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Christmas Aftermath and Rescue

12/26/2013

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The days after Christmas are a unique blur of crumpled wrapping paper, containers of goodies, and a return to normal activities. The more days off you have over Christmas, the greater discombobulating of normal routines you experience. Returning to a regular work or school schedule can be a good feeling of a return to normalcy. It also carries a feeling of disappointment.

The aftermath following Christmas involves a sorting out of how well your expectations of Christmas were met by the meal, gift giving, and relationships of family and friends over the Christmas holiday. The important people in our lives are not going to remember this year’s Christmas by the quality of the meal or the quantity of gifts. Memories are strongest by the unexpected.

Christmas Day, my son cleared a patch of ice off on the pond. He and I were skating while my oldest son did a little more snow-blowing of the rink. His sudden yells brought our attention to my son’s dog struggling to get out of the water where she had broken through. She was exploring around a muskrat den and broke through where there was thin ice at the muskrat’s entrance.

My son pulled his dog out and went up to the house, skates and all, to get his dog into the warmth of our home. The pungent smell of musty swamp and wet dog filled the basement where soaked towels lay in heaps.

The birth of Jesus was the result of Father God having sent Him to rescue you and I from drowning in our sinful ways. Jesus carries us to shelter and warmth. He removes the pungent smell of your sin with His forgiveness. The best aftermath of Christmas is to celebrate your rescue and live out the special destiny God has planned for your life.

Psalms 103:2-5
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all His benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.



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Breaking Handcuffs

10/25/2012

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I have never been handcuffed. I can only imagine the frustration of being completely limited by the plastic straps of riot restrictions or the metal of traditional cuffs. A book, The Resolution for Men,  written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, addresses chains forged by injustices of the past. The authors write that most men have vivid memories of sinful examples and hurtful things our fathers have done or said. Often they were defining moments that are remembered in detail.

All of us have been wronged in some way or another. Forgiving those past injustices breaks the handcuffs of bitterness and anger. It is not saying that the actions were not wrong, they were wrong and wounded deeply. It is releasing those wrongs into the hands of God for His perfect justice to prevail.

Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


How often do you recall past wrongs done to you?
Are you still handcuffed or have you broken free?

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The Brief Exchange 

10/23/2012

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When your car breaks down, you are not interested in the technical mechanical reasons why it is not running. All you really want is for it to run smoothly and get you from point A to point B. There is a technical mechanical reason why cars run and do not run. Emotionally, we just want them to run well all the time. In the back of your mind, you realize a car or motor does not last forever; eventually, it wears out.

A funeral last week and another one coming up reminds me that we will not last forever. At funerals, we do not want to hear spiritually technical language about whether our friend, relative and loved one is in a holding place until judgement or if they have a new body or if they have to wait someplace in some body-less state until a certain time.At funerals we want to know that the person we care about is in a better place. We may feel confident if they attended a church, read their bible and prayed. We may feel anxious if the person disregarded church, prayer and the bible.

The bible does tell us that after death there is a brief exchange with the Lord. Some will point to amazing things they did, but the lack of a true relationship with Jesus prevents them from entering.
Matthew 7:21-23
 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’


The real deal is a relationship with God.
1 Corinthians 8:3
But whoever loves God is known by God.


What do you think the Lord will say to you in that brief exchange?
Why will the Lord say that?

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Mark's World and God's World

5/22/2012

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God’s world is so much different than my world. The way He chooses to do things is so much better than the way I do things.

In my world, if expectations are not met the consequences are negative. When our children were growing up, an unpleasant summertime activity was weeding the garden. There was a greater success if there was a specific reward when the weeding was complete. If the garden was weeded in the morning I would take them swimming, or some reward for their success.

If they breached the unwritten contract there would be a new contract without a reward and perhaps a punishment. Because they did not finish weeding, they were not going swimming and they had to clean their rooms instead.

God operates much differently.

Jeremiah 33:31-32

“The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.

Right now I would be holding my breath wondering what harder task is ahead because of failing to do what God wanted us to do in the first written contract or covenant. But God’s new covenant is BETTER than the old covenant. God begins to explain that the sacrifices will end because Jesus will be the perfect sacrifice for our sins on the cross. Jesus will be our High Priest whom we can have a relationship with God through, not just the priests in the temple. The Holy Spirit will be God’s guide in our minds and hearts.

Jeremiah 31:33-34
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Instead of a more restrictive or punishing covenant, God gave us a SUPERIOR covenant. I am glad God is in charge and not me, because I need to operate more like God in my life.


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Bad Mothers

5/10/2012

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The Bible does not gloss over and air brush people to make them look good. The Bible contains raw, truth- filled events and people including mothers who were bad.

Lot’s wife was fleeing with her family their city of residence, Sodom, because God was going to destroy the city for its’ great wickedness. God had warned Lot’s family not to stop or look back.  The longing of what she was leaving behind was too much for Lot’s wife. She looked back and became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19)
Lot’s daughters become mothers by getting their father drunk and having sex with him as he lay in a drunken stupor. (Genesis 19)
Potipher’s wife tried to seduce their handsome slave, Joseph. When he refused her forceful advances she accused him of attempted rape and he was thrown in prison. (Genesis 39)
Maacah, used her influence as queen mother while her son, Abijah ruled over Judah. She reinstituted the cultic worship of the fertility gods Baal and Asherah. (1 Kings 15)
Jezebel married Ahab, the warrior king of Israel and together they became wicked rulers who followed false gods instead of the only true, God. (1 Kings 16)
Athaliah – following the death of her husband and son, each of whom reigned as king, massacred all but one of her own family so she could rule over Judah. (2 Kings 11)
Herodias, hated John the Baptizer, because of he spoke against her marriage to Antipas. She was the divorced wife of Antipas’ half brother, Philip.  Her daughter’s dance pleased the king so that he promised to give her anything she wished. Herodias had her daughter request the head of John the Baptizer on a platter. A king can never break his promise. (Matthew 14)

Bad mothers are present today causing pain and heartache for their families living in dysfunctional households. Mother’s Day is not a day they want to give flowers or even a card. My grandfather was an alcoholic and my mother broke the cycle of alcoholism, but brought anger, bitterness, and resentment into our family. My siblings and I often heard our mother say how much she hated us as we were growing up.

Our mother has great regrets from those times and each of us has forgiven her. This Mother’s Day, we will take her out for lunch, help her with some errands around her home, and each of will say words which were not always said or felt growing up. Today, the words are authentic and freely spoken often. “I love you, Mom!”

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

If you grew up with a bad mother, how has God restored you?
Comment here:


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McFish Sandwiches and Fish Fridays

2/24/2012

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Growing up, my school served fish patties every Friday throughout the year. At some point it changed to fish on Fridays during Lent. I really never made any connection with when and why they served fish on Fridays. McDonald's and other fast food chains have special sales on their McFish, BK Fish, TacoFish or whatever fish sandwich is on their menu.

I understand a little more about meatless Fridays and the Lenten season. While some scholars point to biblical passages where Jesus ate fish and fed the multitudes with the miracle of fishes and loaves, author Charles Panati says the tradition of eating fish on meatless Fridays only dates to the 16th Century.

"There is nothing sacred or profound about the tradition of meatless Friday," Panati writes in his book, "Sacred Origins of Profound Things." "Its origins were purely economic. ... With a meat shortage in England and a struggling fish industry, Parliament, with backing from the Church of England, ordered people to replace meat meals on Fridays with a fish dish. Roman Catholics adopted the personal sacrifice and made it mandatory."

Vatican II Council upheld meatless Fridays, but only during Lent. I am not certain what to classify fish as if it is not a meat: a vegetable? fruit? grain? Fish the "other" non-meat I guess.

The purpose of meatless Fridays during Lent is an act of penance; a discipline or devotion of giving up something as an act of showing sorrow for sins.

River of Life Church is an evangelical, charismatic, protestant, non-denominational church. That is a long way of saying that we are not Catholic. We do not observe Lent, but recognize the significance of this season leading up to Easter and fifty days later, Pentecost Sunday.

Jesus Christ, is our high priest and it is to Him that we confess our sins.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
However, we are not as consistent to obey confessing our sins to one another so that we may be healed.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.


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How does this work? If I scrape your car in the parking lot, tell God about it, place a note on your windshield which says, "Sorry about your car. I confessed it to God and got it all worked out." the problem is not resolved. I need to confess it to you and pay the repairs!

In the same way, I bring my sin before Jesus and to the person it has affected. I say what I did, apologize, and pledge to make it right. Doing this as a regular part of our lives will bring a spiritual, physical, and emotional healing in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Enjoy a meatless, fish sandwich today and make fresh confession whenever and wherever necessary.

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White as Snow

2/21/2012

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It is proper to sing about Jesus loving everyone; Red and yellow black and white, they are precious His sight. It is not proper to sing about any other color snow except white.

It has been a brown winter for our state. Snow that typically blankets the ground is absent. We just got a beautiful covering of snow amounting to 3-5". The memory of a hymn song declaring that God washes my evil away until I am whiter than snow came to my mind.
Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Clothes only get  clean when they are put in the washer - whether it is a modern washing machine or a large bucket of water and a stone. Our sins are not removed until we put them in the Lord's washer by telling Him we are sorry and want His help to keep from doing wrong.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Enjoy the beauty of the new fallen snow and enjoy the beauty of a clean, pure life.


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    Mark Radeke

    Husband of one, father of five, pastor and friend of many.

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