Month: April 2020

I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

George Bennard 1912

Today begins the 18th day of a 30 day ‘stay at home’ order in response to this monster we know as COVID19.  To say that this is causing massive stress on a multitude of people is indeed an understatement.  The loss of income, the loss of health, and the loss of life is taking a toll.

Today is also Good Friday.  You want to talk about stress, imagine what Jesus went through about 2,000 years ago that fateful Friday.  He was beaten, He was mocked, He was spit on, and He was crucified.  He took with Him on that cross, with His badly beaten body, the punishment for every sinner, every sin, ever committed for those who place their trust in Him.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30  ESV

With that, it WAS finished.  Christ work was complete, sins washed for all who believe, and on the 3rd day, He rises from the dead, proves He is God, salvation is complete.  He did this for all who will accept His offer.  Don’t miss it.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:13 HCSB

It is day 17 of 30 of the ‘stay at home’ order.  Nothing original in this post.  It has been said in various forms by many in the last few days.  But when this madness is over, may I never take the small things for granted again.

When I walk into a restaurant, fast food, or treats shop again, may I never again not acknowledge the people around me.  May I take a genuine interest in how my server is.  Even if it is not fantastic service, may I tell them thank you, tell them “God bless you”, and mean it, and leave a generous tip.

When I can get my haircut again (and it desperately needs it), may I never again be stoic and quiet, may I take an interest in my barber or stylist, tell them ‘thank you and God bless you”, and mean it.  May I leave them a generous tip.

When I can go to a festival or parade again, may I show the love of Christ to all around me.  If someone is standing “too close” to me, in my “personal space”, may I never again be annoyed, but use that opportunity to be thankful that we can stand that close to people again.  May the love of Christ be radiant in me, where they can see that something in me has Christ living inside.

When I can go back to work again, may I not get annoyed at a fellow employee, or a customer, no matter the situation.  But may I be thankful I am working again and not depending on the government.  May I be happy and thankful to see my fellow employees again, and thankful they are well and happy.  May the love of Christ show in everything I do.

When I can go back to church again, may I NEVER EVER feel claustrophobic again if people are sitting “too close” to me.  May I hit my knees when we pray, may I sing so loud (even off key), that I can be heard outside.  When we welcome each other to Church, may I shake 100 hands before I sit back down, instead of my usual 3 or 4 and done routine.

But until then, for now, I can thank God that I am well, that my family and friends are well.  That He is still taking care of me.  I can thank first responders when I see them.  I can thank a doctor or a nurse.  I can thank the underpaid clerk selling groceries, tip them if allowed.  I can pray out to God and ask Him to protect those who are looking out for us.  I can ask Him to guide our president and leaders to give them Godly wisdom, and to guide world leaders, even in countries who think they have no use for God.

Maybe, just maybe God is using this pandemic to push the reset button, to give the world a chance to slow down, and start over.  We who know Christ would be wise to listen.  For those who don’t know Christ, you think maybe He is trying to tell you something?  Call out to Him today, right now.  This may be your last wake up call.

For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

Matthew 26:11 ESV

It’s the middle of the week.  And hopefully at day 16 of 30, we are halfway through the stay at home order.   I am afraid though, it may be extended a bit longer.   Maybe it needs to be.

A grocery store chain out of Iowa, which has stores here in the Kansas City area, has a new commercial about heroes, with the song Holding Out For A Hero playing in the background. During the one minute commercial they show different types of heroes.  Scientist, medical professionals, military, first responders, and yes, grocery employees, all working and risking their safety.  This is the kind of commercial that will punch you hard in the feels.  Our country and the world is going through something that hasn’t happened at this magnitude in probably over 100 years.  Thankfully our technology has advanced such to where we can hopefully, prayerfully soon contain this monster, and stop the sadness and the death toll.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds.  Only God does.  But those of us who are Christians, who have placed our faith in Christ alone to save us, we should fear not.  We know, nothing, nothing, is too big for God to handle.  And whatever may happen in this life, we look forward to that glorious day which is sung in a classic hymn, which is one of my personal favorites.  Here is the last stanza from It Is Well.

O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul.

Is it well with your soul?  If the clouds are rolled back today, and Christ appears, are you ready?   If not you can be.  Call out to Him to save you today, right now.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

John 3:16 NKJV

Here it is day 15 of the 30 day ‘stay at home’ order.  Trying to make sense of all this nonsense, continues to be a hassle, a struggle, and it is downright depressing.  I feel like I am crossing two railroad tracks at once.  First, with the state of Kansas, trying to get my unemployment benefits started.  And then, trying to work with my employers HR department, trying to figure out what new guidelines they are setting up and trying to get important information.  It seems impossible.  They haven’t returned calls to their office.  They have changed their minds and policies multiple times since all this madness began.  It is actually really sad.  We have two unpleasant entities here.  A state bureaucracy, and the HR department of a company who likes to fancy itself as caring for their employees.  My company is the one who created this monster, (at least in regards to how their employees are being treated) but it has been the state of Kansas, who at this point, has been easier to work with, been more helpful, been more compassionate, been more accessible, and more trusting.   Right now the competition between the two isn’t even close.  And it shouldn’t even be a competition, it shouldn’t even be an issue.  My company should be taking better care of their employees.  Many of us have been very loyal to this company, and have been with them many years.  Some even decades.  Will the employee loyalty remain when the madness ends and we can all report back to work?  I suppose time will tell.  I am afraid a reputation has been tarnished, in the best case scenario, but frightfully possible, it has been destroyed.  I pray they will do the right thing.  Not just because we employees deserve better, but because many eyes are on them right now.  The eyes are on a company who says they put God first.  They need to do the right thing, and show people who are watching, and who work for them, that they care.

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness

Lamentations 3:22-23  ESV

We are on the 14th day of a 30 day stay at home order.  Are we almost halfway done?  I sure hope so.

Monday begins another week of adventure.  My company has certainly done their part to make these times more challenging.  Instructions on what we need to do, and what to expect in the coming weeks are clear as mud, which sadly for them, is something of a trend.  Things will, I’m sure, be resolved and everything will work out for the best.  Faith and trust, it can be tested, but it must be hung on to.  Patience is also key in keeping a peace of mind.  And aren’t all three of these virtues, things that God expects of us?

Running and walking for me are excellent stress relievers.  I think walking has been a stress reliever my whole life.  Running adds the adrenaline rush.  There is in running something called a ‘runners high’.  Sometimes I think I feel it,  but I can’t really describe it.  Running and walking is always a good time for me to talk to God.  Sometimes when I run I listen to secular music.  Sometimes Christian music.  Sometimes I’m just in my own world. (some people would say I spend a lot of time there, and it’s OK, I’m happy there)  And sometimes I am praying, pleading, and sometimes crying out to God.  You don’t have to be a runner or a walker to talk  to God.  But God does want you to talk to Him.  He knows your struggles.  He knows everything troubling you.  He’s waiting for you to talk to Him.  There is a direct line,  He won’t place you on hold.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

Romans 12:12 ESV

Today is the 13th day of the 30 day ‘stay at home’ order.  I feel rather than focusing on all the negatives happening right now,  let us remember what today is.  It is the Lord’s Day, and it is Palm Sunday.  Some 2,000 years ago today,  Jesus began His last week on earth before He would be crucified on that Friday, Good Friday, then rise up from the dead on Sunday, Easter Sunday.   Most of us will have to celebrate Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday from our homes, online.  This isn’t the way most of us want to celebrate these Holy remembrances, but thankfully we have the technology, and for many of us, the means, to watch on our devices.  Imagine though if the apostle Paul could have preached using a Smartphone or Android from his prison cell.   What if Jesus had used a YouTube channel when He preached the Sermon On The Mount?   Perhaps God didn’t allow that type of technology then was, people wouldn’t remember, they may not have recorded the Word into something lasting.  The Word of God wasn’t recorded on anything fancy, it was written by many authors, inspired by God, thousands of years ago, and exist still today.  Maybe God is using the difficulties we are in right now to bring us closer to Him.  Maybe He has something He really wants us to hear right now.  Are you listening?  I hope I am.

 ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. ⁹ The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

¹⁰ When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:8-11 NASB

As I write this blog, I am watching the movie God’s Not Dead.  I am so thankful He is not.  Today is day 12 of the 30 day ‘stay at home order’.  It is early spring and yesterday winter decided to make an uninvited encore appearance.  To make matters worse, my company finally decided to obey the recommendations they had been given, and shut down all their stores.  However in doing so, it is without paying their employees, at all, after Friday April 3, 2020.  Additionally, they won’t allow employees to utilize their personal or vacation time.  This is requiring I’m sure, most all of their thousands of employees to file unemployment.  Hopefully this won’t be a terribly long furlough, as they call it.

This isn’t a time for being too anxious, though it may be difficult not to take that approach.  If God wasn’t in charge of the universe, then I would be terrified.  Things seem uncertain right now, but we know as believers, based on God’s word, victory is ours in Jesus.  Things will return to normal, hopefully soon.  People will go back to work again.  Kids will go back to their schools again.  Parks will reopen, sporting events will happen, concerts will resume.  We can hug each other and shake their hands again.  We can all go back to church again instead of online.  But until then, look around. Rabbits are still hopping.  Birds are still singing, dogs are still barking, the trees are budding, the grass is turning green.  The sun is still shinning, the moon is still beaming, and……… God is still in control!

⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 HCSB

It is now day 11 of the 30 day ‘stay at home’ order.  The company I work for continues to embarrass itself, and embarrass me for working there.  Maybe they aren’t embarrassed, but they should be.

I am no Patrick Henry, or Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., or JFK.  All these men once gave great speeches in regard to our freedoms, or helping our fellow Americans.  I am not that kind of gifted orator.  I have no wise patriotic advice that people will be quoting 100 years from now.  And people certainly will not be quoting wise theological advice from me.  I am no Billy Graham or C.S. Lewis either.  I am more like the apostle Paul, though I am forgiven, I fail the Lord often, and too often do the things I know I shouldn’t.

There is an old hymn I remember growing up by Wendell P. Loveless and Will Houghton called Lead Me To Some Soul Today.  The lyrics begin, Lead me to some soul today, oh teach me Lord just what to say.  Like many hymns growing up, and some of the modern contemporary Christian music I hear.  I may hear the song a million times, but not listen until years later.  This song could be a prime example.  I may not have the wisdom of some of our gifted theologians living today, or centuries ago.  But if I trust God to lead me to someone who needs to hear the message of Christ, I can be assured God will speak through me like He has for many others.

Trust….Something God wants us to have, and isn’t always easy for us to do.  God also wants us to have faith.  Faith is what we have in Christ alone to save us from hell.  Trust is what we have in God that He will see us through.  Maybe not the way we expect, or even wish, but He will be with us.

With these current stressful and uncertain times, we must have faith, knowing Christ will save us if we ask Him, and we must trust God to protect us.  Even in the best of times, without both, life has no meaning.

¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Romans 7:15-20 ESV

We are on Day 10 of a 30 day ‘stay at home’ order. Wednesday, things started shaking up some more.

Sometimes you just have to accept that some things aren’t quite worthy of the pedestal you placed them on.  It is really pointless to go into much detail, other than to say the company I have worked for almost eight years , has seen fit to defy the law, and fine line their own definition of state statues.  In the past, they took a stand against a law that they thought was wrong, took it to the US Supreme Court, and won. I as a Christian, agreed with them.  I had thought then, that they were taking this action because they genuinely believed they were doing  something pleasing to the Lord, by protecting the unborn.  I hope that was indeed their intent, and not their financial bottom line they were worried about safe guarding.  If you had asked me two months ago, I would have told you this company is all about service, doing what is right for their employees, and what is pleasing to God.  Now, it seems the house of cards may have come crashing down.  And it may very well be a crash that all the pieces won’t be put back together.  If their reason for their recent actions was just to squeeze a few more pennies out of a candy peanut, then perhaps they deserve what may befall them.  I just hope and pray it isn’t going to take a lot of hard working, honest employees down with them.

My main worry is not necessarily for my company’s repudiation, that will be tarnished for a long time. That is their pill to swallow. My worry is when they claim they are acting as a Christian company, then act so recklessly irresponsible and not Christlike, and breaking the law, then those who are unsaved watching this unfold, will think all Christians are hypocrites, and be less likely to listen to a saving message about Christ. I pray that will not happen.

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ⁸ For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Galations 6:7-8  NKJV

I have always been fascinated with squirrels.  However, they are not the brightest of God’s creatures, as witnessed by their love of playing a real life game of Frogger.  Unfortunately for the squirrel, there are no ties, and they too often become a furry pancake on the street.  At least the squirrel has an excuse, his brain is not as big and as functional as those of a human, he doesn’t know that car he darts around can kill him.

It is day 9 of the ‘stay at home’ order issued for the Kansas City metro.  Many people are being smart, and only going to the store for what they need.  People need groceries.  People need gasoline, people need medicine, they need to go do laundry if they don’t have a way to clean their clothes at home.  People need to go to the doctor, the dentist, or take their pet to the vet if he gets sick.  What people don’t need right now are home decor items, craft paint, bandannas.  I get that there are exceptions, and if so, many items that can be found at a specialty store can also be found at a store that truly has a legitimate reason for being open.  And it is OK to go out on a run, or a walk, hiking or a bike ride, alone. Or with people living in your household.  Too many people however have less brains then the squirrel, and think they need a bag of candy, or a cheap canvas at a craft store.  They couldn’t buy it at a craft store if said craft store wasn’t digging for loopholes in the law to remain open, risking the health of others.  Sooner or later, there is going to be a big Frogger like splat, if some businesses don’t start being more cooperative.

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

Psalm 46:1-3 NKJV