Author: Don

Dear Friends,
Over the past week Bonnie and I have mourned for our country as we tried to make some sense of the tragedy in Dallas. What follows is a letter from Pastor Dan Carroll of Water of Life Community Church in Fontana, CA that has helped us as we struggle to deal with this tragedy.

Pastor Dan’s letter of July 9^th:
As Gale and I travel in Australia and watch on the news the unfolding of this great tragedy in America, we like many of you find our hearts are deeply troubled, saddened and grieved. Psalm 73:26 describes how we, as well as many of you, are feeling today…

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Injustice however it is perpetrated is heart wrenching and demands a response. Often the first and most correct response is, as a Christian, to bow low in repentance. If only we were not so unloving and harsh with one another. If only we prayed for our leaders and others in our communities as I Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us to do, Paul said; “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”

I think Paul understood the difficulty we would face as people who struggle to stop and pray, but what if we decided today that arguing a position is not going to heal our land? Loving Jesus and serving others is certainly a starting place. But it takes far more to battle the work of hell. Do Black lives matter? Of course they do. Are police crucial to our safety and the wellbeing of our communities? Of course they are. Is Jesus overwhelmed by this great divide threatening our land? Of course He is not.

When John the Baptist was unceremoniously beheaded by King Herod, Matthew 14:3 tells us Jesus did something we should all do at times like this. He withdrew to a secluded place. Withdrawing, stopping, grieving, feeling is so important to all of us. When things are wrong and painful, stop and feel the pain, ask the questions we all should be asking daily. What would Jesus want you to do? Argue a position? No, love people, all people, pray for leaders, all leaders however capable or incapable they may seem.

Pray! And keep praying for Holy Spirit driven insight into the times our world is experiencing. Pray for people you feel angry and discouraged with, pray for your heart not to fade into depression and fear. Pray. Pray for those in authority so we can live in peace, with our lives marked out by God. Pray for the families of all those killed, Black, White, police and citizens. Pray for a spirit that only Jesus can give to love those you may disagree with. Pray against the temptation to strike out even with your words. Ask Jesus to put a guard over your mouth and your heart. Do not participate with evil deeds of darkness even in your thought life. Yield to God and remember Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation, take courage I have overcome the world.”

This is a painful and sad time in our land, it seems a month doesn’t go by without innocent people being killed. It is not fair, but the world never is, that is why Jesus came to offer humans healing, help, and wholeness in a time of need. Run to Him; cry out to Him, He and He alone has what you need now. Read Psalm 63 and remember David wrote this at a time he lived under a ruler who was completely unjust, but he lived in a God who was his rescue. Let Him lift your head and your heart He can do it. I am praying for all of you.

With Deep Affection and Love,
Pastor Dan

As we were getting ready to post this edition of our blog, we heard the news of the horrific terrorist attack in Nice France. Pastor Dan’s words, “Do not participate with evil deeds of darkness even in your thought life” came to mind. Lord, help us to avoid becoming what we hate. Amen.

Your Friends in Christ 

Psalm 63 (NLT)

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

¹ O God, you are my God;  I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. ² I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. ³ Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! ⁴ I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. ⁵ You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. ⁶ I lie awake thinking of you,  meditating on you through the night. ⁷ Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.⁹ But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.  They will go down into the depths of the earth. ¹⁰ They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. ¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced.

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