Jesus taught more profoundly than any other teacher and demonstrated His relationship to God the Father through miracles. Raising Lazarus from the dead was the miracle that caused Jesus to go viral in the area.

He enters Jerusalem and a flash mob of people show up with palm branches and cloaks on the road shouting hosanna which means “save”.

Matthew 21:8-9 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
   “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
   “Hosanna in the highest!”

I would say that is a good day at the office!
Not Jesus.

The rest of the week Jesus cleared the temple of corruption, taught at the temple, celebrated the Last Supper, and shared final things with his disciples. Before the week was over, Jesus was arrested, brutally beaten, crucified, and placed in a tomb, dead.

When I read about Jesus arriving to the crowds praising Him in Jerusalem and in less than a week a crowd is shouting for Christ’s crucifixion, I ask, “How did that happen?”

How did it go from “Hosanna” to “Kill Him” in less than a week?
Was there two completely different crowds?
Was this a highly unstable society or unstable group of people?

Matthew 21:10 helps us understand what happened.
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

While some were shouting, “ Hosanna!”, others were asking “Who is this?”

Every Sunday morning there are people who are praising Jesus and others wondering who Jesus is.

I have moved from asking “Who” to praising “Hosanna”.
Let me know where you are at with Jesus.
Comment here.

After spending more time thinking about the location of the Trinity, I realize the flaws in my considerations.

Flaw #1 God is limited to His throne in heaven.
God is Spirit. He is not bound by time nor space. The God the Father is seated on the throne in the heavenlies and He is everywhere at the same time.
John 4:24  “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Flaw #2 Jesus Christ is limited to His throne at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus Christ, while He was on this earth was under the rules that humans experience, but in His glorified body He is once again a Spirit-being.  Now, where two or more gather in Jesus’ name, He is with them and with others groups of two or more all over the world and is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
John 17:5  “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Flaw #3 The Trinity without oneness.
The Trinity is three in one and one in three. They have unique roles, but they share attributes of the Godhead: omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotence.

I still consider the person of the Holy Spirit is under-valued, under-utilized and under-loved among most Christians today. Why? The Holy Spirit is misunderstood.

The experience of Pentecost, tongues, fire-like flames, filling, and indwelling have become a confusion of terms and experiences.

God the Father formed and made all things. Jesus Christ the perfect Son was sacrificed so that our relationship with the Father may be restored. The Holy Spirit is available for us to live pure, powerful lives here and now.

What is helpful to you in understanding the Trinity, their function, and their oneness?
Comment here.

 The approaching Easter celebration has caused me to ask some questions about which ones of the Trinity are here n earth. Is it correct to say that the Holy Spirit is the only person of the Trinity that is present on the earth today?

Where is God the Father?
Psalm 47:8                           
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.

Where is Jesus?
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Where is the Holy Spirit?
John 6:7-13
7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
   12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

The Holy Spirit is active in our world among believers and unbelievers.
What about God being omnipresent, everywhere at the same time?
What about Jesus saying the when two or three come together in His Name, Jesus is with them?
Both true.

How do you resolve this conflict?
Is the Holy Spirit the only person of the Trinity here on earth or is the Father and the Son still here even though the Bible says they are seated together in heaven?

Comment me with your biblical solutions.

We all want what is right, just and fair. The challenge is that we do not always know what is fair. My daily Bible reading is taking me through passages in the Old Testament where the people of Israel have finally entered into the land God promised to them over forty years ago. The land is being divided among the twelve tribes of Israel.  Every tribe gets a portion of land except one – the tribe of Levi.

I recall someone remarking that the tribe of Levi got the short end of the deal. They only got towns to live in, but never received land that they could build their home on, plant crops, and raise a family. This person felt they got ripped off.

Deuteronomy 10:8-9
8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. 9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.

The family of Levi was the only tribe that got to minister before the Lord. They were the only ones who encountered God on a daily basis. They were the only ones who could smell the sweet fragrance of offering and incense going up to the very throne room of God. They were the only ones who directly encountered the pure love of God, His pure holiness, His pure justice and His pure pureness. The Levites were the first to know when disobedience brought God’s displeasure and they were the first to know when the obedience of the nation brought God’s abundant goodness.

They got the presence of God and not the presents from God. The person who thought the Levites got the short end of the deal really did not understand the incredible privileges the tribe of Levi received every day.

Those who love Jesus Christ more than anything have greater privileges than the Levites. The Lord Jesus is our high priest and we can boldly go directly to Him.

Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

If you have times of wishing you had more possessions or inheritance, remind yourself that you have more than what the most favored tribe of Israel possessed. Go for the presence instead of the presents.

Last Friday and Saturday I was at a Men’s Retreat with our church and four other churches.  The theme of our retreat was, Leading a Christ Centered Home.  Jim McCracken was our retreat speaker.

The greatest take-away I received was learning to resolve conflict more effectively.  A Christ-centered home is not free of conflict, but uses conflict in positive ways.

I asked my wife how she felt our conflict resolving abilities were and she answered, “better.”  So we are looking forward, not to conflict, but to see conflict resolved in healthier ways.

Jim shared this strategy that I will try when the next conflict arises which could occur today or tomorrow.
1.       Listen carefully to the other person.
2.       If the time is not right to work towards resolution, then select a better time.
3.       Specifically define the problem
a.       My perspective
b.      Her perspective
4.       Own my contribution to the conflict.
5.       Identify alternative solutions.
6.       Together decide on a mutually acceptable solution.
7.       Implement new behaviors.

Jim has used this strategy over the past 30 years. This sounded complex until our speaker illustrated it with a conflict they faced often that was resolved.
Missing tools.
1.       It was frustrating Jim when his tools were missing.
2.       Jim was ready to listen to his spouse.
3.       The time was right to address the conflict.
4.       The problem: Tools would get used, not returned and were gone when Jim needed them.
a.       His perspective: frustration
b.      Her perspective: she would hear doors slam and Jim yelling for whoever used his tool last.
5.       Jim owned that he yelled and slammed doors.
6.       Various solutions were discussed.
7.       The mutually accepted solution was:
a.       Jim would look in 3 places before calling for help.
b.      If the tool was not found, Jim would ask for help looking and the family had to agree to help.
8.       They implemented the solution and it worked over and over!

Isaiah 32:18
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
I am looking forward to conflicts resolved in healthier ways.
Let me know what works for you regarding conflicts.
Comment here.

All of us fail at something. Each failure is an opportunity to grow and learn.

Watching a child learning to walk is an epic lesson on failing forward. They try to stand, they fall. They try to stand again and they fall again. They discover they gain some balance and can come nearer to achieving their goal of standing by hanging on to something solid, such as a couch. They do this and after a wobbly moment, fall again.

After dozens and dozens of times failing, they have a breakthrough moment. They are standing! The child learns that they can take some steps while hanging onto something, anything as long as it is stable. A brave moment comes as they let go of the furniture, wall, or whatever support they were using and they take a wobbly step, then they fall again. And again. And again.

Their first unsupported steps in the wide open spaces are usually to a trusted parent who is coaxing them forward. The few steps are a stiff, side to side, Frankenstein like-walk.
                                                                          
Each failure brought development and advanced their goal of walking. The child failed forward until success occurred.

John Maxwell’s, book, Failing Forward – How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes, is a book on my “to-read” list. Maxwell writes, “The not-talked-about, terrible truth is that all roads to achievement lead through the land of failure. Every person you admire has walked this road: the Wright brothers, Arnold Palmer, Mary Kay Ash, Truett Cathey, Erma Bombeck, Tony Gwynn, Amelia Earhart, Sergio Zyman, Hank Aaron, George Bernard Shaw and Mother Teresa have all experienced failure and learned how to turn it into a stepping stone for success.” More at https://www.johnmaxwell.com/store/products.php?product=Failing-Forward

Life seems to be filled with new things that you and I need to step out and learn how to “walk.” Perhaps it is a new computer program at work, learning a foreign language, going back to school, programming a new coffee maker or learning to trust another person again.

I will not know John Maxwell’s 15 steps to turning mistakes into stepping stones for success until I read the book, but here is what I learned from children failing forward.
1.       Keep trying.
2.       Solid support is key at the early stages of learning or doing something new.
3.       Trusting people who are coaxing, coaching and/or encouraging brings quicker success.
4.       Learn from each failure and try again.

What new things are in your life that feel like learning to walk all over again? Comment here.

 An elevator speech is a boiled down message you can give in the span of time it takes for an elevator to go from one floor to another – usually 30 seconds to 2 minutes max. Elevator speeches are created by salespeople regarding their product, non-profits regarding their service, Christians regarding their beliefs, and good conversationalists regarding what they wish to talk about.

You can create an elevator speech about your life. This requires careful thought of what will be included and what will need to be left out. My 60 second life elevator speech is:
I grew up in Dalbo, Minnesota where the population doubled to 64 people when the cheese factory was built. I asked Jesus to rule my life at age nine, was water baptized my sophomore year of high school and baptized by the Holy Spirit at age 32. I dairy farmed with my father 13 years following high school. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Connie for 31 years. We have five children: Caleb (28), Allison (26), Elliot (24), Nathan (22) and Rachel (19); and one daughter-in-law Amanda married to Caleb. My claim to fame was delivering our last two children in our home when they arrived before the mid-wife. I pastor an amazing group of people called River of Life Church in Cambridge, Mn and am currently pursuing my master’s degree at Bethel Seminary. I enjoy anything with my family, BWCAW camping, hockey, and learning.

If I am waiting at the clinic, aboard an airplane, sitting on the hockey bench between shifts and I am asked what my name is and what I do – I have time to deliver my life elevator speech. Typically, I have already asked the person for their name and I like asking them what they are passionate about. I find out so much more with that question that asking them what they do for a living.

If the wait has ended and their clinic appointment has taken them to the exam room, we have shared a meaningful conversation. If we are on a flight to India or Africa, there are many hours to either ignore one another or take a step deeper in life.

Now, I know what their area of passion is and have a good sense on where we have shared interests. I share my faith journey very briefly, yet it is something I almost always refer to again. After talking hobbies, families, and careers, I may ask what the spiritual climate was like in their home growing up – did they pray at meal times, did they go to church, did they hate it or like it, what about now?

Whether the other person is talking about their passion area or the spiritual influences while they were growing up, good listening is the key that unlocks the door of trust.

Grab a notebook, laptop or pen and paper. Write out your life elevator speech. Keep it 30 seconds minimum to two minutes max. Read it to your spouse or friend. Edit it and then watch how God will give you opportunities to share your life elevator speech and enjoy how the Holy Spirit will use your story for God’s glory!

Today is the first day of spring. In Minnesota, it typically arrives while we still have snow on the frozen ground. Our average low temperature for today is 26F and high of 43F. Our average snowfall is 9.4” in March and 2.9” in April. Not this year! Today we will reach near 70F and our first thundershower last night is greening up the grass.  

The freshness of spring is like the work of grace in a Christian’s life. God showers grace over confessed sin and brings new life where there was deadness.
Romans 5:20-21 NLT  God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our sin is like the dead, brown grass in our yards. The Ten Commandments and law is like looking into a mirror first thing in the morning. We can see what needs fixing, but the mirror cannot do anything to improve our appearance. It only shows what we are.

God’s grace is the answer! His grace is not a cover-up, but a deep cleanser that gives us a clean conscience and a pure life. His grace is unearned and undeserved. God gives it out of His deep love for us.

We experience this grace every time I mess up, confess up and God cleans me up.
Take a walk today and notice the freshness of spring. Thank God for His grace in your life.

Funerals have a way of provoking a person to view life differently. Attending two funerals in two days reminded me of a song by Geoff Moore.

At each funeral was an expression of the impact the person made in the lives of friends and families. Tears flowed as their expressions of love and thankfulness for the impact the person had made in their life.

What would people say about your life? A portion of Geoff Moore's song titled, "When All is Said and Done":
When the music fades into the past,
when the days of life are through,
what will be remembered of where I've come?
When all is said and done?

Will they say I loved my family?
That I was a faithful friend?
That I lived to tell of God's own son?
When all is said and done.

This song prompts me to live brighter.
How can you and I live more brightly each week?
1. Meaningful Conversations. Moving beyond sport scores, the weather and how well the fish are biting. Conversation and questions about the other person's interesting event of the day or what dreams and desires they have can bring the conversation to a meaningful depth.
2. Purposeful Contacts. Sharing some coffee time with long time friends and inviting new friends for conversation over a cup of coffee or lunch will bring a fullness to your life each week.

Let me know your ideas for loving your family, being a faithful friend, of living to tell of God's own Son by commenting on this blog.

This Saturday, we celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Other than shamrock shakes and wearing green, why is St Patrick recognized? St Patrick is the parton saint of Ireland. Though, widely known, much of his life is a mystery and it is difficult to determine what stories are accurate and what are legends.

Here is what we do know, from From History.com

St. Patrick was born in Britain and lived there until he was a teenager. It is known that St. Patrick was born to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast where he boarded a ship. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

More can be read at http://www.history.com/topics/who-was-saint-patrick

St. Patrick was named a patron saint of Ireland for the spiritual impact he made in the country that kidnapped him and enslaved him for six years.

God does extraordinary things through ordinary people that hear and obey His voice.

What can you do on St. Patrick’s Day that is a response to obeying God?

Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!