Author: Don

Dear Friends,

Angels, we are told, are messengers of God. The Bible recounts stories of angels speaking to Abraham, Jacob, Gideon, the women at the tomb, Cornelius, and many others. Yet, we don’t hear many Christians sharing testimony about their encounters with angels. Did God send angels on vacation at the end of the book of Acts? Are angels nothing more than ornaments for decorating our Christmas trees and beautifying our gardens?

As a child we may have believed in angels – we may have even prayed for their protection: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. May angels guard me through the night, And keep me safe ‘til morning light.

In Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) we are cautioned, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

As we age, do we lose the childlike innocence that gives us freedom to believe in angels?

On a recent trip, Bonnie became anxious when she couldn’t locate the gate for her departing flight. She had scanned the departures board, but no flights were listed for Orange County. A gate agent explained that at DFW airport, they listed her destination as Santa Ana, and told her she needed to get to the D concourse. Her flight would soon be departing from Gate 49.

If you haven’t passed through the mega-terminal at Dallas-Fort Worth, you have no idea how confusing travel can be. Skylink, a high speed train, carries passengers from terminal to terminal, pausing only long enough for those with quick reflexes to disembark. No doubt, there are people who have been trapped on Skylink for hours!

Somehow Bonnie managed to get on and off Skylink and found herself in the correct terminal. She raced to the end of the concourse only to discover that there was no Gate 49 – she must have misheard the instructions. Panic started to settle in.

Just then, a young man with the kindest smile saw the distressed look on her face. Gesturing toward gate 29, he said, “Are you looking for the flight to Orange County? You’re in the right place.”

“She thanked him and asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Uriah —it means the Lord is my light.”

Was Uriah just another kind person willing to help someone find their way? For today, I choose to believe that Uriah was a messenger — an angel — sent to remind Bonnie of the words in Psalm 91:11 (NLT): “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.”

Verse for the Week: Isaiah 58:9-12: “Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.”

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

ear Friends,

THE DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness … And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Independence Day is a national holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776. This holiday has become all about the celebration with little thought about what we are celebrating. Grocery stores make sure they are well stocked with hot dogs and barbeque supplies; fireworks stands pop-up wherever they aren’t prohibited by fire restrictions, and communities gather in parks for a day of fun and music.

Before we race off to enjoy the festivities, we thought it would be useful to focus on an often overlooked truth: The Declaration of Independence included a “Declaration of Dependence”. Our Founding Fathers recognized the dependence of their new nation on the protection of God. Throughout our history, poets and songwriters have echoed our founding father’s conviction that God is the author and protector of our liberty. The final stanza of “America” is a prime example:

Our fathers’ God, to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing; Long may our land be bright With freedom’s holy light. Protect us by thy might, Great God, our King! The Star Spangled Banner identifies “In God is our trust” as a national motto:

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand, Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;   Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And this be our motto: “In God is our trust” And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!   The Irving Berlin Classic “God Bless America” is actually a prayer.

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home. In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln summed up the challenges we face as  citizens of a “nation under God.” “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Are we still a nation that recognizes its dependence on God? This July 4^th we encourage you to join with us in praying for the United States and all our people.

Verse for the week: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

This week’s letter is based on the second chapter of Exodus.

Moses, the leader of the Hebrews, was born with a death sentence on his head. The ruler of the Egyptians feared the Hebrews were becoming too strong, so he ordered that all boy children born to Hebrew mothers were to be thrown into the Nile River. Moses’ mother hid the new born Moses for three months. Then, unable to hide him any longer, she put her son in a basket and placed him in the bulrushes by the river’s edge. Moses’ sister Miriam stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

This is a familiar Bible story, yet we may overlook Miriam’s courage. To the Hebrews, water was symbolic of uncertainty, chaos, and death. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Miriam kept watch over the baby in the basket. We just know that she put aside her fears and watched over the baby as she waited to see what God would do. Miriam focused on the infant in the basket, not her surroundings. She made things happen rather than waiting and wondering what would happen. When we find ourselves stuck in the bulrushes of life, we need to appreciate the wonderful things we can do acting in God’s power.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

How often do we stand at a distance to see what will happen? When we see someone being mistreated, do we stand up for them? When we see someone in need, do we step forward to help them? When we see someone hurting, do we comfort them? Miriam was a young slave girl – the least of the least – and yet she became a key person in the story of our salvation when she did more than just observe. Miriam couldn’t imagine how big an impact she would have on the history of the Jewish people. Likewise, we never know how big an impact God intends for us to make on others.

Johanna Mansfield Sullivan was born to a poor immigrant family. At the age of five she contracted an eye disease that left her nearly blind. Her mother died when she was eight, and her father abandoned her two years later. She spent four years in a home for the indigent before being admitted to Perkins School for the Blind in Boston. As the school’s valedictorian she wrote, “Fellow-graduates: duty bids us go forth into active life. Let us go cheerfully, hopefully, and earnestly, and set ourselves to find our especial part. When we have found it, willingly and faithfully perform it.”

When another young girl’s parents sought a teacher for their blind and deaf child, it was Joanna “Anne” Mansfield who answered the call. The movie “The Miracle Worker” was based on Anne Mansfield’s success in freeing her young student —Helen Keller — from the bondage of blindness and deafness. Helen went on to become a noted author, lecturer, and political activist.

“When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.” ― Helen Keller

The other day we saw a young girl wearing a tee shirt that read, “I’m not wishing for it; I’m working for it.” What are you working for — or should the question be, “What are you waiting for? We all have opportunities to do things that will bring glory to God.

Scripture for the week: 1 Peter 4:11 (NLT) “Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,
To many, Father’s Day is a day of woulda, coulda, and shouldas. Fathers may think, “I would have done better if …” Sons may wonder if they could have been more respectful of their own dads, and we all may wonder how many times we should have watched our words. We may be perplexed when we read Jesus words in Matthew 5:48 (NIV), “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Perfect? Who me? I don’t think so.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this conflict we feel in Romans 7:15, 21-23, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do … So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”

The world sarcastically says, “I’m sorry, I can’t be perfect.”

The Christian responds humbly,
“I am sorry. God’s not finished with me yet.”

When we recall the Apostle Paul’s persecution of the church, his conversion, and the fact that he struggled with temptation, we are reminded that we are a work in progress. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Changing the way we think often means praying that we can live better in the present, and with God’s help, letting go of our past. How often do we put ourselves on the cross, or let others put us on the cross for sins Jesus already went to the cross for? Consider Paul’s guidance in Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV), “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead is an important step on our path to victory. The prophet Isaiah recorded God’s words, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:18-19a

Verse for the Week: ^“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” 1 John 5:4 (CEV)

The Christian song “Mended” by Matthew West offers words of encouragement to any child of God who may struggle with his or her imperfection.

“Mended”
How many times can one heart break?
It was never supposed to be this way.
Look in the mirror, but you find someone you never thought you’d be.
Oh, but I can still recognize The one I love in your tear stained eyes.
I know you might not see him now, so lift your eyes to me. (Chorus)

You see your worst mistake,
But I see the price I paid.
There’s nothing you could ever do, to lose what grace has won.
So hold on, it’s not the end.
No, this is where love’s work begins;
I’m making all things new,
And I will make a miracle of you (Chorus)

I see my child, my beloved,
The new creation you’re becoming.
You see the scars from when you fell,
But I see the stories they will tell.
You see worthless, I see priceless.
You see pain, but I see a purpose.
You see unworthy, undeserving,
But I see you through eyes of mercy. (Chorus)

Chorus
When you see broken beyond repair,
I see healing beyond belief.
When you see too far gone,
I see one step away from home.
When you see nothing but damaged goods,
I see something good in the making.
I’m not finished yet.
When you see wounded, I see mended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTHM1Jc7k48

Blessings and Happy Father’s Day —Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

This election season promises to be one of the most combative in our lifetime. We’ve had just a small taste of the uncivil war of words to come. Many of us need only recall some of our own rhetoric to know that James had it right when he wrote, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” James 3:8-9 (NASB)

If I’m going to honor God this election season, I’m going to have to develop strong guidelines. Where better to look for guidelines than the Scriptures?

Guideline #1 Trust in the Lord. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:3-6

Guideline 2: Be patient. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:7-9

Guideline 3: Seek the truth. “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8b (NLT)

“O Lord, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised.” Psalm 119:169

Guideline 4: Choose your words carefully. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

“When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you.” Ephesians 4:29 (ICB)

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24b (NIV)

“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Proverbs 17:28

Guideline 5: Remember — God’s in charge. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 Always be joyful. “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

Guideline 6: Pray that the candidates will try to observe Guidelines 1-5! “’Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.’” Matthew 19:26

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ