Prayer for Uncle Ted

Danny is a man in our men’s Bible study. To the best of my knowledge, he is the first believer in his extended family. Danny has faced many trials in his young life. He is an over comer, has had a drastic change in lifestyle and conduct, a lover of the Word, doer of the Word, a pleasure to be around.

His Uncle Ted (in his 50’s) lives alone. He had a stroke and lay on the floor for four days before anyone found him. Uncle Ted ended up in the hospital in a coma. The prognosis was not good—an estimated 3 weeks in the hospital, then to a nursing home for rehabilitation with the possibility of never leaving the nursing home.

Danny felt led to go to the hospital and lay-on hands and pray for his uncle. The 25 mile drive to the hospital was filled with doubt about what he should do, but he pushed on in obedience even with these doubts hounding him.

When he arrived at the hospital and told his cousins what God had put on his heart, they told him they didn’t want him in the room but that he could remain in the waiting room. He waited and prayed.

Hours later he asked again if he could see his uncle, pray over him and lay on hands; reluctantly, his wish was granted. He prayed believing God would heal his uncle.

Last week we were told the story of Uncle Ted, so we prayed. This week Danny was asked about Uncle Ted. Danny said, “He walked with his walker to McDonalds to get an ice cream cone!” What?! “Yes,” Danny said, “his speech is even coming back!”

Goosebumps ran up the back of my arms. God is still in the business of healing people, transforming lives, and Danny continues to share that good news.

Driving home from the cities I called a friend whose son-in-law is battling cancer and has experienced a set back. We have to be careful, this good news of Uncle Ted’s recovery could be unsettling, leading to questions and doubt of why God is doing that for Uncle Ted and not for us?

I wanted to bring hope. A reminder and evidence of God’s healing and transforming power but many times it doesn’t happen on our time line. Uncle Ted’s story was accepted with tears of joy. Oh Lord, grant us patience while we wait for your timing and your healing. We wait with expectation for your coming. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come!

Thirty Short Years

I recently came across the following piece which was written on October 4, 1991, 25 years to the day of my joining the Air Force. It was written with consideration of the brevity of life, the universal nature of man’s problems, and the only solution: Jesus Christ.

"The twenty-three mile ride to Willmar in the ’60 Chevrolet pick-up was uneventful. The conversation was sparse and measured. At best, my Dad looked troubled.

It had to be hard to take your youngest son to the bus station to go off to the Air Force. The year was 1966; Viet Nam was in full swing. My pacifist, farmer, father didn’t consider it a war worth fighting. I thought the heaviness of his heart was due to the fact that I wouldn’t listen to his side of the story, but I was wrong.

We waited for the bus passing time in idle chatter and then he said it: “Thirty years, Jerry, thirty years.” He said, “Thirty years ago I married your Mom and after today, I’m alone again.”

When you are 18, thirty years seems like a long time. When you are 44, thirty years seems much shorter.

He was a good looking young farmer; strong, with big hands; the youngest son of a Lutheran German immigrant farmer. She was the oldest daughter of the same stock: German, solid, and Catholic. They had to love one another for a Lutheran and a Catholic to marry in 1936 was not something taken lightly in our farming town.

In the late thirties, times were improving. By 1941, they had a daughter and a son. Dry weather and hail challenged their perseverance, but crop prices were getting better. They lived through the Armistice Day storm, “just barely,” he said, “but we made it.”

He would remember the Day of Infamy and in his mind, FDR was rock solid. At the start of the war, he was 32 and farming; he never got called. His boyhood friend, Rudy Trapp, went to Europe—he never returned. He would reminisce, “with Rudy Trapp in left field and me in center, not many balls got by us.” And he would add for emphasis, “You better believe it!”

By 1947 they had another daughter and another son. Machinery was easier to get, crop prices were getting better. Frost, dry spells, hail, good crops, bad crops, good prices, bad prices were their companions. A growing family kept them busy.

“It started as a pain in her ribs,” he said, and five years later, he buried his wife. I was young but I remember it. He never remarried; “Pearl was the one for me, why should I get married again,” was his feeling.

The two older children married. Grandchildren began to fill his life but time continues to march on. His hair began to leave his head, what was left turned from brown to grey. He was a combination of boisterous and quiet; opinionated, belligerent and gentle. He always seemed to be missing a part of his life. As I got older, I realized what it was—it was Mom.

The bus arrived, my mind was spinning. The drive back to the farm in the ’60 Chevy pick-up must have been lonely—really lonely. Only thirty short years, he said, thirty short years.

He often said he wanted to die in his carrot patch. God granted him his wish. There was no one there when the angels came. He was alone except for his faithful dog, Butch standing guard.


Lord, slow me up. Make me appreciate my family now. Continue to use this past to teach me. Hold me securely. I have hope; I look ahead. With Jesus, I will not be alone.

James 4:13-14: Now listen you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Jesus said in Matthew 28, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Attending a Great Event—The end of wretchedness

Friday I attended a memorial service for my 101 year old Uncle Francis who died in Arizona last winter.

The memorial service was not the great event I’m talking about. The great event was at the memorial service when a woman proclaimed an end to the wretchedness of man. No, she didn’t stride to the front of church and make a formal announcement; no, she just slid it in John Newton’s hymn “Amazing Grace”. She changed the line “Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me” to “Amazing grace that saved a soul like me.”

Now I realize John Newton’s Amazing Grace is not the inspired word of God but its timeless message is true. Oh, Old Beef here doesn’t like being called a wretch either. I mean, on the whole, I’m a good ol’ soul, not too threatening. Oh, I tell a lie now and then, and I lust after my neighbors wife, but at least I’m not a wretched drunk like Bubba and I have not had an abortion like that woman who lives on Highway 71 while all the time I denying I’m a glutton…

As she sang, we cows and bulls of Bashon (read Amos Chapter 4) didn’t even squirm in the pews. We didn’t even belch or much less chew our cud. No, we all just sat there and went on being our “good ol’ soul” selves.

God help us. God doesn’t grade on a curve. All sin is sin to a Holy God. Denying the truth doesn’t make it go away. We are all wretches at the foot of the cross. We should all be found face first in blood stained dust at the foot of the cross not changing words to timeless hymns to make ourselves feel better. The only way we will be found clean is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that alone. God help us wretches. We need your help Lord now, more than ever. We hear the hoof beats on the horizon but we are not about to listen or change (Isaiah 66:4).

Caller I.D.-ing the Lord

Caller I.D. bugs me. Why do people need it? When I ask, most people dance around my question. I believe the real truth is—we don’t want to talk to certain people.

One defense of Caller I.D. is that there are times when we need our privacy, our time alone. May I suggest if this is true, don’t pay the monthly Caller I.D. charge, and just don’t answer the phone!

Why should this bother me? Let’s say you are a member of a service organization and need to line up workers for the yearly local celebration. You call someone; no answer; after 3 calls you find yourself talking to an answering machine and leave a message. You call again one week later to confirm if Bubba is going to be able to work at the celebration but again get no answer. I highly suspect you are a victim of “Caller I.D. itis”—probably it’s symptomatic of a fear of mine that some people just don’t want to talk to Old Jer!

In Isaiah 66:4 it says, “So I also will choose harsh treatment for them. And I will bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”

How many times has the Lord called and we chose not to answer. (Caller I.D.ing Him.) When He spoke we chose not to listen.

Remember there is a limit to God’s patience (Romans 1:20-32). The more we Caller I.D. Him when He calls, the less sensitive our conscience becomes and pretty soon we are going through our rituals (read Isaiah 66) with no feeling or passion. We become cold hearted with a backslapping, smiling, two-faced demeanor. God help us!

Who does the Lord esteem? Isaiah 66:2 says, “This is the one I esteem, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Maybe we need to be a little less protective of our privacy and “our own time” and tremble at His Word.

Oh Lord, forgive me for turning away; keep my conscience alive. Give me the power to obey and not Caller I.D. you when you call. Amen

The Old Farmer and His Son

I saw them both at a distance, looking at the commercial displays at Yellow Medicine County Fair in Canby. It would be obvious to any observer that they enjoyed each others company. The old man, in his seventies, was a big man with a big smile (and a handshake to match) was wheelchair bound. The younger man pushed the wheelchair.

“What a beautiful day” he said unsolicited as he shook my hand. The young man just smiled.

I asked the old man, “How long ya' been in the chair?”

He said, “Since 1953.”

I was stunned, in a wheel chair over 53 years and yet upbeat and positive. I asked, “What happened?”

He said, “I came home from the Korean War, made it through all that stuff without major injury. Then I found myself a Danish girlfriend from Tyler; our young lives were busy. We were at a roller skating rink having a good time, when I got so hot I could not cool down. It was late fall, I told my girlfriend I would lie down in the car to cool off. The next thing I knew, I woke up at the Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis. I was paralyzed from the waist down with polio…”

He spoke with no bitterness or regret. The young man, who was the youngest of his four sons, smiled and nodded in agreement as dad told his story.

I asked the old man, “What did you do in your life?”

He smiled a broad smile and said, “I farmed 850 acres.”

“What?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “The only reason I pulled it off was because I had a good wife and good sons.” As he told his story, all three of us had tears in our eyes. He told how they made provision for him to work while the wife and boys bore most of the brunt of the hard work. Over the years some feeling and minimal use has returned to his legs. “I can get around on “Kenny Sticks” (crutches to us) he said with a sly smile.

I said, “That’s quite an accomplishment.” His reply was that all the credit goes to his wife and boys and to the Lord.

The old farmer said he could never borrow money from the bank so his wife would always go to ask for the money. The banker told his wife they had to get on a computerized accounting system to continue borrowing money from the bank. The wife told the banker, “Forget about that; I don’t understand that stuff.”

The banker replied, “You’re right, I don’t understand it either; the hell with it” and gave her the loan. The old man said they still borrow money from that bank. He laughed and smiled. I could see he enjoyed every little victory in life…what an attitude! What an inspiration.

The old farmer said, “Doc told me we have to change some things. I’ve walked all these years with my one crutch and my hand on my wife’s shoulder and now her shoulder is wearing out. Getting old, I guess, but some things have to change,” he said with a smile on his face.

The old farmer said to his son, “We better get going or Mom will think we’re out chasing women.” The son threw his head back, rolled his eyes, smiled and said, “Yes Dad, we’d better get going.”

What a privilege to meet these two; what an example, an inspiration. Oh how I’d love to meet his wife! In the midst of darkness and trial some people rise and conquer. They have. In Romans it says, “We are more than conquerors.” I think I just met two who are more than conquerors and they don’t even know it. To God be the glory for lives well lived!

Excerpt from Erwin Raphael McManus

The following is an excerpt from Erwin Raphael McManus’ book entitled: an {unstoppable force}.

The Ten Commandments are not heaven’s standards. They are not the standards by which the angels live. They are not God’s attempt to pull us up beyond the human into the spiritual. The Ten Commandments are the lowest possible standard of humane living. Stop and consider what they demand of us. Maybe it would help if we just rephrased them in everyday language. Here goes: “Hey, could you stop killing each other? Oh, yeah, by the way, could you not steal each other’s stuff? And it would be really helpful if you wouldn’t lie to each other, either. And here’s a thought, could you not take other people’s husbands and wives and just, sort of, like, keep your own?”

Upon reflection, these are unreasonable, right? How could anyone be expected to live up to these? Only God could do that, right?

Why don’t we get it? Anything below these standards is choosing to live like an animal, a barbarian. The Ten Commandments don’t call us to the extraordinary spiritual life; they call us to stop dehumanizing one another. The law is the minimum of what it means to be human. The reason the law condemns us is not because of our inability to live up to an extraordinary measure. We couldn’t even pass the test with a D. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, he was establishing a nation for himself. God was giving them the tools to form an ethos that, through honoring him, would result in the nurturing and elevation of the human spirit.

Can you imagine a nation in which simple things like honoring your parents actually happened? A nation in which people were honest and upright in their business endeavors? Can you imagine a nation in which you could leave your possessions outside and no one would take them? In which you could leave your wife with a friend and he would not take her? Can you imagine a society in which no one is slandered, gossiped about, or falsely accused? And that’s without even looking at the first four commandments.

God gave us a map for a healthy society, and the map was not a picture of the ideal but a definition of the minimum. The same was true for the church. God was establishing a new people, a new nation. In the same way, he established a basis from which this new culture would draw its ethos. In a word, it could be summarized as grace. Grace deals with the generosity of God, his gracious work in the hearts of those who would turn to him. Yet many times grace is misunderstood or even cheapened at times. Grace has been seen as the liberty to live beneath the law rather than the capacity to soar beyond the law.”

The Old Soldier Talks

On Saturday we had a family reunion in Danube. The descendants of the five Seehusen brothers who came to Minnesota from Germany met to tell stories and visit.

One of my aunts was “Gustie”; she had three sons who served in World War II. Gustie’s biggest worries were that her sons would be killed or that they would kill some of our relatives. We were told she prayed fervently and all three sons came home.

One of hers sons was Gust. He served in the infantry, spent 4 months in combat and was captured by the Germans. Gust never talked about his experience much, not until yesterday. Gust said he never talked about it and still has dreams about fighting Germans (he is 82) but now understands it’s important to talk. You see, Gust’s grandson lost an arm, part of his other hand, and suffered many shrapnel wounds as a result of his service in Iraq.

Gust doesn’t brag or pound his chest with trumped up bravado but his sharing was to the point and blunt. He was in a battle for 4-1/2 days for a town. He was one of six who survived out of 118. He was later given the Bronze Star for his efforts in this battle. As a P.O.W. he was insulted because of his very German heritage.

His 21st birthday took place during those 4 months but he didn’t realize it until he was getting his first shower and shave in a month. When he felt his face and realized he had a mustache, he decided not to shave it off and has that mustache to this day. That mustache serves as a reminder of God’s goodness and protection. Gust said, “God was with me all the way.” Words of a warrior, former P.O.W., husband, father, grandfather, farmer, policeman…grateful to be alive and free. Gust has a lot to teach us—I hope he keeps talking.

Burger Stand Discussion

This weekend I worked at the American Legion burger booth at Danube Fun Days. The men who are active in the Legion are Viet Nam era guys. Many of us have sons in their 20’s and 30’s.

We had many interesting discussions during the slow times that night. My wife had been in Willmar and called me on the cell phone to tell me she witnessed the military escort returning the body of Kyle Miller to Willmar. I shared this with the guys and it became very quiet.

Miller, who was killed last week in Iraq, was the 40th person with Minnesota ties killed in Iraq. One man said that even though 40 young men have died, and each life is valuable, it seemed like that wasn’t very many people to die in this war.

Now the discussion picked up speed. One man said 40 men to die is 40 too many. That is true. Another man said, “We get shook up about 40 men dying yet each year in Minnesota 14,000 plus babies are aborted and no one seems to get shook up about that.” More eyebrows were raised; and a man whose son just received his Master’s Degree but has no military service told his son, “I’d rather bury you in a coffin draped with the American flag than bury you because you got drunk and died in a car accident.” (Alcohol related driving deaths in Minnesota were 567 in 2004.)

That’s what I like about Western Minnesota, German, Dutch and Czech farmers and veterans-- they get to the bottom line really quickly.

Yes, it is something to think about. May no more young men have to die. In the meantime, may we value each life so highly that none born or unborn would be brutalized or forgotten. Please don’t forget!

Weekend Home Makeover

This past extended weekend was declared a “home makeover attack weekend” at our daughter’s town home in Orono. We patched, painted, and mounted a mirror, handrails, towel racks, set up a bed, rearranged rooms, made new TV. cables, and more. A good weekend.

The neighbors were interested in what was going on. One of Katie’s neighbors is Sarah, a nurse practitioner, a Wisconsin dairy farmer’s daughter who happens to be German. Knowing this fact, I feel it is appropriate to mention she dropped by with a 12 pack of Leinenkugel Beer early in the weekend to aid in our weekend tasks. It was appreciated.

She stopped by on “the 4th” to see if anything was possibly accomplished (she is an optimist). Possessing this great sense of humor, I asked her what was the best lesson she learned from her childhood on the farm. When she answered, she did not hesitate to say “I learned how to work hard and do it all with a sense of humor.” You can take the farm girl out of Fond du Lac, but you can’t take Fond du Lac out of the girl! She went on to tell us of growing up on that farm and how no matter how hard they worked, her dad made it challenging yet fun. As parents we all want our children to be good workers. Work is a rewarding part of our life. It was instituted before The Fall (Genesis 2:15). Work is a blessing. A mistaken idea is that work was the curse after The Fall but it wasn’t; the soil was cursed (Genesis 3:17).

As parents, oh how we want our children to be good workers. But what did they hear from us—constant complaining, whining about our work. Forgive us Lord for our petty whining nature. To have work is a blessing; may we not forget it.

The old German dairy farmer had it right. Work hard; enjoy it. That’s a blessing. It must have because his daughter said it’s the greatest lesson she learned. She is a hard working, competent nurse-practitioner with a sly sense of humor and an iridescent attitude. If she was here, I bet she’d say “Thank you Dad.”

A Quote from the cover of my Bible

This is a quote that I've written inside the cover of my Bible. I can't say it any better than this.

"We give ourselves to prayer. We preach a gospel that saves to the uttermost, and witness to its power. We do not argue about worldliness, we witness; we do not discuss philosophy; we preach the gospel. We do not speculate about the destiny of sinners; we pluck them as brands from the burning fire. We ask no man’s patronage. We beg no man’s money. We fear no man’s frown; let no man join us who is afraid, and we want none but those who are saved, sanctified and aflame with the fire of the Holy Ghost."

Samuel Chadwick

Road Pavement

My friend, Jim Lippert shared a story with me on Saturday after Bible study with my German-Lutheran brothers. "A man in his 60’s was preparing for his upcoming retirement. He was making sure his 401K was in the proper place, his IRA’s were in order, earning to their maximum capacity. He was getting ready to enjoy his retirement. BUT God had other plans. The Lord called him home to heaven before he could retire. The man said to Saint Peter, “Since I couldn’t enjoy my retirement, could I take a memento with me to heaven? Saint Peter said he could, and the man brought a bar of gold with him to heaven.

Upon his arrival in heaven, someone said to him “Why did you bring road pavement with you?”

…Huh? Road pavement? Yes, in heaven the streets will be paved with gold (Revelations 21:21).

What man values so highly, God uses as road pavement! What a God! What a Savior! What a Lord!

Luke 16:14-15. The Pharisees, who loved money heard all this (previous 13 verses of Luke 16) and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”

What is in your life that you value more than your relationship with Jesus?

March on church, march on.

Meet Myrtle from "Mrs. Beef"

Let me tell you about Myrtle. Myrtle is the sweet, lovely lady who used to live across the street from us when our children were growing up. She’s the one where the children would always visit to get candy, see pictures and hear stories of her family, and always learn more about Jesus; she was everyone’s “adopted Grandma.” And what a testimony she is. If you would see Myrtle when she was out walking, Myrtle never waved and I believe everyone knew why--she was busy praying for everyone that lived in the houses that she passed. She prayed for everyone in the neighborhood by name every day and continues to do so today.

One day Beef received a phone call from Myrtle. She knew that he had a men’s Bible study that met once a week in our home and she told him about someone that was in desperate need of help. She told Beef he needed to call this young man immediately and invite him to his group and she would be praying for them and hung up. It made no difference that Beef did not know this young man but Myrtle did and she knew that God wanted this young man on His team! Even if most people had given up on him, it was no surprise to Myrtle that this man would become a happy, vibrant Christian who loves the Lord and has even participated in several mission trips sharing that love with others in need. Myrtle’s faith is unstoppable!

Myrtle has a vision—she takes seriously Christ’s command to us to “Go and make disciples of all the world.” Her single-handed (NO, I should say FOLDED-hands!) prayer ministry and been her mission all her life. She is fulfilling her purpose. Read on…

This weekend I was at a wedding of one of the neighbor kids and what a delightful surprise to see Myrtle. She is now living in Albert Lea, is close to 90 years old, extremely tiny and walking with a walker BUT she is not just curled up in a chair at the nursing home, playing cards, or knitting or sleeping; she has a RADIO MINISTRY!! A call in show where she prays for people!! How many of us will be doing anything close to that when we are her age? (How many of us do anything close to that TODAY???) Let Myrtle’s vision be a challenge for you!!

~ Mrs. Beef

What's Happening?

Next weekend is Father’s Day. May we take some time to consider the following facts?

1. On any Sunday morning in America, all churches, all age groups, most denominations, attendance figures:61% women, 39% men in the pews.
2. In 2005, it was the first year in the U.S.A. that more women than men were ordained as pastors.
3. One out of four married women attend church without her husband
4. Ninety percent of American men believe in God; 5 out of 6 call themselves Christian, 2 out of 6 attend church on Sunday.
5. Data from Brookings Institution Policy Brief #5, out of wedlock births for whites: 1965 – 3%; 1990 – 18%; 2000 – 27.1%. The rate is rising faster in the white ethnic group than any other group.
6. Last years’ Fathers’ Day lead story in the Minneapolis Star & Tribune—gay marriages, gay adoption.
7. School boys in every category, every group are falling behind.
8. College students: 3 out of 5 are girls
9. Christina Hoff Sommers, PhD. wrote a book entitled Raising Boys said, “It is a bad time to be a boy in America.”
10. Custody cases for custody of children: uncontested cases—men get custody 10% of time; Contested cases—men get custody 15% of the time.
11. More women than men get post-graduate degrees. Jewish rabbinical students –35% women.
12. 90% of boys raised in church will abandon the church by their 20th birthday. Many never to return.

The previous information taken from Church for Men website (www.churchformen.com), Whistleblower Magazine, June 2006; Brookings Institute Studies; and a personal interview with Arnie Engelby, Executive Director, Resource Center for Fathers and Families, Minneapolis, Minn.

As Christians, does any of the previous information bother us? Slumber on church—even while our own flesh and blood goes to hell!

Seven Things for Graduates to Remember

On May 28, 2006 I spoke at Bunde Christian Reformed Church in Bunde, MN and made the following points especially for the graduates.

1. “Life gets complicated once you get past 18” from the song The Class of ’57 by the Statler Brothers. Ecclesiastes 12:1 – “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.” Life does get complicated, remember your Creator.

2. From a song by Joe South entitled, “These Are Not My People”, I quote “With your credit card and your good name, they will draw you like a moth to the flame and throw you away like last weeks’ magazine. It’s been a gas but I think I’m going to pass. These are not my people, no, no, these are not my people, and it looks like the end my friend, it looks like the end.”

The world will use you, abuse you, and throw you away. Be aware but not afraid of “the world”. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid”. He also said, “Go into the world and make disciples.” As you go, be aware of Jesus prayer in John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you be protected from the evil one.” Go into all the world and make disciples! Be aware but not afraid.

3. This too shall pass. All is temporary this side of heaven—our life, our trials, our suffering and tribulation and even our joy. Psalm 75:2-4. God is in control of everything.

4. If your only goal in life is to have the biggest pile of stuff, it will not satisfy. Luke 9:25 “You may gain the whole world but lose your soul.” There is nothing wrong with wealth but it does not satisfy.

5. Be honest in all things; most importantly, be honest with yourself. Jeremiah 5:1, 11-13. In Luke 15:17, the parable of the prodigal son says, “He came to his senses”—his moment of truth. He got up out of the pig pen and went home. He told himself the truth.

6. Always be generous and thankful—in spirit, attitude and with your time and talents. II Corinthians 9:6-15 and Acts 17:25…”He gives all men life and breath and everything else”. If you live a grateful life, it will be a blessing of unmeasured goodness.

7. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, the inspired Word of God through King Solomon, the world’s richest and wisest man…”Now all has been heard and here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing whether good or evil.”

Have “awesome reverence” for Almighty God in all things. Live your life in such a way that you will need not fear the day when all hidden things will be revealed. With God’s grace, live vibrant, transformed, risk-taking lives to the Glory of the Lord for He will be with you always.

May God bless you and keep you!
Jerry Seehusen
May 28, 2006

Our Quiet Nests

One Sunday after I preached, I spent about 1 ½ hours visiting with hurting, lonely and suffering Christians and because of that, I am concerned. How did these people from inside and outside the church get in this predicament? We (Christians) need to get out of our comfort zones. John Calvin (an early reformer) said, “We murmur against God, if He does not grant us a quiet nest.” The American church has become in many ways our “quiet nest”. And in our quiet nests we have become so comfortable that we have fallen asleep. We seldom “Go into all the world and make…” (Matthew 28) but rather than going, we sit inside our churches and every once in awhile dangle some “attractive” bait out the window (a special program or service) and we hope someone passing by will see it and possibly come in to our quiet nest and enjoy the benefits of “our” quiet nest.

Our God given purpose is to go, to minister inside and outside our church. We were not saved to be cleaned up and put on display in some museum. We were saved to go into the world with all its sin and misery and be the sweet fragrance of Christ to a hurting world.

We are sitting in our quiet nests, slapping each other on the back while a suffering world around us goes to hell. We are in deeper trouble than we realize or want to admit.

Matthew 28:16-20
2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Another day for men old before their time

Early one morning about a week and a half ago, I was at my desk at work checking the security logs, making schedules for the maintenance men, checking the cleaner log and learning the new soap dispensers don’t work like they should. I check email and notice I have one from “Bossman”, a former neighbor boy who is now an Army Ranger on his second tour in the Middle East doing the tough assignments Army Rangers do. His email is a light-hearted answer to my inquires about his girl friend who is a college softball pitcher in the southeast regionals in Georgia.

This week I had more typical days at the office: problems, appointments, etc. At one of my appointments my businessman friend asked me to talk to one of his employees whose husband had cancer surgery. “She needs to talk to someone” he said. The day goes on with its inherent problems.

That evening I talked to our son Andy; he asked if I’d gotten an email from “Bossman” that day. I had not and Andy proceeded to tell me about the message he’d received. Bossman’s friend had gotten shot in the face and did not make it. They pulled the team out and sent them back to the base camp where tomorrow Bossman will be in the Honor Guard for his fallen friend…

And I thought I had problems. Young men and young women put their lives on the line every day to protect you and me.

In Revelations 19 Jesus will lead out the Armies of Heaven to fight the last battle—victory will be guaranteed so no longer “young men will need to die in battle and those left behind will not feel old before their time.”

“Others May, You Cannot"

G.D. Watson, 1845-1924, was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and evangelist based in Los Angeles, California. His evangelistic campaigns took him to England, the West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Korea. He also wrote several books. This article was originally published in pamphlet form (from Good News Publishers).

"Those who would really be like Jesus will be called to a life of sacrifice."

"If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you to a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

"Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it: and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

"Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

"Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

"The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants you to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit of it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

"The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own.

"He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. But if you absolutely see yourself to be His…slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the inner circle.

"Settle it forever, then that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven."

Minnesota Katrina Relief Project

This is from “Mrs. Beef” and I just want to share a little about an event which we experienced Sunday evening. We were invited to attend the Minnesota Katrina Relief Benefit Concert at Dassel-Cokato. Many people that we know were recently involved in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, including several men from the Bible Study that Jerry is involved in.

It was really moving to see the slide show from Mississippi but even more touching was hearing the testimonies of those people who were there serving God. They proved that God will use anybody of any age with any (or no) gifts to serve Him and to enlarge His kingdom.

Another thing that was so awesome for me was to see men boldly proclaiming their love of the Lord! Praise God! Keep those men growing for God!!

If you are interested in more information about the Katrina relief project, go to: www.mnkatrinarelief.com. They have scheduled week-long mission trips there every month for the rest of the year. They say we’ll be so blessed by going and will probably want to go again. Should we give it a try???

Mrs. Beef

Who sinned; this man or his parents? –John 9:1-7

A friend shared with me about a man with a very aggressive form of cancer who attends a Bible study. His cancer has come back again and he is facing a battle. He stopped coming to the Bible study. I asked his friend why and he said he stopped coming because someone at the Bible study said he was sick because he had committed some grievous sin.

We need to be careful when we decide to play “mini-god” and make pronouncements that hurt and damage someone’s spirit or faith; especially someone in the throws of battling cancer or any other major issue.

In John 9:1-7, Jesus passes by a man born blind from birth and the disciples asked Jesus “Did this man sin or his parents, that he was born blind?” In verse three, Jesus answers “Neither has this man sinned nor his parents but that the works of God should be displayed in him.” (From Jerry’s combined translation) Neither sinned; he was born blind so God could display his powerful, wonderful, healing power. If a specific act of sin was the cause of sickness and cancer, we would be sick all the time and have cancer all the time. If we belong to Christ, our sins are forgiven. Why do we think God grades sin on a curve? Obviously, they think the man with cancer must have committed a more grievous sin and therefore, deserves God’s punishment! All sin separates us from the pure and holy God, not just the ones we judge to be grievous. (Grievous sins are those sins we find objectionable in other people but never bother to see them in ourselves.) “To judge ourselves is our duty, to judge others is our sin.” (Matthew Henry)

God help us. And He has. His Son Jesus died for us to make us free from being sniveling, finger pointing mini-gods. In Jesus name we’re free. Amen

Commentary from the Life Application Bible: “A common belief in Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin. But Christ used this man’s suffering to teach about faith and to glorify God. We live in a fallen world, where good behavior is not always rewarded and bad behavior not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes suffer. If God took suffering away whenever we asked, we would follow Him for comfort and convenience not out of love and devotion. Regardless of the reasons for our suffering, Jesus has the power to help us deal with it. Don’t ask God “why did this happen to me?” Instead ask God to give you a deeper perspective and strength to get through the trial."

The Greatness of God

Our Bible study was in John when we came across the verse in John 14:12: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” Usually today in Bible studies we “skate” over such verses we deem to have too much hyperbole or are too complicated. We have a lot of newer Christians in the Bible study and I felt we must address this verse and not skate over it. Unless they think Jesus may be talking through his hat.

At first glance do you feel Jesus was laying it on a little heavy when he said this? His followers would do greater things than Him.

Let’s look at it a little differently. Jesus in His world ministry possibly never worked outside a 50 mile radius in his three year ministry. How many people did he heal or raise from the dead? Hundreds or thousands maybe? We don’t really know because not every thing He did was recorded in scripture. Let’s just take a look at one thing: modern eye glasses.

In Jesus day if you had sight problems your only hope was to cope or pray for a miracle. Today we have eye glasses; we take them off and we can’t see very well at all. Put them back on and instantaneous 20/20 vision (if everything is up-to-date). Now each pair of eyeglasses is made specifically to each person’s personal prescription. You can’t use your buddy’s eye glasses when you lose your own. You might get some marginal help but more than likely you will end up with a headache…Is this greater work than Jesus’? Think of this—300 million people in the U.S. If 40% of the people need vision correction that is 120 million half-blind people that can now see. Think of this—bifocals, trifocals, sun glasses, anti-glare glasses, contacts hard or soft—what an impressive list.

I believe this is great work the followers of Jesus Christ have accomplished. Yes, but not alone. In His greatness, He gives us life and breath and everything else (Acts 17). Every beat of our heart, every breath we take is a gift from the Lord. None of us could do anything without that life, breath and everything else. Man can make pace makers and many other devices and in case we become puffed up in pride with our accomplishments, God determines when our heart beat begins and stops.

Isn’t the Lord great? What a privilege to be His son or daughter!