Dear Readers,
(Note: I hope you enjoy this series of blog posts. I designed the posts to try to encourage you. They are written in story format, and I took some literary license to tell “how it might have been”. This story is based mostly on 2 Chronicles 32, 33.)
I remember my first personal meeting with King Hezekiah. I had seen him from afar, but never up close. I was a fresh graduate from military training. I expected to move up the ranks at some point but never in a thousand years did I dream it would come so soon.
The day started normally. I awakened and began my morning routine. Then I yelled out with surprise at the abrupt, loud knock on my door. My commander on the other side seemed almost in a panic as he barked out orders to open the door immediately. I didn't know what might be the emergency, but there were rumors that Sennacherib, king of Assyria, with all his forces were on the move, and Jerusalem might be his next target.
The summons was from King Hezekiah himself for me to meet him in his palace. I felt honored, but I also felt a tinge of fear. Perhaps I had done something dreadfully wrong. I knew if I had done something to displease the king I could immediately face the fate of others before me who offended the king’s honor. My life that morning starting so much like many others could now be ended in a second of time.
I was heartened when I saw four of my comrades in military training also present. At least I wouldn't be alone with whatever was about to happen. Perhaps they were feeling the same sense of honor mixed with trepidation.
The king, to my relief, thanked us for coming and asked us to relax as we sat down. He explained the nature of our visit. He wanted each of us as young newly trained soldiers to be his personal liaisons between him and the troops. He was appointing us each to be a military officer and assigned us to a regiment of soldiers. He ordered us to be present with our regiment the next morning at the open square of the city gate.
I met my regiment that evening. My insides were shaking, but outside I tried to keep a calm, cool demeanor. The soldiers in my regiment were informed the king had personally appointed me to be in charge of them. That was good enough for them. They revered the king and would be willing to break through a stone wall if he requested it. They verbally assented with a shout of confidence in their new leader. They came one by one, greeted me, and expressed their loyalty to me. Their smiles of approval made my insides settle a bit, but my outside appearance belied the fact that I felt like an insecure youth.
The next morning King Hezekiah spoke like I had never seen anyone speak before. He spoke with such passion, just as if he was speaking the very words of God. He said, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us to fight our battles.” I and my soldiers shouted in agreement with our great King Hezekiah that the Lord indeed was stronger than any earthly king, no matter how vast an army that king assembled.
It's amazing what happened the next few days. King Sennacherib sent envoys to try to discourage the soldiers and the people in our besieged city. I hate to admit my cowardice, but when I looked from the top of the wall down to the huge army ready to invade, and heard their taunts, I cringed inside and wondered if we should not just surrender to our powerful enemy.
But my way was not the way of King Hezekiah. He saw the urgency of the matter. But instead of calling it quits he summoned Isaiah the Prophet to pray for our people and city. Sennacherib’s soldiers heard their cries, mocked them, and called the pair mad. But that did not stop our beloved king and Isaiah from crying out even louder to the God of Heaven.
The next thing that happened was only something I had heard about in stories about our ancestors like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and King David. There were a few recent rumors of miracles at the hands of some of the prophets in our land, but I had never seen anything like this up close. From the wall in the dark we saw a great light enter the midst of the enemy. We heard screams of terror pierce the night. I had never heard anything like it before and never since.
The next morning we saw in astonishment a hillside littered with dead soldiers. All the enemy fighting men and commanders were killed, not one was spared. But Sennacherib retreated to his own land in disgrace. It is rumored that he was so despondent that he went into his temple and prayed night and day to his foreign god. His god did not answer him, and some of Sennacherib's own sons saw an opening to gain power, so they entered the temple and killed their father by the sword.
In my later years I told the story of King Hezekiah often to my children, grandchildren, and anyone who would listen. He was a godly king and beloved by all his people. But the thing I will remember the most, even over the angel annihilating the enemy, was King Hezekiah and Isaiah crying out to the Lord at the top of their lungs, not worried about what their enemy, or friends for that matter, would think.
Dear Readers,
(Note: I hope you enjoy my next series of blog posts. I designed the posts to try to encourage you. They are written in story format, and I took some literary license to tell “how it might have been”. This story is based mostly on I Chronicles 22, 23. )
Our King David wanted to build the temple, but he said that God told him directly that he had too much blood on his hands. I know that King David is loved by God, so I don’t pretend to understand why God didn't let him do it. Well, God knows best, and I learned a long time ago not to question Him. Look at what happened to Uzzah when all he did was reach to steady the ark so it did not tip over. Uzzah instantly fell over dead. God has an order and a plan, and I know as a Levite that it can't be thwarted, even innocently.
God said that Solomon was going to build the temple instead. King David has so many sons, so I'm not sure why he chose Solomon to become king after him, and to build the temple. Well, again I think of God’s plan…..
Has King David gone mad in his old age? He's like a man possessed. He's been gathering foreigners all over the place! What's he doing? They're mostly stone-cutters and craftsmen beyond number. He's contracted with them to supply vast amounts of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Even though King David seems almost obsessive-compulsive about the temple building, I've rarely seen him so excited about anything. During his years of fighting he was much more serious. Now he's like a child making delicacies. At his age I hope he doesn’t have heart failure.
He's also been organizing us Levites. There are thirty-eight thousand of us and twenty-four thousand of us he said will be in charge of the temple. He then separated us into divisions. I'm in the division of Kohath. I'm proud of my ancestry being a direct descendant of Aaron who was the brother of Moses. What an honor! I hope I can live up to this great heritage. I sometimes doubt myself.
David sat us down and gave us detailed instructions of what we're going to be doing in the new temple when it is finally built by his son. It was an exciting time. We were instructed to sit down on the hillside by division and King David and the appointed leaders of our respective families yelled out our instructions.
Again the king seemed more excited than I have ever seen him, save the time when he brought the ark back to Jerusalem. Nothing can compare to how happy he was then. He danced with joy like I have never seen before.
Well the instructions are set for each family of Levites. All we have to do is await the final stone being laid and the temple dedicated. I'm sure there will be many practice runs to make sure we carry out our instructions properly. Some of my fellow Levites in other families will be in charge of temple preparation and maintenance. Some will prepare sacrifices and take care of the altar. Some will get the utensils ready. Some will bake bread without yeast. I'm glad I won’t be doing that. I always was a terrible cook.
Guess what my job is to be? In a way I'm honored, in a way overwhelmed, and in a way almost embarrassed that I don't have to do more. While some others are slaving away with sweat dropping off their brow, I have a completely different duty. My job, and the job of my family of Levites is to praise the Lord. Yes, you heard it. My main responsibility is to stand at attention in the morning and thank and praise the Lord for His goodness. Then again in the evening I will stand at attention and praise Him for His goodness for the second time. Also we'll repeat the process at the special New Moon feasts and appointed festivals.
What does all this mean, praising the Lord? Why is it so important? Why would David appoint a family of men to just praise the Lord, and that is the bulk of their task? It seems exciting now, but will praising the Lord each day eventually become a mundane and boring routine task? I don’t know. Only time will tell.
Also, where's all this leading? David seems so excited and I 'm not sure exactly why. He's getting old and won't be with us much longer. Why would an old man, almost ready to pass away from this earth, put so much energy into this temple and priest thing? Is there something I'm not seeing? Does he know something I don’t know? I do know there has been some talk of a future Messiah. Is that what this is all about? Again, only time will tell.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Chronicles+22&version=NIV
Dear Readers,
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. How many times have you heard that saying?
Now that I am approaching sixty years of age the saying hits closer home. A few weeks ago I was with my son registering for college where I saw numerous young people, mostly still in their teens, in the process of registering. I wondered to myself “what separates them from me?” All of a sudden I had the urge to register for classes myself just to show everyone, and myself, that I am not washed up. Plus the urge to learn was re-inspired within me. The college bulletin board had all kinds of study tips and things that an employer is looking for, things that I never even thought about before after roughly forty years of employment.
There is also a recent trend in the church whereby I have heard pastors and others say when they want to go to more modern way of worship with a stage-like appearance, colored stage lights, etc. They said there is proof that the younger generation is where the future of the church lies. They went on to say there is proof that old persons without the Lord in their lives are much more likely to never give their hearts to the Lord.
While I agree that the future of the church might lie within the lives of the younger generation, I bristle when I hear church leaders and others tout the fact that older persons will never give their hearts to the Lord, so there is no need spend much time or energy trying to reach out to them.
I prefer the saying, “You’re never too old to learn.” And I especially like the Bible verse in 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV): “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” “Everyone” means even “old dogs”.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
I am sitting here in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the historic Mariemont Inn. My wife and son are sleeping and everything seems peaceful on this Father’s Day 2011. I await the adventures of going to the Union Station Museum tomorrow morning to see the various museum pieces, the train tower, the large model train exhibit, and the main event of the day which is the IMAX theater movie “Tornado Alley”.
What is my purpose as a father? How do I instill a sense of security in my son that will help lead him in the way to go? You may notice that I said “help lead him in the way to go”. A couple weeks ago my wife and I helped lead our son in a prayer to give his heart fully to the Lord. I now realize that Joseph is in God’s very capable hands, and the most I can do is to try the best I can to be a good father and take the needed time with him to “help” teach him things that he can learn from me as his earthly father.
Actually I am greatly indebted to Jim Brown, Joseph’s late natural father, my wife Dee, and especially God that I have a son. Joseph, however, is now God’s adopted son, and I can only pray that Joseph follows Him down His paths. I pray also that Joseph listens to the input of Dee and myself, but the ultimate decisions from here on out are ultimately between he and his heavenly Father.
What a relief, to know that God our heavenly Father loves Joseph even more than me as his earthly father.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
Sometimes I feel unsatisfied, like I am missing something important in my life. I wonder when my ship will come in, or if I will ever own a business that I have long desired.
My dissatisfaction seems like a great chasm that can never be traversed. It is not dissatisfaction with people, or even things. I have long known that things can never bring happiness to a person.
It is more a general feeling of loss of direction and focus. When I was a young Christian I was constantly trying to think of ways to share God’s love with others. Now, besides an occasional devotional writing on this blog, Mission to Amish Persons discussion board, or Facebook, my sharing of God’s love with unsaved persons seems somewhat stagnant.
What can I do? Does anyone have the answer?
I recently came across the verse that I think has at least a partial answer. It is found in Proverbs 15:6. It states, “The house of the righteous contains great treasure,…”
When I married Dee and became Joseph’s stepfather I moved into a house that was originally purchased by Jim Brown, Dee’s late husband and Joseph’s late father. Little did I know the blessing that this house, or household, would be in my life.
You see, my wife has the gift of hospitality. With her as the gracious hostess we have had many family and friend gatherings in this house. The work seems difficult at the time to get the house ready for the gathering, and I sometimes complain about getting everything “just right” for our guests. But to see the guests and listen to their comments about how welcoming our home is makes it all worthwhile.
Just last week a Public Broadcasting Station crew from Boston came to our home to film part of a documentary about Amish because we host a Bible study with former Amish young persons . Callie Taintor Wiser, a well known PBS documentary filmmaker commented to my wife and I what a welcoming, nice home she thought we have.
So while I wait for my ship to arrive and my long lost business to materialize, I can take great pleasure, and “treasure”, from our house which God has graciously given us.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
William and Kate are now married. The wedding was spectacular and the cathedral majestic. No expense was spared. The total cost was $60 million dollars with over one half of that for security. An $80,000 cake and an $800,000 flower and greenery bill seemed lush and extravagant.
The wedding was a fairytale come true. We might wonder why we were not born to be the grandson of a queen, or to meet a prince to sweep us off our feet.
But wait! There is hope for each one of us. Royalty is not just meant for a certain few. There is a Prince ready and willing to sweep us off our feet, to lavish us with lush and extravagant gifts in this life and at a wedding to come.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
How many of you ever moved into a new house, to a new area, or started a new business? How did you feel about the move or the change? Did you feel apprehensive, did you feel full of hope, or did you feel both?
I can remember as a four year old boy my family’s anticipation of moving into a brand new home built by my parents in the beautiful countryside near Berlin, Ohio. Before our move we temporarily occupied the cramped quarters in the back of my uncle’s abandoned store in Bunker Hill.
I have fond memories of our vagabond experience in the apartment in Bunker Hill. My brother and I had fun rolling balls up and down on the sloped living room floor. We along with our cousins frequented the old storefront where we played with the cash register and found various sundry treasures like old squirt guns and bubble gum. Many hours were spent playing basketball with the hoop on the side of the old feed mill. The pungent grain odor and a rumor of many rats residing inside the mill is a distant but distinct memory.
Finally the day came for the move. No more visits to the mud puddles, large dirt piles, and make-shift ramps into the unfinished new house. We packed our belongings and left our year-long vagabond existence to go to a land of spaciousness and a shining, brand new home. What hope and promise we felt. A new day had arrived!
It reminds me of the story of the Israelites after Moses died, and with Joshua they cast lots to see which family would receive a specific tract of the “promised land”. Their fighting was almost over, and they were going to finally move into their new land. What hope! A new day full of promise had arrived. I can almost sense in my spirit their anticipation.
It also reminds me of the spring season and the Easter holiday. Jesus’ crucifixion was a time of great sorrow. Everyone close to Him may have felt like vagabonds not knowing what the future held. They may have shared fond memories of the Messiah and perhaps pondered what the purpose was what they just experienced in the last three years with Jesus.
Then it happened! Jesus was alive! How did it happen? They saw Him die? But here He was, appearing to one person, then another, and finally to many persons!
Then the unthinkable happened! Jesus ascended into the clouds! Before He ascended He told His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and to wait until they were “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). His followers were filled with great joy and they told everyone they met about the news. A great new day had arrived!
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus is quoted as saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV)
This can’t be right, can it? I thought our life in Christ is supposed to be hard? I thought we are to suffer persecution? I thought we are to toil to reach a standard of perfection?
I am not a theologian, but it seems Jesus is saying to us that before we come to Christ we labor and are heavy laden with sin and condemnation. He then bids us to “come” to Him.
After we come He says He will give us “rest”. He then says to take His “yoke” because He is “gentle and lowly in heart”. I thought yokes are meant to be confining and perhaps even cruel when we try to pull a heavy load?
He goes on to say that His “yoke is easy and his burden is light”. A yoke cannot be easy and a burden light, can they?
These are just some thoughts to ponder. What do you think?
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
The clock keeps ticking. The days on the calendar keep turning over. Change keeps happening.
The hit country song “Time Marches On” by Tracy Lawrence talks about difficult things that happen to a family as time marches on. The family starts out with fairly innocent beginnings. As the years march by the family winds down a path of separation and heartache.
“Sister cries out from her baby bed;
Brother runs in feathers on his head.
Mamma’s in her room learning how to sew;
Daddy’s drinking beer, listening to the radio.
Mamma is depressed, barely makes a sound;
Daddy’s got a girlfriend in another town.
Bob Dylan sings “Like a Rolling Stone”;
And time marches on, time marches on.”
The last verse:
“Sister calls herself a sexy grandma;
Brother’s on a diet for high cholesterol.
Mamma’s out of touch with reality;
Daddy’s in the ground beneath the maple tree.
As the angels sing an old Hank Williams song;
Time marches on, time marches on.”
As I journey toward being sixty years old I am ever closer to my inevitable end. I am not trying to be morbid, but realistic. With my Dad and Mom’s families I had nineteen immediate relatives. Of these nineteen only three remain living.
I firmly believe that most of my family members had hope from a source that Tracy Lawrence left out of his song. I also firmly believe that I will see most of them again in the future. I also want to fervently pray for the generation remaining and the generations to come that they have hope and joy… “As Time Marches On”.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
See you next time,
Arlen
"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
"Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!"
Dear Readers,
Many remember the famous intro to the Superman television show. Every Saturday morning sandwiched between Sky King and Roy Rogers was the dream of almost every boy…Superman. My brother and I pinned capes (blankets or sheets) around our necks and “flew” to the rescue of people in distress.
During our monthly shopping trip to Millersburg, Ohio, the Holmes County seat, we occasionally entered Dewitt Drugstore where my brother and I went like magnets to the comic book section. We would try to scrape together the needed 12 cents to get a written and colorful dose of our favorite hero. We were little boys oblivious to our Amish and Mennonite heritage of peace and non-resistance.
As children we did not analyze too much whether Superman was real or make believe. We were drawn to his exploits of heroism and the ways he used to counteract evil.
Do we need superheroes today? Do we have the zest of a young boy or girl to pin on our capes to “save the day” from the likes of the dastardly Lex Luther who used green kryptonite to render Superman powerless?
And are we like the citizens on the streets of Metropolis who eagerly point to the sky to the real Superhero who is flying to the rescue?
Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire;…. Jude 22, 23 (NIV)
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
This morning I felt a deep and meaningful presence of the Holy Spirit. I was at home in my basement, not in church. I was by myself, not with other people. I do not often feel His presence as I did this morning, in fact I can probably count the number on two hands when I have experienced Him so strongly. Which begs the question, “Where does the Holy Spirit come from, secondly where does it go, and lastly why don’t I feel Him more often?”
I am not an expert in theology to excavate the depths of the scriptures to discover the answers. Also, I am not a scientist to lay everything out on the table and by use of repeated experimentation hypothesize a formulary.
I would label myself an “experiential person”. Answers to questions do not come very easily to me. I basically experience feelings. If the feelings are good I want them to come more frequently. If they are bad I pray for them to stay away.
The scriptures do reveal, however, some insight into my questions, although I will never fully understand it. John 3:5-8 (NKJV) quotes Jesus in a conversation with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
I understand that I cannot somehow conjure up the feeling that I had this morning, and I cannot just wish it upon others. The only thing I can do is apply another scripture found in James 5:16. It states that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (NKJV) All I know to do is to pray fervently to the Lord that he sends the wind of His Holy Spirit to me on a more frequent basis, and especially for Him to send it to my family members and friends that do not know His wonderful love.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
I sometimes question why God does not put me directly in ministry work. Living for Jesus is my passion, or I want it to be. I sometimes think I could do a lot of good ministering to others in some capacity as my full-time occupation.
I think I found the answer this morning in my devotions. It comes in Mark 5:18-19. It reads as follows: As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (NIV)
These verses let me know that not all can be in full-time ministry. God needs many of us to go home to our own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for us, and how He has had mercy on us.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
What do you think of the many formulas out there to bring you success? Kevin Trudeau hawks “Weight Loss”, “Natural Cures”, “Anti-Aging”, “Mega Memory”, “Debt Cures, and “Free Money” formulas “They Don’t Want You To Know About”. He is the ultimate multitask master, and dupes countless Americans who line his pockets with millions for his many formulas for success.
Anthony Robbins touts “Power Talk”, “Strategies for Creating a Compelling Future”, “A 7-Day Program to Transform Your Life”, “Harnessing the Power of Your Six Primal Needs”, and “The New Science of Personal Achievement”. He uses the insecurities of people to “Awaken the Giant Within”. I will give it another title: “Awaken Your Pocketbook to Pay Me to Awaken the Giant Within”.
Where can you find true formulas for success? Do you even know they exist?
If you want true success please read Psalm 37, especially verses 3-6. Then go on to read Matthew 7, especially verses 7- 8.
I believe these verses have unlimited power to transform you and bring you success.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
The musical Oklahoma portrays Jud Fry as maladjusted brooding hired hand who is infatuated with Laurey, the young lady on the farm. Curly, a handsome cowboy, finds himself also in love with this farmer’s daughter, much to the chagrin of his cowboy counterparts who are enemies of the farmers who have invaded the open range with their fences and strange ways.
Jud tries to come between Curly and Laurey, but when he finally realizes that Curly is winning the courtship battle he becomes more and more menacing. It becomes evident that he is planning some dire consequences if Laurey spurns him.
Curly then tries to focus Jud’s attention off Laurey by enticing him to think about the benefits of committing suicide. He breaks out into song:
Poor Jud is dead
Poor Jud Fry is dead
All gather around his coffin now and cry
He had a heart of gold
And he wasn’t very old
Oh why did such a feller have to die?
Poor Jud is dead
Poor Jud Fry is dead
He’s lookin’ so peaceful and serene
He’s all laid out to rest
With his hands acrost his chest
His fingernails have never been so clean.
The song goes on to tell how much the community would make Jud into a hero if he died, and lulls Jud into joining Curly in the lament. Jud finally breaks out of his trance-like state and reverts back to being revenge-minded.
The story reminds me of myself, and how I will be perceived when I am gone, and why it seems that good things happen after I depart a scene. Some examples would be when I left Berlin, Ohio to live in Mansfield. Berlin soon became a prosperous Amish tourism haven. Also, Hiland High School sports vaulted into statewide prominence. And Martinscreek Mennonite Church, my family church home, went from having a new pastor every several years to having a steady one now for over twenty years and the church has experienced exponential growth.
If I had stayed in Berlin I might be rich now working in the tourism industry. If I had bought a house I looked at in downtown Berlin I could have sold it for a virtual fortune. I could have remained a Hiland sports booster and cheered our teams to about four or five state titles. I could have been a part of the growth of my family church. Why did good things happen after I left? Why? Why? Why?
I am like Jud Fry being lulled into a dirge chant. I am so enthralled with “what could have been” that I forget “what is”, and “what will be”. I moved to Mansfield to go to college, got my degree, have worked at one location for over twenty years, met my wife and son, got married, live in the wonderful home purchased by my wife’s late husband, my wife is an author who just has been accepted by a Christian literary agency to pursue publishing her first book, my son is an eighteen year-old aspiring graphic designer, our family is involved in Mission to Amish People (MAP) ministry, we have an “adopted” former Amish daughter… I could go on and on.
I still have a few aspirations that I desire before people sing over me at the end. I aspire to have many relatives and friends know and pursue a relationship with the wonderful Saviour that I know. I want myself and my family to continue to fulfill God’s calling on our lives, and I want Jesus to say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
John Lennon of the Beatles imagined “living life in peace”, with “no heaven”, “no hell”, and “no religion too”. He was a self-proclaimed “dreamer” that “the world will live as one”.
Is it productive to imagine things? Ephesians 3:20 would indicate it is. Paul wrote, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, …”
Imagining things is also closely tied to hope, and most of us are familiar with the fact that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5.
So John Lennon was justified to “Imagine” the earth with world peace. It will occur. The way it happens and the source of peace, however, is where he went wrong. It only happens when Jesus lives in our hearts by the Holy Spirit...and when Jesus returns to the earth to rule.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
This summer Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team to sign with the Miami Heat. Cleveland sports fans felt betrayed as he finally gave us the best chance to win a championship...and now he was leaving. He made a Nike commercial mimicking the difficulty he had making “The Decision”. The commercial was called, “What Should I Do?”
I am still upset with Lebron’s decision, and many other Cleveland sports heroes that “take the money and run”. I also never liked the fact that Lebron had tattooed on his back “Chosen 1”. My opinion is that no person except One should ever take on that moniker; I don’t care how good he or she is in a given profession.
I do, however, empathize with Lebron’s stated dilemma of making an important decision, and questioning “What Should I Do? Each of us faces life-altering question marks throughout our lifetime. Choosing a spouse, education direction, job or career changes, and moving to a new home are examples. Even seemingly less important choices such as choosing friends or changing churches can affect us dramatically. More recently my wife and I have been made keenly aware of former Amish young men and women making a critical decision to leave the Amish life and move into the strange new “English” world.
I am so thankful and in awe that we have a caring God and His Holy Spirit to consult about life-changing decisions. The Bible is chock-full of promises about us asking, and Him answering our prayers regarding the decisions we make!
I am also very thankful for the many sports stars that do openly acknowledge God and ask Him for divine guidance. They are the ones I want to come to Cleveland to finally bring us a championship.
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV)
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
Hal Lebovitz of the Cleveland Plain Dealer died about five years ago. Before he died I greatly anticipated reading his weekly column to hear what he had to say about my beloved Cleveland sports teams. Occasionally he had a week off and I found myself almost in withdrawal.
Great poets, authors, and newspaper columnists use words to great effect and seem to have an understanding of what their readers long for. Their passion about what they write is evident and their words almost pop off the page and into our minds and hearts.
It didn’t matter to me how long Mr. Lebovitz’s column was, I read every word. I was greatly interested in his opinion about the newest coach, manager, or player and how they would fare during the season. He got my juices flowing about the possibility of a stellar season, or occasionally he brought me back to the reality of another season of perpetual rebuilding.
I want people to read the story of my life like I used to read Mr. Lebovitz’s column. I want them to see the passion in which I live life, and try to figure out the source of it. Finally I want them to seek the source of my passion…and find it.
"Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." Proverbs 30:5
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
“Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
Wow, I need these verses often! I don’t think any more comments are needed.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
Growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s I had questions how rock band members, movie actors, TV stars, and especially sports heroes were vaulted into celebrity status. What could I do to become one of them? Did I want to become one of them?
I began my road to celebrity status by watching and emulating my favorite basketball and baseball players on TV. For hours I practiced driving to the lane and pulling up for patented fade-away jump shots to win games like John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics. I pulled down rebounds with the ferocity of Willis Reed of the New York Knicks. I raced to catch liners and sizzling ground balls like Woody Held, Max Alvis, or Rocky Colavito of the Indians.
My road to stardom was thwarted, however, by a lack of talent. I was a fair basketball and baseball player and was in the starting lineup in both sports in high school. My claim to fame was playing against and spending a little time at a conference choir event with Bob Huggins, the now-famed college basketball coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.
But to thrive and become successful in either sport one had to be more than just good…one had to be ultra-good. I soon came to the realization I was not in that league.
Entertainers for the most part also have an extreme amount of talent. They are either prodigies, or have made themselves prodigies in their given field. In some cases their rising star results from who they know, or having celebrity relatives.
Being a somewhat despondent “wannabe” I recently came upon a Bible verse that I had never seen before that might raise my star appeal. It will not result in my becoming a “household name” in most families. But it may result in my becoming a household name in a few families.
The verse is found in Zechariah 8:23. It states the following: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”
I was not born Jewish, but I am by adoption one of God’s chosen people. Therefore I can draw close to God, and the Bible clearly teaches that if we draw close to Him, He will in turn draw close to us. Then other persons will surely see it and grab onto our sleeve to “come along for the ride”… to heaven.
See you next time,
Arlen
Dear Readers,
George Bailey in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” was ready to jump off the bridge into the frigid waters. He had reached the end and could not see any other way out. His idyllic fantasy of becoming a world traveling entrepreneur had long vanished. The honeymoon with his wife Mary Bailey now seemed like an obscure dream.
The demands of life became George’s reality. The family owned bank business was like an albatross around his neck. Mary and the kids turned from being a joy to a burden. Mr. Potter met him at every turn to thwart his success. George’s fond memories of his childhood town faded into the past and now Bedford Falls was his prison.
George felt out of options. The icy waters seemed to be his only way to find relief. He readied to jump, but a cry came out from the waters below. It was Clarence Odbody, the angel sent to save George from himself. George jumped in, saved Clarence, and the bumbling angel trying to earn his wings helped George see that “…no man is a failure who has friends.”
Do you feel like George this Christmas? I have felt like George from time to time. The demands of life start pressing in, the honeymoon feels over, and the options for relief, like the icy waters for George, seem the only way out.
Christmas is a time of expectation, but after Christmas day arrives and the fun ends, the expectation turns to the mundane task of taking down the decorations… and another year of hard work in our own Bedford Falls.
We all need a Clarence to help us to see our life with a fresh perspective, a perspective of hope and friendship, of the good things to come, of the fun of taking down the decorations and looking forward to the new things in the coming year.
I am not sure how angels really operate. I think that the movie used creative license to make the storyline more interesting. I do, however, think there is someone sent to save us from the icy waters and give us the fresh perspective we need of hope, friendship, and the possibilities of a new year. His name is Jesus!
See you next time,
Arlen
