Where? (Advent)

Where?After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the East arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.” Matthew 2:1-6 (HCSB)“Has anybody seen my keys (wallet, glasses, …)?”“Where do remember having them last?”“If I’d know that I probably wouldn’t be asking!”“Where is that blasted 10 mm wrench? I just had in my hands.”“Where is your brother (sister, father, mother, …)?”“Honey, where’d you say the lunch meat was?”“Third shelf, right behind the mayo?”“I looked there, but I don’t see it?”“(I swear that man is retarded) You’re gonna make me get up and look for it, aren’t you.”“Well, I can’t find it (If she wouldn’t keep hiding things I wouldn’t have to ask).”“Look, it’s right here where I told you!”“No way! I looked all over the fridge, twice.”“Just where do you think you’re going?!”“Where did we/I go wrong in all of this?”“Where is God in all of this?”We often get confused when it comes to “Where?” We misplace things, get lost, find ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings, are in need of help, get our lives off track, … So we ask “where?” God is never confused when it comes to “where?” That’s why it is so smart and wise to walk through life with God, it eliminates a lot of confusion and feeling lost. As you prepare for Christmas the written Word of God (the Bible) challenges us to think about:Where were you? (Job 38:1-4, 40:1-4) Do we really understand who God is?Where are you? (Genesis 3:9) Are we hiding from God?Where will you be? (John 14:1-6) Are you prepared for eternity?To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Spiritual Health Habits

October 10 2011Not everybody is blessed with great physical health, or even mental health. My children seem to have inherited vastly different immune systems. One has diabetes, another has scoliosis, and several battle with allergies. My own family background is loaded with heart disease and mental illness, and these too seem to have been randomly distributed among my brothers and me.Now I certainly did not have anything to do with what I did or did not inherit as to my physical constitution and health, nor do I know what illnesses and accidents the future holds. But I do know that I can chose to live as healthy as I can with what I have been given and what is available to me ( I wonder how health care costs would be affected if the vast majority of us would embrace healthy habits?). For instance I could take up smoking and vastly increase my already high chances for heart problems, as well as a plethora of other ailments such as cancer and emphysema. I also could quit exercising, or stop taking an aspirin a day. I coulddecide to guzzle more soft-drinks, chew, overdo alcohol, and surrender myself to a chunk food diet. Doing any or all of these will affect my health guaranteed, and whatever negatives I have inherited as to my health will be magnified. Conversely I can decide to make healthy choices, be disciplined as to what I put into my body and as to what I do and don’t do and thus improve my health, besides increasing the chances that Susie, besides being my wife, won’t have to be nurse as well. And since God has given you and me both just one body we can serve him more effectively if we take care of it. Of course we can become so obsessed with our health that we worship at the altar of health and youth. God’s Word (the Bible) reminds us that, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT). In other words, physical/mental health is important, but never as much as spiritual health.Spiritual health is as impacted as physical health by good habits and taking advantage of what is available. Jesus said a regular intake of God’s Word is as important as food from the refrigerator (Matthew 4:4), without it we will be weak and wide open to spiritual infection. We need the fellowship of, the regular getting together with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25) to ward of discouragement and inactivity. We need God’s wisdom to fight diseases of the mouth as well as the demonic (James 3). We need to be engaged in doing God’s work together, like a body, if we want to be useful and spiritually vital (1 Corinthians 12). We need to pray if we want to know and do God’s will, not worry, stay humble, have endurance, and be focused on what counts (Matthew 6:9-13). My hope and prayer is that you will commit yourself with me to the habits and practices that restore, improve, and maintain spiritual health/godliness.To God be all glory, love you Pastor Hans1

Weed Eaters and Bibles

May 1 2011My weed-eater (also known as a string trimmer) is down. Nothing crucial, I amwaiting for the parts to restore it to health. The only bad thing is that spring isnot a good time for a weed-eater not to work. However, I have observed weed-eaters and the truth is they much rather just sit around or hang on a wall than eatweeds. In fact, if left to themselves they’ll never eat a single weed. Talk about notliving up to your name. Actually a weed-eater cuts down weeds really well whenI, or you, put it to work. I am sure weeds are perfectly fine with weed-eatersconfined to garages and sheds, they love being unattended to. For weeds to takeover one has to do absolutely nothing.As if the weeds proliferating in our yards were not enough there are also spiritualweeds. Jesus once told a parable to illustrate the fact that God is trying to geteveryone’s attention so they will live a life that has eternal purpose and will honorhim. For some, Jesus said, weeds are the problem when it comes to responding toGod, "The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it,” Matthew 13:22 (MSG).Few things are as effective as the Bible (God’s written word) in dealing withspiritual weeds. But just like a weed-eater hanging in a garage you and I won’tbenefit from our Bibles sitting on the coffee table or being stuck on a shelf.Spiritual weeds will happily keep growing, chocking out all God wants to grow inour lives.In order for a weed-eater to be an effective tool in your hands you have to followsome basic steps:1. Get if the wall.2. Put gas in it (make sure it’s a fuel and oil mixture if it is a two stroke).3. Put cutting string in the trimmer head.4. Start it up (wear ear-plugs and goggles, long pants are advisable as well).5. Go to where the weeds are and go to town (you can have the stringer running butswinging it across the asphalt of your driveway will not only make no differencewhen it comes to the weeds, but it will also make you look really silly).In order for the God’s Word (the Bible) to be an effective tool against spiritualweeds there are some basic steps as well:1. Put it in your hand and open it (the Gospel of Mark is a good place to start).2. Start reading it with an awareness that God is trying to speak to you.3. Don’t read past any place that captures your attention or causes you to ask aquestion. Stop, and ask yourself what God is pointing out to you and how youneed to respond. If you have a question look for, and don’t rest until you find theanswer.4. Look for anything God clearly tells you to do or not to do, as well as any generallife principles and or clear instructions of doing things God’s way.5. Immediately apply to your life anything that God has clearly instructed you todo or cease doing (you can spout Bible all over the church or anywhere else but ifyou don’t put into action what you were told the weeds will continue to grow andyou will look like the guy swinging his weed-eater across the asphalt – silly).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans