“…A Christmas Letter…”

THE UNSHAKEABLE PRESENCE OF A GOD WHO NEVER LEAVES

A Christmas Letter 

“…just one life …identity…”

“All I have is just one life 
I'll lay it down a million times
For You deserve it
You are worth it 
No cost too great a sacrifice
Just like You did, I give my life
For You deserve it
You are worth it" *

My friend attended a Mennonite funeral service for a good friend of his who worked on his homes and was a good friend to his dad and spoke highly of him.

One thing he did mention is at the viewing according to Mennonite custom all the men and women were dressed similarly. My friend was sitting among them. He commented they looked all the same - the Mennonite people looked all the same.

As we sat longer, he communicated to me so many beautiful characteristics of the person who passed away, his family legacy, and also how he showed kindness to his father and his father appreciated this man. 

He got me thinking how God created all people, but he looks to us as unique individuals with qualities that set each apart. He doesn’t see us all the same, though outward characteristics may be similar.

We might generalize that people are the same in many ways, But God sees “us”.

God created our identity and sees us individually, loves us for who we are, and has a unique plan for each person. And he does this through greatest love.

When I think of my own life, my identity is not my father's or his addictions or his good and not so good qualities.

I also thought of this, hearing someone speaking about his mental health, and how his mental health is not his identity, as well as what he does for his living. And the mountain top experiences are good analogy for the good times but  He now feels that in someways as we go through life, we never reach the mountaintop, and we should always pursue love and goodness along with our story that may include mental health, or struggles that we’ve gone through, and gotten to the other side.

There is no shame in us because now we help others through our unique stories in Salvation.

My identity is something that endures all things.

My purpose is an enduring purpose because of God’s love for me.

“Everything else fades away, riches, fame, beauty, etc. but Love, Love Endures Forever. It is the one thing I can give to everyone I meet, pass on to my children, and build an Enduring Legacy on.” (Love Abides)

 

“But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us.”

Romans 5.:8 VOICE

“If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 TLB

 “For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of things, as when we stare into polished metal. I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day, when Jesus arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face. In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God.  But now faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13: 12-13 VOICE

* A Million Times   - (Gateway Worship)

   A Million Times (You Tube)

9/11

 

“First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil. I have been asked hundreds of times why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I do not know the answer. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.”

Billy Graham's 9/11 Message From Washington National Cathedral

“My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and that as we trust in Him we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us.”

Billy Graham’s 9/11 Message From Washington National Cathedral

Billy Graham’s remarks given at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Friday, September 14, 2001, brought hope and healing to a shocked nation. His words are still powerful and relevant more than 20 years later.

We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be. The Bible says that He is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”

No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a Day to Remember.

Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice.

But today we come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation. But today we need Him especially. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare. And we need the help of the Spirit of God.

The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

But how do we understand something like this? Why does God allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are asking. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you that God understands these feelings that you may have.

We’ve seen so much that brings tears to our eyes and makes us all feel a sense of anger. But God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest.

What are some of the lessons we can learn?

First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil. I have been asked hundreds of times why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I do not know the answer. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.

The Bible says God is not the Author of evil. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 the Bible talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”

The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity and evil, but, second, it’s a lesson about our need for each other.

What an example New York and Washington have been to the world these past few days! None of us will forget the pictures of our courageous firefighters and police, or the hundreds of people standing patiently in line to donate blood.

A tragedy like this could have torn our country apart, but instead it has united us. So those perpetrators who took this on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way—it has backlashed. We are more united than ever before. I think this was exemplified in a very moving way when the members of our Congress stood shoulder to shoulder and sang, “God Bless America.”

Finally, difficult as it may be for us to see right now, this event can give a message of hope—hope for the present and hope for the future.

Yes, there is hope. There is hope for the present because the stage, I believe, has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.

We desperately need a spiritual renewal in this country, and God has told us in His Word time after time that we need to repent of our sins and return to Him, and He will bless us in a new way.

There also is hope for the future because of God’s promises. As a Christian, I have hope, not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come. And many of those people who died this past week are in heaven now. And they wouldn’t want to come back. It’s so glorious and so wonderful. That is the hope for all of us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in your heart.

This event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. We never know when we too will be called into eternity. I doubt if those people who got on those planes or who walked into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon on Tuesday thought that it would be the last day of their lives. And that’s why we each must face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will.

Here in this majestic National Cathedral we see all around us the symbol of the cross. For the Christian, the cross tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for He took them upon Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. From the cross God declares, “I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel. But I love you.”

The story does not end with the cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell. Yes, there is hope.

I’ve become an old man now, and I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago.

Several years ago at the National Prayer Breakfast here in Washington, Ambassador Andrew Young closed his talk with a quotation from the old hymn “How Firm a Foundation.”

This week we watched in horror as planes crashed into the steel and glass of the World Trade Center. Those majestic towers, built on solid foundations, were examples of prosperity and creativity. When damaged, those buildings plummeted to the ground, imploding in upon themselves. Yet, underneath the debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed. Therein lies the truth of that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.”

Yes, our nation has been attacked, buildings destroyed, lives lost. But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation; or to choose to become stronger through all of this struggle, to rebuild on a solid foundation.

And I believe that we are starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God. And in that faith, we have the strength to endure something as difficult and as horrendous as what we have experienced this week. This has been a terrible week with many tears.

But it also has been a week of great faith. In that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” the words say, “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,/For I am thy God, and will give thee aid;/I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,/Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and that as we trust in Him we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us.

We know also that God will give wisdom and courage and strength to the President and those around him. And this will be a day that we will remember as a Day of Victory.

May God bless you all.

"... Common beauty..."

Saw this purple thistle and thought how it stood out, common, but beautiful, 

a light, a bright spot amidst the noise; beauty, unpretentious yet standing out among the field, 🎨🌸 

Emily Ann thought of you💜🖼️🎨

“This is the great reward of service, to live, far out and on, in the life of others; this is the mystery of Christ, - to give life's best for such high sake that it shall be found again unto life eternal.” (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain)

“Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming and devote yourselves to prayer.”

Romans 12.12 VOICE

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Growth

Restores, Green, 

Trials, Sustains,

Endures, Rest, 

Weaves, New 

Remarkable achievements in each day 

in common ways in care

in pressing on,

in reaching higher

in hard circumstance

Stories never in the limelight

Each day a chance again

Decide to [pause]* “to lift up."

Be “sweet water on parched land, 

Be streams on hard-packed ground” (1)

[pause] * “to lift up", Glimpse poetry by Joe Holuta

[pause] "to lift up"

About this Poem: [pause] * "to lift up" is about a footnote in the Voice Bible version where the author takes a break in the writing, and it lists [pause]*- meaning to lift up (2). When I read this, I feel it is a time to take notice, to worship and take note of what I'm reading, ex." May He grant the dreams of your heart and see your plans through to the end." We can lift up others each day, many times in common, less spectacular ways, that reflect life to the soul. - Joe Holuta

1. Isaiah 44:3 VOICE 

    Like a devoted gardener, I will pour sweet water on parched land,

        streams on hard-packed ground;

    I will pour My spirit on your children and grandchildren—

        and let My blessing flow to your descendants.

2. Psalm 20:3-4

    May He remember all that you have offered Him;

    may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.

[pause]*

    May He grant the dreams of your heart

    and see your plans through to the end.

          *20:3 from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”

:..A steady hand for a sudden blessing..."

"Behind every sudden blessing is a steady hand"

"Suddenly God can move stuff - just like that!"

"Desperation drives you to determination."

"God had to say no, so He could say yes, so you could be here, to do this!"

"I'll know when I need to."

"Hand of God can snatch you from depression."

A steady hand for a sudden blessing -Steven Furtick, sermon on Pentecost Sunday

On the way to war, they run out of water in the wilderness, something you didn't plan for weakens you. 

"For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink." 2 Kings 3:17 NIV

Valley will be filled with water

All of a sudden Worship song

Wind came all of a sudden

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 
Acts 2:1-4 NIV

“..one wild and precious life…”

 I was walking on the trails today and when I came to this section where the paths cross, as many times in the past, I had the thought -

 ‘you have a choice, which way will you choose’

I heard this today on a movie that I have 

“One wild and precious life”

Isn’t this amazing!

Later, I had a Glimpse of something- when you consider the choices you have to make every day isn’t it amazing when you’re chosen, 

when a choice is made, for you! (as a person)

"...but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide].…..

This [is what] I command you: that you love unselfishly seek the best for one another.”

John 15:16-17 (AMP)

I also recalled this quote that is motivating to consider:

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”

-Audrey Hepburn

"...consider the most common things, questions, doubts, apples, ..."

Consider the most common things, questions, doubts, apples, ...

Triggers of doubt, intellectual, emotional, trauma, temptation triggers 

you won’t stay there
doubt to faith or to unbelief

It’s good to question, not a lack of faith, often strengthens your beliefs.

No guilt when we have questions, question pastoral teachings, or doctrine 

- our view may change.

Teachable, can mean a small box, where any question is out of that very small box.

Live with unanswered questions. Enjoy learning.

We may not have answers to all questions.

Others we live with need to know it is ok to question.

We have to have the faith of a child.

“Let the little children come to Me; do not get in their way.

 For the kingdom of heaven belongs to children like these.” 

Matt 19:14 VOICE

“Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them!

 Don’t you realize—the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? 

You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would,

 you won’t enter it at all.”

 Luke18:17 VOICE

What were the little children asking Jesus when he said,

 "Let them come to me"

Multitudes of questions surely!

Perhaps, why is the sky blue?

Did you always obey your mom? 

Why were some parents healed?

Did you go to school?

Why are you so kind to everyone that is shunned by our town-like the tax collector, the prostitute or the foreigner?

“And as You knelt in the garden was I on Your mind?
 

What was the joy set before You? Was my heart Your prize?” *


Even when we consider the most common things,

we could have endless observations or questions so much more will we have questions of God and the ways of God. **

"Doubt is not a Christian problem, it is a human problem.

I can't even understand the "depths of the apple trees and apple varieties,

and am "I overwhelmed that I can't come to all conclusions that I want concerning God." If i would walk away from Christianity, I would just have another set of questions that would become doubts.

The struggle is with our "finitude, mortality limitations and weaknesses. No worldview is going to give me certainty or knowledge of everything"

"What do we do with our doubt and what is the purpose of my life?"

"Your thoughts and plans are treasures to me, O God! 

I cherish each and every one of them!

How grand in scope! How many in number!

If I could count each one of them,

 they would be more than all the grains of sand on earth.

Their number is inconceivable!

  Even when I wake up, I am still near to You.

 Psalm 139:17-18 VOICE

Consider apple trees, for instance, in your yard or apples varieties at the market!

Smell the difference among.

How many varieties are possible?

How long does it take a tree to mature?

Are all the seeds the same?

How much water does it take to grow a tree?

And do a variety of trees have different color leaves?

How does an apple become sweet, tart, good for baking, good for eating?

Can the apple be used for apple sauce, pie, juice, butter?

What months do they ripen? Do they need refrigerated?

Which ones get brown when sliced? ***

                             

 

 

   *Lamb elevation worship


** Faith like a child - Church Hurt, Doubt and Addiction with Bobby    Conway 

-Thoughts and some quotes from this conversation

***Apple Varieties