Nothing Is Impossible with God - Context

For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 (NLT)We enter 2016 with one. We were born into one. We are never without one. We often wish we had a different one. Many of our complaints and hopes are about it. Most of us have tried to escape it a time or two or more. From the moment we are conceived we contribute to it. Even after die we still affect it – CONTEXT.The truth that “nothing is impossible for God’ stands on its own; it is an eternal and constant reality. This is terrific news, not just at the beginning of a new year but at the beginning of and throughout every day, and in any context. There is an accompanying truth to God’s omnipotence: we are not. Many things, most things are impossible for us. We cannot turn water into wine any more than we can walk on water. We cannot speak an entire cosmos into existence anymore than we can sustain the universe. We cannot transcend the laws of nature or escape death. We do not know all the questions much less the right answers. 2016 will confront us with more of our “can’ts” than we’d like.Although For nothing is impossible with God” stands on its own it is quoted out of context. It was part of the angel’s answer to Mary wondering how she could end up being pregnant without having sex. It was meant to encourage her to trust God and take up his invitation to participate in his eternal plan and redemptive work. Mary’s context wasn’t godless or without faith, she believed in God, she was a very decent person, but this was an invitation to trust in and walk with God at a completely different level. This wasn’t about merely believing that God did some incredible things in the past, or listening to someone else’s experience, this was about her adjusting her life to the will of God on the basis of his omnipotence instead of her own capacity to believe. Her response, “God I have no idea how you will do this, but I know and trust that you can. So Lord, I am yours to do as you please” (Luke 1:38, my paraphrase).Mary’s surrender to the reality and will of God completely changed her context, and in the long view of history even ours, but on God’s terms and not hers. That’s our struggle, in the face of our can’ts and our life’s impossibles we would love to harness the power of God to change our and others’ contexts, and when he won’t bend to us we become angry, dismissive, cynical, defiant. It is sinful arrogance to think the Omnipotent should bow to the impotent, that the powerless can harness the Almighty. The finite, us, has just one proper response to infinite power – SURRENDER, to adjust ourselves to reality and will of God.God’s 2016 invitation is to walk with him, on his terms, to live out his will, to let his omnipotence define and direct our lives, to live our lives in the context of him and his Son Jesus Christ. And when we do our experience, our understanding, our context and even our prayers will change.“Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:6-9 (NLT).“Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways.” Isaiah 64:1-5a (NLT).What will your 2016 context look like? Will God figure into it to his extent? Oh, how I hope so.Happy New Year! Love you, Pastor Hans    

Christmas and Walls

In the long-haul walls built by fear don’t work. The Great Wall of China in spite of being one of the Seven Wonders of the World never did do its job. The walls of Jericho offered no real protection. The wall Nehemiah rebuilt around Jerusalem boosted morale but did nothing to stop the tug of war carried out the great world powers in that territory. The Maginot line of defense didn’t stop Hitler for even a moment, he simply Blitzkrieged around it. The Berlin wall and the border fence separating East from West Germany failed to quench East Germans’ thirst for freedom, so they tore it down at the first real opportunity. Walls build by fear don’t work and it doesn’t matter whether or not they are made of concrete, or words of fear and hate, or usually both.I am surprised how many Christians are answering the siren call for more walls, be it more prison walls, border fences, or rhetoric that keeps repeating the refrain of “let’s keep them out so we can be safe within.” But how much Concertina wire do we want, how high and thick do the walls need to be, and at what point do we end up imprisoned ourselves, both actually and in our mentality?Christmas is just weeks away. Maybe we need to remember that God himself took on flesh to break down walls. Wall-building is the very antithesis of the reality of Christmas. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to liberate, to tear down walls that separate, to not be ruled by fear but by faith rooted in love, to help us escape from the inescapable walls our sins create, and to help us across the wall no one can leap over, death. Jesus came to reconcile and has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). As stewards of the Good News he has called us to concern ourselves not with how many we can keep out, but about how many we can bring in through the door of the cross.Do we as Christians have to be afraid that our Heavenly Father is no longer capable of feeding us, the immigrants (both legal and illegal), and the refugees (for whose plight we are partially responsible) knocking at our door? Have we forgotten that, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT); that, “This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19 (NLT); and that, Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” Matthew 25:40 (HCSB)?Before we give credence to the rhetoric of the those who constantly cry for more walls, before we attach ourselves to the political bandwagon of anyone who thinks wall building is a good idea, and before we repeat carefully crafted arguments for wall building rooted in patriotism or any other human rationale I am asking you to thoroughly examine the scriptures and let the word of God (the Bible, and specifically the New Testament) inform your opinions, your conversations, and your actions. “For he himself (Christ) is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household” Ephesians 2:14-19 (NIV, parenthesis mine).To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans     

Too Close for Comfort

When Governor Felix heard the preacher he kept under arrest talk about resurrection he was interested to hear more, as was his wife. It doesn’t matter who you are, how low or high your position is in life, most people want to have some hope for what comes after death.Felix had another motive as well. He thought since Paul was an influential leader of a religious group that they would want to bail him out, or more precisely bribe him out. As interested as he was in the afterlife he was even more interested in this life.“A few days later (after hearing Paul for the first time) Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people (righteousness), about a life of moral discipline (self-control) and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort (became afraid) and dismissed him. ‘That's enough for today. I'll call you back when it's convenient.’ At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently (often)” Acts 24:24-26 (MSG, parentheses mine).What Felix wanted to hear and what Paul told him were two different things. Felix liked the thought of going to heaven but he didn’t care for having to think about right and wrong, morality, and especially judgment. He was part of the Roman elite, the powerful who had tremendous leeway when it came to their actions, their morality, and accountability, as long as they did not conflict with the interests of the emperor. This preacher was making him feel guilty, didn’t not grant him the luxury of appeasing his conscience as to his deeds, his standing before God. This preacher left him no wiggle room as to what would be overlooked and what wouldn’t be. This preacher highlighted his responsibility to exercise morality beyond what was acceptable in Rome, but would stand up in the judgment of God. On top of all that this preacher was making sense, this wasn’t irrational religious nonsense.Felix was smart enough to realize the implications of the truths this preacher was laying out before him. If was going to have real hope beyond death and the judgment of God he would have to face his accountability to God for his actions, for his past, now and in the future. He would have to seek forgiveness. He would have to humble himself. He would have to believe in and follow Jesus Christ, who alone can atone for, propitiate for a person’s sins, bring him/her safely through the judgment of God, raise the dead, and grant eternal life.Felix did what many do at that point of understanding, the point where God, where Christ gets too close for comfort, where you have to repent and believe. He sent the preacher away, “I’ll call you back when it is convenient,” He kept it on his terms, not God’s.Felix did have the preacher back, “often” we are told. He knew what he was hearing was the truth, but as far as we can tell he kept checking out when it got “to close for comfort.” Two years later he was transferred, we do not know what became of him. What we do know is real hope, resurrection hope is only found in Jesus Christ.Maybe this pastor’s note is a little too close for comfort? Will you check out or will you believe?To God be all glory, Pastor Hans  

They Have No Wine

Ideally, before you read this pastor’s note you should a Bible and an empty bottle. Fill the empty bottle with water and then read John 2:1-11. Did you do it? Great, now read on."They have no wine." John 2:3 (NASB)This wedding started great but it was about to fizzle, what everyone had been talking about was not going to be the same as what everyone was going to talk about, what was planned to be a success was going to end in embarrassment and disgrace, all that had been invested was going to be overshadowed by what ended up lacking. How many marriages, how many lives does that describe?“Why did it have to be such a hot day?” “Can you believe how much these people are drinking?” “We are going to run out!” When did the headwaiter, the person in charge of this wedding let the happy couple know that they were going to run out? But obviously the word was already spreading. How long before the first one would work up the gumption to leave and start the exodus?Every marriage, every life, will inevitably encounter the unexpected, the point where dreams, plans, the unpredictable, the unreal becoming real, and nightmares collide. Life and marriage offers plenty opportunity at finger-pointing. Maybe it was a lack of planning, inviting more people than what was wise and affordable, a case of naively just wishing for the best.It is far easier to get more water then to get more wine, especially when it is late, too late to get 700 more bottles of wine. What you do and who you turn to when you run out makes a big difference in life in general, but very much so at weddings and in the marriages that follow them.When they put Jesus and his Mama on the guest-list? Why did they invite him and her? Not because they were famous, that came later. Who did they consider the most important guests? Sometimes we don’t realize how important God is until we run out, until the stores are closed, until the even the experts, the headwaiter, are at their wits end, are left scratching his head and worrying. Too often we make the VIP mistake, especially when we are in love.It makes no sense to try to fix a running out of wine problem with filling the empty bottles with water. Funny, marriage, especially in our culture, is a step of faith, “I’ll love you forever, for better and worse, to the end of my days,” that’s stepping out in faith, all the variables, statistics, and complete uncertainties be damned. But why not trust the Son of God with not just our weddings, but our marriages, all of our endeavors, our lives? When all we can do is fetch more water wouldn’t it be the very epitome of wisdom to turn to the one who knows how to turn water into wine?The headwaiter was confused, you’re supposed to start with the good stuff and serve the cheap stuff when everyone is well schnuckered and can no longer tell the difference. I am sure that’s what happened at this wedding until Jesus did what he can do and turned what is normal upside down, confused the headwaiter, helped the party to continue, kept a wedding of an unknown couple from becoming a disaster, and made things turn out better than planned.We can just keep sipping whatever we are sipping and when it runs out cry, complain, blame, bemoan, or make excuses as we sit among empty bottles, or we could can take our cue from Jesus Mama, she said, "Whatever He says to you, do it" John 2:5 (NASB), and find ourselves experience God’s incredible and miraculous best.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans  

Trusting God

I am sitting on the balcony of my brother’s third floor apartment on the Westside of Stuttgart. It’s early Sunday morning and few people are up and at it, which is not the case for the swallows circling over the courtyard busy catching breakfast. I am reminded of, Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?” Matthew 6:26 (HCSB).Matthew 6:19-34 (Can I encourage you to get out a Bible and read that passage before you go on reading this pastor’s note) is about wealth, masters, worry, anxiety, and trust. Whom or what we trust has a big impact on our worries, our anxiety levels, our attitude toward and the handling of wealth, and who or what our master is. Jesus is saying, “You can trust God, the birds do, the lilies of the field do, so why not you?” Maybe you’re objecting because after all we’re not birds. None of those swallows checked on their investments last week, none of them had bills to pay on the first, they don’t have a boss, or job, or career to worry about, they’ve got it easy. Yes, all of that is true, but like you and me they do need to eat and drink every day, they have young ones to raise, and all kinds of things beyond their control affect the circumstances and wellbeing of their lives. Yes, they do not have human capacities, but they are like you and me creations of God, they like you and me have life, today, and if God wills tomorrow because God has granted it.We are more prone to trust in money, it can do so much, but it is never free of worry. Before you know it is your master, it will dictate your decisions, your attitudes, the very issues of your heart.We are prone to worry, to be anxious, so much is beyond our control and life is so precarious. Before you know it worry is your master, it will influence your decisions, your attitudes, your outlook, and the very condition of your heart and mind.Only God is completely trustworthy and completely able all of the time. It might seem strange to totally trust in someone you cannot see. But if you and I could see him he would be far too small to trust him with all we have and are. We yearn for God’s immanence but it is transcendence that displays his greatness, that invites us to trust in him and no other. He doesn’t just feed the few swallows in my field of vision, no, he feeds them all, all over the world, every day. He commands the universe and all that lies beyond space and time. It is He, Creator, God Almighty, omniscient, all-wise, holy, awesome, present everywhere, whom Jesus encourages us to trust. It is when we trust the Almighty instead of our wealth, when we rest in his control of things and not our capacity to figure it all out, when we “seek his kingdom and righteousness” (verse 33) that we experience the closeness, the nearness, the immanence of God along with peace, true riches, and life.All of this is not just fancy preacher talk, it is a promise of God, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” Matthew 6:33 (NLT).Is it time look at the birds of the air? To take a look at whom or in what you trust? To examine why and what you worry about? To seek the master of the birds? To really rust God? To live according to his promises? – Jesus clearly thinks so.To God be all glory. Love you Pastor Hans   

The Cardboard Box

I don’t know how the small cardboard box ended up at the youth yard sale raising money for camp, but it did. Cristy brought it to the office; it was leaking ashes, someone’s ashes. No urn, no burial, not even a deliberate sprinkling of the ashes at some meaningful or beautiful spot. They just got picked up in the standard box, were stashed somewhere, and finally where scooped up with a bunch of other no longer wanted stuff and taken to the yard sale at the church. No takers though, some stranger’s ashes are not what people are looking for.What a contrast it was to Lodgie’s memorial service held in our church’s sanctuary while the yard sale wrapped up in the parking lot. People came from far and wide, wept, gave glowing eulogies, played beautiful music, sang their hearts out, gave praise and glory to God for her life, her influence, her contribution, and her love. Brought together by her death they lingered long afterwards to reminisce, to remember, to comfort each other. There was no obscurity here, no carelessness, to Lodgie’s family and to us our church family that would have been unthinkable, she was too precious, too valuable, too much of a blessing.I knew Lodgie. I have nothing but speculation about the individual in the cardboard box. However, I think the chances of your remains ending up in a dusty, uncared for, standard box at a yard sale are greatly diminished if you live a life that pleases and honors God. We reap what we sow, Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith” Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT).Death, our mortality, should cause us to think, should cause us to make better, wiser, and eternally significant choices, “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 (NLT). I don’t think the family of the person in the cardboard box heeded the advice Solomon, it might have been because of what s/he did or did not sow, but we really don’t know. What we do know is that you and I have limited time to do good, to love, to bless, to please and honor God, and then we face the reality of Hebrews 9:27-28, “Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (NLT). Where and how we end up depends on our choices, whose wisdom we follow, and whose power we trust. Lodgie left no doubt, the person whose ashes were in the cardboard box at the youth yard sale, who knows. I know where and how I want to end up, that’s why I trust and follow Jesus Christ.To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans  

What a Wonderful Change

“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart,” is what Rufus H. McDaniel penned. He restated what is true of everyone who opens his heart to Jesus Christ and follows him. “Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent” Luke 5:27-32 (NLT).Levi had traded one form emptiness for another, he had left the morally bankrupt form of Judaism that he grew up in for the morally, though vastly more lucrative, empty world of tax collecting. And he couldn’t point fingers, although he probably did, it does deceive and ease the conscience when you can indict someone else’s corruption, failure, and sin. I it also leaves empty.He had his own booth, he wasn’t sitting in someone else’s booth. He was in charge here, we like to be in charge. But how much was he really in charge of? More than some, and not much in the big scheme of things. We are good at forgetting how little we are in charge of.Wonder what Levi was listening to there in his own tax booth? Conservative talk? Probably not. Liberal talk? Maybe. Religious stations? Nah. Jewish country music? Roman rock? Classical from the time of David? Whatever he listened to it wasn’t along the lines Rufus H. McDaniel penned.He wanted change, he needed change. Chucking God was not the answer, great money wasn’t either, godlessness and the love of money don’t just leave you empty, they suck you into the darkness of evil. It wasn’t just that others were dishonest, he was too. It wasn’t just others who were self-righteous he was too.Then Jesus, the one who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), walked by his tax booth. Levi had heard about what he did earlier that that, healing a paralytic, forgiving his sins. Now he was standing at the counter of his tax office, looking him straight into the eye and invited him to follow him.How long did it take for Levi to make up his mind? Not long. How long is it going to take you reading this p-note to make your mind? Levi got out his keys, put the money in the safe, locked the front door and followed Christ. He was changed right there, in that moment of making up his mind that and stepping out in faith to follow Christ he was changed, though not finished. I wonder if he would have agreed with Rufus H. McDaniel’s words? Undoubtedly.He couldn’t wait to introduce all of his tax collecting buddies and the people he cared about to Christ. So he invited them and Jesus to his house, they needed him as much as he did? That’s what happens when Jesus changes you; it’s too good to keep to yourself. You can hoard money, you won’t hoard Christ once he looked you in the eye and you took him up on his invitation to follow him, when he has forgiven your sins, when he reconciles you with God, and when he imparts to you new and eternal life. Levi had not been physically ill, but he was spiritually dead, like all of us, and “a wonderful change in his life had been wrought when Jesus cam into his heart!”I hope this true of you as well.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans  

A Complaint Examination - When Spiritual Liberation Stalls

Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." Numbers 21:4-5 (NASB)The new car smell was long gone and there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the car, it was in good shape, dependable, and most importantly - it was paid for. But he couldn’t count those blessings, all he could see was the miles on the odometer, the stains on the seats, the few scratches here and there, and all that it was missing compared to a new car. So finally he even convinced his wife with all his car negativity, surely a new car would bring relief and happiness. In fact it brought more stress, the payments and increased costs stretched the budget to the “constant worry” level. It didn’t take long for the negativity to return.“What were you thinking? Why did I ever go along with that? I loved the old car!” the wife accused.“Oh now it’s all my fault! I seem to remember you signing the papers too!” he snarled back, before storming out.The liberation of the ancient Israelites had slowed to an agonizing taxing crawl. They found themselves on another detour, this time a long march around the kingdom of Edom, which wouldn’t allow them to use the Kings Highway. It didn’t take long for their inclination towards pessimism to resurface. In their grumbling against and accusation of God and Moses they did what negative, complaining pessimist do – twist the facts.The facts were they had not died, they had not starved, nor had they run out of water. There was fresh food every morning and God had just supplied enough water from a rock for every person and all of their livestock. The truth was that they were on this detour because of their own dumb and faithless choices. They already would have been where God wanted them to be if they had trusted God more than their fears, if they had surrendered to God instead of their constant negativity, foolishness, and sinful ways.Lying to themselves was not enough. The clincher was their utter ungratefulness, “We loathe, despise, detest this miserable food.” What should have been a daily source of thanksgiving and praise was turned into a spoiled complaint and self-indictment. There was nothing wrong with the food, nor with God and Moses, their faithfulness, their goodness, and their patience was impeccable.Too many stall out with God, in following Jesus Christ. Not because there is anything wrong with God and Christ or because preachers are telling lies and mislead, but because somewhere along the journey of spiritual liberation in Christ there is a failure of faith followed by a twisting of the facts expressed in negativity and thanklessness. The Christian life, a life with God, is not just a quick moment of faith resulting in liberation from sin; it is also a lifelong devotion to faith on the journey. “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. ‘For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’ But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved” Hebrews 10:35-39 (NLT). This is what the generation Moses led out of Egypt never learned. May you and I learn and be different.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans    

Impact

Impact, “… the LORD was with him …” Genesis 39:3 (NIV)Impact, we all have it. Our footprint might be small or large, hardly visible or impossible to ignore, but everyone has one. That little girl or boy still in her or his mother’s womb has one. When my son and daughter-in-law announced that she was pregnant I couldln't help but smile, “They have no idea how much that child will impact their lives,” I thought. And, o boy, how that baby has impacted their lives.So what is your impact? How do you impact those around you? Does your impact cause gladness or grief, blessing or bad, hope or hell? What is found on the trail of your impact? What will be your legacy? A story of evil, lies, corruption, violence, hatred, betrayal? A mixed bag? Or one that leaves no doubt in the mind of others that “God was with you?”It is true, “the Lord was with Joseph,” but it is also true that Joseph was with God. How do we know that? We know because of his statements, attitude, and actions. When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him Joseph’s refusal was based on two things: 1. His integrity, he wouldn’t betray his master’s trust (he was a slave), 2. His belief in God, he would not sin against God (Genesis 39:9). When Pharaoh summoned him to interpret dreams Joseph acknowledged God from the very outset (Genesis 41:16). Enslaved through the betrayal of his brothers, imprisoned on a false allegation of rape, forgotten promises by the kings cup bearer, it could have made Joseph bitter, cynical, negative, corrupt, or resigned. But he did not lose hope, kindness, caring, honesty, faith, nor the drive to be and do his best. No matter where he ended up those around him trusted him with responsibility, were able to depend on the quality of his work, didn’t have to worry about him when no one was looking. Invariably people benefited from having Joseph in their lives. They ended up being better off because of him. Things improved with Joseph around. There was no mistaking that “the Lord was with him,” his impact proved it.Joseph was 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery, after that he was a salve and a prisoner for 13 years, and he served under Pharaoh for decades. Time passed, his circumstances changed, responsibilities grew, but his impact stayed constant, his legacy is untarnished, “the Lord was with him.”To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans 

The short end of the stick

It means you’re it whether or not you wanted to be it or not, you’re stuck with it regardless of whether or not you wanted or deserved it. The short end of the stick feels like being shafted, getting a lousy deal. Maybe you remember drawing straws once or twice, I sure do, and nothing good ever came from drawing the shortest straw, it got me stuck with dirty chores, bad dares, and worse.You can saw off your won stick, that is called stupidity, but even then the outcomes vary wildly. Some seem to get more than their fair share of breaks, of second and third chances, and of mercy, while others just knick their stick and it all comes crumbling down. But what if you just ended up with the short end of the stick, if life just hands it to you? When your health is not good, anything but perfect? When you are not the most beautiful, the smartest, the talented one, or even the funny one? What if your family is lousy or you don’t even have one? What if you are suffering because of someone else messing up? What if nice, kind, and safe is the exact opposite of your surroundings and circumstances? What if your short end is one of pain or abuse, or one of poverty and little opportunity? What if that short end is mean, ugly, dysfunctional, violent?You don’t have to live long before you become afraid of the short end of the stick. Just a little taste of it lets you know that it bitter, that it stinks. Just a pinch of it is enough to know that it feels unfair, unjust. Just one glimpse of it is enough to sense that it unkind and cruel. So we spend much of our time and energy avoiding the short end of the stick, “Let somebody else have it! Yes sir’ee!”Hagar was Sarai’s maid, very possibly her slave. She didn’t necessarily pick to be a maid. If you had to pick between mistress or maid/slave what would you choose? I thought so. When Sarai couldn’t have kids and asked Hagar to became Abram’s wife and bear him offspring it was her opportunity to kiss the short end of the stick goodbye. Once she conceived she could not help but rub it in on Sarai who although she was the mistress held the short end of the stick when it came to having children. You can imagine that that these two women did not get along, but when it came to power Hagar still was on the short end of the stick. It got so bad that pregnant Hagar finally just took off because she couldn’t take it anymore. However, God caught up with her and told her something that is tough to swallow, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority. I will give you more descendants than you can count. You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress” Genesis 16:9-11 (adapted from NLT). God asked her to willingly stick with the short end of the stick. The good news was that she wasn’t lost to God, none of us is, he knew her, he cared about her, he knew the child within her, he had plans for her and her child. The challenge was that he asked her to continue holding the short end of the stick. How much trust does that take? I find it encouraging that God uses people at the short end of the stick for his great and glorious purposes.“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” 1 Peter 4:19 (NLT).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor HansP.S. Please do not misunderstand me to say to submit to mistreatment, abuse, and injustice in every situation and circumstance. Rather we should seek to know, submit to , and do God’s will in every situation and circumstance, which does mean we will not run from all suffering and hardship, nor will we use being at the short end of the stick as an excuse not to act godly, or without faith and love. 

When God invites you into his story

Zechariah, Elizabeth, May, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, King Herod, chief priests, scribes, the people living in Bethlehem, rich, poor, powerful, insignificant, educated, not learned, men, women, Jews, gentiles, they all got an invitation to be part of God’s story of redemption. You and I are invited as well.They didn’t all handle it the same. Most were afraid or troubled, many were apathetic, a few were curious, and some had their doubts. The problem is we are busy writing our own story and when God invites us into his story it feels like an invasion, an interruption. Stepping into God’s story requires trusting him beyond our comfort level, it cannot be done without submission to his will. That’s why most declined the invitation then, and most still decline the invitation today.We are all born into a story, maybe you were welcomed, maybe you were a surprise, maybe you were an inconvenience. Maybe you were born into a beautiful story, but maybe it was a lousy one, a terrible one, or just a boring one. It can be really tough to get out of story you don’t want to be in. Some of us have been sucked into stories, gotten into stories one way or another but really wish we hadn’t. You can get trapped in a story. That’s why we so like, or at least dream of writing our own story. We yearn to be free to write our own story.Can you imagine the story an engaged couple dreams of. I bet you it includes lots of hope, lots of happiness. Why did Mary and Joseph agree to join God’s story? It changed the whole scenario. It created more stress not less, more hardship not less, more challenges, not less. But it also gave their lives significance beyond anything they could write, and it made them part of more than a short story, it made them part of God’s eternal story of redemption.No one who has taken up God up on his invitation to join his story has ever regretted it. God knows how to “cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 (NASB). The regrets do not come with God but by excluding God, the regrets are with those whose hubris has them choose their own story over God’s, regardless of how remarkable their story might be. Our stories never end well, they all end in death, even if it is noble death. God’s story ends in life, even if we die. You and I cannot write that story as much as we might like to. In and through Jesus Christ God has invited you and me to join his story. What is your response? "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” John 3:16-17 (NASB).Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love you, Pastor Hans               

Turning water into Wine

Turning water into Wine"Whatever He says to you, do it" John 2:5 (NASB), that’s how water got turned into wine, that’s how God provided after they ran out, that’s how they got something better than what they had, that’s how they ended up with more than they started with.Jesus didn’t ask them to do a complicated thing, but it took some work hauling over 150 gallons of water. Jesus asked them to do something that didn’t make sense; you get wine from grapes not water. They had no idea what Jesus could do, although his Mama seemed confident, she made the statement you read at the top.I know I would have been skeptical; for sure I would have been skeptical. How many people are there whom you can trust with everything they tell you to do? The party continued because they did whatever Jesus told them to do. If you count five regular bottles of wine per one gallon then they ended up with the equivalent of around 750 bottles of finest wine. It doesn’t sound like they didn’t start out with that kind of quantity or quality.You ever wonder for how much less we settle because we are unwilling to whatever Jesus tells us to do, God tells us to do? How much of what Jesus/God tells us to do seems too trivial, too ridiculous, too much work, too much in the realm of faith?God can turn curses into blessings (Nehemiah 13:2b), mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:10-11), death into life (John 5:24), darkness into light (John 12:46, 1 Peter 2:9), and water into wine. The best I can afford is not better than the best God can provide. How often do we let our lack, our embarrassment, our stubbornness to believe and act on “whatever” God says stand in the way of us experiencing God at his best?What needs turning with you? What have you run out of? What simple instruction of God have you not been willing to do? Where do you lack blessing? Where have you settled for less, for curses, for a quality of life that lacks the excellence and ability of God? Maybe it is time to realize that Jesus Mama knew what she was talking about when she said, "Whatever He says to you, do it"? But will you?To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

My Little Big Brother

My Little Big BrotherI have two older brothers. One is my big big brother, Michael, and the other is my little big brother, Andreas Paul. Andi, is the little big one, little because size-wise he was the smallest of us five, big because other than his size there really wasn’t anything little about him. He was big in his influence, certainly on me. He was big in faith, big in heart, big in generosity, big in smarts, skill, energy, people skills, and huge in will power and tenacity. He was big enough for someone to model their life after him, big in true friendship, big as Dad, big as a husband, big as doctor. Like I said, he is my little big brother. In my opinion everyone should have a little big brother like that because you if you have one your life is so much better, so much richer. A LBB (Little Big Brother) is great to have if you want someone to ditch Kindergarten with for the very first time. A LBB is an excellent companion to sneak out of the house with in the middle of the night to do stuff you shouldn’t do. But an LBB is not just good for doing stupid stuff when you’re young, you learn of his real value as you go through life you can talk with him, pray with him, worship with him, and lean on him. A LBB gives you all kinds of reasons to be proud of him, you can brag on him and it is not really bragging because it is true (mostly, except when you get carried away – but no one will blame you).My LBB is down to his last few breaths, too soon, much too soon. Soon he will be buried; fortunately he began digging a long time ago and buried things in my heart, in my mind, in my memory. It is treasures he buried there, it’s what LBB’s do, they make you rich, they leave inspiration, they leave life, they never leave things empty. But have to warn you, it’s hard, very hard, to say goodbye to your LBB. I think it is because they are so precious, so irreplaceable, so darn easy to love, but that too is typical of my LBB.Faith, faith in Christ changed him, challenged him, keeps him. You would have a completely false picture of my Little Big Brother without his faith. When he surrendered his skepticism he also surrendered himself. When he drank from the cup of God’s grace he didn’t just sip and so he anchored it all in Jesus, his soul, his marriage, his family, his giftedness, his work, his passions, his days. When towering flood waves overran the shoreline of his life and swept out to sea his health, his career, his speech, and so much more, that faith remained. In the struggle to reclaim, to rebuild, and in the relentless pounding surf of “Why? Why? Why?” that faith remained. And so my LBB is not just leaving behind precious memories but real hope, the hope that comes when you can call Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who lived, and died, and rose again, your brother, “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters” Hebrews 2:11 (NLT).My Little Big Bother’s last words to me were, “Liebe dich sehr” (love you so).To God be the glory, Pastor Hans    

(01-08-12) Choose - What difference two dollars a week can make!

Choose – What $2.00 more a week will do!"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 (NASB)My daughter was asking her Grandpa, my Father-in-law, about his life. One of the things he shared struck me; it illustrates the far-reaching impact of even one decision. When Bill was 19 he had a choice to go to work for either Pac Bell or PG&E. He chose the telephone company because they were paying $2.00 (yup, two dollars) more a week back in 1955. “Ten years later,” he said, “Guys at PG&E were making nearly twice as much as I was making.”But it was through his work with Pac Bell that Bill and his family ended up living in Greely Hill (He transferred there from Vallejo) California. It was there he found Christ and attended church with his family, and in 1976 it was Greeley Hill where I ended up as a foreign exchange student. If it had not been for those two dollars a week our paths might never have crossed, I might never have married the best girl ever, Emily might never existed, and that late evening conversation might never have taken place.Bill chose, and it impacted the course of his life, his children's lives, and in time my life, my children’s lives, and who knows how many others' lives. I do not know how many people in Bill’s family were God-fearing, praying kind of folks, but I do know that way before I was born, even before Bill was born there have been praying men and women in my family. I have no doubt that their prayers influenced the choices of others, they certainly did mine.Maybe you're saying, “Come on Hans, that’s just how life works. Anyone can look back and speculate. You don’t need to get all spiritual to explain it all. In fact you don’t even need God for it.”I suppose it depends how big you think God is. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments” Exodus 20:4-6 (NIV). I believe God is big enough to hear the prayers of someone living on one continent and make one job pay two dollars more on another continent to shape lives that are yet to be born and accomplish His purposes. I also believe that the choices we make today have far reaching consequences tomorrow and beyond. That’s why I want God to be involved in the choices I make, only He knows what tomorrow and beyond holds, and I surely desire his lovingkindness and blessing to be unleashed there. I pray that is your heart’s desire as well.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Lazarus and God

September 18 2011Before you read this pastor’s note would you please stop right now, get out a Bible, and readJohn chapter 11. You’ll be glad you did.*******************************************************************They were not the only ones who thought it, but they both said it, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21 & 32). Somehow we seem to think God’s physical presence is a kind of insurance against sickness, pain, suffering, and death. The reality was that God knew exactly what was happening to Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus, he wasn’t uninformed. Nor did he not care; sickness and death are never sign that God doesn’t care. God also does not have to be physically present to intervene in anything that pertains to you and me (John 4:46-53, Matthew 8:8).It is admittedly hard for us to understand, Jesus knew what was going on, yet he waited, he didn’t panic, he wasn’t hurried or worried. We do however, especially when things are a matter of life and death. We are so powerless, so helpless then. “If only God would show up and work a miracle, all would be well,” we think, “All would be back under control and just as it should be.” But Jesus didn’t show, he purposefully delayed, and when he finally arrived “it was too late,” Lazarus’ body was already decaying.We underestimate God, his love, his wisdom, his timing, and his power. We also become easily confused about God. We do so because we rush to conclusions about God based on our view of our circumstances, rather than forming our understanding of God and our circumstances from what he has revealed about himself.Lazarus and his sisters were actually in a great position. They were loved by Jesus. Jesus was their friend. They had a relationship with Jesus. They understood and believed in who Jesus was. But when Lazarus got sick they had no idea that God would reveal much, much more of himself. They, and we, cannot fathom all that God has to show us concerning himself.Paraphrasing Jesus’ conversation with Martha, “Do you trust me?” He asked. “I do,” she replied, “I know that someday we’ll all be in heaven.” “No, do you trust me now? Right here?” Jesus wanted to know.I think Jesus still asks, “Do you trust me right now? Right here? In the midst of all this?” especially when we want to say to God, “If you had only been here then …” And if we trust him there we are about to find out a whole lot more about how glorious God really is.Against their objections Jesus had them roll away the stone covering Lazarus’ tomb. And then they saw a glimpse of the power of God. “Lazarus, come forth.”To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Spiritual Deafness and Blindness

August 28 2011"HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? … Mark 8:18(NASB)It’s an age old problem, hearing and seeing only what we want to hear or see, especially when it comes to God. To some degree it is understandable because our ears and eyes filter things. Our nature, personality, upbringing, life experiences, culture, religious/non-religious background, education, values, and world view all influence what we hear and see, as well as what we miss.There is a difference between Christians and Non-Christians when it comes to spiritual blindness and deafness. Christian blindness/deafness evidences itself in applying the scriptures selectively, in an eclectic obedience, in knowing the truth of Jesus Christ but not living the life of Christ. “I believe in Jesus but I don’t have to belong to a church,” is an example of reading and applying the Bible in a selective, blind way. “God helps those who help themselves,” is an example of adding to biblical theology, reading into the Bible something that is opposite to what it teaches. God does help who cannot help themselves, the poor, the fatherless, widows, and sinners (and every Christian is a sinner who couldn’t save him/herself from death and God’s judgment and wrath, yet was forgiven and reconciled not on the basis of what he or she did but because of what Jesus Christ did for them). Christian deafness and blindness diminishes Christ, makes us at best caricatures of what we really should be, and at worst causes us to spill blood.Non-Christian “blindness and deafness” causes a rejection of the truth of Jesus Christ, of what God is revealing about himself, life, eternity, sin, death, and judgment. Sometimes the rejection is civil, “I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe.” Sometimes it is vicious ranging from ridicule to outright persecution. Spiritual truth is no less important than any other truth; spiritual reality is as relevant. Jesus Christ was and is offensive to the Non-Christian mind and heart because of who he is, the revelation of God in human form, the only way to heaven, the only avenue to be reconciled to God, or has he stated, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” John 14:6 (NASB).Both Christian and Non-Christian spiritual blindness and deafness perpetuates cycles of sin, darkness, and evil. It turns Christians into stumbling blocks for Non-Christians, and keeps Non-Christians enslaved in the sinful patterns of our world and on a collision course with God’s judgment.Can I challenge you to a small exercise? Read the 8th Chapter of the Gospel of John and highlight the things to which you would say “Right on,” “I agree with that or simply “Amen.” Then let me know in an email what you highlighted (and if you are ambitious also tell me why).Jesus saves sinners,love youPastor Hans (theGermanShepherd@juno.com)

Predicting Christ's Return

May 29 2011May 21st , 2011 came and went without any of Harold Camping’s rapturepredictions coming true. Now he has been wrong twice (he made same predictionfor 1994). He is one of many who have prophesied an exact date for the raptureor the end, and all of them have been wrong, just like any who will do so in thefuture will be wrong. The Word of God, the Bible is crystal clear when it comes toanyone purporting to know God’s timing:"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36 (NIV)"You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." Luke 12:40 (NASB)A true prophet of God who truly speaks for God bears an awesomeresponsibility, especially when it comes to predicting future events. In the fifthbook of the Bible, Deuteronomy, God speaks to this, “… any prophet who fakesit, who claims to speak in my name something I haven't commanded him tosay, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. You may bewondering among yourselves, ‘How can we tell the difference, whether it wasGOD who spoke or not?’ Here's how: If what the prophet spoke in GOD'sname doesn't happen, then obviously GOD wasn't behind it; the prophetmade it up. Forget about him.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (MSG)The New Testament does not uphold the standard of putting false prophetsto death, but the standard for discerning real prophets from false ones holds,there is no margin of error or revising things when they fail to come to pass. Atrue prophet, any spokesperson for God is never at liberty to just make it up. Allprophets and prophecies have to meet a twofold test, what is prophesied has tocome to pass and it cannot contradict what God has already clearly revealed in thescriptures.What is sad about men like Harold Camping is that they discredit not onlythemselves, but they deceive many who genuinely believe, and they become astumbling block to the lost (those who do not believe in Christ). However, as clearas Bible is in regard to anyone being able to predict the day and hour of Christ’sreturn it is equally clear about the certainty of His return and the judgment ofGod. Thus both Jesus and the Apostles continually warned and admonished to beprepared for both God’s judgment and Christ’s return.Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep(died), or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe thatJesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesusthose who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, wetell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord,will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himselfwill come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of thearchangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will risefirst. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up togetherwith them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with theLord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:6 (NIV, parenthesis mine)"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”John 14:1-6 (NIV)To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

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

If I Were a Rich Man....

March 27 2011[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_-CmwHWPo&w=420&h=315]“SPOKEN:) Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, thatit's no great shame to be poor... but it's no great honor, either. So what would have been thedifference if I had... a small fortune?If I were a rich man,Daidle deedle daidleDaidle daidle deedle daidle dumAll day long I'd biddy-biddy-bumIf I were a wealthy man.I wouldn't have to work hard,Daidle deedle daidleDaidle daidle deedle daidle dumIf I were a biddy-biddy rich,Daidle deedle daidle daidle man.I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozenRight in the middle of the town,A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.There would be one long staircase just going upAnd one even longer coming down,And one more leading nowhere, just for show.” …(“If I were a Rich Man,” from “Fiddler on the Roof.” by Zero Mostel)Most of us have sung a similar tune, if only in our minds, and we would in all likelihood have different dreams and lyrics than Tevye, the character singing “if I Were a Rich Man.” His dreams included his wife, Golde, “looking like a rich man's wife, with a proper double chin.” Times and tastes change, so how would you fill in the blank to “If I were a rich man/woman, I’d ________? I suppose to some degree it would depend on how rich you were “biddy-biddy,” or super rich. Nevertheless, my guess is that you didn’t have too hard of time filling in the blank.There is in an interesting little prayer recorded in Proverbs 30:8-9, “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name,” (NLT). There is danger of succumbing to the desperation, the weariness of poverty leading to behaviors that insult God, and there is the temptation of riches to hubris and arrogance that declares God obsolete, also leading to behaviors that insult God.I wonder if Tevye would change his song after being rich for a while? Or would he stop conversing with God altogether? Would he forget about the truth that “… not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions," Luke 12:15 (NASB)? I wonder how much I would benefit from me reminding myself, of these and other words Jesus spoke regarding wealth, possessions, and money.Did you know that according to www.globalrichlist.com you are in the top 10% of all the people in the world in regards to income if you make just over $25,000 a year? At $48,000 you are in the top 1%! For me that is both humbling and a cause to be deeply grateful. Of course in an American context making $25,000 doesn’t put you on any official rich list; in fact you might have to budget very wisely to make things work. But it does let you know that 90% of all other people live on less, very often far less.Tevye, at the ends his song asks God, “You decreed I should be what I am-- would it spoil some vast, eternal plan, if I were a wealthy man?” Maybe not. But why do we want to be rich? To have a big house with frivolous amenities? A double chinned wife? So all day long we can be a “biddy-biddy bum”? TO be considered somebody? Or do I want to be wealthy so I can participate in working against poverty, injustice, hopelessness, and spiritual lostness, - to help lift real people out of abject poverty, because that is the heartbeat of God all throughout scripture, as well as the example of Christ. “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,” 1 Timothy 6:17-18 (NIV).“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich,” 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV).What will our song be if God so decrees for us to be rich men and women? Would the rest of the world be glad to hear it or simply be jealous? Would God love it? I pray it to be so.To God be all glory, love you Pastor Hans

What if? Money and Stuff

March 6 2011“You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:34-35 (NLT)If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich.It's all mine!"— well, think again. Remember that GOD, your God, gave youthe strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that hepromised to your ancestors—as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (MSG)When our kids were little they were inspired by TV advertising and theperennial Disney cartoon with all of its accompanying merchandizing to dream ofgoing to Disneyland. It wasn’t that we would not have loved to take our family ona Disneyland trip, no, the problem was that we simply couldn’t afford it, we werebarely making it. We told our kids that we did not have the money to go but thatthey certainly could ask God to provide. Not long after that conversation my littleboy proudly declared one evening, “We can go to Disneyland, it’s not a problem!”Our ears perked up. “And how is it not a problem?” we asked. “It’s easy Dad, allwe need is a Discover Card.”I am glad to inform you that since then we did go to Disneyland severaltimes, without the use of Discover Card, and that that little boy has grown up tobe a man who handles money really well. But I realized at that moment that ourkids acquire early on their attitudes and habits when it comes to money. The TVwas doing a good job trying to educate my children towards consumerism thatdoesn’t think twice about assuming debt, that shifts the question from, “Can Iafford this?” to “Can I handle the payments.We are living in though economical times, and literally millions are findingout how precarious, and if we are honest, how irresponsible that kind of financialapproach is (Although our government leaders still seemingly have not woke upto that reality. How I pray we will do right for the generations that follow us).So what would happen if we would apply God’s wisdom to our attitudes andhabits regarding money and things? What if we embraced the ways God blessesin this important area of our lives? What if made it our goal to become giversinstead of getters, to be dispersers and not debtors, to embrace charity insteadof consumerism, to save before we spend, to see in money and things as anopportunity for service rather than self? What if we start asking ourselves, “Howcan I manage my wealth (however much or little that is) so I can give more?”instead of simply asking, “How can I have more?” And what if we would realizethat the management of our money and stuff has eternal implications?When it comes to the management of money and things God literallychallenges us to try and see if that his ways, his principles, his wisdom not onlywork but are blessed (Malachi 3:9-12, Luke 6:38).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans