Month: March 2018

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

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.

During these times 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

Note this is a reprint of a blog from last May. RuthAnn is on Spring Break and so we are spending the time together, so for the next week  I will be posting a few of my posts from the last year.

Blessings John – 3/23/18

For most of my working career I spent the week looking forward to Friday. Yeah, TGIF, you know it “Thank God it’s Friday”. During hard-drinking years I made great preparations. Things like making sure I had at least a half-gallon of the booze I was drinking, sometimes whiskey and others vodka. This was especially true during the years I spent in Utah, the land of state run liquor stores and ‘bring your own bottle’ laws. But no matter where I was I was prepared before the sun set. It’s party time!

You know what is odd when I became a Sabbath keeping Christian, I still look forward to Friday night and TGIF still applies. The difference is now I celebrate God’s way! So on this Friday I thought I would share some thoughts on one of the most amazing blessings that most of the world misses out on, the Sabbath.

The first thing, I guess, is to see where I traveled to become a Sabbath believer. Some people are sure that Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Biblical Sabbath. While others believe that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath. When I was coming to the Lord, I was confused and tired of listening to others. The only real authority I could believe was God’s Word. So I checked out the book of Exodus and for sure there the fourth commandment said : “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”(Exodus 20:8). I already knew the book of Genesis says at the very completion of creation God declared a rest for Himself and all He created. “And on the seventh day God ended all the work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3). From there I had to believe Adam kept the Sabbath, so did Noah, Abraham and all the Patriarchs. But I could see after the people had been in bondage they forgot about the rest God had given them. When Moses received the commandments it was clear to me God reminded the people how important the Sabbath was. The fourth is the only commandment to begin with the word “Remember”. I think it was this that convinced me but I still had questions.

I heard Christians saying that all of this was changed by Jesus and His death and resurrection, but when I looked at the Word I just didn’t see it. In the New Testament I saw Jesus followers still observing the Sabbath after His death, Joseph of Arimathea had buried Jesus, the women were following and Luke tells us “That day was the Preparation and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” (Luke 24: 54-56). The next verse states the women came back on the first day of the week, they had rested and a new week was beginning then they were ready for 6 days of work.

But what about the resurrection didn’t that change everything? Again I never saw a clue that any of Jesus followers ever stopped keeping the Sabbath. All through the book of Acts, Peter, Paul and all of the Savior’s disciples kept the commandment. I found out the word Sabbath is mentioned 84 time in the book of Acts while the ‘First Day’ just 8 and only once concerning a worship service. That sure seemed odd to me if the first day if the week was important. So for this hardcore skeptic it was evident the Bible just didn’t support the whole idea of a changed day. Sure I did go on to read many books on just how the day was changed and if you are looking for more on the topic there are many good books written on the subject, a short and easy read you can get online is: “From the Sabbath to Sunday” by Carlyle Boynton Haynes. Check it out.

As for me I now believe in and find joy in the Sabbath day. I Thank God it is Friday and like in the old days I am preparing. Nope, I am not storing up the booze. Now a days I am filling my heart and mind with God’s Word. Just look what the prophet Isaiah says: “If you keep from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day. If you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find joy in the Lord and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” (Isaiah 58: 13-14). When we delight in His day, He blesses us. A pretty good deal!

Maybe you should give it a try! Take tomorrow off. Your Boss and Creator will be taking it off right along with you! I am voting to change TGIF to TGIS: “Thank God it’s Sabbath.” Yeah, I like that! How about you?
John
5/5/2017

Just as I was leaving the lunch truck and headed back to the jobsite, the road beneath me began to shake. It was an earthquake! I had experienced a few Southern California quakes before but never one that seemed to go on for so long and was so intense.

For a moment I forgot where I was but soon realized I had stopped dead in the middle of the street. Luckily traffic also had come to a standstill. For a moment the whole world was eerily quiet. It was like a slow-motion scene from a movie. As I looked above me the power lines were swaying as if a stiff wind was blowing, but it was calm. In that moment as the earth shook and the world swayed I thought I had a moment of clarity. What a fragile world we lived in. There must be a God that held it all together. For a split second, I was a believer!

Then as reality crashed back in, this fragile world exploded with noise. Dogs barking, car horns blaring. The sound of glass somewhere in the distance crashing to the ground. A hand reached out and grabbed me. I was dragged to the sidewalk. One of my crew had run into traffic to save me and now was shaking his head and swearing at me with nervous anger, “What’s wrong with you, man? You could have been run down!” I could only smile and pat him on the shoulder. I wasn’t about to tell him or anyone that I had a life defining moment in the middle of a North Hollywood street, not even myself.

As the shock wore off, so did the feeling that I had been shown something very real and full of truth. And by the end of the work day, it was almost forgotten. Almost but not quite. Years later another event would bring that feeling back again.

This time it was a completely different place, time and occurrence. I was now working out of Salt Lake City, Utah. We had a contract to supply and install the concrete reinforcing for the Green River, Wyoming water treatment plant. At the same time our company was involved in constructing the tower pads for the burgeoning cellular business. This new-fangled way of communicating had reached the wilds of Wyoming. So, for most of that summer I had split my time between the water treatment plant and living in a tent on a mountain side above Green River.

The night when God opened my eyes again, I was sitting outside my tent sharing a bottle of whiskey with one of my crew. Autumn was approaching and there was a touch of cold in the air. As we passed the bottle back and forth a meteor shower drew our attention. In the crisp mountain air, the sky was enormous and as the young man next to me questioned if I believed in God, I remembered the moment in the LA street years before. Again, it was fleeting, and I pushed the thought away not wanting to believe…. but just for a moment, seeing that big sky wonder, in my heart I knew.

Many more years and other incidences like these would come and go before I accepted Jesus as my Savior. The amazing thing is that God never stops trying, He loves us that much! When the two incidents happened that I have just written about, I was a hard-core alcoholic, drug user and some would say ‘God hater’. Yet He still found ways to open my eyes, if just for a moment. But they were moments I never forgot. When the Word of God finally started my transformation, I could now see these visions, if I can call them that, with a new startling reality.

In Los Angeles those many years ago, as the earth shook, Jesus’ warning of the last days could have been called to mind, “and there will be great earthquakes and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11) I didn’t know then but now every time I read that verse, I remember that moment of clarity in the middle of chaos. I have the assurance He is and will be with us even in these last days.

And I surely cannot spend a night staring at His unlimited creation without relating to Psalm nineteen, verse one: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” In fact, last year when RuthAnn and I were in Wyoming I wrote a blog about that night years ago because it is now part of my love of His Word and how He has made it real!

Here is the amazing thing about this book that has been ridiculed and reviled, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) God wants His Word to be real to us. And if you are like me and care to admit it, He has tried many times to give you those moments that will do just that. When you see it, it can and will change you, if you are willing. It has done so for me!

Blessings John
3/21/18

I hate it! I must have used the word ‘hate’ literally tens of thousands of times in my life. Hating anything from food that didn’t agree with me to people who didn’t agree with me. The word has flowed freely from my lips without much thought or bother.

But somehow now that seems wrong. I look back on my life and see that maybe I resembled that word when I used it. There are quite a few different incidents that come to mind but one stands out and is I think typical to how hate and hatred can rule who we are.

Back in the mid 1980’s my life had begun to unravel in ways I could have never imagined. Recently divorced from my first wife. Our relationship had settled into bitter contention. My son was stuck in the middle of this and was suffering the consequences of such a separation. On top of that I had lost control of my addictions which had been in check, more or less, for years. Now there seemed no reason to not indulge. And as I indulged, for the first time in my life hate and hatred became part and parcel of who I was. It was at this time that I met Tom.

There was nothing unusual how we met, both of us frequented a local watering hole, our neighborhood bar. We had a few things in common, drinking being one of them. But mostly we were diametric opposites. And as such we argued about everything. Politics, sports and even religion. You see Tom was an evangelical preacher. Some nights he would pick me out of the crowd and sit next to me, drunk as a skunk and talk about Jesus.

At that time, I had no use for Christians, especially what I saw as hypocritical ones who preached out of one side of their mouths while sucking up the booze with the other. But if they left me alone I did the same, Tom could not. And it all came to a head one night when I was already in a bad mood. Tom picked this night to preach me a sermon about the Prodigal Son.

I am sure most of you know the story from the gospel of Luke. A young man demands his inheritance from his father then goes about blowing it all on wine, women and song, as they say. Soon broke and starving he returns home to seek his father’s forgiveness and work as a servant. The father not only forgives but gives the right to be a son back to him. I love this story now, but back then it was the last thing I wanted to hear. And that night as Tom preached a deep hate arose in me and I punched him. Pushing through the crowd, I could hear him behind me shouting, “I forgive you, son! I forgive you!” There was no such emotion or feeling in my heart just blackness and hate. And from what happened that night I spread my hatred to every Christian I encountered. And it lasted for years.

One incident during a black time in my life led me to hate a whole group of people just because of one man that I had judged to be a hypocrite. And over the years many people who worked for me or around me paid the price of my hatred. Firing some, abusing others so badly they would quit, not wanting to listen to my foul epitaphs and blasphemies. All this begs the question, how did I get here? How did I get past my hatred and become one with those I had hated?

I would like to say it was an instantaneous miracle, but it was not. It was something much better. Many who have read this blog know that I originally began to read the Bible to keep peace in my household, but I never had any intentions of becoming a ‘Christian’. So, for almost two years I listened to or read God’s Word and without me really knowing it, there was a softening of my heart. I would read verses like, “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) or “Hate stirs up trouble, but love forgives all offenses.” (Proverbs 10:12) And I wanted it to be true. But I still had a problem, all Christians were a bunch of hypocrites, weren’t they? And now my wife wanted me to go to a church and be among them. Yikes! I was sure this was going to be the end of my ‘Christian experience’. But I was wrong.

In late 2010 I walked through the doors of the Grants Pass, Oregon Seventh Day Adventist Church and something amazing happened. Every person I met was down to earth and loving. There were no ‘Tom’s’ just a bunch of regular folks that loved Jesus. I must admit for the first couple of times it threw me into turmoil. I had hated these people for years and now I could not see why. Slowly I began to see that hate is just a lack of understanding and a whole lot of fear. I began to understand and want to exhibit what Jesus said, “But to you who are listening I say, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28) It takes His love through others and me also, giving it on to others I might struggle to like let alone love. But love CAN conquer hate.

I have never forgotten that lesson. When I look around at the deep hatreds which have developed because of opinions and rash judgement of each other, I just want to share what I have been blessed to see. My prayer is that someone who is hanging on to hatred today will read this and know we have a God who is love and a Savior who died for all, even that person you want to hate on today. Let it go and feel His love wash over you. You will be amazed at the joy it will bring!

Blessings John
3/19/18