Month: January 2018

New Year’s resolutions. I think all of us at least think about something we would want to change or improve about ourselves when the new year begins. I certainly remember in my early years after all the partying of the holiday season I would resolve to drink less. It would be a stoic determination. “This is the year that I cut back! No more drinking during the week, just a few on Friday and maybe Saturday.” And maybe I would carry through on it for a week or two. But as the year progressed will power and determination were never enough. The first rough patch I would hit, out would come the bottle no matter what day it was. Why was it so hard? By the time I reached 30 I gave up on resolutions all together. In fact, my failures at upholding them led me to believe I would never be able to stop drinking.

It took me years and the grace of a loving God to find I had it all wrong. Resolving to ‘stop drinking’ was an exercise in futility. No, there is nothing wrong with the intention, it is a positive thing in a very negative world. But for the most part ended up a hollow effort because the addiction was stronger than my will power. Alone in the battle I failed, and that failure led me to believe I could never win. I had been there and done that for close to 45 years. One good intentioned failure after another.

My real problem was that I did not understand that my personal battle was part of a much bigger war that has been going on long before the fall of man in the garden of Eden. A war that started in heaven, “Now a war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven.” (Revelation 12:7-8) A war in heaven? Maybe you have never heard of this before. Angels fighting? A dragon? What is all of it about and why does it matter to us? I think we can find the answer in the very next verse, “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world- he is thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:9) The war didn’t end there Satan set up camp here and soon was tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit. Mankind now entered this spiritual battle. And if it ended there all hope would be gone, but it does not.

Right after Adam and Eve were deceived, God throws us a life line, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring; he shall crush your head, and you will bite his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) A promise that Satan might win the battle, but he won’t win the war! One will come that will crush his hold on us but in the process that one will suffer. It is the promise of Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t until I understood that we were in this battle with spiritual forces that I could see the futility of my efforts to overcome one of Satan’s weapons to keep me in bondage, addiction. The apostle Paul says it powerfully, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) But understanding that a battle was taking place was not enough. I needed to know and believe that the promise of Genesis 3:15 was true. Satan no longer had control of this place, he was defeated by a Savior willing to die under the weight of my sin, all sin, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) When I believed I could live to righteousness, I found a strength I did not have. My personal battle could be won.

It did not happen all at once. My struggles continued for two years after I accepted Jesus as my savior. You could say Satan had a strong hold on me. But gradually I began to see a life without the bottle. The more I delved into God’s word the more power I found to release me from the grip. Finally, in October of 2010, one day after another I did not drink. I had made no resolutions, I had no intention to stop drinking. But as my life was changed by the power of the Spirit living in me. The battle was won.

So as this new year begins, I do have resolutions, things I want to do better for myself and others, but I have learned to turn them over to Jesus and trust that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Even with the war raging around me I can have confidence and hope today. I pray you can also, don’t resolve to do it alone. I have read the end of the book, Jesus wins! So, can you!

Blessings John.
1/8/18

Happy Birthday! Why do we celebrate our birth day? As I am celebrating my 64th I could not help but turn to the source of all wisdom and knowledge, Goggle! Here is what I found.

It seems the Egyptians were the founder of the idea. Seeing they believed their pharaohs were gods, the day of their birth was celebrated. Along came the Greeks and they took it a step farther, adding the idea of a cake. Moon shaped cakes would be dressed in glittery splendor, maybe even with candles, and offered to the lunar goddess Artemis. The republicans of Rome brought the idea of common people celebrating their day. Well at least for men, women would have to wait until the 12th century. In the early Christian age, followers of Jesus did not celebrate birthdays, believing it to be a pagan tradition. But all of that changed in around the 4th century when the idea of celebrating Jesus birthday was accepted. The modern western celebration seems to have started in Germany with Kinderfeste. Here all the modern accoutrements seem to be in place. Cakes and candles. The final additions were added during the industrial revolution with the idea of mass production, even the working man or woman could afford a cake and candles. A final note, so to speak, is the song ‘Happy Birthday’. It started as a song called ‘Good Morning to All’, and it was sung by school children every morning. Written by Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893. It became so popular that in 1924 Robert Coleman published it in a songbook adding the lyrics we now sing. The original lyrics faded but the new ones are known by every English-speaking American, at least. And so, we come to the modern day. Please let me note that in China the tradition of celebrating a child’s birthday is far more ancient then the western, but I have only room for this brief history in my short blog.

So, what is the point of all this? That is a fair and good question. For me growing up and most of my adult life, my birthday was not celebrated as some do. As a youth being born so close to Christmas the day seemed to be absorbed into the season. I cannot recall a major birthday party. By the time I reached adulthood I found no good reason to celebrate. Most of the times I did, it would be in an alcoholic stupor. And when anyone who cared for me planned a normal party I would tend to ruin it by showing up drunk and stupid. I say none of this to gain sympathy or be a downer. There is an upside to this story.

Since my birthday in 2013 I have had a different feeling about it. You see in late 2012 I was baptized. To those of you who have experienced this you know it is a re-birth. When I came up out of the waters I knew my life had changed forever. Every event that I once took for granted or profaned now took a meaning that would involve Jesus. For the first time in my life I had a reason to celebrate being alive. Knowing the blessing that life is and wanting to thank God everyday for it.

So then on the day I commemorate my entry into this world, I should have an even more thankful heart for God and the Savior that brought me to this place. But also, I must see this day as a reminder that, “For you are just a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) Life is short and if I am blessed to live then I should spend each of those days doing something to bring others to the joy of knowing and accepting Jesus. I like what the apostle Peter says, “As each received a gift, use it to serve one another, as stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter4:10) To me birthdays are not about getting gifts but sharing the ones I have been blessed to receive by the grace of God.

Today, I am already assured that RuthAnn will pamper me. She is determined that I will have a happy day. But no matter how we celebrate, I know I will have a joyous heart. Look at the gifts I have already been given: a life free from the chains of addictions, health beyond what any cancer doctor had predicted 11 years ago, a second chance at love with a woman who not only walks besides me in that love but shares my growing faith knowing all we have is a gift from God, and the greatest gift of all, the Holy Spirit living in me even when I try to chase Him away! Should I not be more than happy on this birthday? You all know the answer to that!

Ok then. Happy Birthday. I can accept it with joy and hope. If I find some of the traditions silly and wonder at them; I can smile and know we are creatures of habit, every of the many candles that should be on my cake are just a small representation of the blessings I have received. Silly traditions, maybe, but today they mean much more because I am saved.

Blessings John
1/5/18

Before I came to accept Jesus as my Savior, I really didn’t understand the cross. People would tell me how much it meant to them and some would get emotional. But my thought was lots of people died on crosses. For example, at the end of the rebellion led by Spartacus in around 72 BC, 6000 rebels were crucified at once along the Appian Way. The crosses stretched from Rome to Capua. And that is just a fraction of the myriad of hundreds of thousands that were executed in this way by the Romans.

And many have misconstrued that crucifixion was a Roman invention, it was not. Macedonians, Carthaginians, Persians and even Jews used it as the ultimate form of humiliation and death. So again, I would ask why is the death of an itinerant carpenter turned preacher over 2000 years ago so critical to His followers?

I still struggled this question even after I was baptized. I would study the Bible, I would read the gospels but when it came to those last chapters, I would skim through the crucifixion and hurry on to the resurrection. Jesus resurrected that I could hold on to feeling warm and fuzzy. Not the Savior bruised and beaten, naked on the cross. I still believed I could be an ‘all in’ Christian without the cross. But in my heart, I knew something was missing.

All of it came to a head when I was reading a great book on the life of Christ called, “The Desire of Ages” on page 83 it says this, “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.” (Desire of Ages Pg. 83) I had heard it before but when I read it about a year ago, I was convicted. I had to come to grips with the cross.

I started by intentionally reading the gospel chapters specifically about Jesus trial and crucifixion, rotating gospels each day. It was hard. For the first time I had to be open to understanding why Jesus needed to die as He did. I found myself looking at the specifics of crucifixion as done by the Romans. I read books and listened to sermons, on line, that spoke of its importance. I prayed to find an understanding. And as I was reading an article just the other day it came clear, really clear for the first time.

To me it all came down to three of the last four sets of words Jesus spoke from the cross, “My God, my God, why have Thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46); “It is finished (John 19:30) and “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46). I found within the context of these three statements why Jesus crucifixion stands alone. Unlike so many thousands of others only the Son of the triune God could make these statements and win back a fallen world, lost so long before in the Garden of Eden. These words changed the world and like so many others, my life also.

“My God, my God why have Thou forsaken me?” Something needs to be noticed right away. Even amid the anguish in the garden Jesus still cries out to “Abba” Father, but here at this moment on the cross Abba is no longer. Now it is “Eloi” El, the God Almighty, the God-All holy. The moment has come. And Jesus has become sin. No longer the beloved Son, but Sin of the World. Your sin, my sin. All the suffering before. The blood sweat of Gethsemane. Scourged and spat on. Crown of thorns. Nails through hands and feet. All horrific. But He now stands where none has stood before or since, enduring at one tiny point in space and time all sin, cloaking the world in darkness and even more separating Him from the Father. “For our sake He made Him sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God separated from God, not in the realms of their eternal existence, that could not happen. But word made flesh, human in every way now lost. Never before had anything come between Him and the Father. But now in the sacrificial vortex He stands before the Judge of the universe and is found guilty. Broken, in our place he cries, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” As He does fulfilling prophecy from Psalm 22, in a broken Aramaic translation of verse one from that Psalm. “My God, my God, why have Thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). Therefore, Son of God on a cross is different. Thousands of crosses but only one named “God with us” bearing the unbearable burden.

But it does not end there. No one knows what goes on between the forsakenness of that cry and the intimate statement of Jesus now reunited with “Abba” Father as He says, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” But it seems sure that Jesus has drained the cup He so wished would pass Him less than 24 hours before. He says “It is finished” Then He quotes again from the Psalms. This time Psalm 31. But He adds, Abba to the beginning. The Father has accepted His sacrifice. The curtain is torn in two now all can approach the Holy of Holies. The lamb so long awaited has been slain. Satan loses, us undeserving sinners win! The Father now proudly holds out his hand to the spirit of his Beloved Son.

The same book I spoke of earlier speaks of it in this way, “Suddenly the gloom lifted from the cross, and in clear trumpetlike tones that seemed to resound throughout creation, Jesus cried, “It is finished.” “Father, into your hands I commit My Spirit.” A light encircled the cross, and the face of the Savior shone with a glory like the sun. He then bowed His head upon His breast and died.” (Desire of Ages 756.2) Jesus no longer victim but victor. I am saved, So are you!

I know I am not at the end of my journey, just the beginning. We will be studying the cross for eternity. But I am happy today that I have finally begun. It is my hope for all who read this that you will join with me in a prayer from the book of Galatians, “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14) It is my goal this year to spend time every day at the foot of His cross. I pray you will join me.

Blessings John,
1/3/18

As the year 2018 begins I was reflecting on the many New Year’s Eve celebrations I attended. Most of them were either spent in a bar, casino or at a party where the center of the celebration was alive with glittery or garish hats and noise makers, also awash in alcohol. If I did not pass out before midnight we spent time either watching the ball drop in Time Square or did a countdown followed by a revelry of noise, drunken hugs, and many times bad versions of ‘Auld Lang Syne’. Not a lot of point to all of it except to find another good reason for a drunken party, at least in my case.

Last night was something different. Our church decided to have a social where we would get together, eat some good food, fellowship, and play games. But above that we should be to spend some time reflecting on the blessings of the year 2017 and look forward to the year 2018, knowing that amazing things are going to happen.

RuthAnn and I debated if we should go, both of us had some health issues giving us reason why we should not. Along with that, the weather was not going to be good. Temperatures near freezing and drizzle that did not make it conducive to be out and about. Home and hearth seemed so alluring. But we decided that spending time with church family outweighed the negatives and we plunged into prepping some treats we could share.

When we got to the church fellowship hall you could only have described  the turnout as disappointing but upon entering the feeling of warmth and joy filled the room so completely it did not matter if only a handful of people were there. It was the place to be for us.

I was reminded for the umpteenth time that it is not numbers that make the event. I so often lament when anything is not filled to overflowing. I was reminded also that Jesus never worried if he was speaking one on one or with the multitude of the 5000, His message was just as life changing no matter. In the case of a simple social gathering it also wasn’t the number of people that were there but the reason we had gathered, to share the love we have in Him.

I guess for some this would seem to be a boring way to send off the old year. There certainly were none of the usual New Year’s Eve party accoutrements. No hats or noise makers. No bottles of champagne. But there was good food and joyful conversation. And more than that, there was hope shared from the Word of God that gave the year coming a brightness that no glitzy party ever could.

The center of the verses shared to me was from the last book of the New Testament, Revelation and from the last chapter of it. It is short yet holds hope of all who believe, not only for the coming year but for eternity, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” ….” (Revelation 22:20a) Jesus is the one who testifies and His promise which gives me hope as 2018 begins is, He is coming soon!

As I listen to that verse on the last day of the old year sitting there with friends my celebration was complete. This New Year’s Eve I could go to bed before the ball dropped in Time Square and not miss a thing. I had heard everything I needed to make 2018 a year of anticipation and joy, ‘Jesus is coming soon!” I believe it and want to share it!

We few there went on to play a couple of hands of UNO and then went to our separate homes. It was a very different night compared with so many others I have spent awaiting the coming of the next year. But is was the most peaceful and joyful one.

So, on this first day of 2018 I am excited! Excited to be alive with my cancer still under control. Excited to be given a love to share with my wife RuthAnn. And mostly I am excited to be sharing the hope of Jesus soon coming on these pages with you all!

The last part of Revelations 22:20 says, “….Come, Lord Jesus!” To that I say, Amen!

Happy New Year and Blessings 1/1/18
John