MAKING PLANS?

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

"Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that'" (James 4:15).

Grace&Peace,
Tom

WHATS WITH AMERICAN JEWS?

My two favorite female politicians: Tzipi Livni, soon to be Israeli PM, and Sarah Palin, soon to be United States VP.

"How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!" (Psalm 137:4-6).

The perky Katie Couric, CBS News anchorette, asked Sarah Palin again about not second-guessing Israel if Israel chooses to attack Iran. Sarah answered, but she could have done better. This would have been my answer:

"Israel is a country 50 miles wide and 300 miles long. Sixty percent of it is desert. Out of this they also want to carve out a home land for the Palestinian people. There are enemies on every side. The leader of Iran sees this time as the Apocalypse. Mutual Assured Destruction means nothing to him. Death in Holy War means going to heaven. Israel is too small to make a mistake because a mistake would mean its destruction! That is why we cannot second guess their efforts to secure their nation! "

It is interesting that the American Jewish Committee polled the Jews of America and found that only 3% of them were concerned about Israel--they were more concerned about the economy and health care (Jerusalem Post).

Grace&Peace,

Tom

THE BLESSING OF SELF-SACRIFICE

"...How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" (Romans 10:15).

My home church has a program for kids each Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 8. We start with play time for an hour. Then we have supper at 6:30. Then from 7 to 8 we have class time. Many of the children do not have good home structure, so we spend a considerable amount of time teaching them life skills. Our aim is also to teach them the Bible, the basis for faith and life skills.

I am so proud of our church people! Last night we had 75 kids, ages 3 through high school. We have 19 adults who volunteer their time, money and their willingness to deal with the stress of loving and teaching these kids. Of course, all of our helpers and teachers are blessed immeasurably--the hugs from the kids and the satisfaction of seeing changed-lives are such a treasure! If you are not involved in helping another, start now. You will be truly blessed!

Grace&Peace,
Tom

THANK YOU, LORD, FOR MY FRIENDS

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

"Thank You, Lord, for those who befriend me, who give me gentle nudges, engaging eyes, listening ears, and warm hands. Who remind me that at the fiber of Your Essence, You are revealed as a God of gentle nudges, engaging eyes, listening ears, and warm hands. Amen (A prayer by Virgil M. Fry).

Grace&Peace,
Tom

FRIENDSHIP

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship, it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him" (Ralph Waldo Emerson/ Virgil M. Fry).

Grace&Peace,
Tom

LOVE IS . . .

Love is holding on, and love is letting go.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

A THOUGHT ABOUT TRANSFORMATION

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed" (Carl Jung).

Grace&Peace,
Tom

SUFFERING NATURAL CONSEQUENCES IS IMPORTANT

"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools" (Herbert Spencer/Walter Williams).

Grace&Peace,
Tom

HELP! I'M LOSING MY FAITH

"I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).


I am beginning a sermon series called, "Answers to Tough Questions." I have invited the members of my congregation to submit questions about matters of faith, life, discipleship, theology, ethics, love, marriage, family and college football--just kidding. I do not want to leave honest questions unanswered, from a biblical perspective.


First question: "How to answer some one when they tell you they are loosing their faith?"

These thoughts are just coming out of my mind as I begin to tackle this question. Serious structure will come later.

1. No one has perfect faith and it is natural for doubts to creep into the minds of even the most devout saints from time to time. This is true when life is going well.

2. When some one confesses that they are losing their faith, it could be that there is a lot more going on than just the confession. The loss of faith could well be a symptom of a past trauma, a heavy stress load, unresolved grief and anger. For the last 50 years of her life, Mother Teresa felt spiritually abandoned and cut off from God. She felt no Presence. She felt alone. That seems to be the common experience of those who work in difficult and traumatic situations. The Lord Jesus Christ himself cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The Psalmist questioned with tears, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Within the pages of scripture these honest expressions of human emotional questioning are allowed. God understands! This honest portrayal of emotion, questioning and doubt by the most devout in the Bible is one of the reasons I believe that it is the Word of God. This questioning of faith is a common human experience. It is also why Christians need each other for prayer and support. In some situations there are no words that can be shared that will solve the problem, only Christian love that is shown will make the difference--that is why Christian fellowship is a necessity! **

3. Many are unbelievers because to be a believer means that they would have to change and they refuse to do that; "Israel has a chance to live, but is too foolish to take it--like a child about to be born, who refuses to come out of the womb" (Hosea 13:13 TEV). For this kind of person, a reasonable teaching of the truth of the Bible is what is required. "Faith comes by hearing, and what is heard by the preaching of Christ" (Romans 10:17).

Knowing the situation of the person who confesses they are losing their faith is the first step in answering him. In any case, he is a person who must be loved and prayed for.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

**I think it is important to add John 6:29 to this discussion: "Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'" We often under estimate how hard this work of belief is. If you read the context of this verse you will see that many who had followed Jesus because He could give them free food were now leaving Him. Doing God's work means believing in Jesus through extremely difficult times--times when believing doesn't seem to make sense.

ONE LIKE MOSES

The top picture was taken from a boat on Galilee. It was here that Jesus calmed the storm (See Mark 4:35-41).

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The middle picture is of a Byzantine era mosaic in a church built on the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, at Tabgah, where Jesus fed the five thousand (See John chapter 6).

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The bottom picture is of a stone jar like those used by Jesus in his first miracle, the turning of water into wine (See John 2:1-12). This picture was taken in a chapel in the town of Cana. The married couples in our group renewed their marriage vows there--there were no first-timers.

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"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from you countrymen, you shall listen to him" (Deuteronomy 18:15).

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"Moses said, ' The Lord you God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you'" (Acts 3:22).

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Fourteen hundred years before Christ, Moses prophesied that God would raise up a prophet like himself. In the apostle Peter's second sermon, he says that Jesus Christ is the one like Moses. Being like Moses was one of the necessary qualifications of the Messiah that people were looking for (John 1:45). There are about many similarities between Jesus and Moses; I will list only a few.

1. They were both born under difficult circumstances in which their lives were in danger.

2. They both came out of Egypt.

3. They both enjoyed intimate communication with God (Deuteronomy 34:10 & John 1:18).

4. Moses was the mediator between God and His people. Jesus is the great mediator between God and His own (Hebrews 4:14-16).

5. Moses delivered Israel from slavery. Jesus is the great deliverer from sin.

6. Both Moses and Jesus were miracle workers to credential their authority. Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea; Jesus calmed the storms on Galilee. Moses brought manna from heaven; Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes to feed the multitudes. Moses turned the waters of Egypt to blood; Jesus turned the water to wine at a wedding feast in Cana. Truly, Jesus Christ is the only one who fulfills the prophecy of Moses. So, as Moses said, we must listen to Jesus!

*

Grace&Peace,

Tom

LOVE INVENTORY, part 2

A self-assessment guide for meditating on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. . ."

1. I kick and slam doors when I am angry.
2. I give the "silent-treatment" to those with whom I am angry for more than 6 hours.
3. There are some people who have hurt me too much to forgive.
4. I feel a twinge of delight and some self-satisfaction when I hear of the failures and difficulties of others.
5. I treat others according to how I feel at the moment.
6. Our country is "going to hell in a hand basket." There is nothing I can do.
7. I am more courteous to strangers than I am to my own family.
8. I have a pleasure, habit, hobby or addiction that I pay for at the expense of others.
9. I avoid cooperation because I do not want others to benefit.
10. I believe others succeed because they have special privileges and benefits.
11. I look for ways in which I can help others.
12. I have sufficient income to help meet the needs of those who depend on me.
13. I am honest even if it hurts another.
14. I am a good listener.
15. I am always trying to become a better person.
16. I am a persistent person in spite of great obstacles.
17. I am an encourager.
18. I criticize because it makes others better.
19. I must protect those whom I love from the natural consequences of their actions.
20. I am a suspicious person.

In light of 1 Corinthians 13, how would you respond to each of these statements? Are there any changes you need to make?

Grace&Peace,

Tom

THE LOVE INVENTORY

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. . ." (I Corinthians 13:4-8a).

In the assessment and diagnostic phase of a counseling relationship, the counselor has to arrive at an accurate understanding of the client. Different kinds of assessment tools are used to accomplish this. One of them is the "Love Inventory" that comes directly from the Bible; fifteen different love indicators are listed in this inventory by which the presence or absence of love can be recognized.

1. Patience with people. It is important to be patient with circumstances, but even more so with people. According to Barclay, the word that is translated "patient" here always has to do with patience with people in the New Testament.
2. Kindness. It is slow to anger, rather it returns a kind spirit.
3. No envy or jealousy. One who loves is not made unhappy by the good fortune of another.
4. Does not brag, not boasting of superiority over another.
5. Love is not proud or arrogant so that humble service is beneath his dignity. One who loves is always willing to serve.
6. Love is not rude, says the New International version. Love is always courteous and charismatic.
7. Love is not self-seeking or selfish, insisting on his own rights and privileges. Thus, love recognizes his responsibilities and is willing to sacrifice for others.
8. Love does not fly into a rage! Lovers work on anger management.
9. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Relationships cannot heal if the past cannot be put away.*
10. Love does not delight in the failure of anyone, but it does rejoice in the truth of Love's triumphs.
11. Love is not overcome, bearing up through any situation, protecting those in need.
12. Love is not suspicious. It brings out the best in people when they are trusted.*
13. Love never loses hope. People who love are people with positive attitudes even in the face of overwhelming odds against them.
14. Love always perseveres, patiently enduring very difficult times.
15. Love never fails, that means that it is eternal--it doesn't come and go.

It is humbling for me to take the Bible's love inventory and become aware of how much growing I have yet to do in love. I hope it helped you too!

Grace&Peace,

Tom

*By necessity, empathy and compassion fit in here. Empathy risks coming into understanding distance to show compassion. It is necessary that a person be understood so that they can be helped in the way that is best for everyone. It is completely irresponsible to take the word of an addict or criminal at face value--it will not help him or those close to him. Empathy involves having a true understanding so that the best possible solution can be worked out.

ADDENDUM TO THE BLESSINGS OF WORK

I found this quote about work which I thought would be a good addendum to my post, "The Blessing of Work," "Work organizes life. It gives structure and discipline to life" (President Bill Clinton). I do think President Clinton was right. If we have no work, we have no deadlines; we have no responsibilities. As a result, we end up wasting our lives away, accomplishing little. So, if you are dissatisfied with your accomplishments, maybe it is because you do not have enough work to do.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

BREAKING NEWS

John McCain hit a home run today with his choice of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his choice for his vice-president running mate. Not only is she a "babe," making the Republican ticket the best-looking one by far, but she is decisive and sure of her values. She is pro-life! She will certainly make this campaign a lot more fun and interesting.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

THE BLESSING OF WORK

". . .cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. . .In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread" (Genesis 3:17&19).

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest labor with his hands, so that he may have something to give to those in need" (Ephesians 4:28).

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: 'If any one will not work, let him not eat'" (2 Thessalonians 3:10).


"They all worked until they died. That after all is the final test of the degree of interest in one's work. Professor Hans Virchow once said to me while I was laboring with an exasperating lymph-vessal injection: 'He who has never shed tears over his work does not know what it is to try'" (Dr. Arthur E. Hertzler speaking of his professors in medical school in Berlin, Germany. Hertzler practiced medicine on the Kansas frontier in the 19th and early 20th centuries.).

"A friend once found De Condoyle the great anthropologist hard at work late at night. This friend remarked that he must love his science to be working so late--the professor was then eighty years of age. 'No,' replied the old scientist; 'it is not love of science that drives me. It is to drown my grief'"(Dr. Arthur E. Hetzler).


The necessity of work is reality. The nobility of work is determined by the attitude that is brought to it. Indeed, many work harder at avoiding work than actually doing the tasks that are required of them to do because the tasks are unpleasant and disagreeable to them. I have seen active people busily avoiding the real work that needed to be done. It should be noted that work did not become toilsome and tedious until sin entered the world. It is our sinful attitudes that contribute the most to making our work seem unpleasant. Certainly, painful physical conditions play their part in all this, but they can be battled through if one views her work as a high-calling.
And, even very lowly work is a high-calling if it is done for the Lord. There is no honest work that is demeaning!

Every human being has three needs which must be met or he or she will have problems. These needs are: to love, to be loved and to do something worthwhile. That there is a considerable amount of over-lap between loving and doing something worthwhile is admitted, but try living life without doing something worthwhile and you set yourself up for a major loss of self-esteem and the addition of some diagnosable mental health disorder. People feel better about themselves if they do honest labor; they are not only blessing themselves, but those around them too.

One of the blessings of work is that it is a distraction from heart-ache and grief. Grief never goes away until we make it to heaven and Jesus wipes every tear from our eyes. But, four things help us to bear our grief on this earth: our Faith, the fellowship of our friends and family, our tears and our work. Sweating-hard work offers a respite from the gnawing pain of grief and loss. Too much time alone in introspection increases the pain, making it much harder to bear.

So, thank God that you have work to do and get to it!

Grace&Peace,
Tom

HE SHALL BE CALLED A NAZARENE

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The top picture is of the cliff that the people of Nazareth attempted to throw Jesus over when he said things that angered them. The bottom picture is one that was taken in old Nazareth. The present Nazareth is a city of about 65,000 people. In first century it was too insignificant to make Josephus' list of Galilean towns.

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"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him" (Isaiah 11:1-2a).

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"Therefore he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, 'He will be called a Nazarene" (Matthew 2:23).

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"'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor'. . . Then he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luke 4:18,19&21).

*

Matthew has been ridiculed because there is no mention of Nazareth in the Old Testament. So, how could Jesus fulfill a prophecy that was never prophesied? The name Nazareth is derived from the Hebrew root netser which means shoot. An insignificant shoot that grows out of dry ground, out of an old dead stump. The history of the town of Nazareth was like that. Archaeologists have found continuous occupation there from 900 to 600 BCE, then a break of about 300 years, and then reoccupation beginning about 300 BCE. The line of the "Davidic" kings was like that too. It seemed that the linage of the Davidic kings ended in the Babylonian captivity; it was an old dead stump! But out of "old-dead stumps" shoots can grow and Jesus was that shoot and to make sure the name was identified with him, he was raised in "Shootsville," Nazareth. Nazareth was so insignificant that is was said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" The inscription placed above Jesus' head on the cross read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19). Jesus was an unlikely king, arising from a dead stump, and out of an unlikely town. The term "Nazarene" was a term of ridicule and was applied to all who gave allegiance to the "shoot."

*

It seems to be a theological truth that God specializes in using impossible situations and the most unlikely people to bring about His purposes. That means there is hope for you and me! We are "Nazarenes!"

*

Grace&Peace,

Tom

THE LIES WE BELIEVE ABOUT MARRIAGE

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).

In honor of 38 years of marriage to my wife, the lovely and gracious Helen, I am writing about the lies we believe about marriage.* In our humanity, we have all believed at least one, if not all, of them.

1. The purpose of marriage is our personal happiness. In our culture, personal happiness trumps everything else on the list for determining worth; "If it doesn't make me happy, it isn't worth it." But the purpose of marriage is not for our personal happiness, it is for oneness. Oneness is getting past your own egotism. Marriage is the opposite of self-centered conceit, you can't even have a true friendship without getting past your narcissism, rather, it is giving up of your self to the other. Thus, there are sacrifices, disappointments and heartaches that are inevitably involved with oneness; without them oneness cannot be achieved. The great reward for oneness is to be able to look back on many years of life working and playing with an unfailing friend and finding joy in a life shared together. The memories of conquering difficulties, finding forgiveness in failures, investing in children and keeping the Faith all bring a abiding sense of joy and gratitude.

2. Love is what holds a marriage together. One of the questions I ask a couple when they first come for premarital counseling, "Why do you want to get married?" Almost always, they will answer, "Because we love each other." Well, as doctor Laura often says, "Love isn't enough." The truth is that love will wax and wane in a marriage. At times it will seem as if it is absent altogether. If a couple vows to stay together as long as love shall last, they really have vowed nothing; marriage has become as disposable as paper plates used at the reception. Actually, romantic love is an emotion and is tied to how we are thinking of the marriage. What we are thinking about the marriage frequently changes.

Marriage is a faith commitment, a commitment made before God. Marriage is not just a commitment made to each other, it is one made to God, who is the author of marriage. It is a relationship in which the most mature kind of love can grow, "Love is patient, love is kind . . ." (I Corinthians 13:4).

3. The goal of marriage is fulfillment of the individual. How could single people ever find fulfillment if marriage is the necessary way to find it? There are singles out there who have fulfilling lives; I know several. Rather, the successful marriage requires an abandonment so complete that we give up ourselves to the other. That is what is involved in making a covenant with another. It isn't merely a contract between equals, but a treaty of surrender of two sovereigns to each other.

At one time or another, I believed every one of those lies and our marriage suffered for it. I'm glad that God gave me an understanding and forgiving wife!

Grace&Peace,
Tom

*These thoughts are adapted from an article in "Christian Counseling Today" by James Mcmahon and Michael Mcmanus.

CITY OF DAVID

"It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful . . ." (2 Samuel 11:2).

I took this picture while standing on what would have been the roof of David's residence at the time of this incident in the text, looking toward the likely location of Bathsheba's place of bathing. My opinion is that Bathsheba knew what she was doing; I do not view her as the innocent victim in this. Both David and Bathsheba sinned, but David was the king; he had to take responsibility for his failure.

My purpose for this post is to share a link to a website that my friend from Israel sent to me. It is simply fantastic! It is the closest thing to being in the City of David, in Jerusalem, with out actually being there. Here it is, http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/ It is the best presentation of old Jerusalem on a website that I have seen. If you are interested in archeology and history you will certainly enjoy this site!

Grace&Peace,

Tom

JESUS' BAPTISM IN THE PROPHETS?

". . . He said to me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'" (Psalms 2:7).

"And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering . . ." (Daniel 9:27).

The pictures are of the area in the Jordan River, immediately south of Galilee, where baptisms can be done. It was cold the day my group was there. Consequently, we didn't get one of the older women completely immersed because she began to hyperventilate. We didn't want her to have a heart attack. In the picture, one of the younger women was completely immersed.

The other picture is from the same area, but of the scriptures that are posted there in different languages. This one is in Pidgin--it made me laugh.

None of the prophets specifically speaks of Jesus' baptism, however, Jesus' baptism marks the public statement from God himself that Jesus is His beloved son (Matthew 3:17). And,

many Bible scholars understand the beginning of the 70th week in Daniel 9:27 to be Jesus' baptism. The middle of the week to be his death burial and resurrection and the end of the week to be the stoning of Stephan, which occurred three and a half years later. Some scholars put the destruction of the temple, which would occur some 36 years later, as the end of the 70th week.

There is no doubt that his baptism did mark the beginning of Jesus' three and a half year ministry and it was the point in time when God announces publicly that Jesus is His Son.

One of the things we know for sure about Daniel's prophecy is that we are in the last days!

Grace&Peace,

Tom

MY TWO UNCLES: THE MALE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

"Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated"* (Deuteronomy 34:7).

Women know that they have a biological clock. By the time they are in their 30's the bio ticking gets louder and louder. There is a lot of psychology connected with the feminine biological clock.

But, is there a male biological clock? Yes, but what guy is checking the time? Guys assume that they will always make sperm so, what is the hurry? What is important for guys to know is that, from a fertility and health perspective, having children is for the young. The biological material is just better. After 35 deterioration is beginning to set in. Men 40 and over are nearly 6 times more likely to have offspring with autism than men younger than 30.** By age 60, 85% of sperm is clinically abnormal. Increased age in the father increases the risk of schizophrenia in the children.

I have 2 uncles in my family history, one on my dad's side and one on my mother's side. Both of these uncles did not marry until they were 40 years old. One uncle fathered 4 children who grew up to be responsible, well-functioning adults. The other uncle fathered 3 children, 2 of them grew up to be good citizens, Christians and parents. The oldest child of the second uncle developed normally. He was a good student and was dedicated as a Christian too. During his college years he developed schizophrenia. This mental illness led to his tragic death and was the cause of a great deal of anguish for the family too.

Would this have happened had my second uncle fathered children earlier in life? We cannot know for sure, but if there is a question about the timing of having children, put the odds in your favor and do it sooner rather than later.

Grace&Peace,
Tom

*James Michener said in "The Source" that the verse meant that Moses was good in bed at 120 years old. I doubt that he took any supplements either, but then all his food was organic.

**Statistics came from an article in "Psychology Today" called "A Man's Shelf Life," by Mark Teich. I had read similar statistics in other publications on this subject so it seemed like they were credible.