an untamed river, while focusing on the heavenly kingdom as well.  This is not a new phenomenon through.  When an advisor stated to President Lincoln that God was on the side of the Union, Lincoln replied, "My concern isn't whether God is on our side.  My greatest concern is to be on God's side."

Paul says it this way, "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16) The reference note takes us to Matthew 11:27, where Christ says, "All things have been handed over to me by the Father..., and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 

The comfort in this life is we are here as Christ's disciples, and in that light, we take the gospel to all to give them the words of eternal life. We know that life will give us uncertainties.  In fact, we are promised that.  Yet with the Spirit and what is revealed to us, we know God's grace and forgiveness and are to share that news to others. Obstacles that stand in our way are opportunities to overcome then as we seek to spread the gospel.  As we look back over the last century, we see the world in constant turmoil, but Isaiah 40 ends in the message of comfort for us as we navigate the world in which we live:  "Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (30 - 31)

Our prayer is for guidance from God as we face obstacles. Our prayer is for strength, wisdom and discernment as we navigate as citizens of two kingdoms, earth and heaven, and our prayer is to be witnesses to God's message of forgiveness and grace, to be lights in the world.  Amen

Devotion 4.7.20

The Lutheran Hour devotion series for Lent, written by Dr. Keri Vo, seemed appropriate during Holy Week and during the COVID 19 crisis.  In the midst of personal crisis and about to lose his life, Christ looks and has compassion on the people who cry for him.  From 4.6.20 Devotion by Dr. Vo:

And there followed Him (Jesus) a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for Him. But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23:27-31)

Have you ever been in the middle of terrible suffering? If you're like me, it gives you a kind of tunnel vision. I can't concentrate on anything but the pain. Oh, somewhere in the back of my mind I know that life goes on—that other people still exist—even that they might be suffering, just as I am. But it's incredibly hard to put my own suffering aside to focus on theirs. My own suffering takes up all my energy.

But notice that Jesus is different. Just look at Him on the road to the cross! He's already been beaten, tortured, kept up all night, put through five separate trials—and yet He still notices the women on the side of the road who are grieving for Him.

In fact, He goes further than that. He lays His own suffering aside and takes a minute to warn them of what's on the way—their own suffering at the fall of Jerusalem. Those days will be so horrible, He says, that being childless will look like a blessing. After all, if such evil things are happening now, while God Himself is walking the face of the earth, what will happen when He is no longer visibly present?

Jesus sees us just as clearly as He saw those women. He sees you—your situation, your needs, your suffering. He is concerned for you. Your suffering is the reason for His suffering. As Isaiah put it, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). He loves you this much.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to respond to Your love with love. Amen.

Devotion 4.6.20

Pontius Pilate.  The name itself brings the Christian mind to the week of the entry, to the night where the apostles broke bread, and to Christ's arrest, "trial," crucifixion and resurrection.  Pilate is a key figure in the book of Matthew (27) to whom the Jewish leaders hand Christ.

Interestingly, Rev. Dr. Joel Heck, theology professor at Concordia University Austin, writes about Pilate in the March 2020 Lutheran Witness.  When we hear the story of the passion this week, it's good to know the story Dr. Heck shares (new to me).  In John 19,  Heck writes, "When the Jews feared that Pilate was about to release Jesus, they shouted, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar." To the "rest of the story..."

Heck notes this:  "Just two years earlier, Lucius Aelius Sejanus had been executed in Rome for a plot against those who were aligned with Tiberius, the Roman emperor.

"Pilate was a friend of Sejanus and had actually been nominated for the governorship in Judea (by Sejanus).  If word got back to Rome that Pilate was Sejanus' friend, Pilate's governorship, even his life, could soon be over.

"The Jews apparently knew about Pilate's friendship with Sejanus and seemingly threatened to send word about that friendship to Rome.  So Pilate realized that he was in a difficult spot.  He had to choose between justice and his future.  He decided to compromise his understanding of justice and Roman law and handed Jesus over to be crucified."

Heck goes on to say that God's plans always supercede man's.  Pilate's frame of mind becomes even more clear with this background information.  To know the story from scripture is to see a man who seems to not want to have Christ's blood on his hands.  Knowing this story says Pilate was also concerned with keeping his own head on his shoulders and the Jews knew it.  Through it all, God's plans prevail.

We all have blood on our hands.  We too deny Christ, plot and plan, and attempt to twist our "thoughtfully" developed plans so that our will be done.  Going back to Jeremiah 29, we remind ourselves that God "knows the plans He has for us." Yet even Christ Himself shows us in his prayer in earnest when He implores God to spare Him from this, but he does confess, "Not my will, but your will be done."

We pray that we always seek God's will.  We ask for the mercy and forgiveness when we act like Pilate and seek to employ our own will and plans over God's. We know that even with Christ's blood on our hands, there is forgiveness.

Rev. Dr. Joel Heck, "God's Plans (not ours)" Lutheran Witness, March 2020

Devotion 4.2.20

According to John Maxwell, there are two responses to adversity:  Seek advantage or see adversity. It is, as he notes, a matter of perspective.  What does that mean - a matter of perspective?

Without looking it up, in layman's terms, it means how we see things, our mental framework.  Maxwell jokes in a video series on leadership with the following:  "The optimist sees the glass half full.  The pessimist sees it half empty.  The realist sees the wrong glass.  And while the three of you were arguing about the glass, I drank the water.  Signed, the Opportunist"

The apostle Paul was someone who saw opportunity in adversity.  In Philippians 1, we hear Paul as he says, "...for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life of by death.  For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain..... I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better.  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." (19-24)

THAT'S perspective.  To die is to be with Christ.  To live is to proclaim the gospel.

We all face adversity, not just now, but on-going, so when we do, what is our perspective?  Do we see the darkness and fear the unknown?  Do we seek advantage in those moments?  To grow, to learn, to appreciate the here and now?  Do we spend time in quiet reflection and come out on the other side of adversity better for it?

Paul ministered from prison, from a ship wreck, in hostile territory, beaten....  Yet he held the faith and proclaimed the gospel, saying later in Philippians to focus.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (4:6.-8)

So, what are we focused on?  What keeps our attention?  At Lent, is it Christ and Him crucified?  Do we turn to him when we are anxious?  Do we turn our hearts to what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, or excellent?  Pray that we do think on these things.

Devotion 4.1.20

"Feed your faith; Starve your fears." John Maxwell

A reminder that we are nearing the end of Lent.  COVID 19 distracted me from Lent (remember that Maxwell did say a crisis is a distraction).  After all, my devotion life and prayer life focused on the crisis in front of us, not Lent.  Yet in today's Lutheran Hour devotion, Kari Vo, the author, reminded us that Lent is exactly where our minds should be as we navigate this crisis.

Hear her words:

"Then those who had seized Jesus led Him to Caiphus the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.  And Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end." (Matthew 26)

"I've often wondered why hope is considered to be a virtue.  They call faith, hope, and love the three theological virtues, and I can see the point for faith and love.  But hope? I'm use to thinking of that as something that just happens to me, depending on my life circumstances.  I don't usually think of myself as responsible for having hope!

....What's going on in Peter's head (in this story)? Whatever it is, it doesn't include hope at all...." (Lutheran Hour Devotion, March 31, Dr. Kari Vo)

What is going on inside Peter's head?  Exactly!  Peter's denial goes beyond words, it includes action!  He's hanging with the guards during the crisis that would ultimately see Christ's crucifixion!  What is he thinking? 

Peter is in the moment, Vo reminds us, thinking of the here and now and not about what Christ had promised:  His death and resurrection.  Peter is in the here and now, distracted by his own thoughts and not allowing Christ to be his focus.

So, in Lent, are we distracted by the virus, or are we putting our hope in the promise of Christ?  We are observing the season that ultimately celebrates his suffering, death, and resurrection.  Everything else is a distraction. 

We pray that we turn our eyes to Christ, His suffering, death and resurrection. 

Devotion 3.31.20

I sometimes think I was born in the wrong time period.  Growing up in a house with my parents born in 1923 and 1931 (Dad and Mom), I tended to think older.  Listened to Big Band music every day because that is what my dad played.  Listened to a guy named Paul Harvey because he came on twice a day in my dad's car.  Part of that generation also recognized baseball as the only sport in the nation. Football existed, but in terms of popularity, baseball was the National Pastime.  It certainly was in our house.

So, I find myself, at times, thinking more about that game that was rather than the one that is.  Needless to say, in our extended confinement due to the virus, I found myself watching Ken Burns' baseball documentary which I've watched before, and I chanced on it with my favorite player to discuss, Babe Ruth.  The Babe.  Bambino.   If you read about baseball, its history, it always starts from New York and grows outward from there. 

I recently read a book on Babe which was excellent because it covered his life on and off the field.  Babe was (no debate) the first celebrity in every sense of the word.  He was known outside the game of baseball and capitalized on that popularity.  Babe became the bridge between the innocent and somewhat ill-informed celebrity, whose name was not his to use but open to anyone who wanted to make money off his or her popularity (he had no claim to the candy bar "Baby Ruth" which came about during his rise - it's an interesting read in the legality of what they pulled off at the candy company) to the more sophisticated celebrity who knew to trademark his or her name.

Interestingly enough, Babe was as good a pitcher as he was a hitter, and he was, many say, the best pure hitter in the game - ever.  Why did he leave the mound?  Because fans loved his homeruns.  Babe could play outfield and hit every game and not pitch and possibly miss a game after.  I enjoy reading the history of the game with people like Babe, Gehrig who complimented Babe, and other players down the line like Dimaggio and others.  It was a different place, different time, and I think I understood it better than I do modern times.  I always enjoy the opportunity to visit that time period.

What about you?  As you find time to sit and do things you may not have ever done because we were consumed with the present, work, children's activities pulling us to and fro, outside commitments, engagements that competed with our time....  Where do you find yourself?  How is the silence sitting with you?  How is the lack of activity because of "stay in place" working out?

Perhaps one place we can turn during out time is to God's Word, to hear the wisdom He has for us, for the direction we seek.  A key passage in the bible for me comes from Jeremiah 29, a familiar passage to all of us:  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Perhaps God has us exactly where he wants us.

We pray for God to guide us through this.  We pray that God hear our prayers, our prayers for ourselves, our neighbors, our nation and our world, His world.  We know He sent His Son to be our resurrection and life, and we know of the promise of eternal life through faith in His Son.  We lift a prayer of thanksgiving for the greatest gift we have in Christ.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 3.30.20

So the service readings for Sunday were from Ezekiel 37 and from John 11.  The valley of dry bones and Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.  Both seemingly two separate readings having little to do with each other.  A desolate valley of dead animal bones seems like an apocalyptic movie set, and Jesus visits Martha and Mary to have them mourn the loss of their brother and think, wishfully, that Christ had been there to prevent the death.

Pastor asked, "What was Lazarus' life like after Christ raised him from the dead?"  He speculated about the various scenarios that might have been after he came back to life, but he linked it to the question:  How will our lives be impacted by this COVID-19 virus, when all returns to normal?

One of my favorite tv shows is MASH, and a classic episode involves Harry Morgan (who would go on to be in the cast after this season as Colonel Potter) who is doing a guest spot as a crazy general named General Hamilton Steele.  When he meets Father Francis Mulcahy, he gets two inches from his face and yells, "There are no atheists in foxholes!" to which Mulcahy replies, "I've heard that."

Sure, when the bullets are flying, God, our Father and Creator, and His Son, Christ, are front and center, hearing many promises that may never be fulfilled.  This corona virus is a slow-motion battle, which confronts two aspects of our lives:  Our fears and our conveniences.  We fear the unknown, the virus and the impact it may have on us, including the possibility of death, and the conveniences, plenty of toilet paper in my life, enough to wrap a house with as a prank.  Fear is present and conveniences are put on hold indefinitely.  So we turn to God in our slow motion battle because "there are no atheists in foxholes."

But look back at the two passages again.  In Ezekiel, Ezekiel is told to "prophecy to these bones..." and when he does, bones arise, sinew attaches, flesh comes next, then skin.  Then Ezekiel is asked to prophecy again, and when he does, God breathes life into the desolate, lifeless bones that have become bodies.  In John, Christ gives life to a dead (four days dead) and lifeless Lazarus.

We feed our faith and starve our fears, John Maxwell said on more than one occasion.  During our time of retreat and reflection afforded us by this hiccup in our conveniences, perhaps that should be our focus.  Taking the life-giving promise from Christ, who tells Martha as she mourns, "I am the resurrection and the life." (11:25). Indeed, Christ is the author of our faith, and it is Him to whom we turn in all times, good and bad.

We pray that we use this time to "Be still and know that I am God" by focusing on our faith.  We ask for God to send His Spirit to us to help strengthen our faith.  We take our petitions to God, including our fears, and ask that He handle them for us.  We are thankful that He is the resurrection and the life.

Devotion 3.26.20

If I use the word "leader" what comes to your mind?  What's a leader look like?  What does a leader sound like in his or her own words, his or her voice?  How do you choose or recognize someone in a position of leadership?  How is the person elevated to that status in your mind?

John Maxwell notes that in a crisis a leader(s) show up.  That makes it sound like they aren't necessarily chosen, but it sounds more like that rise up from the midst of the chaos that surrounds us.

On a separate but related note, I've always wondered about the war hero.  The man (most often in our history) who was at the right place at the right time, or inserted himself into the situation to resolve, rescue, or sacrifice himself to save the lives of or end the situation of many.  Have you ever met one face-to-face?  I have had that privilege.  In a funny way, I always pictured a John Wayne figure, or maybe a Sylvester Stallone-esque type.  Chiseled, jaw that pushed out to form a strong appearance of confidence.  You get the idea.  This guy?  Nope.  Average height, mild-mannered, slight build.

During our conversation he told me of his days in battle, and he told me his assignment.  The astonishment in my voice was not mistaken.  "Really?" I asked. "No way.  Wow, I can't believe that I'm talking to someone who did that." (He did reconnaissance in Vietnam behind enemy lines.  Sat in trees as troops from the north went by, gathering troop positions.  Literally ate off the land and went for days or more gathering the information). 

Think of the people in Christ's time, then, looking for the Messiah.  Another David, a king of kings.  A man after God's own heart.  Clearly a strong and charismatic leader, capable of uniting a troubled nation under Roman rule.  Yet they forgot David's beginnings, the "youngest of Jesse's eight sons."  The one, who when assigned to confront Goliath, caused Saul, the king, to doubt and "dress David in his own tunic and...armor...and a bronze helmet...  David fastened his (Saul's) sword over the tunic and tried to walk because he wasn't used to them."  David eventually convinces them he needs to shed the armor and meet Goliath on his own (and with God).  (1 Samuel 16)

Isaiah 11 had told the Hebrews "a little child will lead them," but they, and we, miss that in our time of need.  A baby had been born in Bethlehem to fulfill the scripture in humble beginnings (Luke 2).  Christ would grow and become the fulfillment of the promise, and yet many missed and miss it.  He's not the leader we were looking for.  Not a powerful earthly ruler, but a humble servant who came to earth to deliver us.

We pray for our leaders among us in the crises of our lives.  We ask for humility and wisdom from our leaders as they are among us, and we ask for God to guide them and for us to exhibit humility in following them.  We pray that we all turn to Christ, the humble servant leader, to guide us in our time of trouble.