Checking the Daily Numbers

Dear Readers,

The title of my video blog today is “Checking the Daily Numbers”. It’s about a habit that you and I might have, and about gaining a wonderful habit of checking daily numbers that really count. I pray you find it meaningful.

See you next time,

Arlen

Playing Church

Dear Readers,

The title of my video blog today is “Playing Church”. It’s about a concern that I have, that I…and many others, are missing the most important message of all, and are in essence….”Playing Church”. I pray you find it meaningful.

See you next time,

Arlen

March Gladness

Dear Readers,

The title of my video blog today is “March Gladness”. It’s about, in this Easter season, turning "March Madness" into "March Gladness". I pray that you find it meaningful.

See you next time,

Arlen

I Sometimes Wonder

Dear Readers,

The title of my video blog today is “I Sometimes Wonder”. It’s about wondering why people, and things are the way they are, and how they got to be that way. I pray that you find it meaningful.

See you next time,

Arlen

A Sight for Sore Eyes - The Sequel

Dear Readers, 

My video blog today is the sequel to my October 28, 2012 video blog. Back then we talked about "Someone" who is "A Sight for Sore Eyes", and today's video is about "Something" that is also "A Sight for Sore Eyes" that makes us feel good and gives us hope.  I pray that you find it meaningful. 

See you next time,

Arlen

Happy Anniversary to Dee, My Wonderful Wife!

Dee,

Happy 16th anniversary Honey.

I love you,

Arlen

A Sight for Sore Eyes

Dear Readers, 

My video blog today is about seeing someone or something, perhaps unexpectedly, that makes us feel good and gives us hope.  I pray that you find it meaningful. 

See you next time,

Arlen

"Just What the Truth Is..."

Dear Readers, 

My video blog today is about having memories, sometimes unpleasant ones...that shape who you are. I pray that you find it meaningful. 

See you next time,

Arlen

Happenings

Dear Readers,

I made this video blog (vlog) today entitled "Happenings". I hope you find it meaningful and that real happenings begin occurring in your lives.

See you next time,

Arlen

Puzzling

Dear Readers,

Here is another video blog. I hope you enjoy it, find it meaningful, and it helps you solve the puzzles of your life.

See you next time,

Arlen

The Road Less Traveled

Dear Readers,

This is my first effort at a video blog (vlog). I hope you find it meaningful.

See You Next Time,

Arlen

Who is "Sent"?

Dear Readers,

I am not stating the following question to be controversial or adversarial. I’m stating it because I wonder about the truthfulness of it. How many of our pastors and Christian leaders today are “sent” by the Holy Spirit, or are they merely pursuing an occupation?

I’ve lately felt deeply disturbed in my soul. It has to do with my many relatives, friends, and acquaintances that don’t know Christ. America and our communities are saturated with churches and people claiming to be religious, and even more claiming to be Christian. But we have minimal effect on the people around us. 

One might quote the saying of Jesus, “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” in Matthew 7:13. That person might say that people going on the broad way are going toward their destiny, and there is nothing we can do about it.

I’m not sure why Jesus said those words. In a way it seems fatalistic, like there is no recourse but to let masses of people head toward destruction. Or was He just being realistic in stating a truth?

I think we get a true picture of where His heart was only two chapters later in Matthew 9:37-38. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

And who can forget the Great Commission in Matthew 28. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..."

I think it’s clear that Jesus was just stating a truth in the first Matthew passage, but later in Matthew he showed his passion for people who are lost without a shepherd.

Paul in Romans 10:14-15 further identifies something that I think is a problem in today’s church. He says the following: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?”

The crux of the matter is people, whether they are Christian leaders or lay people, are they “sent” by God and His Holy Spirit? And if they are being sent, and I include myself in this, why are we, and I include myself, having so little impact?

See you next time,  
Arlen

Where's Waldo...Phinehas?

Dear Readers,

There was just something about the “Where’s Waldo?” pictures that was addictive. Whoever invented the Waldo concept was either a genius, or maybe just lucky to hit on something that would become so popular to millions. Who of you has not spent at least some time searching for Waldo?

Waldo was an everyday man living in an everyday world. Actually he was an everyday man living in many everyday worlds. The artist had at his disposal many themes of possible places he could conjure up where Waldo might be found.

Waldo had some constants, however, that made him at least slightly recognizable among the vast crowd/s. The red-striped stocking cap with a red pompom and red-striped shirt gave evidence to Waldo’s presence. But the artist was able to obscure the real Waldo with many other red-striped characteristics and people in red-striped garb.

Also there was the hair. Waldo’s dark brown hair coiffed off to the right of his hat was something one could look for. And who could ever forget, or miss the round black-rimmed glasses with wide white dotted eyeballs?

Then lastly, who could forget Waldo’s constant smile? Waldo seemed to be happy in whatever world he found himself.

I came across a story recently in I Chronicles 9 that reminded me a little of Waldo. God had allowed the people of Judah to be taken away into Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. But now there were some who were allowed to return to their homeland.

Genealogies as a rule are difficult for me to read. They seem tedious and I sometimes wonder why God inspired the authors of the Bible to write them. The author of I Chronicles 9 includes a genealogy of the people of Judah who were released from Babylon to return back home to Judah to their towns and properties.

I was doing my due diligence trying to stay focused to read through this particular genealogy when something struck my eye. Like finding Waldo in an obscure land I found Phinehas among the many Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants that had returned. The many other men mentioned were deemed important in the reoccupation. I’m sure their family members in later generations were proud when they saw their ancestor mentioned as a returning refugee.

What was different about Phinehas, and why did the author choose to put in an identifying characteristic, just like Waldo, to help the seeker to find him?

The specific characteristic is mentioned only once in this passage. Also, in many other Bible genealogies there is only sometimes something mentioned that sets a particular person apart.

It is said of Phinehas, one of the many gatekeepers who guarded the entrance of the temple, “and the Lord was with him”.

Why was Phinehas identified among so many others in such a way? What did the author know about Phinehas that inspired him to write that the Lord was with him? I think the specific nature of what Phinehas actually did to deserve to be set apart will likely never be known to us on this side of heaven.

My question is can we be like Phinehas? I’m not advocating that we knowingly do things to gain recognition like Phinehas. My guess is Phinehas never even knew that the author of I Chronicles wrote about him in such a way.

But can it be said of us “and the Lord was with him”, or “and the Lord was with her”?

See you next time,
Arlen

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