Category: Holidays - River of Life Church

Christmas Aftermath and Rescue

12/26/2013

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.

Halloween Haggles

10/31/2012

Halloween has become the second highest consumer spending holiday in America, passed up only by Christmas. People buy decorations for the rooms in their home, decorations for the outside of their home, costumes, candy and if they host a halloween party, they have additional expenses.

The treatment of halloween varies among Christians. Many recognize the pagan roots of this holiday and choose not to do anything to celebrate or recognize a day dedicated to things that oppose God. Other Christians are unaware of its origins or background and participate in the activities that interest them. Some Christians are aware of halloween's background, but feel that what is celebrated today is dressing up in fun, festive characters and going trick or treating.They believe the pagan roots no longer bear any significance or hold over their participation.

So, which view is correct? Is it a pagan holiday that Christians should not participate or okay because it has become just a fun day? Yes. The answer is yes.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ addressed a similar situation among the Christians in Rome. Some considered one day more holy than another and others were convinced to not eat meat as a sign of holiness. Paul writes that their convictions should be something that is lived out for the Lord and not as a point of judging one another.
Romans 14:6,14
6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.

Our family and church chooses to invade the darkness surrounding halloween by handing out candy, bibles and child appropriate gospel tracts to trick-or-treaters.

Whether you turn off the lights on halloween or advance the light - do it all for the Lord!

Discovering the Already

10/8/2012

In 1492, he sailed the oceans blue. Today, we observe Columbus Day, although the discovery of the New World was October 12, 1492. (we like our Monday holidays!) Christopher Columbus was looking for a western passage to China and India.

Columbus underestimated the size of the earth, he overestimated the land mass of Eurasia and he incorrectly believed that Japan was further east of the coast of China. Columbus was both wrong and at odds with the scholarly consensus of his day. Nonetheless, Columbus was a great explorer and navigator. Three wrongs can still be something right. After two months of sailing, Cuba was sighted and believed to be mainland China. His expedition found Hispaniola and Columbus thought it might be Japan. It was his third of four trips across the Atlantic that he realized he had not reached Asia, but had discovered a continent previously unknown to Europeans.

We can only discover what is already known. He sailed the oceans blue, to discover what God already knew. All discoveries and breakthroughs are things God has known for eternity.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Happy Columbus Day!

Labor Day

9/3/2012

Today, we celebrate Labor Day in the US. For most people, this Monday is primarily the final day of a three day weekend and the marking of the end of summer. From the US Dept of Labor, "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-meaning of our country."

Labor Day is an unusual holiday. Officially, it highlights the American work-force, yet we try to do as little labor as possible and most working people have the day off. It is not a holiday where people wish you a "Happy Labor Day" or you send out Labor Day cards to family and friends. We do not give corsages, decorate the house, or give Labor Day gifts. The florists and greeting card companies have not found a way to capitalize on this day. It is the final hurrah of the summer; a boon to resorts and tourist centers and a bad weekend for the Church because everyone wants to travel.

Like most things, Labor Day is different things to different people. To the factory or office worker, it may be a day off. For police officers, who must deal with extra-heavy traffic and alcohol abuse, it is a tough day. While I was farming, it was another day to feed and milk the cattle and work in the field doing things that allow no holiday.

Labor Day is an opportunity to think about our work and its rewards. Work is a very important part of God's revelation and will for people. Your work matters to God.

Surveys reveal that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs. Many of them go to work because it is, "I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I go." What they do seems to have no value or meaning; it is the same routine day in and day out. People dream of winning the Powerball and being set free from the need to work.

Instead of working to live, God created you to have a sense that what you do matters, has personal meaning and value. Your work is an exciting opportunity to partner with God.

I felt I was called and used by God during my 13 years as a dairy farmer and 5 years employed by Cargill. I feel called and used by God over the past 16 years as pastor of River of Life Church.

You may be thinking, "You do not know where I work. You do not know my boss. You do not know the people I work with." The Bible tells us about a man named, Daniel, who served God while working for a god-less king surrounded by employees who did not share his faith.

God delights in taking ordinary people and infusing them with extraordinary power. And when an ordinary person goes to an ordinary workplace, determined to be faithful to God, God can do extraordinary things through him or her. And God is glorified when that happens.

Ephesians 2:20 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

And oh, Happy Labor!

Spiritual Lessons from the American Revolutionary War #3

7/6/2012

(This is the third of a three part blog.) The American Revolutionary War (1775-1781) also called the American War of Independence or the Revolutionary War offers some spiritual lessons which I will present in three parts:
1.       Revolution, Declaration and Freedom
2.       Prisoners of War
3.       Allies and Enemies

Allies and Enemies
The war was not simply Americans versus the British. It was a civil war with American Revolutionaries fighting against Britain versus American Loyalists fighting for Britain. France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic secretly supplied the American revolutionists with weapons, ammunition, and supplies. As the war progressed they openly supported the revolutionists with motives of gaining or regaining territory contested by Britain in other parts of the world.

African Americans, slave and free fought on both sides of the war. Each side promised freedom for their service. Most Native American tribes east of the Mississippi fought in the war on Britain’s side because they saw the newly formed nation as a threat to their territory. Britain had an immediate ally with British controlled Canada. During the war, Britain signed treaties with various German states which then supplied a force of soldiers (30,000) making up one third of the British troops in North America.

Reading through various historical accounts and documents brings an awareness of military commanders on both sides pursuing their self interests through position, politics or pension. The most notable was Benedict Arnold.

Benedict Arnold was a major general for the American Revolutionaries, serving heroically from 1775 – 1779 and was severely wounded twice in battle. He was passed over a promotion, charged with corruption, and observed other officers accepting credit for some of his accomplishments. In spite of being found innocent of the charges and awarded command of West Point, Arnold’s commitment and heart had changed. He decided to change sides in 1779 while leading the command post at West Point. Arnold’s secret plot with the British of weakening the fort and surrendering it to the British was discovered. Arnold avoided capture and became a brigadier general for the British Army with the promise of a large lump sum of money and large pension.

Benedict Arnold fought voraciously against the armies he once led. He led a rampage through Virginia which destroyed supply houses, foundries and mills. Following the Treaty of Paris ending the war, Arnold moved to London and tried to convince King George III to renew the fight against the Americans. Benedict Arnold died in London disliked by both Americans and Loyalists. His life ended years later full of controversies, resentments, and legal entanglements.

Nobody names their child Judas after he betrayed Jesus Christ and nobody names their child Benedict. Loyalty is the virtue of a follower and lover of Jesus Christ. Peter, one of the twelve disciples, cried bitterly after disavowing his loyalty to his Lord. After Jesus rose from the dead, He intentionally pursued Peter. Instead of harsh, chastising words, Jesus goes to Peter’s very soul asking where his loyalty stood with the question, “Do you love me.”

John 21:17 (NIV)
17 The third time He said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him 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.

Three Lessons on loyalty:
1.     Abandon self-centered pursuits.
2.      Let your word be your bond.
3.      Your loyalty is an expression of your character.

Dependence Day

7/3/2012

Tomorrow is the 4th of July celebrating our independence from England. It is a day to consider positions taken by our founding fathers regarding our dependence upon God.

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
-- Patrick Henry

"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics."
-- George Washington Farewell Address to Nation

"The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
-- President Thomas Jefferson in an address to Danbury Baptists.

Joshua was a leader of Israel in the Old Testament. He was old and was passing the leadership to another. His farewell speech to the leaders contains an admonition to remain dependent upon God.

Joshua 23:6-11
6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

Joshua 24:14-18
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God. ”

During your picnics, gatherings, fireworks and rocket’s red glare, remember our dependence upon God this Independence Day .

Remember

5/25/2012

Memorial Day, traditionally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembering those who have fallen in our nation’s service. During my high school years, I would play taps at local cemeteries on Memorial Day where special services included a color guard and a 21 gun salute to honor the fallen.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

On Memorial Day the flag is raised to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain.

From http://www.militaryfactory.com/american_war_deaths.asp
“In its first 100 years of existence, over 683,000 Americans lost their lives, with the Civil War accounting for 623,026 of that total (91.2%). Comparatively, in the next 100 years, a further 626,000 Americans died through two World Wars and several more regional conflicts (World War 2 representing 65% of that total). “

The war among ourselves remains the most costly war America has ever fought.

The Bible records a stone that was placed as a war memorial, reminding the people that God had helped them defeat their enemies and to remain unified under His rule.

1 Samuel 17:12
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”
( Ebenezer means “stone of help”.)

Conflicts within nations, businesses, organizations, churches, families and marriages continue to be the most costly. Our nation needs to have a stone of remembrance that God has helped us and will be our deliverer when we are unified under His rule.

Who is St Patrick?

3/16/2012

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!