Why?

…  "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)Why?Why bother? Sometimes it’s so much easier to start over, to replace, to get something new. It might actually be much easier and cheaper than fixing it, not to speak of it being faster.It has always been so with us, from the earliest of times people dumped things, broken things, obsolete stuff, junk, garbage, and people. Archeologists love finding old dumps, they tell a lot, as do graves. No one knows how to dump things like we do; we are experts in discarding, replacing, and not bothering to fix things.Nothing is more difficult than fixing humanity, people, you and me. And why bother? Help one; ten others will take his or her place. There is no corner of the earth where you won’t encounter human brokenness, need, suffering, and evil. It is utterly amazing that in spite of the incredible intelligence, creativity, and capacity contained within humanity, that in spite of our ability to love, care, and do good, human brokenness has not diminished. We rewrite the same story over and over, and in the big scheme of things the vast majority of people are utterly disposable, not worth fixing, way too expensive for making a profit, and way easier to use and use up than to really care for.So why does God bother? If anyone has the capability to start over, to replace, to trade in this failed model for a new one, surely He is it. Why does God care about you and me, us? Why is He so patient with us, our brokenness, our stubbornness, our sinfulness? Why does His heart especially beat for the most needy, the insignificant, the helpless, and the hopeless? And why does He pursue us, invite us to be changed, changed into people who care, who bother like He does?Christmas, the first coming of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God is good news, glad tidings, and great joy because it testifies to the love God. God could not have bothered, He could have started over, He could have abandoned us to our self-created misery, lostness, hopelessness, and corruption, and be perfectly justified. Instead He loves us and offered, and gave His one and only Son to do for us what none of us can do ourselves. Namely, to save us, change us, to grow us into men and women who would love like He does, to become utterly incapable of saying, “Why bother?” and instead say “Why not?”Merry Christmas, to God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans 

Who

WhoYou wouldn’t think that God’s company would be offensive. After all can you think of anyone better to be around? Anyone smarter? Anyone more interesting? Anyone more amazing? Anyone more genuine, more honest, wiser, imaginative, creative, artistic, kinder, and loving? Right, I can’t either.Now I am not just talking about any god, but rather the one, the only true and living God. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” Acts 17:24-25 (NIV).The reality of Christmas is that, “… The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us” Matthew 1:23 (NLT). Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, in human form, He is God incarnate, “… in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body” Colossians 2:9 (NLT).  Strange how He wasn’t all that welcome, still isn’t, not in academia, the media, politics, business, and our personal lives.I have to admit, the company of God is challenging, you just automatically have to watch yourself, even your thoughts. It is also hard to do anything you want, accountability goes way up. The powerful are threatened, the wealthy are humbled, the proud are exposed, the educated are not near as smart. You can’t impress Him, you can’t fool him, you can’t entice Him to anything that isn’t good, or loving, or holy.What is most amazing is that God would seek our company, that He would care to not only live among us but actually invites us to walk with Him. If you are a sinner like me, living in a community without a zip code, that’s really good news. For the most part the vast majority of us just get to see the who’s who of the world on TV. Most of us have to stay behind the ropes of the red carpet; we do not have the credentials to mingle among the VIPs. If your or my name were mentioned in those circles the collective question would be, “Who?” Not so with God, He never has to ask, “Who?” He knows you and me by name.Christmas is God’s invitation for us to really know Him, to know, and worship who He is. Most settle for their own or someone else’s idea of God, which always ends up as no god at all. Admittedly it this is much less offensive, much less intimidating, much less challenging. The way we spend Christmas, celebrate Christmas tells much as to who we are and who we know God to be.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Where? (Advent)

Where?After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the East arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.” Matthew 2:1-6 (HCSB)“Has anybody seen my keys (wallet, glasses, …)?”“Where do remember having them last?”“If I’d know that I probably wouldn’t be asking!”“Where is that blasted 10 mm wrench? I just had in my hands.”“Where is your brother (sister, father, mother, …)?”“Honey, where’d you say the lunch meat was?”“Third shelf, right behind the mayo?”“I looked there, but I don’t see it?”“(I swear that man is retarded) You’re gonna make me get up and look for it, aren’t you.”“Well, I can’t find it (If she wouldn’t keep hiding things I wouldn’t have to ask).”“Look, it’s right here where I told you!”“No way! I looked all over the fridge, twice.”“Just where do you think you’re going?!”“Where did we/I go wrong in all of this?”“Where is God in all of this?”We often get confused when it comes to “Where?” We misplace things, get lost, find ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings, are in need of help, get our lives off track, … So we ask “where?” God is never confused when it comes to “where?” That’s why it is so smart and wise to walk through life with God, it eliminates a lot of confusion and feeling lost. As you prepare for Christmas the written Word of God (the Bible) challenges us to think about:Where were you? (Job 38:1-4, 40:1-4) Do we really understand who God is?Where are you? (Genesis 3:9) Are we hiding from God?Where will you be? (John 14:1-6) Are you prepared for eternity?To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

When (Advent)

Whenwill this economy turn around? When are we going to get there? When are we going to stop and eat? Doctor, when will I be able to …? When is this kid going to have some sense? When are you going to fix that …? And when will be a good time for us to talk about this? When is dad going to come home? When are you going to learn to pick up after yourself? When will whatever is smelling so incredible be ready to eat? When will I be old enough to …? When will things get better? When will God answer my prayer? When will God do what he said He will do?When!When Iam 18 I am out of here! When I get home I am going to whoop his little hiney! When I get the chance I will kiss her! When I win the Lotto I will buy all my friends a new car! When I retire I will never again …! When I retire I will …! When I get back on my feet I’ll pay you back, I promise! When I get paid, you’ll get paid! When you …, it makes me so mad I could …! When you get better we will …! When, not if, we stand before God, everyone will bow and confess that Christ is Lord!When.When youare going to be late, call. When she asks a rhetorical question, either give the answer she is looking for or be willing to pay the consequences. When you have more than you need, give, bless someone. When she kisses you by all means kiss back. When you have the opportunity to do good, do it. When you talk less you’ll sin less, and you will be wiser. When you trust God, keep His commands and ways, and believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be blessed and not be disappointed.When? When! When. That little word was part of people’s lives back before Christ was born every bit as much as it is part of our lives today. It is amazing what a difference tone makes when “when” is employed. Try it, read some of the above with an irritated, or angry, or sarcastic, happy, impatient, kind, hopeful, or “I am in a super good mood” voice.People wondered about, scoffed at, ignored, or didn’t even know about the first coming of Jesus Christ, God in human form. God certainly had prophesied that the Christ/Messiah/Savior would come, but the exact when was difficult to figure out. As much as the first coming of Jesus was promised and foretold there is still a Second Advent, a return of Christ that has also beenprophesied. When? Only God knows, but if you ignore Christ’s first coming you will guaranteed not be ready at his second coming? Being able to set the exact date and time is not nearly as important as being able to answer the question: When Jesus comes again, will you be ready?To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Stay Away From Evil

Some things are hard to stay away from, especially things we have an affinity or weakness for. Maybe it’s coffee, chocolate, wine, beer, soft-drinks, or some other kind of food or beverage for you. Just thinking of it makes you weak in the knees wishing for some. Maybe it isn’t food for you but anything that‘s on sale, or any  yard sale sign, is very difficult for you to pass up. Some can't help but engage in any argument or fight. What about clothes, shoes, tools, gadgets? Or certain stores or restaurants? Or how about things on TV, whether it be cooking shows, sports, talk shows, violence, or …? Yup, there are things we are drawn to like flies to poop, or bees to blossoms (chances are you would rather see yourself as the bee than the fly, I certainly would).Nothing is more difficult to stay away from than evil. This is so because evil is found everywhere, and you and I, as well as everyone else, are sinners. We have a natural, innate bend towards sin and evil. That’s why God has to tell us, “Stay away (abstain) from every kind (form) of evil” 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (HCSB, parenthesis mine). Some have responded to this command of God through monasticism, unfortunately walls and vows do not erase evil and our weaknesses. Some respond to God’s command by comparing, “I am not as bad as …,” “This isn’t as bad as …” Of course it’s easy to look like a bee compared to a child molester. Unfortunately it is a strategy only flies employ, comparing stink with stink still stinks. Doing nice things with evil motives – stink. All forms of greed (Luke 12:15) – stink. Abstaining from all forms of evil encompasses the stink you and I are drawn to, guaranteed. Evil resides in thoughts, motives, attitudes, value systems, traditions, customs, words, and fears as much as it does in desires, habits, behaviors, and actions.To keep God’s command to “stay away from every kind of evil,” we need to:

• Learn to love, love God and His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. It is love that conquers sin (1 Peter 4:8), reconciles, forgives, cares, acts selfless, and flies right past all the stink right to all that is beautiful.

•  Learn to discern good from evil, which takes a serious study of God’s Word (the Bible), honesty, and practice (Hebrews 5:11-14).

• Learn to love knowing and doing God’s will. If you and I doubt rather than delight in the goodness, the rightness, the blessedness of God’s will we will struggle with the doing of His will. I encourage you to begin with this, “See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (HCSB).

To God be all glory, love you,Pastor Hans

Being Prepared to Stand before God

November 20 2011Did you ever get caught being unprepared? Like when you have a flat tire and discover your spare is flat too. I thought I was prepared for marriage simply because I was madly in love with Susie, but having grown up in an all boys home I had no idea what it meant to live fulltime with a female. I loved the idea of becoming a dad, but I sure was unprepared when it came to knowing how to be father.Being prepared means you have thought ahead and took specific actions that rendered you prepared. When a few weeks ago my bottom radiator hose popped off and my car quickly got really hot, I was glad that I was prepared. Living out in the country, with spotty cell phone reception, and some roads that often have little to no traffic, I put an emergency box in each one of our cars (some basic tools, a gallon of water, oil, transmission fluid and funnel, wire, duct tape, jumper cables, rags, toilet paper, a blanket, flashlight, matches, etc.). It sure came in handy that day, and I have used it several times before for helping someone who was stranded but was unprepared.A couple of years ago Susie and I went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace university course. He recommends that part of a good financial planning and habits is to establish an emergency fund, so you are prepared for emergencies and unexpected expenses (I highly recommend taking this course). Now, agreeing that this is a good idea, thinking that I should do something like that, will not bring an emergency fund into existence, and cause me to be prepared. I had to actually do something, adjust my thinking, change my spending habits, and grow some saving habits.Of all the things to be prepared for none is more important than being prepared to stand before God. We all will, without exception, “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God” Romans 14:12 (NLT); “… it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—“Hebrews 9:27 (HCSB). Now there is a vast difference between knowing you should be prepared and actually being prepared, and there is a vast difference between thinking you are prepared and actually being prepared. I have heard all kinds of opinions in regards to being prepared to stand before God. The trouble is that just having an opinion doesn’t prepare you any more than thinking you should put some jumper cables in your car or begin to save some money. God’s written word, the Bible, is very clear when it comes to preparing to stand before God, when it comes to preparing for eternity. You have to be “in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, get a Bible and read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28, and John 3). Believing in Christ, following Christ, living for Christ, and serving like Christ is the only way to be prepared for God, everything else will leave you stranded, will make you come up short, the day you appear before God. By all means – prepare.To God be all glory,love you, Pastor Hans

Sanctification and Sexual Behavior

November 11 2011 (11.11.11)For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, so that each of you knows how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who don’t know God. This means one must not transgress against and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. For God has not called us to impurity but to sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 (HCSB)“This is God’s will, …” That’s the kind of language that we are not very fond of, because it puts our behaviors and attitudes as either in line with God’s will or in opposition to God’s will. That’s doubly true when God addresses our sexual behaviors and attitudes. We’d much prefer for God to stay out of our bedrooms, to keep his nose out of our sex lives. But he doesn’t.Whenever we think God is addressing us, confronting us, and commanding us in matters that we prefer for Him to stay out of, we often just tune him out, or more defiantly belittle His wisdom. Calling certain sexual behaviors and practices “impure” just isn’t popular, it is quickly labeled sexually repressive, intolerant, unrealistic, and an attack on both “being in love” and personalfreedom, not to speak of the guilt that that kind of thing can produce.“This is God’s will, your sanctification, …” What God is after is holiness, not holier-than-thou- ness, in all areas of our lives, and only He is capable of defining what that means. God is neither out of bounds nor out of touch when He declares His will, sets boundaries, issues commands, and defines right and wrong – holy and unholy. However, what we often forget, especially whenGod speaks to things we do not like to hear, is that holiness is beneficial, living according to God’s will makes our lives better. What if we would all listen to God when it came to sexual purity, if we would make holiness the guiding principle to sexual behavior? STDs would take hit. Far fewer marriages and homes would get wrecked. Lots of children would never experience thetrauma of divorce. Sexual exploitation, pornography, and the sex trade would suffer. Abortions would decline. The reduction of hurt, pain, and drama would be incredible. Contrast this to what ignoring God‘s will, discounting the importance of holiness is currently producing both in the church and our world.The reality is that we so benefit when God reveals His will to us and we take it serious and order our lives by it, even when it comes to our sexual behaviors and attitudes. I pray you and I will both hear and heed God’s call to sanctification.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

A Thanksgiving Challenge

I had breakfast this morning, two eggs, toast, honey, and a glass of juice. Actually I eat breakfast most any morning. Before I ate breakfast I woke up in comfortable bed, cleaned myself up in our bathroom that has running water, a toilet, and a shower. I drove my daughter to her school bus stop in my nice Dodge pickup with the fuel tank almost full. When I returned three basically worthless dogs greeted me, and then I went back into the house I call my own to eat breakfast with Susie. After breakfast I got back into my pickup and drove to my heated office, carrying my fancy mug full with hot tea, lemon-ginger green tea. I turned on the computer and sat in my comfortable chair to begin my day of work. In a little while I will drive back home to eat some lunch and then return to work. This evening I will gather with others here at the church and teach another lesson on the topic of salvation. When we’re finished I will return home, and before crawling back into that comfy-cozy bed I will probably use my notebook computer, read a while, and what the heck I might even have a snack before I kiss my beautiful wife good night.Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but do we realize just how much there is to be grateful for? Most of us do not spend a lot of time worrying whether or not we are going to eat breakfast, or lunch, or dinner. If anything we think about what we would like to have and worry about eating too much. Likewise we do not arrange our day around the getting of water, just to live, never mind taking a shower or watering the shrubs.I’ll spare you from recapping my day in this way. I think you understand what I am getting at, but I would like to challenge you to take a day this week and literally, from the moment you get up until you turn the lights out, give thanks to God for everything throughout your day that should make you grateful. Let it be a warm-up for Thanksgiving. If you take up my challenge I would love for you to tell me about it afterwards –theGermanShepherd@juno.com; PastorHans, 4175 Abeto Street, La grange, Ca 95329.Would you be interested in some pastor’s note desert? I thought you would be: “Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 (NLT). “Thank you God for the wisdom, the instruction, and the goodness of your written word (the Bible), and for the free access we have to it. Would you please help us with living it?”To God be all glory, love you, Pastor HansPS. All of the sermons this month are from 1 Thessalonians, I encourage you to read it each week in preparation, and of course I encourage you come to hear them.

Tithing, giving, and Stonebreaker

October 30 2011Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV)"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV)We called him Brother Stonebreaker, he was my college basketball coach, hetaught basic accounting classes to aspiring young preachers, he ran the college’sbusiness office, and he was starting a church in Glendora. I liked him; he wasupbeat, energetic, encouraging, and obviously very busy. I ended up attendingthe church Brother Stonebreaker was pastoring because a guy in my dorm invitedme. They were meeting in an old building that used to be a movie theater, thena bar, and then just sat around vacant for some time. My second Sunday there aSunday school teacher snagged me to tell her class about Germany and tell mystory, my testimony, about how I became a follower of Christ, how I got saved.The good thing about not being able to prepare was that I didn’t have any time toget nervous either nor was there any chance of backing out. She just thought thatany Christian should be able to give his or her testimony at any time, and she wasright. She did me a great favor.Stonebreaker was a better coach than he was a preacher, but I loved his passion.Since he came out of the business and accounting world his favorite subjectto preach on was financial stewardship, how to handle money according tobiblical principles, and especially giving and tithing (giving 10% of your income).Somehow, if it wasn’t the outright theme, the topic found its way into most ofhis sermons. I am sure God put me under his preaching because I was completelyignorant on the subjects of biblical stewardship, giving, and tithing.At first I told myself that surely I was exempt because after all I was a poor foreign college student working for less than the minimum wage, and I was already investing most all my money to be trained in doing God’s work. Stonebreaker, however, dismantled my excuses one by one. It was as if he could read my mind from that pulpit. He would quote Malachi stating that withholding the tithe is like robbing God. He would ask, “Does God really have all of you if he is not in charge of your money?” He would challenge us to manage our money according to faith, making the tithe the starting point of trusting God’s principles when it came to money. He would remind us of God’s promises attached to the tithe and giving.You guessed it, after a few months I started tithing. I didn’t want to rob God. Iwanted to support my church. I wanted to experience God’s promises to giversand tithers. I wanted to live by faith. I wanted to be obedient to God. I wantedfor God to have all of me. I wanted God’s blessing on my life. I haven’t stopped;in fact since then my desire to give has only grown. And God has been faithful tome and Susie. None of his promises have failed. The things Pastor Stonebreakerpreached about I now have experienced, I know them to be true. I thank God forhim, he did me a great favor.To God be all glory,love you, Pastor Hans

Mabel Tubbs, racism, and church

October 23 2011Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. … so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NASB)She had lived a good long time before I showed up in her life, 65 years. She cast one of the votes that made me the interim pastor of the Lake Don Pedro Baptist Church, five years after she helped start it. She was a widow, independent, and very good with people. When my Mama first met her she promptly declared her my American Mom, a challenge and responsibility she gladly accepted. She was one of the best things that ever happened to me in my life, she was a gift, someone who made me richer. She opened up her checkbook of life to me and my family and deposited an incorruptible wealth into our lives, enough to last us. In that she was Christlike. She was our Mabel TubbsI am surprised she didn’t quit our church. She had plenty of opportunity and reason to do so. Mabel was the first, and for a long time the only African American/ black member of our church. When it comes to racism Southern Baptists do not have a glorious history waiting until 1995 to officially denounce racist attitudes and practices of the past. When I arrived in 1984 our church wasn’t overtly racist, our founding Pastor, Lowell Barnes, would not have put up with it. But plenty of covert racism and insensitivity remained.Once, when a deacon proposed to have a “slave for a day” auction as a youth fund raiser, Mabel stood and with patience, humility, and love educated us. When she overheard another deacon talking about his “Nigger-stick” (base ball bat) in his truck she was deeply hurt, and I was livid. But she said, ”Now Pastor, before you go out and make a bigger mess …,” and she got me hooked into a long conversation, followed by a longer time of prayer that dripped with grace, forgiveness, and compassion. She didn’t leave, she didn’t throw in the towel, she made us richer as a church. She helped put us on the right footing. We might never know how much personal pain, frustration, and disappointment she put up with in order for us to be a church that loves people without giving any thought to the color of their skin or ethnicity. Mabel Tubbs wasn’t just a charter member of this our church, she is one of the stones of its foundation.There are many of you who did not have the opportunity to know her personally since God placed you into our church family, but I want you to remember what Mabel Tubbs did for us,she made us better, she left us richer. I pray we dare to follow in her footsteps, to understand the importance of belonging to a church, to be determined to make a difference, to live out of the security of Christ, to not easily be offended, to be quick to forgive, to serve with humility and faithfulness, and to above all love people – all people.We give glory to God, for the life and work of Mabel Tubbs among us.Love you, Pastor Hans

… you will...

“… you will be My witnesses …” Acts 1:8… “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? Romans 10:13-14 (NLT)

“Will you tell the truth and nothing but the truth?” the court clerk asked. “I do,”I replied, but I was nervous as heck, not because I had anything to hide, butbecause in a courtroom I feel like a fish out of water and because what happens ina courtroom is serious stuff. It was that day, the defendant was being accused ofmurder. I am not sure why I was there, because I didn’t witness the crime. I thinkthe defense wanted to use me to create some doubt in the jurors, but the districtattorney saw right through it. I never did hear how the case ended.“You will be my witnesses,” Jesus told his followers, so that all the world mightknow the truth, so every man, every woman, every child might walk out of thecourtroom of God (the judgment of God), be saved from eternal judgment, andbe set free. That’s serious business, even more serious as someone being accusedof murder.

So what do we as followers of Jesus, as Christians, give witness to? Jesus. We give witness to the fact that Jesus lives, that He is God’s Son, that He lived sinlessly, that He died on a cross, that He was buried for three days, that He arose from the grave, conquering sin and death, that He ascended into heaven to plead the case of sinners in the courtroom of God, that everyone who calls on His name will be set free because He paid the penalty for our sins which is death and hell, and that He will return in glory and power to gather all those who have placed their faith and trust in Him and followed Him.I grew up in a church where the importance of witnessing (that’s what witnessesdo), was no longer considered important. The preacher didn’t think so, theleaders didn’t think so, and the people in the pews didn’t think so. Every SundayI looked at a live-sized carving of a crucified Christ hanging on a real cross rightthere in the middle of the old Lutheran church, at the back wall in the choirsection behind it there was a carving of the empty tomb with angels sitting infront of it. But no one told me how badly I needed the Jesus of whom these worksof art told. I needed a witness to tell me.6000 Miles from that place God in his providence allowed me to attend a littleChurch in Greeley Hill, the building couldn’t compare to what I was used to butthere were witnesses, the Pastor, his wife, the deacons, and Pat Jenkins and JackMauney. Pat would often rise to and give public testimony of Jesus Christ andhow he saved her and was alive and active in her life. Jack let me hang around hissmall car repair business, took me to town and fed me whoppers and milk shakes,let me drive his old pickup, opened his home to youth activities, and he toldme about being saved, calling on Jesus’ name, and my need for Him. They werewitnesses. God used their testimony to change my life and destiny.Jesus said the Holy Spirit would empower us (subpoena) us to be Christ’switnesses, lets answer the call, too much is at stake.To God be all glory, Pastor Hans

Self-mortification and servanthood

October 9 2011Self-mortification the prelude to true servanthood, and necessary to be spiritually healthy (Caution: You might not like to hear this)."For even the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 (NASB, parenthesis mine)Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25 (HCSB)Free time, holidays, summer vacation, spring break, weekends, retirement, most often we think of these as “my time.” That’s when we get to do what we want, indulge, spoil ourselves, live it up, or at least live a little. But have you ever considered that “my time” can make you spiritually sick? In fact whenever “me,’ “mine,” and “myself,” makes it to the forefront of my thinking, my desires, my dreams, and to what we want to do, we are already infected with what the scriptures call old thinking, carnal desires, worldly wisdom, and the love of the world (Ephesians 4:17-24; 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:11; James 3:13-18; 1 John 2:15-17).Jesus made no bones about it, dying to self, suffering, and servanthood are what following him entails, what coming to him means. Not as we can fit it in, when it is convenient, or when we have some to spare, but rather as calling, a mindset, a lifestyle of faith, obedience, and worship (Romans 12).The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" Luke 17:5-10 (NIV)Being a Christian and being a servant/slave are synonymous, one and the same, at least they should be, and a servant’s top priority is the doing of his or her master’s will, The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever 1 John 2:17 (NIV). The question then becomes whether or not I am serving, without doing so I cannot be like Jesus.Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did 1 John 2:6 (NIV).Are you a serving servant? Are you ready to bury “Me,” “Mine,” and “Myself?”To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Spiritual Health Habits

October 10 2011Not everybody is blessed with great physical health, or even mental health. My children seem to have inherited vastly different immune systems. One has diabetes, another has scoliosis, and several battle with allergies. My own family background is loaded with heart disease and mental illness, and these too seem to have been randomly distributed among my brothers and me.Now I certainly did not have anything to do with what I did or did not inherit as to my physical constitution and health, nor do I know what illnesses and accidents the future holds. But I do know that I can chose to live as healthy as I can with what I have been given and what is available to me ( I wonder how health care costs would be affected if the vast majority of us would embrace healthy habits?). For instance I could take up smoking and vastly increase my already high chances for heart problems, as well as a plethora of other ailments such as cancer and emphysema. I also could quit exercising, or stop taking an aspirin a day. I coulddecide to guzzle more soft-drinks, chew, overdo alcohol, and surrender myself to a chunk food diet. Doing any or all of these will affect my health guaranteed, and whatever negatives I have inherited as to my health will be magnified. Conversely I can decide to make healthy choices, be disciplined as to what I put into my body and as to what I do and don’t do and thus improve my health, besides increasing the chances that Susie, besides being my wife, won’t have to be nurse as well. And since God has given you and me both just one body we can serve him more effectively if we take care of it. Of course we can become so obsessed with our health that we worship at the altar of health and youth. God’s Word (the Bible) reminds us that, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT). In other words, physical/mental health is important, but never as much as spiritual health.Spiritual health is as impacted as physical health by good habits and taking advantage of what is available. Jesus said a regular intake of God’s Word is as important as food from the refrigerator (Matthew 4:4), without it we will be weak and wide open to spiritual infection. We need the fellowship of, the regular getting together with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25) to ward of discouragement and inactivity. We need God’s wisdom to fight diseases of the mouth as well as the demonic (James 3). We need to be engaged in doing God’s work together, like a body, if we want to be useful and spiritually vital (1 Corinthians 12). We need to pray if we want to know and do God’s will, not worry, stay humble, have endurance, and be focused on what counts (Matthew 6:9-13). My hope and prayer is that you will commit yourself with me to the habits and practices that restore, improve, and maintain spiritual health/godliness.To God be all glory, love you Pastor Hans1

Coons and Camping

September 25 2011

The two go together like a hand and a glove, and sooner or later when you do the
one the others will show up. I am talking about camping and coons. When the sun
disappears behind the horizon, when the camp fire is lit, and when the snacks are
brought out it won’t be long before beady little eyes will sparkle from the bushes.

And so it was on our most recent camping trip, I spotted the pair of eyes, shone
my flashlight in their direction, and thus was treated to a full view of the plump
raccoon hopping up on our table and quickly grabbing the package of Hershey’s
bars. The critter was clearly determined not to leave empty-handed. “That’s it!”
I thought, “This varmint is not going to mess with the supplies for our smores.”
Jumping up I took chase into the darkness. To my surprise I was gaining on the
striped felon, which made me wonder what in the heck I was going to actually
do when I caught up with him. Luckily for the raccoon it dropped the last of the
loot just before I figured out a concrete plan of action. There would be no lack of
smores for this party of campers.

There seems to be another thing that seems to go with us just considering a
camping trip – a change in the weather. My son suggested that we should go
camping in drought stricken Texas because it would guarantee a wet weather
pattern. It rained so hard on this camping trip that most campers fled for motels
to stay in or just simply packed up and left.

Since this is a pastor’s note I know you are just waiting for the deep spiritual
application that can be learned from the above. First of all, camping is just plain
fun. Secondly, it creates memories and family folklore in abundance. Thirdly,
there is always someone or something that will try to disrupt and steal our
happiness. Sometimes it all depends at how you look at the coon, and whether
or not you can laugh at yourself and at the unpredictabilities of life. I seem to be
better at that when we’re camping, but I am working on incorporating that kind
of attitude into all of my life.

A few times, after the others had already turned in for the night, I ended up
sitting by the campfire alone playing guitar, singing of Him and to him who made
that coon, who holds the wind and the rain in His almighty hands, the One who

had conceived all the beauty and complexity around us, and whose glory was
being declared by the night sky - My heavenly Father, my God. How good it is to
be drawn into His presence and to worship Him. And I don’t have to wait until the
next camping trip to do that, every day invites me and you to do that.

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our
salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him
with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His
also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
Psalm 95:1-6 (NASB)

To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Lazarus and God

September 18 2011Before you read this pastor’s note would you please stop right now, get out a Bible, and readJohn chapter 11. You’ll be glad you did.*******************************************************************They were not the only ones who thought it, but they both said it, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21 & 32). Somehow we seem to think God’s physical presence is a kind of insurance against sickness, pain, suffering, and death. The reality was that God knew exactly what was happening to Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus, he wasn’t uninformed. Nor did he not care; sickness and death are never sign that God doesn’t care. God also does not have to be physically present to intervene in anything that pertains to you and me (John 4:46-53, Matthew 8:8).It is admittedly hard for us to understand, Jesus knew what was going on, yet he waited, he didn’t panic, he wasn’t hurried or worried. We do however, especially when things are a matter of life and death. We are so powerless, so helpless then. “If only God would show up and work a miracle, all would be well,” we think, “All would be back under control and just as it should be.” But Jesus didn’t show, he purposefully delayed, and when he finally arrived “it was too late,” Lazarus’ body was already decaying.We underestimate God, his love, his wisdom, his timing, and his power. We also become easily confused about God. We do so because we rush to conclusions about God based on our view of our circumstances, rather than forming our understanding of God and our circumstances from what he has revealed about himself.Lazarus and his sisters were actually in a great position. They were loved by Jesus. Jesus was their friend. They had a relationship with Jesus. They understood and believed in who Jesus was. But when Lazarus got sick they had no idea that God would reveal much, much more of himself. They, and we, cannot fathom all that God has to show us concerning himself.Paraphrasing Jesus’ conversation with Martha, “Do you trust me?” He asked. “I do,” she replied, “I know that someday we’ll all be in heaven.” “No, do you trust me now? Right here?” Jesus wanted to know.I think Jesus still asks, “Do you trust me right now? Right here? In the midst of all this?” especially when we want to say to God, “If you had only been here then …” And if we trust him there we are about to find out a whole lot more about how glorious God really is.Against their objections Jesus had them roll away the stone covering Lazarus’ tomb. And then they saw a glimpse of the power of God. “Lazarus, come forth.”To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

9/11- Ten Year Anniversary Prayer

Our Father in Heaven,

Almighty God,

Ruler of heaven and earth,

Hallowed be your name.

We remember, O God, ten years past.

We recall the images, the shock, the grief, the disbelief, the sadness,
the fear, and the anger.

We still mourn the senseless loss of life, and with it a way of life as well.

We pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done, yet the
memories of that September day remind us how far we are from both.

We seem to hunger and thirst for righteousness so much more when
we feel the pain of evil and wrong.

Father, You know how to help us as individuals, as a nation, even our
world. How easily pain, loss, grief, and anger turn into bitterness and
self-righteousness. Help us to mourn without a thirst for retribution
and furry. Grant to us humility and kindness in the midst of terror. Give
us the strength, the faith, the obedience to overcome evil with good.

Father, you know that fundamentally we are not better than others
in and of ourselves. Our past, our liberty, our prosperity, and our
opportunity can all be traced back to Your providence, Your goodness,
and the work of Your hands. We thank You for these blessings. We
also thank You for the genuine goodwill and goodness we witnessed a
decade ago rising up out heaps of rubble. How much better and nobler
we are when we abandon selfishness and serve one another instead.

We thank you for those who set that example even at cost of their own
health and lives.

Father God, we pray that we will not lose ourselves in sentimentality,
nor in the worship and pride of the strength and the will of the human
spirit. We are fragile at best, even the strongest, we have learned. We
are sinful ourselves even when we are at our best. Ten years later we
are still in need of You, O Lord: Your protection, Your wisdom, Your
guidance, Your blessing, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your goodness,
and Your righteousness. And not only us, but all of mankind. We are
still in need for the heart, mind, and life of Christ to shape us, mold us,
and captivate us.

We lift our prayer to You Lord because Yours is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever, Amen.

My Lawn and a Lesson for Spiritual Life

My little patch of “lawn” in front of our house has taken a beating. Susie actually suggested taking it out, I balked at the very idea, I would have none of that. It is a small patch that connects me to where I am from, Germany, oh so green Germany.(Green Germany Pictured Above)The two-pronged assault on this precious 10x12 foot blanket of green has been the lack of water and the dog my girls manipulated me into back in February. It was looking so good too; the long wet spring helped it to be lush. But if you were to look at it now that word would not cross your mind.The other day it hit me, “that lawn is like my spiritual life and prayer.” Prayer connects me to where we are really from (“our citizenship is in heaven,” Philippians 3:20). Without regular and constant prayer my spiritual life wilts, and with it the vitality – the green, disappears from my spiritual life. When that happens I do not have the strength, nor the mindset for the Christianlife, and before long I resemble the world around me. I don’t know about you but no one in the right mind will roll in the dry grass of Don Pedro (California) in September, it is utterly uninviting, totally unlike a luscious green lawn God wants me to be.(Dry Don Pedro Pictured Above)The reason it started drying out was because I had to change control modules for the sprinkler system. I thought I could skip a watering time when I installed the new one, but in the heat of the summer once a day just isn’t enough. In the heat of life less prayer has the same result on my spiritual life. I am back to watering it twice a day and the patches the dog hasn’t touched are greening up and growing again.Speaking of the dog, I don’t know what her obsession with digging up my little patch of hallowed ground (if you have advice on how to keep her from digging up my lawn please don’t hold back, thegermanshepherd@juno.com). I do know that our spiritual lives are continually under assault. Sometimes by things that are cute and frivolous, by the annoying, the useless (that dog is not pulling her weight), but also by the destructive, and by those who couldn’t give a hoot about our spiritual lives.If I want to stay spiritually healthy, if I do not want to “grow weary of doing good and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3), if I want to reflect where I am truly from, then I need to pay attention to my watering/praying schedule and be careful not let things go to the dogs/repair daily what has been dug up and devastated.Be green, love you, and to God be all glory, Pastor Hans

John 9- A Challenging God

September 4 2011As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3 (NASB)Have you ever tried to figure out why something bad happened to someone you know or heard about? Why, “What goes around comes around;” “You reap what you sow,” which is actually in the Bible – Galatians 6:7-8; and don’t forget about karma. We can add to all that our own life experience, stupid decisions and irresponsible actions have some very predictable outcomes (at least most of the time).I don’t know what prompted Jesus’ disciples to wonder about this particular blind man, and I can understand the first part of their question, “Is his disability his parents’ fault, did they sin, and is this God’s punishment for it?” After all there are lots of kids and adults who bear the scars of the transgressions of their parents. However, I am more than puzzled by what they asked next, eventhough they knew the man was born blind. Actually that almost qualifies for a stupid question (and contrary to popular belief there are some stupid questions). “Did he sin?” they asked. Did he get drunk in the womb? Did he kick his mother too hard too often? Did he have foul mouth, and his mother had to keep warning him, “I’ll wash your mouth out with soap just as soon as you come out of there?” Was he already consumed with lust, or greed, or a defiant godlessness? How much can a preborn baby sin?We love for things to make sense, being able to explain things, especially the things we consider bad. If we can’t it challenges our thinking regarding the goodness and the power of God. Jesus’ answer did not help a great deal either, in fact it leaves us even more challenged in our thinking about, and in our understanding of God. “This man’s blindness is not the result of his or his parents’ sin” (and there is sickness that results from sin), Jesus said, “God let him suffer with blindness because he has a purpose for it.” How much do you think the disciples were thrown off by this answer? How much are you?Why and how could God do that? “To display the works of God in him,” does not fit our thinking. Bad effects should be rooted in bad causes. God who is good, who is love, for whom nothing is impossible purposefully exposing us to suffering, disability, and to trials just doesn’t fit. It is not a neat explanation, it requires me to think differently about God, it confronts me with the truth that there is much I don’t understand about God, and Jesus’ answer brings me face to face about how much I really trust God.At this point I am tempted, especially as a preacher, to wax eloquent (which rarely happens), and sooth over the perplexity of what Jesus said here. But I’ll refrain; maybe it is good to be challenged in our view of God, lest we make him too small.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans

Spiritual Deafness and Blindness

August 28 2011"HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? … Mark 8:18(NASB)It’s an age old problem, hearing and seeing only what we want to hear or see, especially when it comes to God. To some degree it is understandable because our ears and eyes filter things. Our nature, personality, upbringing, life experiences, culture, religious/non-religious background, education, values, and world view all influence what we hear and see, as well as what we miss.There is a difference between Christians and Non-Christians when it comes to spiritual blindness and deafness. Christian blindness/deafness evidences itself in applying the scriptures selectively, in an eclectic obedience, in knowing the truth of Jesus Christ but not living the life of Christ. “I believe in Jesus but I don’t have to belong to a church,” is an example of reading and applying the Bible in a selective, blind way. “God helps those who help themselves,” is an example of adding to biblical theology, reading into the Bible something that is opposite to what it teaches. God does help who cannot help themselves, the poor, the fatherless, widows, and sinners (and every Christian is a sinner who couldn’t save him/herself from death and God’s judgment and wrath, yet was forgiven and reconciled not on the basis of what he or she did but because of what Jesus Christ did for them). Christian deafness and blindness diminishes Christ, makes us at best caricatures of what we really should be, and at worst causes us to spill blood.Non-Christian “blindness and deafness” causes a rejection of the truth of Jesus Christ, of what God is revealing about himself, life, eternity, sin, death, and judgment. Sometimes the rejection is civil, “I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe.” Sometimes it is vicious ranging from ridicule to outright persecution. Spiritual truth is no less important than any other truth; spiritual reality is as relevant. Jesus Christ was and is offensive to the Non-Christian mind and heart because of who he is, the revelation of God in human form, the only way to heaven, the only avenue to be reconciled to God, or has he stated, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” John 14:6 (NASB).Both Christian and Non-Christian spiritual blindness and deafness perpetuates cycles of sin, darkness, and evil. It turns Christians into stumbling blocks for Non-Christians, and keeps Non-Christians enslaved in the sinful patterns of our world and on a collision course with God’s judgment.Can I challenge you to a small exercise? Read the 8th Chapter of the Gospel of John and highlight the things to which you would say “Right on,” “I agree with that or simply “Amen.” Then let me know in an email what you highlighted (and if you are ambitious also tell me why).Jesus saves sinners,love youPastor Hans (theGermanShepherd@juno.com)

School Starting- Be Involved the Right Way

August 21 2011

School has or is about to start for the kids living in our area and with that I want
to encourage you, their parents/ guardians, to be involved in their schooling. Get
to know your children’s teachers, encourage them, pray for them, do something
nice for them every now and then. Attend open house days, performances, and
sporting events. Be part of the PTA or parents club especially if you’re a dad. In
short, be as involved as you can possibly be, and don’t stop just because they
are getting older. It makes a difference, you will help your child to be a better
student, have more communication, and demonstrate how much you care about
them.

Last school year at one of our daughter’s track meets I spoke with a grandpa
who is raising his grandson by himself, even while he is morning the loss of his
wife. They had started the task together, now he is finishing it by himself. It was
amazing to witness the relationship they share, clearly he is investing, he will end
up being the most influential person in that young man’s life in the most positive
way. He is making the effort, “Whether I feel like it or not I am going to be there
for that kid,” he said, and he is.

From my experience of over twenty years of substitute teaching and coaching at
our local schools I can tell you that you can in almost no time tell which children
have parents who are involved and those whose parents are disengaged, it really
is that drastic. Are there parents/guardians who go overboard, so much so that
they think that they could run it all better? Certainly, and I don’t encourage you
to be one of those. There are also parents who just manage from crisis to crisis,
that’s when they show up, go off like a volcano, hold everybody but themselves
responsible, and disappear when the crisis settles down. That’s the very definition
of dysfunctional parenting, it will teach your children all the wrong things. None
of us who are involved in parenting should expect schoolteachers to do our job.

My Mom, whose formal education didn’t go passed the 9th grade, sat down with
us to do our homework, got more help when it was over her head, kept educating
herself on how to be a better parent, and thought us how to love learning. We
got in trouble if we were disrespectful, and I was disrespectful and worse, to our
teachers. My Dad set the expectations high and didn’t flinch to invest in anything

that smelled of education, which meant a good deal of what he wanted to do he
didn’t get to do. I am grateful to both of them.

While I am at it, be nice to the principal and the school secretary. Think about it
principals have to deal with fiscal problems, staff problems, tons of kids problems,
and too often dysfunctional parent problems. Be a breath of fresh air and be a
solution. And cut the secretary at the front desk some slack, most likely she didn’t
do it so be nice to her.

Lastly, but most importantly, the children under our care have been entrusted
to us by God, He literally calls them gifts (Psalm 127:3), we are responsible to

train them (Proverbs 22:6), and beyond school we are to “bring them up in the
discipline and instruction of the Lord (God),” Ephesians 6:4 (parenthesis mine).
That’s why it is important to not only be involved in your children’s school but to
also be an active part of a local church together.

To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans