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Good News
Good News from April–June, 2008 Good News from January–March, 2008 Good News from October–December, 2007 Good News from July–September, 2007 Good News from April–June, 2007 Good News from January–March, 2007 Good News from October–December, 2006 Good News from July–September, 2006 Good News from April–June, 2006 Good News from January– March, 2006 Good News from October–December, 2005 Good News from July–September, 2005 Good News from April– June, 2005 Good News from January–March, 2005 Good News from July–September, 2004 Good News from April–June, 2004 Good News from January–March, 2004 Good News from October–December, 2003 Good News from July–September, 2003 Good News from April–June, 2003 Good News from January–March, 2003 Good News from October–December, 2002 Good News from July–September, 2002 Good News from April–June, 2002 Good News from January–March, 2002 Good News from October–December, 2001 Good News from Bob’s cousin’s son in this eye-witness report from New York, September 13, 2001 Good News from July–September, 2001 Good News from April–June, 2001 Good News from January–March, 2001 Good News from November–December, 2000
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December 20, 2004 In this holy season, I can not think of a better way to say this. O come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant, Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning, O come, let us adore Him, Composer: John Francis Wade’s “Cantus Diversi,” 1751 Thought for the Week: This week may we focus on love, peace and adoration.
December 18, 2004 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV) Each holiday we all receive an ample supply of holiday cards. There are always plenty of surprises. There are family pictures, animal pictures, golf cards and many others. There is usually an ample supply of news letters from one page to book length. All are very informative and it is great to trigger the memories of good friends. This year we received a card from a 25 year friend and former work mate that told us a lot. There was no news letter or picture. There was simply a hand written “Happy Holidays, XXX (the single mom) and YYY(her son). The card said it all. The picture on the front was a manger scene and this week’s passage, John 3:16, was inside. The inscription read “May the true meaning of Christmas bring you joy that lasts all year.” For 25 years the Christian piece of this friend had been unknown to us. What a blessing.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, this week we are aware of the joy of friends and family. The celebration of Jesus birth re-unites us and trains our focus on positive thoughts. We give thanks for all of this and the gift that You gave to us through Jesus. Amen
December 11, 2004 “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (Psalm 57:1, NIV) Each year our former pastor had a special service for people having a sad time over the Holidays. Pastor Rick must have been an Elvis fan because he called it a Blue Christmas Service. It was one worth attending whether you were sad or not. We can always find reasons to be blue over the holidays and it is good to take a look at those feelings, put them in perspective and pray to God for the support that is available to us. One year we met a young gentleman there, John, who had visited during the summer. He was in tears during the service. He was despondent because his parents were having a problem with his sexual preference and he was not being welcomed at the family celebration. In another year both June and I were having some doubtful health issues and attended for ourselves. Each year there are always people in attendance who are experiencing their first holiday season after losing a loved one. Many are experiencing the angst of serious illness. There are many reasons to feel pain during the season of joy. It is important to take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father this week we have special prayers for the holidays. We pray that the reminder of your presence brings trust and love to the world. We pray for people who have lost loved ones and are spending their first Christmas with an empty place at the table. We give thanks for the role that you play in our lives and the help you give us. Thank you for being available for us each and every day.
December 7, 2004 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mathew 11:28-30) Thanksgiving just passed. We spent a hectic weekend hosting 7150 people at a charity run, had dinner for twelve, shopped and never slowed down. Certainly if we honestly listed our activities we would understand why we were tired. The start of the holiday is not generally a time of prayer and meditation. As Christians, we are coming to a very special day, a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Our focus however is often placed on gifts, parties, getting our acts together for the start of a new year. Our calendars are full with many special events: holiday parties, Winter sports, Christmas pageants and services, shopping, year end business meetings. Sometimes it just gets out of control. All this activity is not bad thing. It is stressful, expensive and fun. It is a time to pull together as friends and family. As Christians we understand the reason for all this activity and we can use the tools given to us by our faith. Christianity and spirituality are wonderful allies during busy times.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are overburdened with problems. There are people dying at war and on the streets of our cities. We are busy with year end business activities and planning for Christmas. Many of us will be traveling over the holidays. Please give us the power to be aware of Christ’s presence through all of this. Help us find a way to walk through this activity with God as my co-pilot. Amen
November 25, 2004 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Collossians 312-14; NIV) Most of us have a problem with feeling like one of “God’s chosen people.” The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to follow Him. That is egocentric and introspective. We all know that we chase Him until he catches us. In our lives who are “God’s Chosen” and what do they do? This week is Thanksgiving and one of my traditions is to do Christmas cards. Each card that gets addressed is to someone special. The addressees have all played a role in life. Each in some way has been a friend, advisor, mentor, coach etc. What a wonderful feeling it is to sit there and think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people? There is a priest in the UK who included me in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a running buddy of over twenty-five years duration, and several former pastors who were spiritual advisors… the list goes on. The holiday season is a great opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. It also a chance to think of the many people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated to us “…compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience....”
Prayer for the week: Dear lord and Father, we have many blessings that you have given to us. Among them are our friends and contacts. Each of them is in some way a blessing. This week we offer our prayers for their health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us.
November 20, 2004 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV) All days are not created equal. Recently on a Friday of my second consecutive week of travel, my calendar was full. A 7:30 meeting on the other side of town, a 9 am service call to the company’s number one customer, an airport run at noon, a meeting with a lawyer and the daily phone calls to handle. Guess what? It was cold and rainy and the city traffic was nearly impassable. Wherever you wanted to go, you could not get there from here! Well, the 7:30 meeting started late and ran over, the 9 o’clock started at 10, June called me when I was driving to the airport to advise me the microwave had smoked and we were almost late at the airport. The stress was high. The afternoon was tense and the call backs all added to the activity. It was a very lonely type of day where I made several calls for help. Yes, there is always help. As you know, I believe that I do not ever walk alone and that day was one where I needed Jesus riding shot gun in my passenger seat. Three times I stopped and asked God to give me a push. What I have told you so far is the negative side. Overall, with some help, it was a great day. In summary, I met a really great young lady lawyer whose husband is a musician, my IT department confirmed that I actually know something!! The airport run was on time and everyone got to Florida (and out of the Minnesota weather). And at 9:30 that evening we received a business call at home from a Chicago associate with some of the best business news in ten years. With prayer and each other, we can get through the tough days with the help of the Lord.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and savior, we give you thanks for the support that you give us in our daily lives. We are entering the season of celebration and a time to be thankful for your gifts. This week we offer prayers of thankfulness and pray that we may focus on the many great things and opportunities that you have given us. Amen
November 10, 2004 “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” Psalm 46:7 Quite often when a crime occurs in “our neighborhood,” we ask, “How could this happen here?” The truth is that tragedy and violence can happen anywhere. None of us is immune to them. Real security can not come from walls and fences; real security comes from having a relationship with God. Recently a business associate suffered a break in at home. The thieves actually came in when the family was asleep. Several years ago another friend awoke in the middle of the night as a cat burglar was departing his bedroom with his wallet. These experiences change their lives and the experience of living in their own homes. That is justifiable. I am not sure my faith is strong enough to recover from an experience like that. The author of the 23rd Psalm realized this centuries ago when he wrote these familiar words, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The psalmist does not say that we will not have to walk through the darkest valley or that evil does not exist. Rather, the psalmist reminds us that we need not fear or be overwhelmed because God is present with us at all times and in all places. God will see us through. The ground and content of our hope is the promise that nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, we ask you for some help. Our country needs healing from a nasty political campaign and our soldiers need your love while doing a tough chore. We need your help to understand it all. We also need to give you thanks for our lives, friends and loved ones as we move toward the holiday season. Your guidance and love needs to carry us each day. Amen.
November 4, 2004 “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.” (Ephesians 5:20) Aren’t the fall colors beautiful? For whatever reason, this year seemed to have very brilliant reds and gold leaves. We all realize the beauty of the fall and know full well what is next. Winter. As always, there are two points of view. We runners think about ice, wind and cold from a different perspective than the winter sports enthusiast. However, the one thing that most agree on is that there is a lot of natural beauty in a new fallen snow. There are a lot of distractions from the beauty and grandeur presented before us by God. We have a lot of stress in the world. Terror, business issues, inter-personal relationships may not be well. Some of our friends have illnesses or are grieving. In what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he reminded them that living under God’s love means giving thanks in all that life brings. We need to remember that every day.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, you make all things new in Jesus Christ. As we go through our lives we often focus on our every day needs and problems. This week we ask you to give us thankful hearts so that all things are transformed in your love. Amen.
October 28, 2004 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:60) Have you ever felt wound up like a rubber band, like you are being twisted tighter and tighter? If so, you are under a lot of stress. Your body contains a sophisticated defense system that helps you cope with situations and challenging events. When you feel pressure, your body quickly mobilizes its defenses. In the case of stress, we are flooded with an abundance of adrenaline, which often disrupts normal functioning. A stressed person is like a rubber band being stretched. When the pressure is released, the rubber band returns to normal. If stretched too much or too long, the rubber loses its elastic qualities, develops cracks and eventually breaks. We may also be damaged by stress. How are you feeling right now? Are you relaxed? Up tight? As you think about what is facing you today, what does your body say? If you are feeling stressed, take out your Bible and turn to Philippians 4:6-9. Read it and think things through and things will improve.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the miracles you perform in the answer to prayer. We are often dealing with life’s problems and forget that you are by our sides. We thank you for opportunity to strengthen our faith and lighten our burden. Amen
October 14, 2004 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) Are you ready for another dumb question? “Who does a woman marry when she marries?” There are several answers. The most common is “a man.” Often in the female frame of mind, security comes up and many marriage counselors may answer “her father.” Last week we took a look relationship issues dealing with male activity. However, in today’s world there are many two career families and the same principles apply to the female bread winner. Even though the passage refers to husbands, in today’s world women deal with the same issues. We are all equal in our career and family obligations. In today’s world the woman needs to deal with the same issues as the man in regards to family. Many may find it easy to be distracted and justify an excessive focus on their careers. I am comfortable rewriting this week’s passage to read “Wives love your husbands….” for today’s society. In our busy lives we all need to love first and save time for our families and Christ.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are blessed with abundant lives and caring families. In our physical lives we are not all equal. Some have more than others. In our spiritual lives we are not but can be equals. You are there for all of mankind and we pray that we all can find room for you in our lives. Amen.
October 11, 2004 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) “Who does a woman marry when she marries?” Sound like a dumb question? There are several answers depending on who is asked. Most people answer “a man,” often after several years the answer is “a paycheck” and sometimes marriage counselors will answer “her father.” All of these answers and many more, fit some marriages. Let’s discuss the paycheck, the married professionals. We have graduated into a society of two job households and it is easy to justify being busy, out of town and preoccupied. We are supplying cash flow to meet the family needs of our society. We know after we get it all, we will then have plenty of time for our families. However it often never comes and all too often, divorce comes first. Marriage is a bonding of two individuals. There is nothing in the vows about things. A woman wants love, closeness and she wants to be loved. That does not happen when we are away at work. Consider how Jesus loved the church. He gave himself for it. Again He set an example for us to live by.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we give thanks for those around us, Family and friends but specifically our spouses and significant others. This week we pray for understanding of each others real needs ant a way to meet them. Amen.
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