 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
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 October–December, 2004 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 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
|
June 24, 2002 “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, NIV) Spiritual growth is an important part of living a peaceful and rewarding life. Defining it is sometimes difficult. It is more than reading a passage, it is living the life. It is climbing the Christian ladder of success. Not running around preaching a passage, it is demonstrating the lifestyle. Mark 10 mentions greatness and to be great, one must be at peace. This peace can be found by walking the walk. Serving others as a lifestyle. Listening to TV Evangelist Mac Hammond this morning, he defined serving others as “...meeting another person’s needs when they do not believe you are serving them.” Often he is referring to what many therapists call “tough love.” Serving others has more to do with following God’s will and sharing God’s word than it does with being being a caregiver or a soft touch. It often means saying no or advising people of a direction that they would rather not go. That is real love and not an easy thing to do. Each time we follow through with the tough decision, somehow we experience spiritual growth. The results are usually very positive. We take a step up the ladder of success.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, in today’s world, we see retaliation, hate, fear and a lack of trust. We have hate between the Jews and Muslims; a Christian vs Muslim mentality growing; a lawyer’s vs. the Catholic Church issue. (Many may challenge that one). Where is God in all of this? How do we play a roll in this? Heavenly Father we pray for answers as we walk the walk. Amen
June 17 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James1:12-15) Somehow the ongoing thought of being busy seems to come into play here. It seems that being involved will yield good deeds. Yes, whether it is family, work, church, community or any other activity, God will be present and goodness will occur. It is hard to see it happen at times, but often when looking back, one can see God’s role. Reading last weeks Ephesians 5 endorses the active lifestyle of the new millennium. Paul says busy is OK. It seems that James tells us that when we bring our faith into the involvement, we are doing God’s work. That’s powerful stuff. So that is our plan; let’s stay faithful and busy— let God work his will through our lifestyle.
Prayer for the week: Dear Lord and savior, we need your help. The world is torn with terror and hate and demons seem to surround us. We pray for understanding and knowledge of how to help. We ask and pray for answers and understanding of our role in all of this. Amen
June 12 “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live; not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity...” ( Ephesians 5:13-17 NIV) Wow, we are sure all busy. Often when saying “Hi, how are you?” the reply is “busy” and a review of their calendar follows. It seems that when Paul wrote this passage, he was advising an active life style. Even many retirees comment that they do not know when they ever had time to work. At the moment, my first attempt at retirement does not seem to be a slow down in activity. The weeks seem to pass by faster. There are many blessings in being involved. As “qualified” retirees, June and I often reminisce about frantic past lifestyle. Many of the times that seemed the craziest and most out of control have generated the fondest memories. The Blessings. Paul goes on to say in verses 17 and 18, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, we live in a world of hate and fear. We pray that somehow it will all end, but it seems that it is just beginning. We pray this week for some sort of love attack to break out. Somehow for the world to recognize the advantages of Godly love. Amen
June 2 “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord” (Philippians 4:20 This week in our neighborhood we watched as a family fell apart. There were court orders, police escorts and all the ungodly things that go with a broken home. The respect, love and spirituality had left the relationship. It was very sad. Since it is Sunday, let me confess that we in our family did not always go to church. (Sunday was a long training run and then clean the pool.) Also, there were many times when the kids were small, that church on Sunday was our only “quiet time.” Not a very good reason for being there. Somehow, however, within our family unit, there was always a trust and a spiritual presence that held us together. Consider this analogy. If your car battery was dead this morning, you could put it on a charger and be able to get going. However, if your alternator was weak, your car would quit running in a few hours. Many of us use Sunday’s service as our time to charge our spiritual batteries. This is a good thing to do and I pray that “Good News” helps. Families and individuals with strong spirituality tend to survive. They grow while meeting life’s challenges, develop deeper friendships and learn the value of love. Somehow we all need to carry Sunday’s charge through out the week. “And I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you have your roots and foundation in love.” (Ephesians 3:17)
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord and Father, our lives are full of distractions. Children’s activities, work projects, and many other issues get in the way of peace and love. Somehow, we just don’t have time. This week we pray for the presence of mind to focus on your love and include it in our daily lives. Amen
May 30 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James1; 2-4 NIV) Faith seems to be a constant challenge to us. Yes, some times we need to understand where God is in our lives. We can doubt that He is with us, we challenge his input and even knowingly violate His rules and submit to temptation. Does this make us bad people? The answer is a resounding no. As we look back at our lives we often see a trail of mistakes, moments or events that we would like to “edit or replay.” Surely we know that reliving life is not an option. But, feeling guilty or bad about these things can bring about a crises of faith, low self image and have a negative effect on our future. This is true at any age. However, as we work through our faults, we learn that life goes on. God eventually works his miracles in our lives. When we lack the wisdom he comes through for us.
Prayer for The Week: Dear Lord, life in this world is very tense. There is terror, war threatens around the World. There are also great and positive things happening. Amongst all this sometimes we have a problem understanding your message. Heavenly Father, please help us appreciate the good things and understand your will. Amen
May 25 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. (Proverbs 3:5) More on the Lyubov Kremleva story. On Saturday evening at a wrap up dinner, there was a much more relaxed atmosphere. Simon Kirouri and June were able to communicate with Lyubov. There was a celebration and a camaraderie developing in the group and we decided that we would take Lyubov shopping at the Mall of America to buy her sons some clothes. Simon, June Lyubov and I went shopping. June went with Lyubov while Simon and I did the guy thing and observed. There was an obvious bonding between June and Lyubov. They were both mom’s, shoppers and neat people. Trying to ask clerks questions, communicating her wants, finding what she was looking for were all a challenge. Somehow, the trip was successful. (also, tiring and late into the evening). Upon return to the hotel, we said our good byes and made arrangements for check out and airport shuttles. We had known Lyubov for 36 hours. She had gone from estranged and nervous to comfortable and friendly. In saying good bye to June, she gave June a big Russian bear hug and a kiss on bit cheeks. She was in a different place and had found a friend. Somehow God had worked through Simon and June to build a trust and friendship.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, this is a busy time of the year. Yard work, school wrap up, summer activities all overlap spring events. Some how we pray we get it all done and have more time to do your work. Amen
May 15 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). We never really know when God is going to demonstrate his love and power to us. This last weekend I believe that he worked through June and I in a very unexpected way. It involved a lady from Russia, extreme language barriers, a ten kilometer running race and myself as the host for out of town guests. This is a bit long, but I think it is worth a read. Lyubov Kremleva arrived at 11:18 at Twin Cities International looking for her host. That was easy and painless, but it was obvious from the start that we had a language problem. Things seemed somewhat stressed but marginally OK as we walked to the car, but somehow things changed. She jumped into the back seat and clinged tightly to her bag and acted concerned. On the way to the hotel, she appeared to be in a panic attack (strain in her face and hands wringing and rubbing). Frankly, the situation was way out of my control. After arriving at the Hotel, Lyubov took her room key, pointed at her itinerary where it said 2 PM pick up for a race course tour and left for her room, very quickly. She was uncomfortable. At two, she was ready but nervous, as we met the race director and drove around the race course. It was not as stressful, but somehow her discomfort was obvious, and understandable. In the evening at dinner, June and two Swahili speaking Kenyans joined Lyubov and I for dinner. Up front it was not getting any better. June and one of the Kenyans, Simon, found a way to communicate with her and we learned a bit. She was only in the country for two months, she was 40 years old and had a six and eight year old boys back in Moscow. On race day morning, bad weather, the pre race nervous tension and the language barrier all mounted up to more than a normal challenge. Things went beautifully and somehow this 40 year old woman beat all female competitors and qualified for both the elite and masters prizes. Now I feel God started to play a roll in the process. As we went to the press area for interviews, we learned that the second place woman, Raise, spoke Russian and the interviews went smoothly. On the way back to the hotel, my cell phone rang and it was a Russian accent asking how the race went. I handed the phone to Lyubov and a very excited emotional lady talked five minutes in Russian. The real Lyubov came out. There is more to this story for next week. The message in Proverbs 3.5 tells us to proceed with faith. God is present with us and works when we do not expect or understand His process.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we need to give thanks for our many blessings and the people around us. You have created a diverse and wonderful World and we need to understand our place in it. This diversity is causing wars, terror, discomfort and we fear for our safety. This week we pray for a better understanding of others, here and through out the world. Amen
May 8 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). More on the Lyubov Kremleva story. On Saturday evening at a wrap up dinner, there was a much more relaxed atmosphere. Simon Kirouri and June were able to communicate with Lyubov. There was a celebration and a camaraderie developing in the group and we decided that we would take Lyubov shopping at the Mall of America to buy her boy’s some clothes. Simon, June, Lyubov and I went shopping. June went with Lyubov while Simon and I did the guy thing and observed. There was an obvious bonding between June and Lyubov. They were both mom’s, shoppers and neat people. Trying to ask clerks questions, communicating her wants, finding what she was looking for were all a challenge, but somehow the trip was fun and successful. (Tiring and late into the evening). Upon return to the hotel, we said our good bye’s and made arrangements for check out and airport shuttles. We had known Lyubov for 36 hours. She had gone from estranged and nervous to comfortable and friendly. In saying good by, she gave June a big Russian bear hug and a kiss on both cheeks. She was in a different place and found a friend. Again, somehow God worked through both Simon and June. We do not always recognize the opportunity, the place or time when we will do God’s work. We started out stressed and nervous and love and caring came through.
Prayer for the Week: Thank you Father for the many gifts that we have. The ability to love, care and nurture. Yes, we sometimes do not have time for all that and we become angry, frustrated and over stressed. Please Lord, let us have more time to care and work your will in our lives. Amen
May 1 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). We never really know when God is going to demonstrate his love and power to us. This last weekend I believe that he worked through June and I in a very unexpected way. It involved a lady from Russia, extreme language barriers, a ten kilometer running race and myself as the host for out of town guests. This is a bit long, but I think it is worth a read. Lyubov Kremleva arrived at 11:18 at Twin cities international looking for her host. That was easy and painless, but it was obvious from the start that we had a language problem. Things seemed somewhat stressed but marginally OK as we walked to the car, but somehow things changed. She jumped into the back seat and clung tightly to her bag and acted concerned. On the way to the hotel, she appeared to be in a panic attack (strain in her face and hands wringing and rubbing). Frankly, the situation was way out of my control. After arriving at the Hotel, Lyubov took her room key, pointed at her itinerary where it said 2 PM pick up for a race course tour and left for her room, very quickly. She was uncomfortable. At two, she was ready but nervous, as we met the race director and drove around the race course. It was not as stressful, but somehow her discomfort was obvious, and understandable. In the evening at dinner, June and two Swahili speaking Kenyans joined Lyubov and I for dinner. Up front it was not getting any better. June and one of the Kenyans, Simon, found a way to communicate with her and we learned a bit. She was only in the country for two months, she was 40 years old and had six and eight year old boys back in Moscow. On race day morning, bad weather, the pre-race nervous tension and the language barrier all mounted up to more than a normal challenge. Things went beautifully and somehow this 40 year old woman beat all female competitors and qualified for both the elite and masters prizes. Now I feel God started to play a roll in the process. As we went to the press area for interviews, we learned that the second place woman, Raise, spoke Russian and the interviews went smoothly. On the way back to the hotel, my cell phone rang and it was a Russian accent asking how the race went. I handed the phone to Lyubov and a very excited emotional lady talked five minutes in Russian. The real Lyubov came out. There is more to this story for next week. The message in Proverbs 3.5 tells us to proceed with faith. God is present with us and works when we do not expect or understand His process.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we need to give thanks for our many blessings and the people around us. You have created a diverse and wonderful World and we need to understand our place in it. This diversity is causing wars, terror, discomfort and we fear for our safety. This week we pray for a better understanding of others, here and throughout the world. Amen
April 24 “I can never be lost to your spirit! I can never get away from my God!” (Psalms 139:7) “Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all of heaven and earth?” ( Jeremiah 23:24) Harvey McKay, local twin cities author, business man and tennis player, entitled his first book, “How To Swim With the Sharks.” His message was about doing business with the aggressive business world that we encounter all too often; business men who feel that there has to be a winner and a loser in every deal. Often in dealing with a “Shark,” Christian ethics are not present or noticeable. Deals are a competition. God is often forgotten. Over the years, I have encountered several “Sharks” that I deal with in business at church or during a Christian function. Often June and I would discuss the issue of being a “Shark” Monday through Friday and a Christian on Sunday. In our lives, we have never been able separate the two worlds— Christian from business. We have also observed that aggressive behaviors do not seem to work over the long term. It seems that somehow, the “Sharks” usually end up far below their true potential. They do not always lose, but do not make it to the top. They cannot hide from God.
Prayer for the week: Dear Lord, the flowers of Spring are starting to appear. The scent of flowers fills the air, colors are replacing the brown and gray of Winter. This winter has been a difficult one here. There has been world wide terror, too many wars, too much social unrest. We pray today that like the Spring, we start to see the flowers of peace, love and God’s justice in the troubled spots of the world. We pray that somehow you work through each of us to help. Amen.
Stress is becoming an American, if not a World wide tradition; part of our life style. We often go through our week wound up like a rubber band that has been twisted tighter and tighter. However, we all recognize that the rubber band eventually breaks. When it is wound too tight or stressed too long, it snaps! We are certainly a higher life form than a rubber band, however we are similar when stressed. We have a way of unwinding during the most stressed of times. Mine is by writing “Good News” to people that I love. Yours may be different— exercise, meditation, a chat with a friend, reading. There are many ways to release stress. In Paul’s writings in Philippians 4: 8 & 9 he suggests that Faith is a tool to help us. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, the world seems to be a breeding ground for stress. Everywhere we look there is something to worry about. Terror, hate, employment troubles, stock market woes— even severe weather. This week we pray that we may keep you and peace in our thoughts, that we have the presence of mind to make wise choices and release our stresses to find tranquility. Amen
April 10 (18) Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; (19) but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown. (Mark 4:18-20NIV) “The Parable of the Sower” hits home with this story and again fits into another phase of my life. As a young family of six, recovering from divorce, trying to restart our lives, there were many times when the pursuit of wealth took president over the depth of our spiritual commitment. Although we were not big on toys, we certainly made some interesting decisions. First and foremost, after starting our business over a period of five years, our cash flow increased significantly. It is embarrassing when I compare the percent increase in income with the growth in our church pledge. Beyond financial commitments, my spiritual commitment was often weak regarding the giving of time. We avoided committee assignments, but had time to get to all the kids— activities. Both certainly would not fit. (doubtful). One day while waiting for a tennis match with a good friend and dedicated Christian, we were talking about our schedules. Ken made a comment that I was not saving enough time for the Lord. He promised to pray that my business activities would not cause too much harm. He even suggested that I could fit in my long training runs (2 hours) on Sunday before church rather than during church. His concept was beyond my understanding. The best part about life is often looking back and seeing what we have learned. The “I wish I had known that when...” syndrome. We all think about that at times. However, God allows us to learn, grow and forgive. He rewards us in many ways. Mark 20 points out that the return on investment in God’s work is life’s true reward.
Prayer for the Week: Gracious Lord, the world is a very tense and complex place. There seems to be conflict in every quadrant. This is very confusing to many Christians. We need to understand where the venom comes from, what it is about and how we may help diffuse it. Somehow, understand how it all fits in Your world rather than what effect it has in our world. We pray for this understanding and the strength to use it. Amen
April 4 “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away... Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop— thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” (Mark4:16,17 & 20) “The Parable of the Sower” is a very meaningful passage. It seems to me that at different times in my life, I have fit into each of the different faults that are brought forth. In 16 and 17, “shallowness” is a character defect that may have been an affliction during the fabulous 60s. A time when social protest was rampant and often correct. There were evils in our society that needed to be addressed by a strong Christian clergy. My faith and endurance were not yet developed. In 1964, my home church set up a shelter in their basement and harbored criminals. That is to say, draft dodgers, race rioters, social protesters and others. My faith was not deep enough so I left the church. In retrospect, they needed my support and were fighting for some valid causes. The Vietnam war, racial and other types of discrimination were causes that needed to be addressed. In today’s world, there are still concerns. As a Christian population we have a level of social responsibility. We are a significant player in the equation of checks and balances that makes our society work. We need to be strong in our beliefs and understanding. There is the expression “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We need to be prepared to be tough and not shallow.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, please help me strenghen my Christian posture. Show me how to demonstrate my faith to help others. Give me the opportunity to help. Amen
|
