Month: January 2018

I knew a guy back in my 20’s that was probably the most consummate story teller I have ever known. Now some who know me say I can weave a pretty good tale, but I cannot hold a candle to my old friend Henry.

I mean, Henry told stories about things like rivers that flowed backwards, a match that re-lit in his pocket and set his pants on fire and before the days of guided missiles a story about an arrow that chases a deer around in circles. But my favorite was one he told about his hound dog, you see Henry had a dog that could talk.

I can never tell it like Henry, but the story goes that when he got this dog as a pup, his dad started to teach the dog to speak. Just a few words at first but by the time the dog was a year old he could talk as well as any three-year-old human. And over the years the story grew. The last time we talked back in the 90’s the dog was now reading. Henry told stories like no one else I have ever known.

Before I became a follower of Jesus, I thought that the whole Bible was a lot like Henry’s yarns, just a bunch of made up tales that were almost as hard to believe as any he ever told. In fact, the Bible has a story about a talking donkey. Sound familiar? It took me literally years to see the difference between man made tales and ones inspired by God. Today I would like to share how I came to make the distinction and why I now not only trust the Word of God, I believe every word written within its covers.

I have told that when I first opened the Bible I could not read it, I needed to listen to it as I did my daily walks on an MP3 player. I decided I would listen from the beginning all the way to the end. That is what I did. Over a period of 6 months I walked about 45 minutes a day and listened to the Bible. Some of the Old Testament stories I heard were unbelievable to me. Starting with Adam, Eve, and the talking snake, to Noah and an ark filled with every animal floating on a sea that covered the entire earth. Moses parting the Red Sea and Balaam talking to a donkey. So many more, all seemed to confirm my concept of this book, Henry could have written it!

But something also came through that I had not expected. I started to notice that through every page of this book was a powerful underlying thread. It was vague at first but by the time I got to the New Testament it was undeniable. So many different books but each added another part to an immense puzzle which I eventually saw as God’s plan of salvation, which culminated with Jesus Christ. This certainly did not convince me that everything I was reading was true but the pure power of it did start to make me think.

I decided to read other sources and one of the source books I read was on a subject I knew little about, the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book was called, “The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography” by John Joseph Collins. There was a ton of fascinating info in the book but the stand out thing was it confirmed most of the books of the Old Testament have been around exactly as we see them today for at least two millenniums or more. That stopped me in my tracks a bit. And for sure cut into my idea that the Bible was like the tales Henry told. Unlike his stories which grew and changed every time they were told these had been rock solid for ages. There was certainly something different about this book called the Bible.

Two more things happened that convinced me. One, there was not one archeological piece of evidence that refuted the Bible and two was Jesus himself. The first does not need much explanation. I did research and everywhere I turned the archeological evidence was yearly confirming things people thought were fantasy for years. Nations like the Hittites that were believed to be a figment of Bible writer’s imaginations became a reality, as evidence was found of their existence. An inscription found that referred to King David. There was no doubt, the guy who slew a giant, actually lived! Number two is a matter of faith. As I began to believe Jesus was who He said He was my belief in all other things Biblical grew.

You see, Jesus constantly referred to stories I thought to be tales. Yet to him they were history. How could the Son of God tell tales like Henry did? That wasn’t working for me. Jesus belief in the Word became my belief. And in fact, as the years went by and I now read this book over and over I was sure as the Apostle Paul tells us, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible is not a set of tales, it is the Word of God!

I lost contact with Henry over the years, the construction world is like that. I went west, and I heard he stayed around the Kentucky area. Some have told me he still has that dog who talks. I chuckle thinking about that, but I no longer think of the Bible when I think of my old friend. We humans can weave some tales, but only God can weave a plan that is so miraculous we will never know its end until we hear it from Him in the New Jerusalem. That is one story time I am not going to miss!

Blessings John
1/31/18

Way back in the 1970’s my family owned a restaurant in Ishpeming, Michigan. For those of you not into geography, Ishpeming is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Fondly called the ‘U.P.’ by residents. Who also like to be known ‘Yoopers’ and they are a very distinctive and hearty bunch. You have to be to live in a place where winter is not a season, it is more like a nine-month event.

And even though I was born in Chicago, my family had strong roots in Ishpeming. My mother and most of her Italian brood were either born there or came straight from the ‘old country’ to live in the wilds of Michigan. As a kid we vacationed there just about every year. My family built a summer home not far from Ishpeming and eventually we moved there and opened the restaurant with a formable name, ‘House of Weston’.

Considering it was more or less a diner I always thought the name a bit grandiose. But my father was a man who’s dreams sometimes outsized reality or so I thought. And maybe over the years he might have felt the same way somewhat because eventually the name morphed into just, HOW. Of course, this spawned its own humorous axioms, especially with the house specialty, a ¼ pound hamburger that came to be known as the HOW burger. Originally named the ‘Alaskan’ for reasons only known to my father, the new moniker left some people speechless when trying to order it. The jokes were endless and tedious all at once.

All of this came to a head for me when I confronted my father with the idea of changing the name one more time to something more mundane and less controversial. Not surprisingly he stubbornly refused and the HOW restaurant and burger stood for the remainder of the years he owned the joint. And in the end my father was proven right. The distinctive name did gain recognition and proved to set the place and the burger apart from other diners in the area.

I guess I tell this slice of my life because it reminds me once again, what’s in a name? Even though it seemed to me that all my father’s instincts were wrong, I was proven to be the one who did not see the ‘big picture’ when it came to the names he had chosen. I think this is true more than once when we are looking at Bible characters. God sees the beginning from the end, so when he chooses a character whose name does not seem to fit, it is our first instinct to doubt. But, O ye of little faith. And when I think in these terms one guy stands out from all the rest and his name is Peter.

Most of you might know, he did not start his life with that name. Jesus met this fisherman named Simon and immediately saw something I don’t think anyone else did and changed his name to Cephas, Aramaic for ‘rock’ (Peter comes from the Greek, Petros). Strange, huh? The Bible does not tell us if anyone questioned this but  I would have, especially when I see in the gospel stories on how un-rock like Simon seems to have been. What I am I missing that Jesus saw?

I mean, repeatedly, Peter fails in matters of faith. But none stand out more than at the moment when Jesus calls His disciples to be ‘rocks’, the night he is arrested. Peter as he had done so many times before is ready to make boastful claim to his given name. He promises Jesus that he will stand like a rock, even if the others fall away, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” (Matthew 26:33) But Jesus knows better, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” (Matthew 26:34b) But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Matthew 26:35a) Peter, the rock, is strong yet the moment comes, and fear overcomes his boastful promises and as Jesus predicted, Peter denies Him.

If it ended there I would be so discouraged. Because I like Peter have failed in moments of trial, even to the point of denying the Lord. But Jesus did not name Simon the rock for no reason. After those denials he could have taken the same route as Judas, lost in his sin, he could have taken his own life. But Peter, maybe because he had failed so many times before will seek out Jesus after He is risen and on a beach over breakfast he will confess and be forgiven and given the mission for the remainder of his life. Three times Jesus will ask him if he loves Him and three times Simon will sorrowfully answer that he does. The last time Jesus asks is so poignant, “The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter hurt because he had asked him for the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord you know all things, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17) In these three questions Peter is asked to finally confirm he is ready to be the rock and recommit himself to not only Jesus but to caring for the flock. And after Jesus predicts that someday Peter himself would be crucified, he gives him the simple order, “Follow me.” Something Simon, now truly Peter will do the rest of his life.

If you get a chance you can read in the New Testament book of Acts Peter now is the rock no one could see on the beach the day Jesus gave him that name. The same man who feared for his life now stands boldly before the rulers of Israel proclaiming, “Which is right in God’s eyes to listen to you or to Him? You be the judges! We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) In this I find hope.

Sometimes a name change can seem to be laughable. Some might have believed that about Simon when Jesus named him Peter. I am seeking today to share that name. I would like to be a ‘rock’ of faith and know if I am called to stand that I will. I am blessed to have the gospel and know it is possible, Peter shows me the way. I would like to have a piece of the rock. How about you?

Blessings John
1/29/18

I can’t say I really like my name John. Some derogatory meanings have been attached to it over the years. Things like ‘john’ being the name for toilets or the guy who pays for a prostitute. I really didn’t like my name when the TV show the Walton’s was running. Many of my work mates called me John-boy. But all in all, John is a pretty blasé name that during the baby boomer years seemed to be given to about 1/3 of the male babies born. I am sure this is an exaggeration, but it never fails when I have an appointment at my urologist there will be at least two of us stand up when the nurse calls the name, John.

Over the years, I acquired a few nicknames. During my drunk and crazy years, dare devil or just devil was one used often, especially with those who knew my perchance for doing crazy things. Things like parachuting in the dark while drunk. I guess that would have been bad enough but the guy flying the plane was loaded too. So was the ‘jump’ instructor that bet me I wouldn’t do it. During my drug dealing years I was known as ‘zone’. I can’t remember how that started but it was used for most of the druggie crowd and even crept into my work life for a while. My name and my nicknames took on different meanings as I ran through my mercurial life.

There is little doubt that names are important but not as they were or are in the Bible. If you take the time to study this amazing book, you will see that in the plan of salvation, God left nothing to chance, not even the names of many of the characters. There is a litany of people we could look at but in this short space, I have picked one of my favorites. Not so much because of her name but what she does to trust in God and grow into that name.

The woman is Hannah. You will find her story in the Old Testament, the book of 1 Samuel. I cannot share every verse but when the book opens she is a sad woman living in shame. She really has done nothing wrong. In fact she is the favorite wife of a righteous man, Elkanah. The problem and shame come in the fact she is barren, having no children. This was considered a terrible thing. And to make things worse, Elkanah has a second wife Peninnah who has had children galore and likes to tease Hannah endlessly. On top of that you could say her husband was a little insensitive. Here is how he tries to comfort her, “Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons? (1 Samuel 1:8) Yikes! With a husband and family like this no wonder she was depressed!

But Hannah is a woman of God and the real hurt comes that she has cried out to Him many times and yet it seemed He did not hear her. Year after year when the family made its pilgrimage to Shiloh, the place where the sanctuary built while the people wandered forty years in the desert now stood, Hannah would pray then wait on God. This woman named Hannah, which means ‘favored’, feels just the opposite. Still she never gives up and finally we read this,

“Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life and a razor will never touch his head. (1 Samuel 1:9-11)

As Hannah prays she is observed by the priest and her fervor is mistaken for drunkenness but God hears her prayer and the Bible says, ‘her womb is opened’. Hannah bears a son. Her sorrow is turned to joy, and she keeps her promise. Once the baby is weaned he is given to the priest Eli and lives in the house of the LORD. That child goes on to be, Samuel, the greatest judge of Israel. But that is a story for another time. Hannah goes on to have more children and lives in the favor of her husband and God.

Why do I love this story so much? It is because Hannah is living an ‘unfavored’ life yet she never loses faith and just as importantly never stops praying. God has a plan for her life and she is willing to trust all to Him. Year after year she is persistent in prayer, waiting on God’s timing. And she is not afraid to cry out her misery trusting that He would answer. In the end her trust is rewarded, she is ‘favored’. The promise of her name is fulfilled.

But the thing is it does not end there. Hannah does one more thing that I forget so often, she thanks God in the most humble and beautiful way. 1 Samuel 2, opens with her prayer. Here is the first verse, “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my heart is lifted high. My mouth, boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. (1 Samuel 2:1) This prayer will be echoed by a young virgin years later. Mary, the mother of Jesus, would recall Hannah’s words and be inspired in a prayer called the Magnificat. God’s plan of salvation in action. How cool is that!

I pray someday you will take the time to read all of Hannah’s story. A brave woman who waited on God in prayer and He is His time fulfilled the promise of her name. Today we might take names for granted or have forgotten to choose our children’s names with prayerful thought but may we all look to God and His Word to find the meaning in our lives we may be missing.

Sabbath Blessings to all, John
1/26/18

Terry was a homespun philosopher, probably not that uncommon for a bartender. But he was unlike so many I have known for reasons I will explain. I first met Terry when I started drinking in a Tumwater Washington bar in the early 1980’s. In those days I was working as a Rod Buster on swing shift at the Satsop Nuclear Power Plant. I never was much of a sleeper so would be in bed maybe around 4:00 in the morning and up by 10:00 just in time for the bar to open.

It was Terry who opened the bar five days a week, so he and I became well acquainted over the two years I drank there. I’d show up right as the doors were opening at first, but I kept coming earlier and earlier, and within a short time Terry would leave the back door open and allow me to help get the bar set up in return for a few eye openers.

It was during these times that he and I had many conversations. No matter what we talked about Terry was always on the positive side of every subject. I, on the other hand, was a natural born cynic. Always looking for the black cloud and most of the time finding it. I remember one conversation we had because it was on a subject I avoided the most during my drunk years, God.

I did not know Terry was a Christian. I had seen things that would have led me to believe he was but, I was not sure until that morning. The conversation started as many of ours did, casual and general about something that was in the news. I don’t recall what it was that set me off, but I do remember when he took a stand about the love of God and Jesus as his savior that I lost it.

It is a long time ago, but I think that part of our conversation went something like this:

Terry- “I see the love of God every day, in all things around me.”

John- “What are you talking about? This world is a mess! Love (expletive)!! The only God I see is one who ‘Loves’ to torture little children! That’s if he even exists, which I don’t believe for a moment!”

Terry- “God is not the torturer. The evil you see in the world comes from sin and one who started it all and loves when we blame it all on God, Satan!”

John- “Yeah right! The devil made me do it! I have heard it all before. Far as I can see there is no God! There is no Devil! And Jesus, well maybe he did exist and have some cool sayings. But most people believe because they need a crutch to lean on. Truth is I don’t see any difference between believers and non-believers. Maybe you Christians put on phony smiles more often. So, what!”

Terry- “All I can tell you is what Jesus has done in my life! I used to drink like you and hated life like you do too. But I found there is more. I learned about a God willing to die just to save me. A God so loving that He is love itself. Jesus didn’t come to just gives us rules to follow, He came to die. Sounds crazy right? But it was the only way. Maybe you have heard people talk about John 3:16?”

John- Come on (expletive)! Don’t start quoting the Bible to me! Just give me another drink. I am never going to believe so forget it…. “

Terry- “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. (John 3:16) I know that love today. I want you to also…”

John- “The only love I have is, I would love another drink… Never mind, I’ll get one at the house. I am out of here.”

I left quickly before Terry could say more and I avoided the bar from then on. We would see each other once and a while but I never drank in that bar again. A year later I moved from Washington to southern California. So why do I tell you this story? Because I was never the same after I walked out the door of that old bar. No, I did not have a miraculous conversion the next day or even for the next 25 years. But every now and again that conversation would come back to me. It wasn’t only the words that were spoken, it was Terry himself. I would be in a bar where some bartender was rude, crude and socially unacceptable and I would remember Terry. Never rude or crude, kind and I guess you could say loving, even to a bunch of drunks. There was no doubt he was different.

Crazy thing is that after I accepted Jesus, I found myself on the other end of a similar conversation. No, it wasn’t in a bar. But it was with someone who was as nasty and unbelieving as I had been. I heard myself saying almost the same thing Terry said to me and quoting John 3:16. That conversation ended abruptly like the one we had so many years ago. My only prayer is that my testimony will stick with him and one day the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

We never know how our attitude and words affect others. Jesus said this, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to the whole house. (Matthew 5:14-15). Today I want to reflect the light of Jesus and pray it brings some one out of the darkness, even for a moment. I learned from Terry years ago if you let a little light in, darkness is never the same. And may that be true for you today also.

Blessings John
1/24/18

One of the diversions of my youth was spelunking. A term used for cave exploration. I was first introduced to it when I was visiting Perryville Missouri when I was about 15. We were staying at the college which was associated with my high school, during a basketball tournament. One of the underclassmen asked if anyone would be interested in ‘cave climbing’. I was immediately and assumed we would be going to an open cave like Mammoth or even the Mark Twain. I certainly wasn’t ready for what I was about to experience.

After about a half hour drive, we came to what looked like a cow pasture. There was tall waving grass in a hilly landscape, but where was the cave? Gathering all the gear we walked until arriving at what seems to be a small rock outcropping that had a crack like hole. It looked like it could be a fox’s den. To my amazement our guide said, “This is it.” And began to instruct us on what we were about to do.

Once geared up one by one we backed our way into the hole. Even for me a skinny kid it was a tight fit. The hole opened into first a horizontal then a vertical crevice or fissure. Being claustrophobic did not help, in places squeezing through is the only way to describe our descent. After minutes in of wriggling, one by one again, we dropped about six feet into an open area. None of us had our lights on yet and when the guide, Jimmy turned on his I was amazed to see we were on a small platform that opened into this massive underground dome. Stalactites and stalagmites were everywhere. A surreal world of colors and textures. We explored for hours through more domes and waterfilled passages. I was hooked. I joined the ranks of spelunkers.

Over the next ten years there were many more caving adventures but none of them ever compared with the wonder and amazement I felt that first time. First time experiences seem to stay with me more than anything else. I don’t imagine I am all that much different than any one reading this. I have heard people describe their first-time snorkeling in an exotic reef, climbing that mountain or rafting a whitewater river. We hold on to these things all our lives.

But I have also known that once I experienced that rush, many times the excitement of doing it again is lost. It was ok I normally just move on to the next adventure. But I experienced this also when I committed my life to Christ and was baptized. Here I felt something must be wrong.

The thing is that when I was thinking of baptism I treated it like many of my earthly first-time events. Oh yeah, I prepared and did bible study and thought I was ready. When I stood in that font and went under the water, I came up seeing all new colors. I was fired up; the world was as beautiful as that first flash of light in that dome years before. I will remember that feeling for the rest of my life. But soon I was back in my street clothes and… now what?

With earthly events you can at least try to recapture that moment, it is never the same, but you can try. With baptism, it was pretty much once and done. So again… now what? It took a young minister and the word of God to work out what had gone wrong.

I was listening to a sermon by this young minister one Sabbath and he said something the perked up my ears, “Baptism is like a marriage.” I am sure for some of you this is like, duh, of course it is. But for me, I had never thought of it in those terms. He went on to say that the Bible constantly uses marriage as a central metaphor for God’s relationship with us. That sent me on a journey through the God’s Word which not only changed my idea of baptism but my life as the “bride of Christ”.

I do not have room for all the verses I have found on the subject, but I want to list a few of my favorites:

“For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” (Isaiah 54:5) God is our husband, when we commit and repent, baptism is more than an event it is a marriage to the Creator of All.

“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin.” (2 Corinthians 11:2) Baptism is a miracle where sinful man can be presented to God as a ‘pure virgin’.

“When I passed by you again and saw you; behold, you were at the age of love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.” (Ezekiel 16:8) Baptism more than event it is a covenant, when I enter it I became His, a committed child of God.

Believe me there are so many more verses, and every one is an intimate look at something so much bigger than I understood. Joining my life to Christ in baptism was not just another ‘rush’ event, it was a life changing, life long commitment. And today, I do look back on it with more awe than standing in the center of a glittering dome below the earth. Because it was the day that I said, “I do” to the great I AM. Me, a sin filled loser, died in the watery grave to be reborn whiter than snow. Climbing to the top of Mount Everest will never top that.

Blessings John
1/22/18