Our Days "Are Like Grass"

Dear Readers,

My parents and grandparents are gone. Most of my uncles on both my Dad and Mom’s sides are gone. Recently there are some former Amish persons with whom our family is involved that are gone. The majority of missing persons in my life were old when they passed on, but recently a number of young persons are gone in a split second, mostly due to accidents.

I’ll also soon be gone, as will my wife and son. As a matter of fact, you too soon will be gone. Psalm 103:16-18 (KJV) says our days “are like grass”:

“As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

Doesn’t it cause you to want every moment to count? Doesn’t it make you pause to think about the great mercy the Lord has for us when we turn to Him?

See you next time,
Arlen

Can I Be One of "The Mighty Men"?

Dear Readers,

I often thought of myself as a weakling…weak in body and spirit. I had a degree of athletic ability in high school, and had five varsity letters in three sports. But I was never outstanding in any of them to the point where the colleges came knocking at my door.

My biggest claim to fame was when I spent a day at a choral music festival in Newcomerstown, Ohio, and stayed in the same home as Bob Huggins, now the head basketball coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.We played a pick-up game of basketball and a crowd grew to watch us.

We all knew the main draw was Bobby H. He was an All-Ohioan for a couple years and was highly recruited by a number of colleges. But we all put on a pretty good show, if I do say so myself.

What happened to me? My meager basketball, tennis, baseball, and softball prowess is virtually gone. I’m 58 years old and about five years ago my wife and son teased me when I played church league softball that I ran “like an old man”.

So now to my point…I have read a number of times about David’s mighty men/warriors in II Samuel 23. David had a number of mighty men, but there were three that in today's terms we would call his “right-hand” men. The exploits of the three are amazing, and it’s obvious the hand of God was on them. Josheb killed eight hundred men in one encounter. In a battle against the Philistines Eleazar stood his ground when the rest of Israel retreated, and his hand “froze to his sword”. Shammah defended a field of lentils all by himself against a large band of Philistines and brought about “a great victory”.

I know that at my age I can’t physically fight eight hundred men, and I don’t think God is asking me to do so. But perhaps I can I fight a spiritual battle of epic proportions. Perhaps I can fall on my face before God to the point where he uses me to snatch eight hundred persons from the fire of hell and bring them into a wonderful eternity in heaven.

In 2001 my brother was shot by an intruder at work that he tried to tackle. The Lord spared his life, but he became blind. The incident left me in shock at first. But after my brother recovered to some degree I thought about his bravery, and the fact that the Lord spared his life. I then thought about Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 and Luke 12 about sparrows. Jesus was giving the lesson that we need not be afraid of men.

I’m not saying I have it all figured out, and that I’m braver than the next guy. But God put the plan in place whereby you and I can become one of “the mighty men”.

See you next time,
Arlen

"There Go the Dregs of Humanity"

Dear Readers,

I think one of the funniest lines in television was, “There go the dregs of humanity.”

It was a statement by Larry, of “I’m Larry, and this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl” Newhart show fame. Larry and his brothers just opened their new café in the small Vermont town close to the Stratford Inn run by Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart).

The café was visited by a group of work crew prisoners. As the prisoners were departing the cafe Larry uttered the famous line. I laugh hysterically every time I hear it, and my stomach bounces trying to hold my laughter in.

You have to get the picture in your mind. Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother Darryl were as backwoods as a person can get. An example of this is when Dick and Joanna found out there was a dead body buried in the basement of the Inn the three came with haste, picks, and shovels to dig it out.

Then Dick and Joanna changed their minds about digging out the body and called them up from the basement. The brothers were sorely disappointed. But their disappointment was short-lived when Joanna told them about a dead opossum out by the well. They ran with reckless abandon out of the Inn to dispose of the critter.

Larry, Darryl, and Darryl didn't realize they perhaps were looked on by the Vermont townsfolk as being odd, eccentric, and "the dregs of humanity". That's what made the line so funny.

Today I had a Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Salvation Army in Ashland, Ohio. I parked beside a car, and I kid you not, in which every nook and cranny, front seat and back, save the driver’s seat, was piled with trash of fast food containers and various things I don’t even want to think about. The car owner would not even be able to open the windows without fear of trash blowing out the window.

I did a double take, and later at the end of the meeting found myself joking about the car and the car owner with another participant of the meeting. In essence, not verbally, I pointed out that the car owner was a prime example of the “dregs of humanity”.

I was taken aback by my humor and quickly prayed for God to forgive me. It was an example of a sinner calling another sinner sinful. I found out that the car owner was a woman who had fallen on hard times and lived mostly in her car, and she came to the Salvation Army for socialization and nourishment.

At the Salvation Army I saw people of great contrasts. The Chamber meeting brought business owners and executives decked out in suits and ties as they tried to impress other business owners and executives to purchase their wares, goods, and services.

On the other hand there were people milling about with tattered and disheveled clothing, little education, and not trying to impress anyone. They were there to socialize, play bingo, and eat.

Where do I fit into the scheme of things? I am trying to identify with the elite in society to sell them something. But I really know that for a few breaks and the grace of God it could easily be said of me, "There go the dregs of humanity."

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

See you next time,
Arlen

Cousin Verna

Dear Readers,

Cousin Verna died last week. She lived in Arizona and was ill for many months. I never spent much time with her as she grew up in Kansas and moved to Arizona a number of years ago. The only time I saw her was at three-year Yoder family reunions and other sporadic reunions. 

When I was a young boy I can remember Verna and a friend coming to stay at my family’s house while she attended Bible School at Pleasant View Conservative Mennonite Church. She always had a ready smile and a wry sense of humor. I can remember hunting “snipes” at night when she stayed here, and roasting cashews. What is a snipe anyway? I remember getting sick after eating too many cashews. 

Verna was a light in my life and the life of my family. My family was only sporadic in church attendance at that time and never talked openly about a person having faith in God. I recognized then there was something different about Verna and some of my other Conservative Mennonite relatives. 

Dad and Verna’s dad Jake grew up Amish. I think Dad was the first of his family to leave the Amish church, but he did not leave for religious reasons. I think Uncle Jake, on the other hand, left the Amish and became Conservative Mennonite because they had an emphasis on salvation by faith in Christ. 

It was obvious to me that Uncle Jake, his family, and Cousin Verna were different. They had a ready smile, love, and acceptance of my family. I didn’t know it at the time, but I now know it was Jesus living in them that made them so different. 

I firmly believe Cousin Verna, her family, and many of my other relatives with obvious faith in Christ helped influence me to accept Christ for myself. For that I’m eternally grateful. 

See you next time.
Arlen

Longing Glances

Dear Readers, 

Sometimes doing mental health work I get stuck in my office for periods of time doing various sundry tasks. So I look forward to trips into the community to visit clients and employers where I can get out of my stuffy office and see the countryside.

I enjoy looking at the valleys and hillsides, the wooded areas, the ponds, and the streams. I sometimes have the urge to go on a back road, park my car, and take a walk deep into the woods to enjoy God’s creation. I then come back to my senses and know that I’m on the clock and need to stay focused on accomplishing my work. I’m relegated to only take longing glances from my car. 

The same thing happens when I watch videos of faraway places, especially mountains, and even more particularly the Alps Mountains of Europe. I grew up with Mennonite/Amish/Anabaptist roots, so perhaps my attraction to these majestic peaks and valleys is due to the fact that my ancestors started out there. 

When Rick Steves Europe on the PBS channel focuses on the mountains of Austria or Switzerland I become totally mesmerized and long for the day when I might be able to visit there. I long to breathe the crisp clean air, and view with wonder the sparkling brooks and waterfalls. I again come back to my senses and think that at my age and with my resources a trip there is likely impossible. All I can do is dream and take longing glances from afar. 

I think that life is full of a series of longings and dreams to visit and view scenic and almost unfathomable majestic sights. For some of us our dreams will be fulfilled, but for many of us the barriers are just too great. 

Where does this longing come from? Why do we even think about things that seem unreachable? 

I think I have the answer. God has put this longing into our souls. He realizes that it is natural for us to crave beauty and majesty, and that to do so draw us closer to Him. 

Hebrews 11:13-16 sums it up best:
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” 

Revelation 21 says that the streets and walls of this city will be made of pure gold and the gates of solid precious stones. John in Revelation 22:1-2 goes on to share what will fulfill our longing:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.”

So here on this earth we may have to settle for taking "longing glances" from our car, or from afar, but someday... 

See you next time.
Arlen

Where Does Passion Come From?

Dear Readers,

These days there is much talk about people having passion about things, and that passion breeding a degree of success. Tebowmania was rampant in Denver when Tim Tebow brought faith, passion, and football together to create a buzz that the sports world seldom sees. Many people jumped either into the love camp or hate camp about Mr. Tebow.

Many had questions about Mr. Tebow’s ability to sustain his winning exploits without being a prototypical quarterback. They saw him as a fly-by-night success. On the other hand people of faith were excited that a clean-living young man open about his belief in Christ was able to dispel the myth that “nice guys finish last”.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates parlayed their passion about computers into Apple and Microsoft empires. Who doesn’t look with longing at their small beginnings of getting together with other “geeks” and turning the world upside down with technological advance?

Anne Beiler, a former Amish girl, wanted to make a perfect pretzel. She came from a life of difficulty fraught with many failures. But she used her passion and faith to start Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, now a worldwide business.

Why do people, including myself, not have more passion to go after their dreams to change their world, even if may not bring the widespread fame of the above-mentioned people? Why do we get stuck in the rut of feeling inadequate?

Why do the churches we attend seem boring and unable to meet the deep needs in our lives? Have the leaders and congregants in our churches also lost their passion?

How in the world do we gain, or regain this passion? I’m fifty-eight years old and AARP has already come knocking at my door. I no longer have the virile energy I once had. Sometimes I lie on my couch in the evenings without moving. How can I change the world from my couch?

DOES ANYONE HAVE SOME ANSWERS? CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO FIND ANSWERS ON HOW TO REGAIN OUR PASSION?

See you next time.
Arlen

Falling at His Feet!

Dear Readers,

Days, weeks, months, and years go by with seemingly no extraordinary events. Nothing that a person can hang his hat on and say, “That was really special!” We can easily identify with Solomon when he wrote, “…all is vanity and grasping for the wind”. Ecclesiastes 1:14. (NKJV)

Luke 8 is a wonderful passage that can lift me out of my feeling of the “vanity” of life. What I need to understand is that most of the people written about in Luke, the rest of the Bible, and perhaps many of you feel my same doldrums from time to time.

Look at the women mentioned in Luke 8:1-3. Mary Magdalene had seven demons. I guess she had many days, weeks, and years when she questioned whether her torment would ever end. Also Joanna and Susanna, and other prominent women likely had wealthy husbands and all their needs met. Why weren’t they just content with their lives?

Verse 4 states that “a great multitude” came “from every city” to hear Jesus speak. This would indicate that many people felt the same as I do right now. They wanted something good to happen that would prove there was meaning to life.

Jesus spoke words they could understand. He talked of planting, of light, and he even told the people that if they wanted to be his brothers and mother they needed to “hear the word of God and do it”. As if all this weren’t enough He calmed a storm swept sea and healed a demon possessed man.

Then Jairus, a local synagogue ruler, came and fell down at the feet of Jesus and “begged” Him to come to his house to help his ill and dying daughter. This event was striking to me because it was a story of a man that had nowhere else to turn for help. He knew that his pious prayers in the synagogue did not heal his daughter. He knew that his “religious” friends were not able to bring her back to life. What did Jairus have to lose? His position in the synagogue paled in comparison to his daughter’s life.

Parallel in my life and perhaps yours = Feeling hopeless with nowhere else to turn for meaning or healing in your life or the lives of your loved ones.

Solution = Falling at the feet of Jesus to beg Him to help us.

See you next time.
Arlen

Tent Meeting, or Camp Meeting?

Dear Readers, 

I came upon a curious passage of scripture recently that involved Moses and Joshua, the right hand man of Moses, and Eldad and Medad, elders in the camp of the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land.
 
There was much envy and strife in the camp, dating all the way back to the golden calf incident. Rebellious men and their entire families were swallowed up by giant chasms in the ground, burned to death with fire from heaven, or ordered to by Moses to killed by the sword.
 
In this case the Israelite people had plenty of manna, but now they longed for some meat. So Moses at the Lord's direction called the elders to come and surround his tent to address the complaints. The Lord was going to send quail for meat, but first He was going to show the elders His presence, which to date had only been directly seen by Moses.
 
The problem was two elders who didn’t obey the command. They were nowhere near Moses’s tent. I’m guessing no one missed Eldad and Medad at the sacred gathering. But then word spread that instead of attending the “tent meeting”, they were having their own “camp meeting” with God. A young man ran to Moses and gave the news of Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp rather than to obey Moses’s call for the elders to meet around his tent.
 
Here we go again, two more rebellious souls. Hadn’t they learned anything? Joshua called Moses to take action against the men to stop this horrific act. I again was expecting the two men to be brutally killed, or at the least to be struck with a plague.
 
But Moses, instead of becoming incensed at Eldad and Medad, said to Joshua: “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. Numbers 11:29-30 (NIV).
 
Why was this passage so striking to me? As I grow older I see people, including myself, jockeying for positions with families, friends, in the workplace, churches, and in the world. We become offended easily when we don’t get the attention we think we deserve and we openly share our discontent.
 
I hope I’m becoming wiser to avoid this trap and instead try to follow the way of Moses. Rather than becoming angry at their disregard of the order to be present at the meeting called by the Lord Himself, Moses recognized that maybe God had called Eldad and Medad individually, perhaps to a “camp meeting” even before the “tent meeting” began.
 
See you next time,
Arlen

Invasion of the Soul Snatchers

(Dear Readers: Some of you may have watched the movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" filmed in 1956 and remade in 1978. This blog post is a take-off on that movie. I hope you find it meaningful.)

He wants our souls and will stop at nothing. He'll allow the infiltration of our minds with seemingly innocent and innocuous ideas. His goal is to lull us into thinking that everything is OK, that we're on the right track in life, that we're doing enough to get favor from man...and God. He even likes when we don't think at all about the meaning of life.

Our good thoughts about "religious" people are no problem to him, as long as those people leave us alone. Good people and religious people can live side by side in harmony, all we need to do is to just keep our distance and don't open ourselves up to each other.

And look at all the hypocrisy in Christians. Remember the televangelists that did things to prove they were hoaxes; the Billy Graham Crusades had "plants" that went forward first so others would follow. We can use logic and explain anything away if we think hard and long enough

But stay away from what might be called "soul snatchers". They're beginning to enter our workplaces and communities, and they never give up on their prey. They are tenacious and hang on with all their might and nothing can make them lose hope. They believe the Bible to a fault and they cannot be steered off course. They want all people, even the worst of us, to give our hearts to a man called Jesus who they claim is the Son of God. How can any man claim that?

These people say that Jesus can invade our bodies with His Holy Spirit. That seems too strange to even consider. And what about this blood thing? Who wants to be covered by blood? That seems almost disgusting, like it's out of a horror movie!

But they never give up. They use the Bible verses in Matthew 7 that talks about the "broad" path and the "narrow" path. They then try to convince us that the broad path leads to hell and the narrow path leads to heaven. How can anyone tell another person that they might end up in hell if they go on a certain path?

These soul snatchers take literally the verse in Jude 23 where Jude instructed followers of Christ to "save others by snatching them from the fire".

But don't worry friends. Our leader has plans for them to make them lose their zeal. He will come against these zealots with all he's got.

Their soul snatching fervor will diminish…or will it?

“Amish This” & “Amish That”

Dear Readers:

I often tell my wife my dislike for things labeled “Amish This” or “Amish That”. Currently there is a wave of labels of goods, services, and philosophies that have the word “Amish” attached to them. There are “Amish Goods”, “Amish Wisdom”, “Amish Books”, “Amish Furniture”, “Amish Heaters”, “Amish Proverbs”, “Amish Cheese”, “Amish America”, etc. The funniest one I ever saw was “Amish Meat". I'm still looking for the first Amish cow!

Why are businesses and people, in many cases “English” people, attaching the word Amish to their wares? Are Amish made products and Amish wisdom better than other products and wisdom?

I’m from Holmes County, Ohio, so I know that tourism there has brought great prosperity. Holmes County is touted as having the largest Amish population in the world, and has grown from a sleepy community with one motel/hotel in the entire county to having hotels, restaurants, bed & breakfasts, and tourist stores at every turn.

Is what happened to Holmes County a good thing? I’m not sure. I’m guilty of the same pride when I return and take friends and relatives through there and let them know where everything is located.

I also proudly tell my wife that if I ever start a business I’m not going to use the name Amish in the title, but will use the name “Yoder”. But by association almost everyone knows that Yoder is usually attached to having an Amish heritage. I would then vicariously be using my Amish roots to get gain.

I recently watched a video of Jim Cymbala, the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, where he preached to a group of pastors and missionaries about Jesus driving out the money changers. He said that Jesus drove them out on two separate occasions. My question is, can the use of the Amish label to products be compared to the money changers of the temple, or am I way off base? The money changers and sellers of animals to be sacrificed used the religious traditions of the Jewish nation to make money, usually at inflated prices. They let themselves believe they were doing a service, and they may have told themselves they were entitled to make a little extra money on the side.

Can the same be said of the use of the Amish name and traditions? I don’t have all the answers. I love my relatives that have grown up Amish. I love and am proud of my Amish roots. But I don’t want to be so infatuated with them that I forget a more important equation: Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-10

See you next time,
Arlen

Open-Door Policy

Dear Readers:

The things Peter warned us about in 1 Peter 4:12 seems to be happening to me and my family. He said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” Without going into detail I never thought that we would be experiencing the almost surreal things we are right now.

The event in our lives is so unexpected that it makes me question, “Why?” I’m sure that there are some people that might point out our flaws and the flaws of my family and say the following: “See what happens when you’re out of God’s will.” I have questioned this myself so I can’t blame them, although it would be a hurtful thing to say.

Others might say that God is taking us through a time of time of suffering for Christ as Peter indicated in verse 13, “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

Good things are happening in our family like never before and perhaps our “fiery ordeal” is a way of Satan putting roadblocks in the way to slow us down. My wife just got a publishing contract for three fiction books, and the books will reveal some flaws in the proliferation of romanticizing the Amish culture. The books will point out that many Amish people, although religious, are not taught to become saved and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We also had some minor involvement in a PBS production and a National Geographic production and had film crews in our home twice in the last year. In one production a man that formerly was Amish became born-again.

I cannot control the thinking of other people about our circumstances. All I can do is to have what I might call an “open-door policy” with wisdom. Solomon wrote the following in Proverbs 8:33-35 about waiting daily at the doors of wisdom:

Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the LORD.

See you next time,  
Arlen

"I've Got You Covered!"

Dear Readers:

Among Christians, especially conservative Christians, there is much debate over the merits of women wearing head coverings. Some will even use the word apostasy attached to the non-wearing of them. I, however, want to talk about a more important covering, if you will. It is the blood covering of Christ on a person who is a believer in Him.

I was having a bad week recently at work. I was not meeting the productivity requirements and my boss was talking to me each day about it. That, along with new programs and my new supervisory role got me down. I was feeling like a real failure. I even wrote on Facebook the fact that I needed “help”.

I had many wonderful encouragements from family, friends, and my pastor. I prayed during the evening about it. The next morning I awoke early and was not able to go back to sleep before I needed to get ready for work. I turned on the TV and watched a preacher whom I never spent much time watching before. One statement he made seemed directed toward me and my condition of worry.

I don’t know the exact wording, but it went something like this. “God is very powerful. He can see through walls, and into the hearts of men. He is all powerful...but He is not able to do one thing.” This statement sparked my interest. What in the world would God not be privy to? Who was this preacher and what nonsense was he going to spout off?

I was ready to tune this preacher out and turn him off, when he made the following statement. He said, again I paraphrase, “God cannot see the failures and sins of a person bought and covered by the blood of the Lamb”. In other words God cannot see any sin or failure in me when I’m in Christ and covered by His blood.

What a wonderful feeling I had! God cannot see my failures and sins when I bring them under the blood of Jesus. I am a success in His eyes. I asked my wife about this preacher’s statement. She wisely stated that it is like the passing over of the death angel when the Israelites put the sacrificed lamb’s blood on the lintel of their doors. The Israelites were downtrodden and I would guess many of them felt they were failures. But by faith in God they followed God’s command given through Moses and their firstborn sons were saved. What a wondrous picture of the power of the covering of blood. I’m now beginning to know the meaning of the saying, “I’ve got you covered.”

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13 (NIV)

See you next time,  
Arlen

The Whole Town Went Out to Meet Jesus

Dear Readers:

The facts are clear. The Bible gives numerous examples of groups of people gathering near to Jesus. Matthew 8:34 states that even a “…whole town went out to meet Jesus.” Wherever he went there were people scurrying to get close to him.

What was it about him that drew them? Was it his charisma and charm? Was it because of his great leadership skills? Was it due to having great oratory skills in which his words almost came alive?

Another question: Why aren’t people drawn to Jesus now? Why is there limited or no excitement, or buzz if you will, to draw near to Jesus?

I can just hear a person back in Bible times who went to a friend’s home and stated, “Jesus is out on the hillside, let’s go up to hear him. Maybe he’ll perform a miracle. Maybe he’ll let the Pharisees have a piece of his mind. I’m not sure what it is, but there's something different about him. Let’s go up there to see him!”

Where then is the disconnection now? And how can the connection be reestablished? Jesus was crucified, lay in the tomb, and rose after three days. He then went into heaven in the sight of his disciples. Is this where the “buzz” over him ended?

There seems to be excitement over him after that by the disciples explained in the book of Acts when they got together to talk about their experiences with Jesus over what he said and did, and the fact that he truly was the Son of God. And who can ever forget the “tongues of fire” in Acts 2:3 and where “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:46. Don’t these verses just make you wish you would have been there?

Do we need charismatic leaders or great orators to bring us out of our doldrums? Or do we need ordinary folks like you and me to understand who Jesus is, to draw spiritually very close to him, and to accept the power of the Holy Spirit promised in Acts 1:8 to spread the good news of Jesus to all those around us?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

See you next time,
Arlen

"There's Something About That Name"

Dear Readers:

When I first became a Christian in the 70’s there were several Christian singers that I listened to repeatedly. One was Evie and the other was the husband and wife team Bill and Gloria Gaither. Who can ever forget Evie’s “Pass It On” with the famous first line “It only takes a spark to get a fire going…”?

But the song that I loved the most was a simple one verse song by the Gaithers entitled “There’s Something About That Name”. The verse goes like this and is repeated several times.
 
"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there’s just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim;
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there’s something about that name."

Gloria Gaither then went on to state, with the music playing, the famous speech about the power, love, and healing that is embodied in the name of Jesus. It’s a name that will last for eternity and can never be snuffed out.

For the year 2012 (“twelve”) my goal is to “delve” into the person and name of Jesus. Corny as it may sound I rhyme the number of the new year with a theme term for the year.

Many churches have specific emphases and they focus on the theme that is emphasized. For Mennonites it may be peace and non-resistance. For Amish it may be living a humble and non-worldly lifestyle. For Nazarenes it may be living a holy life. For Baptists it may be eternal security. For Pentecostals it may be the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.

All of these things might be good in their own right. But in my opinion they are just pieces of a puzzle. But the full picture is one of Jesus, and Him alone. The verses in Philippians 2:9-11 sum up the power of that wonderful name: 

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

See you next time,
Arlen

Sparkle Like a Jewel

Dear Readers:

Sometimes I feel insecure and wonder what I have to offer others to make them think about changing their lives. What would another person see in me that would draw them to my wonderful Savior and friend?

I think I found the answer in two verses in Zechariah 9. They are the following:

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

and Zechariah 9:16

The LORD their God will save his people on that day
as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
like jewels in a crown.

The first verse identifies the source of why the people of Zion can rejoice. The second identifies what can happen to persons whom God saves and becomes their shepherd. They can sparkle like jewels.

See you next time,
Arlen

Mennonite Boys Don't Dance...Do They?

Dear Readers,

I ask you, did you ever have the urge to burst out in song and dance in the local grocery store, walking down the street, or even while sitting or standing in church?

There is a phenomenon in America called a flash mob. It is defined by Wikipedia as the following: “A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression.”

Movie musicals and Broadway plays have long used a “flash mob mindset”, if you will. I’m no expert why musicals have long been popular, except that they are enjoyable to watch with their sometimes inspiring songs and dance routines. Who can ever forget Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers routines, or Gene Kelly “Singing in the Rain”. One of my favorite musicals of all time is “Fiddler on the Roof” with the tug of war between religious change and “Tradition”. The younger generation can likely name more contemporary musicals that had an impact on them where one singer or dancer starts, and then finally a whole “mob” of singers and dancers join in.

I'm a boy that who grew up Mennonite with Amish roots that has had the urge at times to break out in song and dance, sometimes in public places. My wife and son laugh when I talk about it. I know a bystander would not encounter ballet-like dance moves emanating from me, and they might clap their hands over their ears to stop the noise. But the urge still remains.

Where does this urge come from? I think it is the same type of feeling that some of us felt as kids when we dreamed of flying like a bird, or floating up in the air like a balloon.

I have a hypothesis. I’m not much into science, but it seems to me like the desire to break out in song and dance, to fly, and even lift our hands in praise comes from an innate desire to ascend into heavenly realms. Perhaps it is God calling us to Himself.

Lest a person thinks a Mennonite boy with Amish roots should be a picture of humility and not succumb to such foolishness I ask them to look up in the Bible Jeremiah 31:12-14, Luke 7:32, or the story of David dancing with all his might when he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14).

Perhaps someday some of us will lose our inhibitions and break out into our own impromptu flash mob or musical for the Lord.

See you next time,
Arlen

God Really Likes You!

Dear Readers,

On Sunday our pastor made a statement that has really stuck with me. He said, “You know, God really likes you!"

I’m not really sure why that statement packed such a punch to me. My wife and I were discussing it last night, and I admit that I’m still in a little bit of a fog why it struck me so deeply.

I think it has something to do with the fact that all of us want to be liked. Ever since I was in grade school when a classmate told me that someone else liked me I immediately felt a boost of self-esteem. It was usually followed with a tinge of doubt that it was really true. After all, what could a person see in me, a tall, skinny kid who had an inferiority complex?

In high school I was made aware of several girls who said they were interested in being friends with me. I always held them at arm’s length, because I was afraid if they got too close they would see me for the insecure person I was.

Here, a varsity basketball player who could put the ball through a hoop and grab a rebound did not have the self-confidence to even talk to a girl! I was flattered, however, with the thought that a girl might see something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and that perhaps they really did like me.

Numerous places in the Bible there are quotes about God’s love for us. I’m not sure why it is, but the term has become somewhat impersonal to me. I know that God’s love is real, but somehow it seems “out there somewhere”, if you know what I mean.

When I heard the statement from our pastor on Sunday that “God really likes you” it seemed more personal somehow. It made me feel God is my personal friend who likes me and wants to spend time with me. He's a friend that does not care about my foibles; he likes my character, my sense of humor, and even my idiosyncrasies. I'm a unique person who He deems worthy to call His friend.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:15 (NIV)

See you next time,
Arlen

A Porcelain Doll

Dear Readers,

Last week I was shopping at Save A Lot grocery store when I saw some people that really struck my interest. You see my Dad grew up Amish and I have many Amish relatives. I have lived around and among Amish people all my life.

Lately, however, when I see an Amish person or family I try to think in my mind what their lives might be like. I think what might make them excited or happy? I think what might make them depressed or sad? Don’t ask me why I do it. I don’t even really know myself.

In Save A Lot what I saw was a really young conservative Amish couple and their baby. I know they were from a conservative sect by their apparel and the man’s haircut. The man was wearing a long coat and the woman a long shawl.

What really struck me, however, was the little baby. She was bundled up in dark outer clothing with only her tiny face showing. The face I saw looked perfect with its flesh and pinkish glow. The mother carried the little girl with ease in her strong arms as she looked for food bargains. The baby rested still as she turned with every move of the mother. I kid you not the first thing I thought of was that the little baby girl looked just like a porcelain doll that might be purchased in a store.

When I came back to reality I thought to myself, the baby in front of me is not a porcelain doll. She is a real person, full of promise and hope. Her whole life is ahead of her. What will her life hold? Will it hold happiness? Will it be filled with sadness? Will she get married and have a family? Will she have many brothers and sisters? Will she have people around her that try to understand what makes her feel fulfilled?

Many questions yet unanswered for this beautiful little living porcelain doll.

See you next time,
Arlen

Become an Action Hero!

Dear Readers,

Kids emulate sports and action heroes. They practice incessantly the same moves as their heroes.

At the workplace there is an ongoing call to take action to get work accomplished to produce a product or service to make money.

As a parent sometimes we get stern with our son or daughter when we perceive they are becoming lackadaisical about taking action toward completing school work, chores, or a career pursuit.

One of my pastors about twenty years ago lamented the fact that he was up in front of the church Sunday after Sunday pitching what he felt were meaningful sermons. But one Sunday he threw us a changeup when he urged us to not focus on just the words of the sermon, but to “do something!”

God used Jeremiah to talk a little about action. It starts in Jeremiah 31 and carries over to Jeremiah 32 (NIV). Jeremiah the prophet wrote in 31:33: “This is the covenant I will make to the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law into their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.”

God goes on in chapter 32:38-39: “They will be my people and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action….”

The message of Jeremiah is that when we are called by God, He puts His law in our minds, gives us singleness of heart, then He directly gives us action to take. This truly is the best way to become an “Action Hero”!

See you next time,
Arlen

Staggering Toward Slaughter

 

Dear Readers

"Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?" Proverbs 25:11-12

The topic "staggering toward slaughter" seems pretty morbid. It sounds like a meat slaughter house with cattle going toward their doom without realizing it. I don't like thinking about where my meat comes from and how it got on a plate in front of me. I likely think the meat industry also does not want consumers thinking too much about it. It might affect the sale of meat.

What was Solomon trying to say? Proverbs 1:1-3 state that Solomon wrote Proverbs to Israel to help them in "gaining wisdom and instruction" and to learn how to proceed "doing what is right and just and fair".

I can't read Solomon's mind but I will make a logical guess what he was trying to say. He was concerned about the Israelites and their relationship to God. He perhaps likened them to cattle that were unable to perceive that doom awaited them.

My Dad, now deceased, grew up in the Amish church, and my family and I are involved with Mission to Amish People (MAP). Amish people, and people of many other denominations, emphasize works and following rules. Acceptance of God and salvation by faith in His Son Jesus Christ is oftentimes not a point of emphasis. I myself grew up in a Mennonite church and was baptized and taken in as a member when I was about fourteen years old, but I know I was not saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

First question: Can many of these dear and beloved Amish people, others, and myself before I was saved by faith in Jesus Christ, be likened to cattle staggering toward slaughter?

Second question: Is Satan behind the staggering, and does he want people to think about the fact that they might be headed toward slaughter?

Third question: What is our role to "hold back" persons headed toward slaughter?

Fourth question: What is God's perspective on us if we do not make an effort to "hold back" persons staggering toward slaughter?

See you next time,
Arlen