The Trouble with Helping Others

Three of the ten missionaries behind bars in Haiti

Just when you think you have problems you meet someone who really has a problem. This has happened to me so often, I no longer am surprised. People from Haiti are a world away until suddenly a person from Topeka is caught in the middle of the national drama.

The whole story isn’t yet known, but it reminds me a great deal of the complication in helping others with their problems. Their problems can become your problems. Nearly everyone would say, “I have enough problems I don’t need to go looking for more.”

The great temptation is to hole up in your own little world and let everyone else deal with their own “stuff.” Just a quick thought for your consideration: How big of a challenge do you have? How would you like to be running the entire world, and then on top of that have to step up to help the one guy you had planned on helping you. It is not quite that simple, but that is nearly what God did. He made man to tend a garden, but man utterly failed and fell into rebellion and sin.

So instead of washing His hands of man God did the unthinkable He took on human form in the person of Christ and identified with man’s problem. It all led to a cross. He became “our problem” who knew no “problems” so that we might have the perfections of Him revealed in us (2 Cor. 5:21). Many have never understood what Jesus did. They see him as a weak figure, certainly not the maker of the worlds. In this position He asks you to trust Him with all your problems. Will you?

Vacation vs. Holidays

“On Vacation in Arizona”

Vacation is what we often call these times of escape where we travel away from home and see the world. I am not sure I like the name “vacation.” It sounds like we are more interested in what we are leaving (VACATING) then where we are going. Often in the old world they referred to the same times as holidays. I like that better. The realization was that times “away” could actually be seen as “holy-days,” an opportunity to understand that which was near.

Vacations should be fun, but they should also be focused. Focused on seeing the big picture of what you are doing the rest of the time. I must admit that I like taking time away during the winter. I enjoy escaping some of the bad weather, but I also like refocusing just prior to Easter and all the wonders of a new season of growth. Hopefully the growth will be more than just physical.

Key to great pictures stand with a good looking woman and a great background.

I think a person can take short holidays: a cup of coffee by the fireplace, rubbing a puppy’s tummy, watching children play during recess at a school, or maybe just stopping to see a hawk fly over a meadow. Any of these events can slow a person down long enough to hear God for just a moment. Hearing God makes any moment holy. I like reading a psalm best to hear God, because you can’t just do it without reflecting. Psalms are best when they percolate.

Try out Psalm 11:  

¹     In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul,      

“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

²     For look! The wicked bend their bow,      

They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

³     If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

⁴     The Lord is in His holy temple,      

The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

⁵     The Lord tests the righteous,      

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

⁶     Upon the wicked He will rain coals;

Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. 

⁷     For the Lord is righteous,

He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

The writer sees the profound difference between running from your problem and running to the Lord. “Flee to the hills” and they may just hunt you down with a bow, but the Lord is in his holy temple. I agree with sage strongly, that instead of escaping the world for comfort a person should look for God. May you find Him and may He find you.

BRRRRRRR!!!!!!

The view from the parking lot of Rock Creek Bible Church

Record bone chilling below zero cold hazard conditions. . . brrrrrrrrrrr! Does this sound like where you live right now? It does in Kansas. Just to let you know these are not my favorite conditions.

Heating with wood teaches a person the value of making sure the door is closed, and the window is sealed. Each little area is critical to making sure the house stays warm. When the wood stove in our basement is working at its best the ceiling fan slowly turns to the rising heat. Splitting wood outside in these conditions is really not fun. But next month on the 13^th when the gas bill is due I will reap the reward for waking up at 5:30 each day to start the process.

What is strange to consider is that somewhere on this globe there are people worried about how hot it is! The difference between them and us is probably less than 100 degrees. We humans sure are a particular lot. All this effort for a few degrees of warmth.  As tough as men claim to be we are really rather sensitive creatures.

God made us fragile. He wanted us to want Him. It doesn’t always work out that way. Often when we most are in need we run from Him rather than turn to Him.

Take stock in your situation at present here at the beginning of the year. Face the cold hard facts you really do need God. Are you going to come to Him? Are you going to admit your need for His warm embrace? The bill for your neglect of Him will come due. Why not come in from the cold now?

The Ginger Bread Man

I woke up this morning to an army of little men overseeing my coffee. The army of gingerbread men, were the results of the cooks in the house. Each one was happy and ready. They didn’t make them all the same. The first few have the same trimmings, but the artist took over and one is even wearing a bikini!

It just was too boring to make them all the same. They are all smiling (you would have to eat the head first of a grumpy gingerbread man). It was all so pretty in the dawning moments of our kitchen before the activity of another day took over. I found my camera and took several pictures.

I was reminded of the garden of Eden, before sin entered. Adam, being made of the dust of the earth, perhaps was shaded like a gingerbread man. His name does mean earthy. God has made quite a few people since, and none of them are exactly the same, unfortunately they don’t all smile. They do all have the same need, the earth has exacted a toll.

The most staggering of thoughts is that God allowed his son to enter this world in one of these dust made vehicles called a human body. The cook became the batter and entered the oven. I don’t know exactly what color his skin was, but we do know what color his blood was. He died in our place.

A small meal is the church’s reminder of this. A token of bread speaks of his willing body given, a small glass of wine the purity of his blood shed. In eating we ponder again our God’s role in granting us forgiveness.

The Little One that Got Away

Sometimes nobody wanting you is a good thing. The weather was cold and I was ready to finish up my deer hunting for the year. I decided that I would take a doe or larger buck. The only deer that I would pass on would be a spike buck. My reasoning was leave him for another year when he could potentially be a trophy. If all I wanted was meat a doe would be fine.

You guessed it, in came a nice spike buck. I determined to watch, and he just stood there for several minutes considering go out into the larger meadow to the south. It was a good time even if my toes were frozen.

Grow little guy grow! See you next year or the year after.

A Day of Thanks

Animals have a lot to do with holidays. Bunnies & Easter; Reindeer & Christmas; and how about Turkeys &Thanksgiving, they are so synonymous that some even call it “turkey day”. I don’t like the trend. It tends to make less of the real purpose or meaning behind the day.

Perhaps it is my religious background, but Christmas and Easter are fun times, but even more holy times. The animals can be a distraction if we are not careful. Thanksgiving as an example, should be about something far more important than getting stuffed! It should be about gratefulness more than gluttony. I love a good football game as much as the next guy, but somewhere on Thursday each person needs to find the time to thank God for his provision in the past year.

Now it is easy to be in a thankful mood when everything appears to be going well, but sometimes the economy makes us a bit gloomy in the thankful category. So consider this: Do you have any friends? Thank God for them. Do you have family? Thank God for them. Do you have the hope of heaven? Thank God for it (If you don’t, find a good church this Christmas!).

Thanks need to be directed toward the one who provided. Maybe the reason Thanksgiving has fallen off is related to our attitude toward God as a nation. Being a thankful person starts with a deeper knowledge of God. The height of my gratitude is often a measurement of the depth of my relationship with God. When I look up to God more, I am able to see better around me as well.

Great Day In the Woods

Taylor is turkey hunting for the first time this year. I have enjoyed being out in the woods with him, but so far no tags filled. The gun did go off one time, but with nothing in the way dropped. The birds flew off into the timber. Yesterday was our second together and a great day not for the prey we were seeking but for the joy of what God delivered.

A bird had clucked to our north shortly after we scared up a couple of deer below us in a deep draw. We sat up on a tree and within a few minutes Taylor whispered, “Look at this deer to my right.”

There stood a nice buck right in the fence row. “He will never come through the fence.” I predicted. Wrongly, I might add as the buck moved right to our north within 15 yards.

Later, Taylor agreed with me: highlight of the day!

Buck at 15 Yards (cellphones take terrible pictures)

Opposites That Don’t Attract

Black or White; Hot or Cold; Right or Left; Liar or Lover. We normally don’t think of the last pair as opposites, yet they are considered such in the scriptures (1 John 2:4-5). Their opposite nature is not readily clear until you consider how much lying does to destroy those that are around you.

Another consideration is the Devil is given the name Father of Lies, while we are told God is love.

The loving person is always truthful. Some think it is better not to tell a person the bad news, but even though it hurts the most loving of actions is to tell someone the truth. God always deals with us in the truth. Some don’t like that God is this way. They would rather live in a world where they get to do what they want, than deal with a God who clearly shows them their faults and failings.

If honest I must admit I can be one of those people. I can avoid God because I don’t want to face my own failure. God loves me too much to allow me to hide. One of the great scenes of the Bible is God seeking out Adam in the Garden of Eden. Adam, hiding in the bushes, is covered up with a garment of leaves. God lovingly confronts, as Adam evades.

Before I can love you I need to tell the truth not just to you, but to myself. If by my actions, I lie to myself, my actions toward you, are not loving. Saying, “I can do whatever I want” is not only a lie to myself, it is not loving toward you.

2009 Miles In 2009

A Long Way from Home

I haven’t purchased my turkey hunting tags for this fall yet, because I was wanting to reach the 2,000 milestone on my bike first. So now that I have made it (All the way to 2009 to be exact) it is time to buy the tags and head into the woods.

PS. I road past 2 tom turkeys only 3 miles before the new mark. Guess they figured they were safe for at least another 10 minutes.

Measuring the Harvest

I went for a ride in a combine once under different conditions. The ride reminded me of my wonderful childhood on the farm, but that was not what was different. What was especially interesting about this particular time was that the corn being picked was part of a series of test plots. Six rows at a time were picked, measured, and then the cycle began over again. Each particular hybrid of corn had to stand up to the test so that the farmer could choose his best options for planting next year.

What struck me was the question: Could my life stand up to such direct measurement? No excuses, does my life measure up? We so often forget to hold ourselves accountable to any set of goals whatsoever. Life is allowed to just slip by without serious thought as to its direction or purpose. Some day, the Bible clearly teaches, everyone will give an account to God of their life.

This is the reason we are so desperately in need of redemption. Anyone who would seriously measure his life by the standards set by Christ during his life on earth would realize how far short they have fallen. None has been as kind, gracious, giving, holy, or loving as they could. Yet, God offers us hope through His Son’s payment for us on Calvary. This is the essence of salvation: Christ has met the need of your life before God, and you trust in His payment for your standing before God. Christ was the perfect “hybrid” of sorts, all of God to know what was required, and all of man to do it on your behalf. Have you turned to your only option?

  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.  (E.S.V.) Ec 12:13-14.