“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.”Psalm 127:3 (NLT)Cooper Stanley Frei was born on Wednesday June 18, 2014, at 4:10 PM, all 20 ½ inches and 7lbs 10 oz of him. Is there anything as soft as a new-born? Is there anything as precious as that first cry?Cooper Stanley entered this world as a gift of God. For the rest of his life his parents get to unwrap him. Susie and I talked about it, you get that precious bundle of life handed to you but you have no idea what that little life holds, and there are times when you ask God if it is too late to exchange that gift, or get some store credit. But they come without a receipt (except for the hospital bill) and so the exchange idea usually doesn’t fly.Cooper Stanley came into this world blessed. He was wanted, not dreaded. He is a dream come true, not an interruption or inconvenience. He had grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousin, and friends show up to cheer his arrival; and they are already fighting over babysitting rights and holiday privileges. His parents have been preparing the “nest” for months. He wasn’t born into poverty but in into plenty as well as into freedom and opportunity. He has a Mom and Dad who follow Christ, worship, pray, and strive to please God. Yes, little “Mini-Cooper” is blessed.Cooper Stanley doesn’t know it, but he was born into responsibility, “to whom much is given much is required” (Luke 12:48). All this love, all this privilege, all this opportunity, all of the freedoms that greeted him when he popped out can be taken for granted or even be claimed as a birthright, or they can be recognized as precious gifts that call for giving thanks to God. They can be used for indulging self or an enabling to be a servant; they can be used for the pursuit of good or bad.Cooper Stanley was born a as a creation of God, as a son, as a grandson, as a nephew, cousin. He already has roles assigned to him. Hopefully he will have lots more of them, and hopefully he will embrace the roles assigned to him. Hopefully he will choose to use his roles to glorify God and bring joy, blessing, goodness, and positive influence as a son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, ….Cooper Stanley came into this world exposed (quite literally). He, like all of us, came into this world that is filled with brokenness, corruption, disease, pain, injustice, violence, accidents, disasters, and death. He too is exposed to the decisions and the sinfulness of others, the workings of history, the machinations of evil, and above all the sovereignty of God. These will shape him. These can break him. But may they cause him to rely on, to lean on, and to trust in God.Cooper Stanley, 1000 times cute as he is, was born a little sinner. His Mom and Dad will not have to teach him how to sin or to embrace sin. No, in fact they will spend much of their parenting to keep that little sin nature from running amuck. God in his greatness and wisdom not only gave this little boy life and breath but in his mercy has already provided for him a Savior, Jesus Christ, who is able to forgive him, liberate him from sin, and give him eternal life. May he above all else come to know, love , and follow Christ, God’s Son.To God be all glory, one proud Grandpa/Opa, Pastor Hans
Simplicity
“Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred” Proverbs 15:16-17 (NIV).Complications are not good.When your surgeon comes out during the surgery to inform your family that there are complications, that’s not good.When the pilot comes on the intercom and announces complications, that’s not good.When your mechanic calls and tells you your car has some complications, that’s not good.When your credit card company lets you know that there have been some complications with your account, that’s not good.When an officer at an airport in a foreign country tells you that there are complications with your visa, that’s not good.Complications are not good. We know that. Complications wear you out, are often costly, usually painful, sometimes deadly, a waste of time, and of course complicated. How many things can you think of that you wish were less complicated? The tax code? Check. Insurance forms? Yup. Women? Uh-huh. Kids, husbands, gadgets, buying a mattress, the DMV, getting through on the help line? Check them all.Uncomplicated is good, very good. Simplicity is where it is at. Unfortunately somehow simplicity seems to be hard to hold onto, complications always manage to invade, and if they don’t we have a knack for complicating things all by ourselves.It doesn’t take much to complicate things, one mistake, one wrong word, one lie, one moment of inattention, one stupid decision, one unwise response, rushing too much, waiting too long, stubbornness, selfishness, greed, anger miss-handled, too much assuming, ….God invites us to a life of simplicity with him. Adam and Eve only had to watch out for one, yes one, thing: stay away from one tree – that’s simplicity. Ten Commandments for an entire society to function by – that’s simplicity. Love God, love your neighbor, love one another as the core guideline for all of life, all relationships, all interactions, all decision making – that’s simplicity. Jesus Christ loving us and giving his perfect life to save sinners (sin is the ultimate complication) through faith in him – that’s simplicity even a child can understand.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Mary, Jesus' Mama - keep investing
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27 (NIV)We are told that from the time Jesus was born his Mama, Mary, did a lot of “pondering,” a lot of wondering, being amazed at this child and what God was doing (Luke 2:19). I think a lot of people have wondered and pondered with her. Think about it. A baby, a child is amazing in and of itself, but some kids take it to extraordinary levels. Some are geniuses, some are monkeys, some are sweetness personified, some are “Lausbuben” (rascals, they give their Mama’s not much time for pondering but lots of reasons for worrying. If you’re wondering how I know- just trust me), and one was God incarnate. That’s the one Mary got. Can you imagine a toddler, grade schooler, teenager, young man who never sins? What kind of difficulties did that cause in the home, with his siblings?At age 12 he went missing. When his worried parents finally found him he was confounding the brightest, best educated minds in Jerusalem. What surprises me is that they didn’t get on him, they didn’t whoop him (they whooped kids back then). By that age his Mom and Dad obviously thought he had very good reasons for whatever he did. At twelve I didn’t have good reasons for a lot of things I did and was on a path of having fewer and fewer good reasons for whatever I did.Can you imagine how much joy and delight Jesus brought to his Mom and Dad? Kids can do that. Of course they can tear your heart out too. One thing I wish is that I would have grieved my Mama less.Can you fathom the sense and weight of responsibility of having the assignment to bring up the Son of God? Wouldn’t that automatically shift you into the overprotective gear? There is enough to worry about in raising children without that kind of pressure?How did Mary end up at the foot of the cross, at the execution of her son? Did she follow him around? Did they meet up because it was Passover? We don’t know, but we do know that one of the last things Jesus did is make sure his Mama was taken care of. I wonder if she pondered that too. I wonder if Mary, who knew a lot about costly obedience to God, ever imagined that obedience to God’s will could be this costly, this painful, and so horrific? Can you imagine what was happening to her heart?Guess who was there, looking right at him, when Jesus felt forsaken by even God the Father? Mary, his Mama. And Jesus made sure that someone would take care of her.We are blessed by what kind of Mama Mary was. Jesus was blessed by her. Being a great and godly Mom is still costly, still requires surrender to God’s will, still involves being there, and still requires a pondering heart. Mary couldn’t do what Jesus did, but no one standing there had invested more than she.Happy Mothers’ Day, keep investing.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Tired and Blessed
Sometimes working on a car can frustrate the living snot out of you. I thought I was done but when I turned the key the newly installed power steering pump proved to be defective, it howled like coyote on a moonlit night. On the second attempt I forgot to hook up the transmission cooler lines to the radiator and after turning the engine on pumped a liberal amount of transmission fluid onto my garage floor. After cleaning up the mess it became obvious the pressure line to the power steering pump didn’t seal. This is how small jobs escalate into major headaches. I can see why people take their cars to a mechanic, except that Dad is whole lot cheaper.Since Susie and I are not tired enough, and since I seem to cave in under the pressure of my daughters, and since I seem to like having a puppy slobber all over my face while I am lying under a car, we added a little canine to our lives. Where were my friends that should’ve stopped me. Too late, Leroy Brown has moved in, let the chewing begin.I wish tiredness and weariness would be confined to small things like that, don’t you? If life would be that simple Jesus would’ve had no need to tell people then and now to, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT).What tiredness and weariness was Jesus speaking about? How much tiredness was Jesus addressing when he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” Matthew 5:1-11 (NASB, italics mine)? Ever been tired of yielding little to no influence, to always be at the mercy of powers greater than you? Or what about being tired of mourning caused by the continual destruction dished out by violence, war, death, corruption, greed, pain and wrong? How many will get tired today of being gentle, humble, and meek and decide to get a piece of theirs by whatever means? How long does it take to be tired of thirsting and hungering for poverty, injustice, and evil to end? And when does being merciful turn into being taken advantage of and becomes exhausting? How hard is it to keep a pure heart in impure situations, in a nasty world? When do you give up on peace and throw in the towel? When does the price for living right, for trying to be godly become too steep?Tiredness and tiredness of soul tempts us to surrender, to cave in, to check out, to be overcome by and participate in the very things that wear us down. It makes a difference who we listen to, who and what we follow when we are tired. There are ways to be blessed, and to bless even when we weary, exhausted, and beat up. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” Matthew 7:24-25 (NASB).Always remember who and what God blesses. Pastor Hans
Be an Othniel
When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. Judges 3:9-14 (NASB, emphasis mine)Do you contribute to conflict, chaos, clamor, confusion, and acrimony? Do you help stir things up or settle things down? Do your words and actions cause nerves to be raw or calm? Can people around you rest or do you set them on edge? Are you an influence of peace or of drama? Is the “land” (your family, your relationships, your work place, class room, home, business, neighborhood, etc.) at rest or disturbed because of you?They never could hold onto it for too long. The ancient Israelites gained their freedom, had God’s promises and presence, and had a chance to have an awesome life, but they never were at rest, at peace, undisturbed and quiet for too long. Invariably they left and ignored the things that make for peace and rest. Then when it was gone, when things were miserable, they cried out to God like in the example you read above and God in his mercy and goodness granted them deliverance, freedom, and rest. Under Othniel (whose name means “God is powerful”) it was forty years. And then they chucked it again. Why did they? And why do we?Something died with Othniel, something did not take root in the two generations that benefited most from Othniel’s contribution to their freedom, their quality of life, their spiritual foundation. They saw no value in honoring God in everyday life, in accepting spiritual restraints, in practicing Biblical ethics. They did not consider these essential; they made no connection between fidelity to God and peace and blessing. They forgot that peace and rest don’t just happen but are the result of trusting in God, embracing goodness, practicing justice, and forsaking evil and wickedness. They didn’t believe that “there is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).So, are you part of the answer or part of the dark that causes others to cry out for deliverance and rest? Are you willing to let God use you as a deliverer, a restorer, as one who causes peace and rest to bless the “land” throughout your life? And what do you need to address and change so God can use you like an Othniel?"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Matthew 5:9 (NASB)To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
The All and the First
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best (first) part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT, parenthesis mine) Some of the great dangers of wealth are that it tempts us to declare our independence from God, that we are seduced by its power into crafting our own destinies, that we wallow in its comforts with little thought of accountability, and that we mistake it for security.I met with Susie and my financial advisor this week. My reason for doing so was to make sure we have a financial plan as we are speeding towards retirement, to make sure we are applying the wisdom of the ant to the autumn and winter of our lives (Proverbs 6:6-8). We also want to live out Proverbs 13:22, “A good man/woman leaves an inheritance to his children's children, …” But the most important question, the most important goal in the management of our wealth (however little or much that might be) is whether or not we are honoring God with it.When it comes to honoring God with our wealth there are two key components: 1. All of it. 2. The first/best of everything. If I want our financial plan and management to be blessed by God then the beginning point is making sure I honor God with all of my wealth and possessions and that God comes first in my use and distributions of wealth. There is no honor if God is an afterthought, if God comes in at the end of my paycheck, my profit, my bonus, my tax-refund, and any other income or increase that comes my way.This of course is where many people begin to roll their eyes and say, “Told you so, those preachers are all alike, eventually they want your money.” And, you know what; sadly there have been too many who miss-use and miss-preach the Word of God for personal gain. But they are by far not the most, just like a few bad police officers are not a reflection of most law- enforcement officers who deserve our respect. There are also those who want engage in some hair-splitting debate over tithing (giving 10% to support your church and all it does, which you should – Malachi 3:8-10, 1 Corinthians 9:7-14). If you want to be cynical go ahead, and if you want to split hairs, go head. You can do with your wealth anything you want to (Acts 5:4), but if you want the wisdom and blessing of God to be of first priority in your management of your wealth and income then you cannot let shysters and hairsplitters detract you of the clear advice and directive of God’s written word, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best (first) part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine” Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT, parenthesis mine).Maybe it is time to revise or revamp your financial plan, to put God first in the management of your earnings, to think about honoring God with all of your wealth.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Could you be more generous? Should you be more generous?
What do you do with money you have, the wealth you have accumulated, the possessions you own? Do you primarily use them to do what you want to do, what you like do, to satisfy your desires and appetites? Have you ever considered that the primary functions of your money, your wealth, your possessions is to glorify God, be generous, and take care of your needs? The ultimate foolishness is to be rich and godless, to have means and not think of God, to indulge and bless yourself when you could bless others and cause them to give praise to God (Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31).So, could you be more generous? Does your generosity begin with what’s left over after you have indulged yourself, or are you purposely denying yourself so you can be more generous? Are you managing your money, your wealth, your possession with the goal of being as generous as you possibly can be? If you would have to stand before God tomorrow to give an account of the wealth and possessions he entrusted you with would you wish that you would have been more generous, more thoughtful about how you used your measure of wealth to glorify and please God? Would you wish that generosity would have ranked higher in your priorities than your hobbies, your social status, or your need for comfort? Would you wish you would have settled for less so you could have given more? So could you? Could you be more generous?And should you be more generous? Yes, absolutely yes! The word of God, the Bible, continually warns against chasing after riches for all the wrong reasons (1 Timothy 6:9-10), it denounces greed as a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5), and it calls us to forsake a lifestyle of self-indulgence (1 John 2:15-17). But it gives the green light to generosity, encourages it, and stamps God’s approval all over it. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 (NASB) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV) So could you? Should you? Will you be more generous? So much so that “your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father,” Matthew 5:16 (NLT). To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
How to be Really Rich
How to Be Really Rich I was raised in a culture of thrift but I life in a culture of indulgence. I was raised in a culture of saving, but I life in a culture of waste. I grew up in a culture that did not value being in debt, but I live in a culture where debt is considered normal, even necessary. One of my early memories is going to the bank with my Mama and my birthday money to open a saving account (it didn’t earn hardly any interest back then either). As the years went by money started to accumulate in that account as did opportunities to spend it. Unfortunately, or was it fortunately, my parents had voted themselves veto power, which they used to block most every spending plan of mine except for a bicycle. To this day I still have some money in that account. From the time I left for college at age 18 until now thrift, saving, and not accepting debt as normal or necessary has served me well. I also happened to marry a girl who grew up with the same values, which was a good thing because we started out with almost nothing. When we moved for the first time after two and a half years the only furniture we owned was a rocking chair and an orange crate. When you are poor thrift, saving (even if it is just a little), and staying out of debt is super helpful we found. Did you know that God’s written word, the Bible, advocates the attitudes and habits of thrift, saving, and not considering debt as normal? God has wisdom and ways to bless us in every area of life including the acquisitions and management of money, wealth, possessions, and riches. “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. - He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD” Proverbs 10:22, 16:20 (NASB).Of course you can be thrifty, save, and have no debt and also be grumpy, stingy, and judgmental. You can be rich and be a jerk, wealthy and discontent, swimming in abundance and drowning with sorrow. Plenty of people who don’t give God a second thought succeed in getting rich, are good money managers, and could teach many a lesson or two. God will never teach us just to be rich, because you can be rich and poor, rich and evil, wealthy and without compassion at the same time. But God will gladly teach us all we need to know for his blessing to flow into our lives, and there is no one who blesses like him. So if you are tired and weary when it comes to money, wealth, possessions, riches, whether you have a lot or are completely broke, then why not give Gods word and wisdom a real try? Chances are certain that you will end up being blessed.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans