The Challenges Of Adoption

By Cindy Bigelow

November has been designated “National Adoption Awareness Month,” and it seems like the perfect time to share some of what I have learned this past year as the director of Chosen International, an organization offering emotional, spiritual and educational support to adoptive families.

Adoption touches so many lives. In fact, it is estimated that there are over 1.6 million children under the age of eighteen living in adoptive homes. When you consider the millions of adults who have also been adopted, and the adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents and other extended family members, as well as close friends, you realize that a large number of Americans are personally affected by adoption.

As Christians, we celebrate the fact that God has chosen to adopt us into His family, and loves us unconditionally. Spiritual adoption is a wonderful thing! And so is earthly adoption. However, the face of adoption has changed dramatically in just the past few decades.

Until recently, when someone said they were adopted it usually meant they were placed in their families as infants, with their birthmother making the decision to give them a chance at a life she couldn’t offer. This is the picture most of us have in our minds when we hear the word the word “adopted” used in the legal sense of the word. In fact, in 1970 (before legalized abortion) there were 172,000 adoptions in the United States, and all but 10% were infant adoptions. Last year, however, 90% of the children adopted arrived in their adoptive families from the foster care system, or through international adoption, at an average age of eight. These children bring with them additional deep layers of wounds from prior neglect and abuse that infant adoptions do not.

Many parents adopt these kids with “stars in their eyes” believing their love will be enough to heal hearts that have been so hurt. Unfortunately, many of these children’s hearts have hardened to protect themselves from more pain. The love of God and of compassionate adoptive parents, can’t sink in. Issues of rejection, abandonment, and shame, usually subconscious, can combine and cause self-destructive behaviors, and great problems in family relationships. Current research shows psycho neurological damage occurs when large amounts of cortical are released in response to severe trauma. This causes the brain to be “rewired” so that abused children truly do not process things the way most of us do. Educational and parenting strategies that work with other children do not work with these children. Most all adoptive parents really do try everything they possibly can to help their children, and the rest of us just can’t even begin to imagine what the adoptive parents of previously abused children go through.

The people who adopt these “social orphans” of our country are heroes to me. Talk about “pure and undefiled religion…” (See James 1:27) However, I am being contacted by parents from all over the country who are desperate for Christian support. They feel judged and deserted by the church in their times of greatest need, and there is great discouragement. Many are single women, as well as grandparents who find themselves now parenting the children whose own parents are drug addicted and neglectful. These families all so need those in the church, their church family, to wrap their arms around them and support them emotionally, spiritually and often, financially. I think the church, which encourages adoption, just needs to be educated on some of the special needs some adoptive families might have and how they can come along side them with support. So, that is what I am hoping to do with this article, and with resource materials being developed by Chosen International.

There is a huge void in post adoption services from a Christian perspective. Chosen International is working to develop programs that will help provide some of it. If you have not been to our website recently, visit www.choseninternational.org And during November, and always, when you thank God for adopting you into His family, I encourage you to think of ways you might personally support and encourage an adoptive family.

Cindy Bigelow writes from Grants Pass, Oregon.

Fine

By Bob Hansen

The English language can be so tricky. Often the innocent selection of a particular word can cause much pain. One word to especially watch out for is “fine.” Allow me to illustrate. It’s toward the end of dinner when your wife asks, “How did you like the new stroganoff recipe?”

To this question, a novice husband might reply, “It was fine.” In guy-thought, this is an entirely appropriate answer. In a man’s simplistic world things are either “fine” or “not fine.” There are only those two options. It is an elegantly, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated way of dealing with life—though apparently not the only way.

A man using the “fine” response may receive from his wife a reaction beyond his comprehension. She might say, “Well, that’s the last time I slave over a hot stove for you!” Understandably (to half the population) the man becomes flummoxed. He cannot, not even to save his life, grasp what he did wrong. Though from the look on her face, he has certainly transgressed.

Don’t get discouraged, men. With this disaster comes the opportunity for restoration. Hidden within the problem is a learning juncture, a chance to gain precious knowledge about your spouse.

Here is the key to understanding what happened when you said, “Fine.” You meant one thing; your wife heard something entirely different. You meant to indicate your approval of the meal, to reassure her that the food did its job. It filled your empty stomach while not offending your taste buds in the process. “Well done,” you meant to say.

But she didn’t discern your intent. She thought it a flippant remark, one spoken with no thought. Apparently you cared so little that you couldn’t take the time to form a complete and supportive answer. If you couldn’t comment on the delicious-tasting food itself, you might have at least noted the effort involved in its preparation.

Men, a better response in these situations would be something like: “That was a great meal, Honey. I can tell you worked hard on it, and I think that new recipe is a keeper.” I know you’ll feel funny saying that and you might even think it’s insincere. But you’ll actually be communicating the female equivalent of saying, “It was fine.” (Note: saying, “The food was very nutritious.” is not a suitable substitute for the above-suggested comment. Trust me.)

If only this were the end of the matter. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated.
In discussing the topic of meal-comments with my wife, she informed me that there are times when it’s okay to say the meal is fine. Oatmeal—when the meal consists of oatmeal, it is appropriate to use the word, “fine.” But my wife said that if a man refers to other meals using that word, he might very well receive oatmeal for every meal.

At first I thought this was a valuable clarification—at first. The distinction appeared to relate to the time of day when the food was consumed. For breakfasts - “fine” was acceptable. For dinner - no way! But what about lunch? Which way does that meal go? Then I realized that it might not be the time of day at all. The key might be the amount of energy invested in the food’s preparation.

But this still left me in a quandary. What kind of comment is appropriate for a spaghetti dinner? How about hamburgers? Does it make a difference if the hamburgers are served with grilled unions? What about lasagna? And what if the meal was served to guests? I suspect that additional compliments are called for on such occasions. But I’m not sure what they should be.

I realize I’ve made only a baby-step toward clarifying the matter. I also realize that many of you are thinking that this situation simply requires too much effort. Why can’t my wife simply adjust her understanding of the word, “fine?” I suspect that’s what many of you are thinking - though that idea has never occurred to me personally.

This might be an acceptable approach - if it weren’t for a couple of scriptures that come to mind. Romans 12:10: “Honor one another above yourselves.” Philippians 2:3: “In humility, consider others better than yourselves.” These indicate that waiting for others to adjust to me is not the way to go. I must be considerate of others, and adjust myself to them.

This is the harder alternative. But, in my experience, the God-designed, more-difficult way, results in the best outcome. I believe our marriages are worth the best result.

Bob Hansen writes from Chehalis, Washington. bhansen6@juno.com

Zacchaeus And Me

By Eleanor Cowles

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today’. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’” Luke 19: 1-10

Zacchaeus wanted only to see Jesus. He climbed a tree and sat in the curve of two branches. Sunlight filtered through green leaves, warming his face. He began to hear distant clamor, saw dust rising, and thought, “He’s coming. I hope I can see him in the crowd.” Then came the tall bearded man walking among the people, speaking to them, touching them. “At last I have seen him”, Zacchaeus thought. Just then Jesus stopped under the tree and looked up. “Come down, Zacchaeus! I will eat at your house today!” What did Zacchaeus feel at that moment…surprise… fear…excitement? We only know he scrambled down and hurried to prepare for his guest. Jesus did eat with him that day, and Zacchaeus’ life was changed.

Like Zacchaeus, I often want only to see Jesus. I want to attend church, sing choruses, hear a sermon, see Jesus, and then go home. When He calls, “Come down!” I am uncomfortable. “Come down! I have children who need a teacher. I have sick people who need comfort. I have many with empty lives who need someone to tell them about me.” Maybe if I let Him into my house my life, like Zacchaeus’, can also change.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to
go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” John 15: 16

Eleanor Cowles writes from Independence, Oregon.

President Ronald Reagan Quote

“Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, were mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” –President Ronald Reagan

The statement by Ronald Reagan was shared at an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast in Dallas, Texas, August 23, 1984. You can find the full speech on the following websites: American Presidency Project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40282&st=&st1= or Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/82384a.htm

Who Is The One True God?

PrayerPower
By Petey Prater

Mohammed, an Egyptian Muslim, was my seatmate as we flew cross-country to Portland, Oregon. He’d worked at a firm near my home; we had many Oregon experiences in common. Soon we began discussing our different faiths.

My faith is rooted in the God of the Bible and his Son, Jesus. Mohammed’s faith is in the God of the Koran. I have peace that God is preparing a home for me in Heaven because “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:21 I have called on Him.

Mohammed confessed, “I have no peace about eternity, but I feel I worship the true God.”

“Jesus is my best friend,” I said, “He counsels me and guides me when I pray to Him.”

“Oh no!” Mohammed exclaimed, startling me by actually slapping his cheek with his hand. “If I tried to talk to God he would slap my face.” We talked a little longer before ending amicably; but we both knew one of us was wrong. There is only one True God.

I challenged him with these words, “Ask God to show you if Jesus is the only way to Heaven. If you are sincere, He’ll reveal Himself to you.”

To the degree we know the character of the God of the Bible and His Word we will trust Him and pray to Him. What does the Bible tell us about God’s person and Word?

· God is a single being consisting of three inter-relating persons – God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This concept is called the Trinity, three in One. He has always existed without any outside cause or agent having brought Him into being.
· God is Creator. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 The earth and all He created belongs to Him; therefore He is sovereign over men’s kingdoms and lives.
· God is our Redeemer and Savior. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
· God is merciful. “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him…” Daniel 9:9
· God is faithful and just. “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4
· God is all knowing, all powerful, all present, and holy – His attributes are more than we can name.

God loves Mohammed and each of us with an everlasting love and draws us to Himself with kindness because He longs for friendship with us (Jeremiah 31:3). That is wonderful to contemplate; the God of all creation desires intimate fellowship with you and me!

The God of the Bible says: “Turn to me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22

Are we convinced? Will we choose fellowship with the God of all Creation? If we choose fellowship we must also choose followship. Join me, let’s follow the one True God together.

Petey Prater writes from Beaverton, Oregon. peteyprater@yahoo.com

When All Directions Seem the Same

By Nicholas Harrison

I’ve learned what it means to give up. For an afternoon I did. And what would have happened if I had carried through with my plan to quit law school and go home, I can’t tell you. I went to sleep that afternoon, woke up a few hours later, and started again. In those times I learned what it meant to force one foot down in front of the other; walking, perhaps marching forward, regardless of feeling. And a season like that did me some good, but the lessons were simple. Even if they were hard, they were simple. Keep pressing. Keep fighting.

If that was a blizzard march, this must be spring. I lived on ideas of what this might be like. And I had my ideas. But this newly-melted slush has taken me by surprise. I find it less comforting than I had expected. And I’ve even caught myself thinking about times in the future when I might have a simple task again: Move forward at all costs. But for now, I only wonder what it means to be faithful in the springtime slush, when all directions seem the same. And I’ve learned that there is such a thing as giving up, even here. There is still an Enemy waiting in the grass.

And all around are snares. Idols, set to the sun, by my hands and by the hands of others, point every which way. In a blizzard, such temptations are of no consequence. All you can do is move forward, anyway. But here, in the lulls of peace, they pose a special threat. I find my eyes straying. The proverbial question mark is hanging over my head, and I’m tempted to sprint. In any direction, even. I feel the compulsion to move, if only for motion’s sake.

Oswald Chambers said, “When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait…When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.”

Chambers used the story of Peter on the night of Christ’s crucifixion. Wanting only to be faithful, Peter declared that he would die for Christ’s sake. Peter was honest, but naïve. He wasn’t asked to die that night. No blizzard poured down on Peter’s head.

His trial did come, but not on the terms he had expected. The Enemy did attack, and Peter did fall. He denied Christ three times. Peter braced himself for a Goliath, a black-and-white crisis that never came. It was the grey that overtook him.

This is hardly the end of the story, however. After the Resurrection, three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?" With each question and with each answer He gently restored to Peter all that his sin had cost him.

The lyrics of an untitled song evoke the image of something like Aslan:
Peace, be still tonight.
Peace, be still tonight
All the things you’re running from
Are broken at my feet

Hush, child don’t you fear
Hush, child don’t you fear
All you need to do
Is rest here at my feet

I’m whispering
You can’t fall but where my arms will reach and
You won’t miss all that I’ve planned for you

So then, what does it mean to be faithful in the springtime slush? Perhaps it means knowing that though all directions seem the same, they are not. There is indeed an Enemy waiting in the grass.

Nicholas Harrison writes from afar. Nicholas_Harrison@baylor.edu

The Wooden Bowl

Sent in by Kathy Anderst

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"

Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Kathy Anderst writes from Medford, Oregon.

The Ultimate Gift

Movie Review: The Ultimate Gift
Fox Faith (PG)

Review by Chad McComas

The Ultimate Gift is the type of movie that draws one into a heart-warming experience even though the story line is obvious. You know where it is going. A wealthy older man is dying…he decides to be wise in the distribution of his wealth…he has failed with his kids (they have been ruined by wealth), but he has hope for his grandson if…

The “if” is what the movie is all about.

James Garner does an excellent job endearing us to his role as Red Stevens. Red has more money than he knows what to do with, but he has accumulated it the old fashion way. He has earned it with good old-fashioned effort, sweat and dreams. Somehow his family hasn’t learned the lessons he learned and has become quite comfortable living a lifestyle off trust funds. All of their needs are being met with no effort on their part to earn it.

The grandson, Jason Stevens (played by Drew Fuller), hasn’t worked a day in his life. He is spoiled rotten like the rest of the family, but he has the same spark his dad had when he was young. It’s that spark that grandfather sees and banks on. He believes if he can put Jason through a series of tests or “gifts” as he calls them that Jason will become a wealthy man in character, heart, actions and of course money.

Movie viewers work through the series of “gifts” with Jason. They feel the pain of learning to work. They understand when Jason has to lose everything and find true friendship. Their hearts are touched as Jason learns to be a giver and not a taker. They feel the bond growing in their hearts as Jason meets Emily (played byAbigail Breslin) and her mother Alexia (played by Ali Hillis). He learns to love them in a way he has never understood in his life before.

The job that Abigail does with the role of Emily has you laughing one minute and crying the next. She truly brings a spark of joy to the movie and to life. We are encouraged to live life to the fullest and take advantage of each life experience as it comes. Who knows when it will be our last?

It is touching to see the changes that come over Jason as he works through his “gift.” But, perhaps the Ultimate Gift isn’t as much about Jason and his grandfather Red as it is about all of us as we seek to make a difference in this world. Jason passes each test as it comes and is eventually given the Ultimate Gift of making a difference. It isn’t about money…it is all about character and life –living. It’s about truly learning to be a man of wealth.

Chad McComas writes from Medford, Oregon.

The Real Miracle of Restoration

By Beverly Hill McKinney

When I was growing up, I loved the miracles from the Bible. Living near the ocean, it fascinated me to think that Moses led the people across a sea onto dry land. I would gaze at the ocean and imagine waves splashing on each side with a dry path through the middle. What a great God.

Also the story in Exodus of God feeding the children of Israel manna in the wilderness made an impression on me. Food was scarce at our house and the Lord providing food filled me with wonder.

Neither could I even imagine the three Hebrew children that were thrown in the fiery furnace. What bravery. Yet, there was God in their midst.

As I began to study the New Testament, the miracles of Christ were also awe inspiring to me.

In John 2:1-10 we read of the first public miracle of Jesus. Attending a wedding feast, Jesus mother realized there was no wine. She came to him and asked if he could do something to help out. Jesus told the servants to bring water pots and as the water was poured forth, the water turned to wine.

In Luke 9:13-17 we read the story of the feeding of the five thousand. From a small boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish Jesus multiplied the food enough to feed the entire multitude with basket fulls left over.

Mark 4:36-40 states that even the winds and waves obeyed the Savior’s voice. Although the disciples saw the many miracles Jesus performed, they were frightened when a storm came up on the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus slept, they became more and more fearful, finally calling on him to help least they die. By merely a spoken word, the storm calmed. I have seen severe storms come up on the ocean and it was always amazing to me that by a mere word, Jesus could still a storm.

When illness or death overtakes someone we love, we seek the Lord for healing and comfort. In John 11:1-44 is the story of the raising of Lazarus. How Mary and Martha grieved for their dear brother. As Jesus approached their home, Mary ran out and said “If thou hadest been here, my brother had not died.” How like Mary we are to look at our earthly circumstances and not see the miracles waiting to happen. What joy there was a few moments later when Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave. Just imagine, Jesus had power even over death.

I was sitting in church a few weeks ago, and at the end of the service the pastor extended an invitation for anyone to accept Christ as their Savior. As I watched, a young man came forward weeping openly. As the pastor prayed with him, I sat in my seat and thanked the Lord for His ability to change a life. I prayed for a few more minutes and then left for home.

Sometime later that afternoon, I was convicted by my lack of response to this miracle in our midst. As I thought of how miracles in the Bible always moved me and the deep lessons they had instilled in my life, I realized how casual I had looked at a true miracle right before my eyes. In Luke 15:7 it states, “…Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth…” Here it states that even Heaven rejoices when a soul is restored. This realization humbled me to think that I had seen a real miracle before my eyes.

A stanza in an old hymn reads,
“It took a miracle to put the stars in place.
It took a miracle to hang the world in space;
But when he saved my soul,
Cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace.”

That is the real miracle of restoration.

Beverly Hill McKinney writes from Rogue River, Oregon. bmckinnehill@yahoo.com

The Next Guest

By Lynn Ludwick

“May I help the next guest in line?” I first heard that question at a department store and it irked me. I next heard the same words in a fabric store. Why did they consider me a guest? When I reached the cash register the clerk issuing the invitation asked for the green stuff or plastic in exchange for the merchandise in my shopping cart—no giveaways there. Then my bank took up the slogan. Was this a new trend?

This whole guest concept in marketing is supposed to make me feel special. Tea at a girlfriend’s home makes me feel special—being lured into a place of business out to milk my wallet does not. When people come to my home as genuine guests I do serve a refreshments and offer hospitality. What I don’t do is hand them a tab at the door. “Pay up now, Guests, this privilege is gonna cost ya.”

This Thanksgiving I’ll join others at my son and daughter-in-law’s home to eat and celebrate our thanks for our myriad blessings. The bond of family, the excitement of being in their newly-remodeled home, the joy of our ninety-three year old mother/grandmother still with us, the delight of squealing toddlers. We’ll gather around the table and lounge in the living room, eat too much, laugh, and snap pictures. For free! Well, they will extract a slight charge from me—a pecan pie and a side dish.

Yet another table awaits, The Banqueting Table prepared by God for His family. “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” Song of Songs 2:4 By contrast, that event will make Norman Rockwell’s Thanksgiving portrayal look like a TV dinner.

There I’ll be an honored guest in response to The Grand Invitation issued by God Himself. “Come, Lynn, be saved from yourself, from your sins, from eternal damnation.”

“Uh, what’s this going to cost?” I was skeptical.

“Death,” He replied without batting a divine eye.

I gasped, but He hurried on. “Oh, don’t worry. Jesus picked up the tab. He died for you and the price has been paid. So come on in.”

Before then I may join Him at other tables He has prepared—a “table-for-two” called prayer where I may join my Lord anytime, my kitchen table where I sit and read what He wrote to me in the Bible, the Communion table where He and I meet to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and to rearrange my heart.

I’ve sat at a lot of earthly tables, both as a guest and as the hostess. As a young bride I hosted eighteen for Thanksgiving, and decades later tucked in eleven family members for a week of Christmas celebration. I’ve thrown kids’ birthday and Christmas parties, tea parties, brunches, luncheons, barbeques and dinners. And I’ve attended such events in friends’ and relatives’ homes.

So many marvelous events, but they pale in comparison to that ultimate banquet—a mere foretaste. I have quite an imagination, so indulge me here. Picture people from all over the world, all races, all sizes, some in turbans and flowing robes, some in loincloths, others in suits, some in sunbonnets. Others will wear the garb of Moses or David. And oh yes, they will be there. Imagine meeting them face-to-face. The food will be divine, literally, and no cleanup. (Surely there won’t be dishes to wash in Heaven.) All will understand the conversation. No theology implied here, just a bit of daydreaming. What I do know for certain is being a guest at that table will surpass anything I might conjure in my imagination.

So the next time I’m stuck in line at a store and someone calls me a guest, I’ll swallow my annoyance. With all I have to anticipate, I’ll humor their silly ploys. After all, I anticipate residing in God’s home and eating at His table as a no-charge guest. Forever. Wow!

But until then, I’m looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. As a genuine no-charge guest.

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Psalm 23:5-6

Lynn Ludwick writes from Medford, Oregon. lynniegirl45@hotmail.com

The Most Important Truth…I Can Be Wrong

By Bob Hoyle

In my years of being a Christian and my personal search for truth in the Word of God I have come to know one truth for certain…I can be wrong. The Word of God itself teaches me that.

Paul’s warnings concerning false teachings abound in the New Testament as he admonishes his brothers not to be deceived; meaning that they can be deceived by false doctrine even though they are saved. Check out the letter to the Galatians and discover that some in the Body of Christ were being deceived concerning keeping the law.

If we believe something to be sure, certain, with no doubt about it and then discover that we were wrong…does our original belief change what truly is? For example, let’s say we believe that hell isn’t real, but a metaphorical place. If hell turns out to be a real place does it matter if we didn’t believe it in the first place? Of course not.

Does this mean that I can’t have fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ who believes differently about that than I do? Careful, we might trap ourselves with your answer!

Why do we separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters in Christ for not believing exactly like we do about something that has nothing to do with salvation by grace through faith? Could it be that we just can’t admit that perhaps what we believe might be wrong? Or could it be that we just can’t stand to be around someone that threatens our little pet doctrine?

Shortly after being saved I joined a church. Now this (admittedly) comes from someone who believed someone could pack up a tent, some water, a few provisions, and go camp out on a mountaintop somewhere for a month, open the Bible, in prayer ask God for truth and he would come off the mountain knowing more about truth and the will of God than someone who spent years in a seminary. I’m still not sure I wasn’t right about that one. Here’s what happened. I joined a church and as they pulled out their “selective” verses from the Bible, they showed me their pet doctrine and why it was true. They got me hook, line and sinker.

But that wasn’t the worse part. The worse part was that I was totally convinced “we were right and everyone else was wrong.” I could not fellowship outside of our “non-denominational denomination.” I wasn’t even sure if anyone outside of our “little click” could be saved, seeing as how they didn’t believe what we did.

Did the fact that I could be persuaded to believe false doctrine negate the fact that God had saved me previous to the acceptance of that doctrine? No. I’m so thankful that my salvation is not contingent upon my ability to never be wrong.

So, what has happened to the original church? Where did it go? Where are all those brothers and sisters in Christ that could hang out together and fellowship together in love for one another, even though they didn’t agree 100% on some issues? Where are the Christians that could love one another past the “he eats meat sacrificed to an idol and I don’t?” Or the ability to come together as members of the same Body and exhort one another even though some “had a special day to the Lord, and some treated every day alike?” (See Romans 14: 3-6)

The only thing I can find in the Word of God that commands me to stop fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ is if they are living lives that are in direct contradiction to “Godly living” (I Corinthians 5:11).

Too often we do just the opposite in today’s 20th century Christianity. We fellowship with those who are “drunkards or fornicators.” But, we have withdrawn our fellowship from those who don’t believe exactly as we do about our pet doctrines. We ignore the counsel given to us about taking a brother to the courts rather than to the church to settle issues. The first thing we do is find ourselves a lawyer and take a brother to court for restitution. I can go on and on about what we don’t do in the name of our Lord and Savior. The Word of God tell us to (Hebrews 10:25) and yet we find the most ridiculous excuses to disobey the Word of Truth in order to justify our behavior.

Let’s get right down to brass tacks. We love our doctrine above our Lord or each other. It’s called “religion.”

There are those that believe there are too many contradictions in the Bible for it to be taken literal in its entirety. What seems to be a contradiction in most cases is a misunderstanding of the Scripture and our dogmatic view of how we interpret it. If it seems to contradict something we have already made up our mind about, then we dismiss it instead of going back to evaluate why we believe what we believe in the first place. Was it something I was taught to believe? Was it a preconceived idea based upon an intellectual understanding of what a certain word means to me? And we overlook the most important question of all; does it matter enough to God for me to divide myself from a brother or sister in Christ that does not understand it to mean what I think it means?

It’s said we never want to talk about politics or religion at the dinner table or we may end up wearing our dinner. The reason is simple. We believe we are right!
As I first stated, I have learned one truth for certain…I can be wrong.
How about you?

Bob Hoyle writes from Tallahassee Florida.

The Mission of Parenting

By Rawly Glass

Most people have heard of Enron. The flavor in our minds isn’t pleasant. It’s bitter and tastes like blatant disregard for the front line employee.

Enron started out selling energy and managing gas pipelines, but lost focus. The executive team’s purpose shifted to protecting the company, safeguarding their image, and making executives rich. They lost focus on their purpose, the front line, where they were going, and what their mission was. In 2001, after six years of being voted most innovative company, Enron was exposed and imploded. It was total disintegration. Much like what has been happening to families today.

Christians blame “the world” for the demise of the family. We say that the influence of television, music, schools, politics, magazines, etc create our parenting problems and problems with our children. But this doesn’t help much.

I propose an alternate explanation. We lack a clear mission. This is the problem. Most of us don’t know why we are doing what we are doing. Further, to make sure I step on everyone’s toes, most of us who were at one time clear about the purpose of parenting have become distracted and our purpose is not the purpose we are called to according to the Bible.

A mission is the underlying purpose for being. The importance of having a parenting mission can’t be over emphasized. It is vital that we understand why we do this thing called parenting.

Purpose defines why we do what we are doing. But it also clarifies what we are doing. If we don't understand our purpose, we can't understand what it is we are really supposed to do.

For example:
· The majority of school systems no longer understand their true purpose. The system tries to make children fit it’s idea of education rather than creating education around the developmental process of children.
· Many churches have lost their true purpose - they are all over the map in what they are doing. Churches blame the secular community for their struggles, rebelliousness, and lack of attendance rather than focusing on the Good News that can create a powerful, irresistible, positive draw to God.
· When businesses like Enron lose focus on their purpose many hard working, devoted people are hurt and suffer unnecessarily.
· Governmental agencies that loose focus become powerful oppressors of the very people they exist to protect and support.

Any organization - be it government, private, family, business, spiritual or secular - that does not first understand it’s purpose and mission will inevitably end up distracted and off course. It is guaranteed to miss the mark. We all pay the price.

Therefore, as parents, we must first understand our mission. Our purpose is the measurement we use to determine success. It is impossible to understand how successful we are unless we know what our purpose is and where we are going. Let’s look at this in the context of obedience.

More than obedient children
I believe most parents will say that the mission of parenting is: “training children to be good and obedient, and to honor God and their parents.” They may add, to live long “productive” lives, which is based on being obedient children. (besides…the 10 commandments tell us so in Exodus 20:12).

But, if we are to be successful as parents, we must understand that parenting is not about raising obedient, respectful, or honorable children. Even though this has value, it is not the primary mission of parenting. The true purpose of parenting is much bigger. A behavior focus to parenting will always lead us into deep trouble. We may end up with compliant children, but in 99% of the cases, this makes them easy prey for a secular world where everyone is telling them what to do. When obedience is the primary purpose we actually predispose our children to legalism, conditional acceptance, judgment, criticism, and control by the larger media and community.

When obedience is our primary mission, we will determine our success or failure based on the obedience of the children. If the child is compliant, obedient, honoring, then we feel good about our parenting. When we see obedient children, we think, “their parents must be wonderful parents.” But this is not necessarily true.

Obedience is a side benefit, not the actual goal. Children raised by parents that operate from a Biblically based mission will end up with obedient children that honor them and God, but this is not the primary focus of parenting activity.

Having obedience as our mission leads us to teach our children to be controlled by external forces rather than from within. We teach them to comply with external demands. They don’t learn the skills necessary to make their own decisions, be focused on a task, and have goals that they embrace and pursue. They are subject to the strongest external force around them. It may be peers, TV and media, a boss, girlfriend/boyfriend, spouse, neighbor, or any number of powerful influences that blast their message. Some people do actually mature through this process and reach a state of self-directness, but by far most do not.
Parenting driven by the mission outlined in the Bible results in children who are powerfully self-directed. The self is God-oriented. These children are powerful positive influences. They create their powerful environment rather than being created by the world inflences. When raised by parents with a clear Biblically defined mission, children will automatically honor and respect authority. But using this as a measure of “good” or “bad” children or “good” or “bad” parenting creates short-term external symptoms. This breeds what we call “image management” or “look good” addictions.

Parenting driven by obedience too often creates “rebellious children.” When this happens these same parents point the finger of shame and condemnation at their children. Rebellion is more a result of control-oriented parenting than “bad” children. It has more to do with the punishment philosophy promoted by some self proclaimed Bible experts than with children who are lost or evil by nature. This control-oriented parenting and punishment philosophy is usually called “discipline,” but when we look at what is actually happening it is clearly punishment.

Enron’s mission was to provide energy to the nation, but it ended up draining energy out of the culture. This is what we do as parents when we make obedience our focus. Instead of building powerful self-directed children we create people without direction that are easily controlled by a dominate culture.

Conclusion
A person, a family, or an organization without a purpose flounders. Results are many and varied, but none good. An unethical, immoral, or downright evil purpose wreaks immeasurable havoc and sorrow in the world. So, it is not enough to have a purpose. Our purpose must have value and be honorable.

Mission is first. Purpose is primary. Knowing what parenting is all about must be our first work as parents. The Bible is very helpful in this arena. It clearly defines the purpose of parenting. Our purpose directly defines what we are to do as parents and how we deal with and respond to our children.

Next month I’ll share the meat of the mission from my study of Scripture. I believe you will be excited.

Rawly Glass writes from Medford, Oregon. rglass@relationshipsfirst.net

The Ministry of Business Owners

By Mickey Lufkin

Throughout the Word of God, there are convicting scriptures. “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is such a scripture. Until we admit to our sin filled nature, there can be no hope for our regeneration.
Other scriptures that have universality among born again Christians include the following: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” Galatians 6:7 “The fear of God is the beginning of understanding …” Proverbs 1:7 “Judge not lest ye be judged” Matthew 7:1 Two such convicting scriptures have governed the decisions that I have been making as a born again Christian for the past twenty years of my life. They have made me realize that I am a Christian – a follower of Christ – as a private, public, and businessperson.

The first scripture that convicted me towards a much bolder walk with our Lord is found in both Mark 8:38 and Luke 9:26. “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” This scripture has made me realize that, no matter where I go or what I do, Christ, who lives in me, knows when I am ashamed or apologetic before anyone I may encounter. This is revealed in my chosen vocation and in my business. I was providentially led to my present business (The Master’s Music and Learning Center) when God spoke to my heart about the large population of runaways and abandoned youth in the Rogue Valley area. As a semi-retired schoolteacher and professional musician, I had begun to realize that God’s purpose for me was to use my gifts for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. Since music has long been considered the “universal” language, my obedience to His calling led to a ministry of offering instruments and lessons to youth who were in need of a friend that would never “leave or abandon them.”

The Master’s Music and Learning Center is a part of a non-profit organization called Neglected Youth Outreach, Inc. (NYO) We have highly trained teachers who lovingly share their gifts with those who desire to learn to play an instrument or improve their singing. As donations and grants become available, youth from families living on low incomes will be given scholarships for lessons and discounts on instruments. All money received will go towards lessons, which will in turn pay the wages of our teachers.

The second scripture that empowered my present walk with Christ is one that can make every Christian tremble when they hear it. “Many will say to me on that day ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?’ Then I will declare to them ‘ I never knew you; depart from me you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:22-23

I was taught years ago that Christ desires us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit those in prison. Recently I was taught that the final judgment and reward would depend on sins of omission.

As Christian business owners, we are commanded to be servants to all. We who have surrendered our will to our Lord are now bondservants of Christ. We are to think of others before ourselves. In our business practices, we must maintain the highest level of honesty, integrity, and joy in our work. It is my opinion that each of us should “market” our love for the Lord, and boldly state “As for me and my house (business} we will serve the Lord.


Mickey Lufkin writes from the Rogue Valley, Oregon.

Singing For My Mom

By Barbara Altamirano

My mother always had a beautiful voice. When I was a small child, I always sat next to her in church listening to her sing the hymns. I probably tried to sing along, but never with that much enthusiasm. In my teen years I became a little rebellious. Although I did go to church, no one could force me to sing.

It wasn’t that I had anything against singing, exactly. After all, I loved singing in the privacy of my room or anywhere when I was alone. Of course, the songs I sang were the popular rock songs of the day – not boring old church hymns.

I did belong to my high school’s chorus. I was a little unsure of my voice so in chorus I sang very softly. In fact so softly, that when our choral director spoke of ‘deadwood’ in our ranks, I felt sure he meant me. In chorus I sang a little. In church I still hardly ever sang. Although the choral songs weren’t the songs I listened to on the radio, at least they weren’t church music.

When in my twenties I had finally outgrown my teenage rebelliousness and I began to appreciate some of the hymns. Most of the hymns that I did like were Christmas songs. I still really hadn’t learned to appreciate the non-Christmas songs.

After I got married and started a family of my own I attended church and sat next to my mom. When I was near her I always heard her clear strong voice during all the hymns. Later when she joined our church choir and knowing her voice was one of the group was the next best thing to hearing her singing next to me.

She managed to remain a member of the choir for quite a while even after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung disease. Her determination to keep singing even when breathing was difficult spoke to her love of singing and singing for the glory of God.

Eventually, she was forced to quit the choir, but not without much regret. When I sat next to her, I heard her voice, and it was surprisingly still pretty strong. I didn’t want to imagine a time when I would no longer hear it.

But that horrible day did come. We went to church to commemorate her life and for one of the first times in my life I really wanted to sing – especially the songs that I knew had been her favorites. However, my tears made that impossible. I wondered if I would ever be able to sing these songs – songs that I now suddenly realized were beautiful – without my tears stopping me.

On the first Easter without mom I was able to start singing the hymns, but not far before the tears started. One Sunday in Advent, close to a year after my mom’s passing, almost without realizing it, I found myself singing. During one of the songs I experienced a calm consoling feeling that enveloped me. For a moment I thought I heard a clear strong voice that sounded just like my mother. It took me a few seconds to realize that the voice I heard was my own.

Barbara Altamirano Watertown , Connecticut. baltamirano@optonline.net

Restored by Grace

By Fred Wikoff

My wife likes collecting and restoring antiques. She has two dolls from the mid teens that set facing each other in a basket on top of an old treadle sowing machine in our recreation room. A Christian friend initially had them as a child and my wife restored them for her. But out of love the friend gave them back to my wife because she wanted her to have them when she died.

The friend passed away early this year, but the dolls remain as a testimony to the many years of a dear and happy friendship. They entice visions of simpler times, crammed with shared activities and fun filled days. But most of all they bring back the joy our friend expressed upon seeing her dolls restored to their earlier splendor.

People restore things for many different reasons. My wife restored the dolls out of love for our friend. Old paintings, cars, and houses are restored to preserve them, or simply to make them look or run better. My computer has a restore program on it, so, if the computer stops working correctly, I can restore it to a time when it was running properly. Whatever the reason, it often seems that we spend as much time restoring things from the past as we do inventing new things.

This should not be totally surprising. Man is noted for resisting change, and restoration could be said to be a backhanded, if not covert, way of resisting it. But at the same time it also gives us a worthwhile feeling of accomplishment, similar to making something new, and preserves the best of the past to help us progress toward the future.

Christ’s Church has a long tradition of blending the past with the future. Martin Luther and the protestant reformation aside, the Church has historically sought to restore itself. Even the Apostles saw the need to warn straying believers to stop following false doctrines and teachings and return to the truth of Christ. (See Galatians 1:6-9)

In fact restoration could be said to be an underlying theme throughout the entire Bible. Ever since man let sin separate him from God in the garden, he has tried to restore his former relationship, but failed, and continues to fail miserably. He fails because he does not have the power to free himself from sin.

How did man get into such a dire predicament? God certainly didn’t create him this way. In the beginning man had dominion over the earth. He had a special relationship with God built upon trust and understanding. The world was created for man and he was the boss as long as he trusted God. (See Genesis 1:26-28)
Then Satan came into the picture. You know the story. In one bit of disloyalty and greedy ambition, man transferred his trust in God, along with his dominion over the world, to Satan; and sin was born.

Sin can be likened to a black hole in outer space. Once anything gets within the grasp of its gravitational field it’s powerless to free itself, and is sucked hopelessly inward with no hope of escape. This is mans predicament in regards to sin. He is caught in sin’s deadly grip and can’t free himself, and faces certain death without God’s intervention: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Fortunately, what man could not do on his own God did for him. That’s why we call salvation a gift. Christ death on the cross provides a way for us to be free from sin and restore our lost relationship with the Father, and escape spiritual death. He entered into heaven, “…to appear in the presence of God on our behalf . . . once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (See Hebrews 9:24-26)

The dolls that my wife restored will in time deteriorate into oblivion unless someone else again restores them. Christ’s victory over sin and the subsequent restoration of our access to the Father is for eternity.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

Fred Wikoff writes from Eugene, Oregon. EugeneSpud@msn.com

The Secret To HOW to be Restored

By Chad McComas

David understood what it meant to being restored. He shared in his now famous song (Psalm 23) of how God was his shepherd and he was God's sheep. In one of the few verses he talked about how God “restores” his soul. In “sheep” language that meant that when he was upside down on his back with his feet sticking up in the air he needed his shepherd to pick him up and put him back on his feet. There was no way he could do it himself.

There is no way we can “restore” ourselves in life. We need a shepherd too. How silly it must look to see a sheep struggling to get back up by itself. Rather, it is very serious, for if the sheep doesn't get righted back on its feet it will die. If we don't get righted back (restored) on our feet in life we will surely die as well. Yet, we continue to struggle to do it ourselves. We spend all kinds of energy and effort flailing our arms and legs in life only to get worn out and eventually die.

What is the secret to being restored? It is amazingly simple, yet much too hard for most. Ask HOW and we have our answer.

HOW = Humble. Open. Willing.

Our restoration is all about who is in charge. Us or God? (humble) About letting God be in charge. (willing) And about doing things God's way. (open)

HUMBLE
James tells us: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.” James 4:10

Micah asked us: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Solomon said: “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4

Jesus told us: “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 18:14

God tells us: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

There is no doubt that when we choose to be humble...great things will happen. God is anxious to restore us, but He can't do anything in our lives until we know we can't do it by ourselves.

OPEN
The prodigal son tried it his way. When he ended up in the pig pen we are told that “he came to himself.” He realized that his way didn't work. He was open to going home and doing it his father's way. Being open to hearing God opens the door for the Holy Spirit to do His “restoration” work. In Revelation we are told that those who are blessed are those who “read” and “hear” God's words. (See Revelation 1:3) In other words being teachable, being “open” opens the doors for us (no pun intended)

Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”

WILLING
Am I willing to let God call the shots in my life? Will I let Him drive the car? Will I follow His agenda? Will I pray? Will I forgive? Will I witness? Will I tithe?

Jesus told us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done...” Matthew 6:10 It's God's way or no way. James says: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

Now we know HOW to be restored.

Chad McComas writes from Medford, Oregon.

Our Life Advertisement

By Muriel Larson

Every morning the school traffic patrolwoman stood at her station conducting traffic and helping the children get across the road safely. Every morning a certain man came down that road, slammed on his brakes, and scowled at her. As his car passed, she noticed a sign on the back bumper saying, "God Loves You." She had a slight acquaintance with the man and knew he professed to be a Christian.

Finally she could take it no longer. One day she waved the man over to the curb. "Sir," she said, "you have a sign on your car that says 'God Loves You.' But anyone looking at you would get a distinctly different message. Now I suggest you either remove the sign or take that scowl off your face!"

The man looked at her in surprise and embarrassment. Then he drove on. From that time on, the patrolwoman noticed the man's scowl was replaced by a cheerful expression, and he smiled at her as he drove by.

Many of us do not realize that the appearance we give to the world contradicts our Christian profession! We're harried, we're rushed, we're impatient. We growl, we scowl, we howl. Yet we may profess to be Christians, and we may even have a sign on our car or house that testifies for the Lord.

A young door-to-door salesman told me how he went to one house, and on the door was a sign, "Jesus will put a smile on your face."

He rang the doorbell. The woman who came to the door frowned at him and exclaimed in a sharp, angry voice, "Yeah? What d'ya want?"

Truly, that's the sort of thing that makes young people and others doubt Christianity! And it's really a shame how many of us parents talk a good Christianity, but live a bad testimony in front of our children! The Lord Jesus said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Matthew 15:8

The things we say and do arise from our heart condition. Just as that driver didn't realize what a bad impression he was making on the traffic patrolwoman and others, we often don't realize the impressions we may be making on our families and others.

So where can we start to bring our words and actions into line with our Christian profession? Let's start with our heart. For Jesus said that all of the hateful things we say and do come from our hearts (Mark 7:20-23).

That driver changed after the patrolwoman rebuked him. No doubt he felt ashamed of himself, and perhaps he repented of his un-Christian attitude and got right with the Lord. True repentance packs power. It causes us to abhor our former wrong ways and thus can result in a transformation in our thinking and our lives!

Someone has said, "What you are speaks so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying." What do our lives tell others about our Christianity?

Muriel Larson writes from Greenville, South Carolina. MKLJOY@aol.com

None so Blind

By Marcia Leaser

"You can't lead me, you're blind" I said...
but as he took my hand.
I saw things through his sightless eyes –
I never knew were grand.
The beauty of a raindrop,
the softness of a rose.
The texture of a maple leaf,
and the silence of the snow.
I then realized as I followed,
this man that could not see.
With eyes that were not blinded…
I saw far less than he.



Marcia K. Leaser writes from Fremont, Ohio.

My Hero

By Nancy Canwell

My big brother Dan is my hero. That might sound unusual, considering that I’m in my forties. But it started back when we were kids….

Nearly four years older than me, Dan was my protector. When the bully next door smashed my stick horse into the sidewalk, it was Dan who marched over to his house, broken pieces in hand. He made it clear to the bully that he was to leave his little sister alone.

When we hit our teen years I looked up to him even more. He was one of the three “cool guys” in our church youth group, and would often let me sit in on their guitar practices as they dreamed of being a 70’s band. When he’d tell his friends, “My little sister’s coming with us,” no one would argue. Once he even let me ride in the back seat of his ’57 Chevy when he went on a date!

When I was old enough for my first date, Dan had “the talk” with Roger, who asked me out to the County Fair. He made him promise to drive the speed limit, to never leave me alone, and to return me home safely.

Still a Hero
I really thought my big brother was something back then. He’s still my hero today, but for more significant reasons. Recently Dan battled cancer for more than five months--and I mean battled. He fought it every way he could: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

He fought it physically by opting to try radiation and chemotherapy, even though doctors told him the cancer was inoperable and incurable. He fought it for us, his family; he didn’t want to leave us. “I want to be in every family picture,” he told Mom. And he fought it for God, because he felt his ministry as a youth pastor wasn’t over yet. He only stopped fighting the day his doctor walked into his hospital room and gently said, “Dan, the chemo isn’t working anymore. It’s time to go home now.” He died at home two days later. And if he’d been given the chance, I believe he would have even fought those last two days, too.

He fought it emotionally by struggling to dwell on the positive and thinking of other’s needs. Whenever negative thoughts haunted him, he rejected them for positive ones. We talked almost nightly by phone, and I can’t remember any conversation that ended in a discouraged or negative way. Even if he’d been anxious or crying, he’d pull himself together and say, “I’ll be okay, Nanc.” Rather than talking only about his illness, he’d often ask how my family was doing, or what I’d done that day. I remember one call when I was the one crying. That night he comforted me. Even on the day he died, he thought of me. That last morning, he looked me directly in the eyes and said, “Don’t get sick, Nanc.” Those were the last words he spoke to me. At the end, he was still being my protective big brother.

He fought it spiritually in a powerful way. He began each new day of life with God, thankful to be alive. His strength came from choosing: choosing to read his Bible, choosing to fill his home with worship music, and choosing to pray. He shared his most private and personal thoughts with God—his fears, his worries about leaving his wife and kids, his pain—yet he never blamed. He knew that the enemy had caused this, not God. He told me, “The Devil doesn’t want to just take away my health or my life. He wants to take away my joy. But I’m not going to let him!” And he didn’t. A favorite text that saw him through many restless nights was Psalms 63:6-8: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I stay close to you; your right hand upholds me.” This text also saw him through his final moments, for even on his deathbed he remembered God, and God’s right hand did hold him up. When Dan could no longer speak, our Dad leaned over and said, “Dan, we’ll meet in heaven….” And he nodded. He knew the final outcome. Praise God, he knew.

His Life an Inspiration
The way Dan lived the final months of his life was an inspiration to many—especially to me. And I needed to tell him so. Near the end he became so weak that we had to take him to the ER. Alone with him there, I took his hand.
“Dan, I have something to tell you, and I really need you to hear me, okay?”

In a weak voice he said, “Okay.”

“You’re an inspiration to me,” I said. “You’ve gone through so much, and yet you don’t complain. You never give up. Watching you go through this makes me feel that I can face whatever tough things might come my way. You’re my hero.”

Tears formed in his eyes. “Thanks, Nanc.”

My Promise
The day after we brought him home, the Hospice nurse said “It will be today.” Our family gathered around his bed. Moments before he died I told him that I would share his story--that I’d write about the things his struggles taught me. “It can help other people,” I assured him. “This way, your ministry will live on….”

So I write my brother’s story because it teaches this: Though you will have troubles in this world, they don’t have to break you. Your prayers may seem to go unanswered, but the silence doesn’t have to destroy your faith. You may ask, “Why?” but your questioning doesn’t have to lead to unbelief. The Devil will try to steal your joy, but you don’t have to let him take it.

Whatever pain you may face now or in the future, with God’s help you can win the battle. The darkness of this world does seem unbearable at times, but a better world is coming. How do I know? God has promised, and I choose to believe him. It’s as simple as that. I’d be overcome with grief if I thought I’d never see my brother again. As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, I must now “live by faith, not by sight.”

Dan stayed faithful to the end.

So will I.

So can you.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” Romans 8:18

Nancy Canwell writes from College Place, Washington. This article was first published by StoryHarvest at www.storyharvest.org . Reprinted with permission by the author. All rights reserved.

Looking Up With Sheri Rose

From Behind The Counter
Perspectives on the Landscape of Life
By DJ Note

The Rogue Valley Mall Evangel Bookstore in Medford had the privilege of hosting a book signing for royalty one Saturday afternoon not long ago. Sheri Rose Shepherd, the former Mrs.United States and author of numerous books, travels throughout the country translating her inspiring life story into life-giving hope through Jesus Christ.

Growing up in a dysfunctional home environment, Sheri Rose was severely overweight as a teen. As a young woman, she battled depression, an eating disorder, and dyslexia. She understands the nagging heartache that sets in when one comes from a broken home. And she knows all too well what it means to fight for freedom from a painful past.

Sheri Rose lived with the pressure of trying to measure up to the popularity of her famous disc jockey father and beauty queen/singer mom. She was deeply wounded when her parents ultimately each married and divorced three times. She remembers as a child of nine-years-old, her father coming into her room, and with tears in his eyes saying, “I’m so sorry, Sheri Rose. Mom and I aren’t going to make it, and dad doesn’t know how to fix it.” Over time, Sheri became part of five separate families.

From paying her best friend’s brother to escort her to her high school prom, to battling what she calls the “Barbie Bondage” image, to the stinging words of a former English teacher who told her she was “born to lose,” Sheri Rose, at twenty-four, had yet to learn she had a life-changing date with destiny.

As her physical and emotional struggles led to thoughts of suicide, the grandparents of her boyfriend took Sheri Rose into their home. It was through their gentle guidance that she found her purpose in God. In spite of everything life had thrown at her, Sheri Rose emerged a woman triumphant, a daughter of the King. Yesterday’s trials have given way to a confident humility as she graces women of all ages wherever she speaks.

Today, her best-selling books include His Princess, His Little Princess, Love Letters From Your King, Prayers To My King, and the recently released, Preparing Him For The Other Woman: a Mother’s Guide to Raising Her Son. She is the founder of His Princess Ministries and travels throughout the country speaking at conferences to thousands of women and men alike. "It's not where you start that counts,” she told me, “but where you finish."

Recalling the memory of her father’s tearful apology, Sheri said, “No one taught him how to fix it. Men go into marriage just like women…loving their spouse. Men are taught how to get the girl, but they don’t know what to do with the girl once they’ve got her.” And today, she says, the world is into men-bashing, an act that furthers the breakdown of relationships. “As women we have the awesome responsibility to hold our men in esteem. A woman’s voice is a powerful tool and can turn the Titanic around, if we just will.”

During her visit to Evangel, Sheri Rose was generous with her time, her encouragement, her smiles, and her laughter as she autographed books and spoke with eager readers happy to share in her joy and triumph, and perhaps too, catch the blessing of the royal wave she rides upon. It was a wonderful scene. There was no sign left of the former over-weight, dyslectic, bulimic, troubled teen, only the confident speaker, author, and beautiful daughter of the King remains.

“I know how hard it is for us to look at our lives and think of ourselves as royalty,” she said to the small group of women gathered before her. “But the truth is, God is our King. He has called us out of the dark into the light (1 Peter 2:9). We need to look up to our loving Father. We are His Princesses.”

Posing for pictures, Sheri Rose grew as giddy as a child at Christmas in her zeal to share a photography trick she had learned. “To take a great picture, you’ve got to remember to hold the camera just above your subjects and have them look up, like this.” She held a tiny digital camera above her head and snapped a picture. “See?” A sparkling pageant smile leapt across her face as she shared the photo. The picture held a perfect pose. “Makes sense with pictures and with life, doesn’t it? We’ve just gotta look up.”

DJ Note writes from Eagle Point, Oregon.

I’m The Way I’m Suppose To Be

By Michelle Rocker

For as long as I can remember, I have ridden the high and lows throughout my life. Not the normal one’s like most people go through life. My highs were being on the mountain top. I felt like I could do anything and everything. I would become obsessed with projects. I loved hanging out with my friends, and talked non-stop.

Then the lows hit, and I wanted to sleep all the time. I did not want to see anyone or do anything. Beginning when I was thirteen I would think about suicide during my lows. I functioned and rarely let anyone too close. I had friends, but no one knew my secret.

I got married when I was twenty, and it became more difficult to hide my secret. When I was high it was fine, but during the lows, I would cry all day, and try to act like everything was fine when my husband got home.

Our marriage suffered from my husband’s anger, and my lack of truthfulness.

After my second child was born, I was diagnosed with post-partum depression. In my late twenties, I could no longer keep my secret.

I ran away, and my husband was shocked. I was diagnosed with depression. God prevailed in our marriage and we reunited. In my thirties, I once again found myself out of control with my emotions.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As they tried to figure out my medications, everything went out of control, and I finally gave in to my urge to commit suicide in October 2006. I survived and was taken to a psych ward.

I felt lost and confused, but God knew what he was doing. I finally had a “label” of what I had. I was bipolar, combined with obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorder, social disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.

Yeah, I know. A lot of disorders.

I was finally hooked up with a psychiatrist that God sent to me. She put me on the right medications, and told me it would take six months to a year to find out which cocktail of medicine was right for me. She was right.

During that time, I found a whole different way to live. I found a Christian therapist along with my psychologist I had met in the psych ward. I found I needed accountability. I needed a sponsor. I started attending Celebrate Recovery (a Christian 12-step program).

At first I thought I was stuck with all of my labels, then God told me that this is the way he wanted to make me.

In Psalm 139: 13-16 it says: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

These verses are key to accepting ourselves for who God made us to be. People or doctors will tell us what is wrong with us, and some of them might be right. I do have bipolar and all of the other disorders, but I have come to accept that God made me just the way I am supposed to be.

Because of my disorders, I’m a good writer because I can talk about the pain and the joys. I’m a good musician and singer because I can multi-task. I’m crafty because I’m always looking for a new positive obsession.

Of course I have the downsides to my disorder, but now I have friends, accountability partners, therapist, psychiatrist, and a sponsor to get me through. They love me through the highs and through the lows.

Ecclesiastes 11:5: “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.”

Why do I have bipolar? I don’t know. One can say genetics. One can say circumstance, but then we’d be missing the point.

For the first time in my life, I’m learning to love the person that God made me to be.

In Mathew 19:19 Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Hollywood dramatizes this to extreme. I’m not talking about selfishness, and neither was Jesus. Let’s not misunderstand. Let’s explore the gifts God has given us. The ones He gave us, are the one’s He intends for us to use. God made us exactly the way we are supposed to be.

It took me thirty-four years, but I’m finally figuring it out.

Michelle Rocker writes from Hobe Sound, Florida. mmrocker@bellsouth.net

How Did We Get The Bible?

By Kevin Back

One of the issues that came up during the Da Vinci code controversy is something that has haunted Christians much longer than the Da Vinci code has been around. Where, when and how did we get our scriptures? According to the Da Vinci code, and secular society before the code, Constantine and the council of Nicea gave us our scriptures and as a result literally defined what Christianity should be. This or some other distortion of this story is the prevalent theory to those that don’t really know the Bible’s true origin.

I will attempt to, briefly, describe the fallacy of these theories and relate where, when and how our Bible came to be. What we need to examine is what early Christians believed and when they started believing it. The council of Nicea and the work of Constantine is what Brown and others claim created the Bible and, literally, Christianity as we know it today. I would like to state up front that the council did not create Christianity, but merely officially recognized what was already believed by the majority of Christians for two hundred years. This was necessary because by the time of the council there were a number of false teachings occurring, these were largely being done by a group known as the Gnostics. The council sought to separate fact from fiction and solidify the true teachings of Christ from the myths that were beginning to develop through Gnosticism.How can we know that the Gospels predate the meeting of the council? All we have to do is examine the archeological evidence. "The writings of Paul date between AD 50 and 68. Almost three hundred years before Nicea." (Bock, Darrell L., Breaking the Da Vinci Code. Thomas Nelson Pub. Nashville, Tenn. Pg. 104) Paul recognized Jesus’ deity. This was acknowledged when he wrote 1 Corinthians 8:5,6: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”

In this passage the Apostle Paul is affirming that Jesus is God. “To call Jesus Christ Lord was to refer to his deity, especially in a passage that mentioned other gods of the religious faith of others. According to Paul, Jesus was involved in the Creation as the Creator. For a person of Jewish background, that would be the declaration of an activity of God the creator. Centuries before Nicea, a major Christian leader was affirming the divinity of Jesus not by the mere use of title, but by a description of activity.” (Bock, Darrell L., Breaking the Da Vinci Code. Thomas Nelson Pub. Nashville, Tenn. Pg. 105) There are many more scriptures that affirm Jesus’ deity, i.e. Phillipians 2:9, Hebrews 1:1 etc, but for brevity sake we will move on.

As to the claim that the council of Nicea assembled the Bible and destroyed other texts to keep in line what “they” wanted to teach…early church tradition tells us that most of the books that we call the New Testament were used by the Church before Nicea. “The earliest undisputed manuscript of a New Testament book is the John Rylands Papri (dated AD 117-138), which survives from about a generation of the time most scholars believe it was composed (AD 95) Since it was written in Asia Minor and was found in Egypt, the demand for some circulation time would place the composition of John in the first century." (Norman Geisler. Systematic Theology Volume One. Bethany House 2002. Pg. 462) We also have extensive use of the New Testament by the early Church fathers that quote the books of the New Testament heavily. There are some 19,368 citations of the Fathers from the late first century onward. These include: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, Polycarp and Papias. Polycarp of Smyrna and Irenaeus were students of the Apostle John. They testify that John told them that he wrote the Gospel that bears his name. They also confirm that the other Gospels were written by the authors to whom they were traditionally assigned. This is significant for it infers that the Gospels were in existence before they were cited. “If Acts was written by AD 62, then it was written by a contemporary of Jesus (who died around AD 33) If Acts is shown to be accurate history, then it brings credibility to its reports about the most basic Christian beliefs in the miracles (Acts 2:22), death (Acts 2:23), resurrection (Acts 2:24, 29-32), and ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-10).” (Norman Geisler. Systematic Theology Volume One. Bethany House 2002. Pg. 464) The book of Luke is considered to be part 1 of Acts. Even people who doubt the original authorship of Acts and Luke don’t deny that it was written by the same person. Luke was written before Acts. Luke is thought to have relied in part on the book of Mark. Mark is considered one of the sources for Matthew and Luke. It is easily viewed when broken down as follows. Prior to AD 64 Acts. Prior to Acts is the book of Luke. Prior to that is the book of Mark. Jesus died around A.D. 33 so we have a mere 30-year time span for the authorship of the Gospels. As you can see Christians had scripture long before Nicea.

If you are still with me I think that we have taken an outdated topic (The Da Vinci Code) and found something relevant. We barely scratched the surface of the wealth of information on this topic but it is surely enough to debunk the claims that the council and Constantine formed our Bible.

Kevin Back writes from the Grants Pass, Oregon area. bakman@rio.com

Help! I Need To Be Restored!

By Patti Iverson

Don’t you feel like this on a regular basis? I know I sure do. The Media with shows on total restorations and magazine makeovers do me in every time. Well, not every time, but when I am vulnerable, feeling unlovely, or just plain tired of myself. I’d like a nose job, dental wizardry nips ‘n tucks here, there, and everywhere, and we won’t even get started on the daily adventure that is my hairdo… I loved the musical with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” before and after Professor Henry Higgins restored her in more ways than one.

Restoration comes in so many realms. There are entire sites devoted to computers that need to restore files that were removed from computers and need restoring. Or services for “anyone who’s experienced the inconvenience and embarrassment of posting a message in thousands of inappropriate newsgroups, mailing lists, or web sites and then had the living spit flamed out of him or her.” You just pay your hacker fee… “Spam is a trademark of Hormel.” NOT! Spam is trouble!

The Restoration Hardware and Furniture store knows folks are suckers for retro style home goods. Blogs attest to it lamenting, “A kitchen without cabinets is like a face without a nose. Something just looks wrong.” There’s restoration help for everyone dealing with sheet rockers to roofers to restoring what your 3-year old destructo did to your fence.

I came across a site online for the Restoration of Old Sentiment. No kidding. Some of my old sentiment I’d just as soon forget! But this was a thesis written for a Masters degree of Landscape Architecture by a Korean named Sung Mi Han. He wanted to restore sentiments of family, loved ones, and teachers of now and old time. Hmmm, I wonder if his restoration project helped him get that degree? But it did help me restore a few dear old sentiments of my own.

One cannot talk about restoration without mention cars, now can one? There are more old car clubs here in our country than new car dealerships! Car restoration humor can apply to humans as well. Think “Personals” ads J. If the classified ad says: Frame-off restoration it really means the body actually rusted right off the frame. Or the oft used, Needs minor work that usually means significant work! How ‘bout, Runs Great! meaning too bad it doesn’t roll. Or the biggie, Needs some body work which translates to “was side swiped by a Winnebago”. Yet still they buy, parts ‘n wheels ‘n making deals -- and the hunt is on for the grand restoration.

The best restoration of all is what came to me: freedom from my past sins and life. Jesus changed my being and restored my soul to Himself, for today and eternity. Wow. Eternity is a mighty long time! It doesn’t matter if sins be depression, drugs, promiscuity, lying, stealing, murder, gossip---name your sin—there are tons of ‘em! Jesus is our deliverer, healer, salvation, and restorer. Acts 3:19 says: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sin may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord’s presence and that He may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

Now, we’re not talking simple matters of restoring here, like of comic books, corpses, gardens, or paintings by the old Masters. I’m not talking about the website called Sanity Restoration to tickle your funny bones and restore your senses of humor.

No, I’m describing restoration as rehabilitation from Almighty God Himself. The famous pastor, Ted Haggard, who got caught in immorality, told CNN he was going to embark on an ancient process known as Spiritual Restoration. It involves four steps: submitting, admitting, restitution, and being humbled. Well, he certainly has done that. He also said it could take years. Embarrassing shame vs. restoration has plagued many people in life, from presidents, to priests, to you. The restoration work can begin with God, but shall be known by their, and our, fruits and how we live our lives walking with the Lord.

When life comes to fruition, and your hard labor of restoration is being rewarded right before your eyes is when you cannot let down your guard. Satan is alive and well and roaming the earth seeking whom he may destroy. So we mustn’t get cocky in our restoration, or thinking it was us who did it, nor that it is finished.

God DOES restore the years the locusts have eaten—and He always has. 2 Kings 8:1-6 tells how Elisha restored a woman’s son to life after her boy had died. Then he told her to “go sojourn wherever you can sojourn” for 7 years as famine was coming upon the land. So she did. But when she returned after such a long time, you can imagine what it all looked like. So she appealed to the King and he told his minion to “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.” Yow! That’s some restoration!

And it’s the restoration you can have today, too.

Patti Iverson writes from Medford, Oregon. randpi@charter.net

He Restores Our Lives

By Willa Johnson

Of all the promises God gave us, one of my favorites is found amid the well-known 23 Psalm. “He restoreth my soul.” When we reach the limit of what we can take, God has promised to renew our strength, to lift us up and to restore our disheartened soul.

Restoration of anything is good. Restoring a friendship after a misunderstanding is heartwarming. Restoring old homes has become an avocation for some. I remember how my grandfather used to restore furniture after he retired. He had learned the trade as a young boy when he worked with his grandfather. I can still hear him explain, “You have to tie each spring eight times” as he repaired a sunken seat of a chair before recovering it.

Any gardener will tell you pruning is an important part of upkeep. Recently, I decided to prune a large plant in my home before it pushed its way through the ceiling. I took a saw and cut off the top half of the two stalks. It rested for a short time before springing forth with six…not two…new growths that are now on their way to the ceiling.

God does the same to us. Those who have gone through hard times learn that they are better for the experience. They are stronger, more compassionate and have an understanding they lacked before. Very few people in this country or the world do not know who Billy Graham is. In spite of his preaching and teachings his own son and a grandson strayed far away from God. After living the life of prodigal sons, both have been restored to fulltime Christian ministries. As someone has said, “Every believer is a witness (for Christ) whether he wants to be or not.” In other words, sometimes we are the only Bible others read. Calling oneself a Christian and acting like the devil is like taking the Lord’s name in vain.

In Psalm 51 King David admits his sin with Bathsheba. The whole chapter is a plea to God to forgive him. In verses 12 and 13 we read: "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."

Restoration? Yes, we all need it as a daily process and with King David we should pray, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me since we are all sinners in need of God’s Grace. Through the prophet Micah, God tells his people, I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me. (5:15) To keep that from happening, He had told Solomon earlier, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

If we do that as a person and as a nation, God will restore unto us the joy of His salvation.

Willa Johnson writes from Phoenix, Oregon.

God’s Restoration Of Our Souls

By Barry N. Shaw

In his book The Glorious Journey, Pastor Charles Stanley defines restoration as returning “to a former state; to bring back to spiritual health.”

Our Lord provides a perfect illustration of the process of restoration in his Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). In the Parable, He tells of a loving father who overlooks the reckless ways of his rebellious son and takes him back into the family as if he’d never sinned.

The father had two sons. “The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate’.” Luke 15:12 “Under the Law, if there were two sons, upon the death of the father, the older son received two-thirds of the father’s estate and the younger son, one third. It was unusual that the estate would be divided before the father’s death. In the Parable, the younger son had the audacity to ask for his inheritance before his father died.” Commentary on Luke 14-15, Pastor Chuck Smith.

The son’s premature request tells us much about him: he was selfish, immature, impatient, foolish, rebellious, inconsiderate and the list goes on! It somehow rings a familiar note to many of us when we were in our youth. He was itching to live and show the world just who he was.

The father, on the other hand, was compassionate, gracious, very slow to anger, abounding in mercy and faithfulness, and forgiving of rebellion, wickedness and sin. In other words, he was a loving father. The father in the Parable is a vivid picture of God the Father, our Father in Heaven.

Notwithstanding the son’s impetuousness and greed, the father, with grace and love for his child, generously divided his property and gave both his sons their inheritances. The younger son took all that was given to him and “set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” Luke 15:13 The fallen boy soon found himself in desperation without means to provide himself with food or shelter. He fell so low that the only job he could get was feeding pigs, an abomination for a Jewish man. (Luke 15:16)

He’d reached bottom and realized that even his father’s servants had food to spare whereas he was starving to death. He came to his senses and turned back. In other words, he repented of his sinful and foolish ways and decided to go back home to his father. He planned what he would say to his father when he saw him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.” Luke 15:18,19

You might think that the father would be angry when he saw his wayward son. After all in his later years, one-third of his estate had been foolishly squandered. But, no, the father, being full of love, grace and mercy, “saw him and was filled with compassion for him.” Luke 15:20 The father was not only not angry, but he ordered His servants to bring the boy the best robe (the robe of righteousness - Is 61:10)...put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet [servants weren’t permitted to wear sandals]. He even killed his best calf for a splendid homecoming meal for his prodigal son. (Luke 15:22,23) The father exclaimed to all that could hear, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:23,24

The young man was restored to the family. He’d jumped into the world, fell as far as he could and now was brought back into the comfort and rest of his father’s home. He was restored to spiritual health.

The real story told here by our Lord is about our Father in Heaven. When we fall in this world, God the Father restores us to the joy of His salvation and graciously grants us a willing spirit to sustain us. (See Psalm 51:12)

“We are like baby birds in a nest yearning to fly out of the tree. He knows that at some point in our lives, we will fall out of fellowship with Him. But He also knows that hitting bottom in the world is necessary to draw us back to the place of His blessings and protection. The Parable is not about how a sinner gets saved; it is about the heart of a Father who will not only save a sinner, but will also take back a son that sins.” J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Luke 15.

Give thanks “to the One who remembered us in our low estate His mercy endures forever.” Ps 136:23.

Barry N. Shaw writes from Applegate Valley, Oregon.

God’s Restoration Garage

By Troy Pomeroy

There is a law of physics that is well understood but not yet named. It is observed often and accepted as fact. Yet it is not discussed in scientific journals.

Simply put, this natural law states that if a restored classic car passes you on the road, you must look at it and admire it. This unbreakable law of physics has a greater pull on the male of the species, presumably due to the presence of Y-chromosomes and an over-abundance of testosterone. It is, however, observed among the females as well.

The desire to admire a classic car is present whether someone is driving, walking, or riding. It sometimes results in rubber-necking and excited exclamations such as: “Did you see that car?” Although reactions vary, one thing is certain: the law must be obeyed.

What is our strong attraction to restored classics? It is true that we have a fascination with cars in general, but what makes the classics so special? Why don’t we get as excited over spotting a new sedan or F250?

It may have to do with an intrinsic sense of original beauty. We know what the original, classic design was. Someone conceptualized it, designed it, and sculpted (for the time) a new body style. And people fell in love with it immediately. It was more than a car or mode of transportation. It was an artistic expression and a symbol of American ingenuity.

Somewhere along the line, the once perfect classic accumulated scratches, dents, and rust. The paint began to fade, peel, or oxidize. Tires, belts, and hoses began to wear out. In short, it began showing the effects of being driven over miles of highway.

Once a car reaches a certain point of damage or disrepair, it will either end up in a junkyard or being restored. The only thing that determines the fate of such a car is whether someone happens to come along who sees value in the car. Or maybe they have been looking for just such a car to restore for a long time.

Turning a car that many would abandon or consider worthless into something to admire takes a great amount of artistic and technical ability. The restorer begins by visualizing and appreciating the original design. Then, piece by piece, each part is carefully repaired or replaced. It is a labor of love. When it is finished, the unnamed law of physics kicks in, as everyone who sees the car shares the vision of the restorer.

In many ways, every Christian is like that car. God made us perfect, in His image. When He rolled man out on the showroom floor, there had never been anything like it. There was a “his” and “hers” model and they were both the envy of all Creation. God had saved the best of His designs for last.

Then sin entered the world. From then on, as man ventured down the highway of life, the journey began to wear on him. The more miles he put on, the more he realized his condition was deteriorating. Often the damage was caused by our choice of heading down the wrong, bumpy, treacherous road and not stopping to ask for directions. Other times the damage was caused by the normal “wear and tear” of life. Whatever the case, everyone at some point arrives at one of two destinations: the junkyard or the Restorer’s garage.

Fortunately, God is in the restoration business. Although the natural end for all models would be the junkyard, God has another plan. He sees the value in the original design. He takes our “rusty old heaps” and graciously reclaims what has been lost. He restores us step-by-step as we are ready and willing to be transformed. God was the inventor of the “extreme makeover.”

And when He is done, the world notices. People have to stop and ask: “What’s different about that person?” In seeking the answer to that question, people are led to God, who will restore them as well.

Troy Pomeroy writes from Eagle Point, Oregon. pastortroy@epacenter.com

God's In The Restoration Business

By Denise Spooner


Webster’s meaning of ‘restoration’ is the act of restoring; replacement; renewal; re-establishment. I looked up restore to get a clearer picture of restoration, and these are a few definitions Webster shared with us. Restore: to repair; reinstall; to make strong, to bring back to a former and better state; to rebuild; to heal; to cure; to revive; to re-establish after interruption; to give back; to bring or put back to a former position; to bring back from a state of injury or decay.

The Bible has many times of restoration. As Nehemiah deals with opposition (Nehemiah 5:1-13) he commands the nobles and rulers to restore land, houses, money, food, drink and oil that were taken from the Jewish people of that day. In Psalms 51:12, King David beckons God to restore the joy of his salvation. Isaiah (Isaiah 57:18) tells of a time of restoration for the backslider, restoring comforts to him. Jeremiah is full of times of restoration. We are told (Jeremiah 27:22) that even vessels were restored to their rightful places in Babylon and (Jeremiah 30:17) God will restore health to Israel and Judah and heal them of their wounds. A boy’s life is restored (2 Kings 8:1) to him. There are awesome times of restoration!

When I think personally of restoration, I am reminded of a wonderful miracle that happened to me when I was carrying my youngest son Branden. (He is now twenty years old) I was attending church with my family. The pastor called me forward to pray for my unborn child. As soon as he finished praying, he quietly told me God was also healing my teeth. I was shocked. I had four front teeth that were decayed and disintegrating quickly. I knew I would loose these teeth at a very young age. He prayed for healing and blessed what God was doing. I was a bit embarrassed, but he didn’t know I had teeth in need of a touch from God.

About a month later, I was brushing my teeth before hopping into bed for the night, and I noticed four beautiful white teeth, NEW TEETH! He had completely healed these four teeth and made them like brand new. I ran to my husband and showed him, and he was filled with joy. I ran around the house showing off my new teeth. I even went next door to my neighbors and told them about what had happened and showed them my new teeth.

This was a profound experience for me because I had only been a Christian for a very short time. I hadn’t even thought about asking God for healing my decayed teeth. I ‘m not sure I gave much credit to Pastor Dino's prayer at the time, but in my heart I knew God is a God of restoration. He is not a respecter of person's, He would have died for me had I been the only one on the face of this earth. I thank God immensely and still do for showing me physical restoration was in His plan for me.

Through this event, He not only restored my teeth, but He helped me realize He knows my deepest heart cries, even before I utter them. God is in the restoration business.

Let’s not forget the ultimate restoration. It’s God’s unconditional love for us. While we were sinners in our sins, He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to die for us. (See Romans 5:8 and John 3:16) He longs to restore all of us to His kingdom.

Denise Spooner writes from Grants Pass, Oregon. created2write4him@yahoo.com

God Restored My Joy

By Carrie Joy

It started with just a niggling curiosity. Our church Council and the assistant pastor met behind closed doors day after day, week after week, giving no hint of their conversations. The Council eventually decided, following a church survey, to add a youth pastor and half-time secretary, as well as replacing our retired senior pastor. They took this arduous process very seriously. As church secretary, I hoped to gain an insider’s edge on their thinking. But their lips were sealed as tight as the lid on a new jar of jelly.

Finally, a few days before the Council’s announcement of their recommendations, I was visiting with Donna, a good friend and the wife of one of the Council members.

“Oh, this has been such a long process!” she said. “Mike is so intent on leaving no stone unturned and making sure these recommendations are Spirit-led and agreeable to everyone.”

“So, has Mike used you as a sounding board?” I asked.

“Yes, yes, we’ve talked all around possible recommendations. Has Pastor Ron talked to you about it?”

“No, not at all,” I replied.

“Really. Hmmm. Well, I know they’re all being very cautious.”

“So what are some conclusions they’ve come to?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Carrie, really, but I’m not allowed to tell anyone that.”

“I suppose not,” I answered, and dropped the subject.

Something is wrong with this picture, I thought to myself in the days that followed. Shouldn’t I be at least a little bit informed as to where the Council is headed?

Over several weeks I also had visited with Naomi, Pastor Ron’s wife. Though a close friend of mine, she, too, had to remain silent on the matter.

James the apostle warned: “but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin . . .” James 1:14, 15

My curiosity turned to sin when I embraced the idea that it should be my right, as church secretary, to know more. After all, no doubt the spouse of every Council member knew all about the proposals, and they weren’t even on staff! These thoughts festered over a week until I took such offense that I felt hurt, even betrayed by Pastor Ron and Naomi. I was miserable.

Two days after the recommendations were announced, I met with Pastor Ron to clear up this matter. Tearfully I declared, “I feel so de-valued. I’m not part of a team here; I’m just a secretary who does a whole lot of work no one else wants to do! Why, when these recommendations will so greatly affect me, was I not informed about them at all? Am I really considered untrustworthy?”

With great patience Ron replied, “Naomi and I have purposely kept this from anyone because of my awkward position—she and I have wrestled with whether to accept the Council’s nomination for senior pastor. The Council needed time to process the congregation’s suggestions and to pray and discuss whether to recommend adding a youth pastor. Informing the whole congregation of this discussion early on would have created much speculation and possible dissention. I’m sorry you feel this way. I assure you our intention was not to hurt you; we see you as a valuable, trustworthy staff member.”

Our conversation left me with a choice. I could continue to remain bent out of shape, or I could choose to give my hurt and anger to the Lord and ask for His healing. I don’t like turmoil; I wanted the peace and joy of the Lord back in my life! That night I prayed, “Lord, take these hurts and this injustice as I see it. I still don’t totally understand why Naomi couldn’t talk some of this over with me, but I let it go. I give this whole situation to You. I trust You to bring my feelings around.”

The next morning I continued my study of the book of James. I was struck by verse 21 in the first chapter: “Therefore, get rid of . . . the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you. . .” Accept the Truth. Then I remembered 1 Corinthians 13:5: “[Love] . . . is not self-seeking; is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs;” (TNIV) The truth of those versus cut to the quick.

“Forgive me, Father,” I prayed. “Forgive me for reacting selfishly, for choosing to be angry and to keep a record of perceived wrongs. Cleanse me and restore the right spirit within me.”

About an hour later, our gracious, loving Father restored my spirit. Over the radio poured Michael W. Smith’s voice singing: Healing Rain: “. . . Healing rain is coming down. It’s coming closer to the lost and found. Tears of joy, and tears of shame are washed forever in Jesus’ name . . .”

The joy and peace of the Lord flooded my heart, and I cried aloud, “Thank you, Father!”

That day I e-mailed apologies to both Pastor Ron and Naomi for my resentment toward them. Ron wrote back kind words, including, “PTL! I am so grateful that, even in the midst of hurts and misunderstandings, God hasn’t given up on any of us!”

Amen!

Carrie Joy writes from Corvallis, Oregon. carolyn.7@comcast.net

God Ordained Opportunities

By F Calderone Blake

Years ago at a church service, “Becky” burst into sobs. She felt guilty because she’d failed to invite a middle-aged neighbor’s family to church. “I didn’t want to seem pushy,” she said. “I decided to bring it up at our sons' after-school soccer practice Friday.” That Thursday, the neighbor perished in a fiery multi-car freeway pileup.

I understood Becky’s sorrow. I recalled having been to a business conference where I’d shared lodgings with a co-worker. My colleague had unburdened her heart about pressures she faced at home. I never mentioned the heavenly Father that loved and would comfort her if she’d turn to Him. I planned to wait until I’d gotten to know her better. The next week, she took her life in a garage where she’d left several suicide notes addressed to uncaring family members.

One afternoon “Jeanie,” a new acquaintance, showed up at my house unexpectedly. She seemed disheveled, and over-medicated. Jeanie rambled on about her inconsiderate in-laws and failed marriages. This time, I had to say it: “Jeanie, have you ever given your life to Christ?”

“Well, yeah, to God, anyway.”

We discussed the definition of Christ as God the Son, and how He loved her and gave His life to save her. Jeanie chucked, shrugged and left.

The following Tuesday, on a steep hiking trail, she tumbled into a mountain pond and drowned.

Even when people don’t seem receptive to a Gospel message, that doesn’t mean the seeds were wasted. Every opportunity we face in life is valuable to God. The Bible says at the judgment every mouth will be stopped. I think it’s an awesome privilege to share how Christ rescued me. The rest is completely His to sow, water, and reap.

F Calderone Blake writes from the Rogue Valley, Oregon.

God Meets Us Where We Are

By Connie Fowler

A while ago, I stopped for a hike in the Jacksonville woods with my dog, Bud. It was a perfect almost-spring day. Cool and damp with just enough sun-breaks to warm my face and send oak-limb shadows across the trail. Bud loped along ahead of me stopping often in mid-stride to sniff at a myriad of smells pleasing only to a dog.

We walked for quite a while and never saw another person. I wondered why, but really I enjoyed the solitude. I also wondered why I felt a little blue on such a beautiful day. I sat down on a bench that happened to be right at that spot and with my chin in my hands prayed, “Dear God, I don’t know why I am a little down. Meet me here.”

As usual, I didn’t sit long. I continued my walk, wandering down the paths, hopefully towards where I parked the car. I stopped to check out a trail sign, when children’s cheerful chattering broke the silence. “Hi! What’cha doin’?” I asked the two and then another who was just rounding the bend in the trail.

“We’re hiking and picking up things for a project.” The boy said. “Oh! Hi doggie!” “Mom, look! Here’s a dog!” The little girl squealed.” “What’s his name?” asked the other girl.

“Bud,” I said. “Is this the trail down to the road?”

“Yes.” “Can we pet him?” “Ok,” but let him sniff you first.

“Mom cautioned them, too, and in a few minutes they were Bud’s new best friends, especially when they picked up some excellent throwing sticks.

“Can we play with him, Mom?’ One delighted child begged.

“So you two can stay back here and talk.” gestured the helpful younger girl to her Mom and me. We smiled at her and each other.

“I’m Jenny.” The kid’s Mom introduced herself shyly.

“I’m Connie.”

We visited as we followed the three cheerful stick throwers and one excited dog down the trail. I found out Jenny home schooled the kids, that they used to live in our area but now lived in town. They missed the country so came out to walk in the woods. I shared about my neighbor girls whose Mom taught them. We exchanged a few more bits of pleasant conversation and before I knew it we reached the turn off to my car.

“Nice meeting you all.” I told them.

“Bye Bud.” One called back as they walked away.

“Nice meeting you!” Another kid chirped as she skipped across the bridge.
“God Bless you!” I heard the little one exclaim over her shoulder as I turned toward my car.

“God Bless you, too!” I returned smiling and almost skipped a step or two myself.

It turned out to be a not-so-blue day after all. The hike was fun and I thanked God for meeting me in a very pleasant, unexpected way; a little girl’s God Bless You. “He sure did, didn’t he?” I told Bud the dog.

Connie Fowler writes from Jacksonville, Oregon.

God is Always in Control

By Stewart Whittemore

“And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” Job 1:12

God is telling Satan what he can and cannot do to Job. This verse gives us much comfort because we know that during whatever difficulty we are facing God is in control.

I know it may not seem like it sometimes, and we may wonder "why,” but I know from my own experiences God's purposes are always for a greater good even if I don't understand the "why" at first.

One of the lessons Job learned from his trials is that when he took his eyes off his own troubles and prayed for his friends who were adding to his suffering, not helping him, God double blessed Job: "And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends . Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." Job 42:10

When I was in China a few years ago, working at a youth camp, my back began to give me terrible pains. Being in a foreign country I was reluctant to seek medical care there, but I knew the Lord could heal me. So, I prayed for that healing. Nothing happened. I couldn't stand very long before I would have to sit for a while and get the weight off my back. I didn't understand why it was hurting so much, but I knew the Lord had a good reason for not healing me.

The day before we left China for the States all of the counselors went into Beijing to buy souvenirs. Of course I didn't go with the group because of my back problem. I wanted to go with them, but I knew I would not be able to keep up so I stayed behind. One of the other counselors had stayed behind too, because of her severe stomach pains.

I was at lunch and discovered, through one of the waitresses, that Kristel was also in the hostel, but she had not come down to eat. When I checked on her she told me of her sickness. I felt compelled to pray for her healing. Kristel came down to dinner that evening feeling better and by the next morning she was completely well. I know that had I not had the back pains I would have gone into Beijing with everyone else and would not have stayed behind to be used by our Lord to pray for Kristel's healing. My back pains disappeared as well! It was another great lesson for me, among others, to considering others first. Regardless of my situation I need to let God work through me… "both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

Stewart Whittemore writes from Grants Pass, Oregon.

Forgiveness Is The Key To Restoration

By D. M. Flynn

Colette and Laddie were in the final phase of their training as a service dog team. They were walking around the mall with their trainer, Allen, when suddenly, Laddie lunged left toward a stray piece of brownie on the floor. Colette corrected him, quickly reinforced her earlier command to heel, and then praised him for obeying. Allen commended Colette for her timely and efficient correction. Although Laddie was now maintaining a perfect heel, Colette continued to seethe.

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job” Job 1:1 He lived a charmed life, surrounded by a loving family, and devoted friends. When dire misfortune fell upon him, Job looked to his friends for comfort. Nevertheless, their words and actions only irritated him, and their dispute became so bitter that they stopped speaking with each other.

The Book of Job, written perhaps 400-500 years before the time of Jesus, is unique in the Hebrew Bible. It deals with only one basic issue: suffering. Although the author never explains why there is suffering in the world, the book challenges the theory of retribution, which insists on reward for the just and punishment for the wicked. Still, there is another important concept presented in this story.

Job’s friends disappointed him. Their conduct displeased God as well, and He invited them to repent. Then God added a twist: “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly” Job 42: 8 So Job’s friends asked for his prayers. Job could have refused his friends’ request and held onto his grudge. But he did not. “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before” Job 42: 10 Thus, the anonymous author reveals a valuable insight: the prerequisite of restoration is forgiveness.

Colette would have to learn to check her partner when necessary and then release her anger. When the human member of a service dog team moves beyond a past mistake to an awareness of present synchronization, it restores the integrity of their partnership. This example can serve as a contemporary illustration of Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness and reconciliation (See Luke 17: 3-4).

We sometimes find it difficult to move beyond minor misbehavior and trivial differences of opinion. Family, friends, co-workers, and church personnel may exasperate us. They fail to meet our expectations and we brood over the hurt. Too often, we hoard insignificant irritations, manipulating them into major grievances.

Jesus frequently used medical metaphors to teach us. In that vein, we might think of our grudges as diseases that ravage the love and unity of the City of God. Forgiveness thus becomes the therapeutic tonic that mends the health of our relationships. It transforms foe into friend, and restores our fortunes: our sense of peace and harmony returns, our confidence in the goodness of humanity is renewed, and our faith in God is strengthened.

D. M. Flynn writes from Brockport, New York.

Fine

By Bob Hansen

The English language can be so tricky. Often the innocent selection of a particular word can cause much pain. One word to especially watch out for is “fine.” Allow me to illustrate. It’s toward the end of dinner when your wife asks, “How did you like the new stroganoff recipe?”

To this question, a novice husband might reply, “It was fine.” In guy-thought, this is an entirely appropriate answer. In a man’s simplistic world things are either “fine” or “not fine.” There are only those two options. It is an elegantly, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated way of dealing with life—though apparently not the only way.

A man using the “fine” response may receive from his wife a reaction beyond his comprehension. She might say, “Well, that’s the last time I slave over a hot stove for you!” Understandably (to half the population) the man becomes flummoxed. He cannot, not even to save his life, grasp what he did wrong. Though from the look on her face, he has certainly transgressed.

Don’t get discouraged, men. With this disaster comes the opportunity for restoration. Hidden within the problem is a learning juncture, a chance to gain precious knowledge about your spouse.

Here is the key to understanding what happened when you said, “Fine.” You meant one thing; your wife heard something entirely different. You meant to indicate your approval of the meal, to reassure her that the food did its job. It filled your empty stomach while not offending your taste buds in the process. “Well done,” you meant to say.

But she didn’t discern your intent. She thought it a flippant remark, one spoken with no thought. Apparently you cared so little that you couldn’t take the time to form a complete and supportive answer. If you couldn’t comment on the delicious-tasting food itself, you might have at least noted the effort involved in its preparation.

Men, a better response in these situations would be something like: “That was a great meal, Honey. I can tell you worked hard on it, and I think that new recipe is a keeper.” I know you’ll feel funny saying that and you might even think it’s insincere. But you’ll actually be communicating the female equivalent of saying, “It was fine.” (Note: saying, “The food was very nutritious.” is not a suitable substitute for the above-suggested comment. Trust me.)

If only this were the end of the matter. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated.
In discussing the topic of meal-comments with my wife, she informed me that there are times when it’s okay to say the meal is fine. Oatmeal—when the meal consists of oatmeal, it is appropriate to use the word, “fine.” But my wife said that if a man refers to other meals using that word, he might very well receive oatmeal for every meal.

At first I thought this was a valuable clarification—at first. The distinction appeared to relate to the time of day when the food was consumed. For breakfasts - “fine” was acceptable. For dinner - no way! But what about lunch? Which way does that meal go? Then I realized that it might not be the time of day at all. The key might be the amount of energy invested in the food’s preparation.

But this still left me in a quandary. What kind of comment is appropriate for a spaghetti dinner? How about hamburgers? Does it make a difference if the hamburgers are served with grilled unions? What about lasagna? And what if the meal was served to guests? I suspect that additional compliments are called for on such occasions. But I’m not sure what they should be.

I realize I’ve made only a baby-step toward clarifying the matter. I also realize that many of you are thinking that this situation simply requires too much effort. Why can’t my wife simply adjust her understanding of the word, “fine?” I suspect that’s what many of you are thinking - though that idea has never occurred to me personally.

This might be an acceptable approach - if it weren’t for a couple of scriptures that come to mind. Romans 12:10: Philippians 2:3:“Honor one another above yourselves.” “In humility, consider others better than yourselves.” These indicate that waiting for others to adjust to me is not the way to go. I must be considerate of others, and adjust myself to them.

This is the harder alternative. But, in my experience, the God-designed, more-difficult way, results in the best outcome. I believe our marriages are worth the best result.

Bob Hansen writes from Chehalis, Washington. bhansen6@juno.com

Does Anybody Have The Time?

By Randy Knapp

I have six clocks on my desk. My computer monitor says that it is 5:45 am - time to get my day moving. A second clock tops the display on my weather station where I’m also informed that it is 44 degrees outside. Yet another clock serves as the remote switch for my overhead desk lights. My Fossil wristwatch lies near my cell phone which doubles as my alarm clock when it wakes me each morning with a tune called “A Chorus of Clocks.” Finally, my Ipod displays the time at the top of its screen while serving as the repository for my audible library of music and books. A survey of the rest of my house reveals the presence of twenty additional timepieces.

The schedule for my day is usually full. The responsibilities of work to support my family, maintaining social and business relationships, meetings, and a myriad of other tasks, vie for top billing on my day’s to-do list. Each task consumes a proportional slice of my “time pie.” As I mentally allocate the hours and minutes needed to complete each undertaking, I can envision the big hand already moving well past 5:00 pm, and part of me begins to sense an early onset of mental fatigue. My day has just begun, and I have no idea where I will ever find time for me.

Our values are often measured by the proximity of the minute hand to the top of the hour. If it reads three minutes before the hour as we punch our time cards, we are deemed punctual and efficient. If the minute hand lags past the hour of record more than just a few times, we are judged lazy and undependable.

Atomic clocks record time from billionths of seconds to billions of years. Astronomical clocks record time as it relates to a particular location in the solar system. Our time calculations are based on the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. From the orientations of these three spheres we calculate the duration of years, seasons, months, and days.

The relentless passage of time strongly influences the way we think. The young often wish they were older so they could participate in adult activities. The old often yearn for the strength and freedom of their younger days.

The meaning of time changes in Heaven’s realm. Time’s course, which so dominates our way of life on earth, seems inconsequential there. The apostle Peter suggests that “for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day.” I don’t picture God’s desk cluttered with clocks. God is not as preoccupied by the passage of time as we are, and I can’t envision Him impatiently glancing at His wristwatch as my prayer session goes beyond the allotted time of our scheduled appointment.

The apostle John was given a fascinating vision of Heaven which he recorded in Revelation. He was puzzled by the “five living beings” and the “twenty-four elders” that surround God’s throne. At first glance they seem to have just one major purpose. “Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.’”

I wonder how I would feel if I were there? With only twenty-four hours in my day and a to-do list the length of a short book, I can’t imagine fitting in well with the heavenly elders. I could maybe occupy one of their thrones for an hour or two, but then I think I might begin to glance impatiently at my wristwatch wondering when I could get back to some of my other important responsibilities.

My perspective changed, though, when I caught the last sentence in their job description. “Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense—the prayers of God’s people.” Each of the twenty-four elders carries the prayers of the saints into the presence God. They are intimately aware of each of our needs. They devote all their time to our well-being. They are unflaggingly committed to our salvation “day after day and night after night.” Just imagine that the twenty-four most influential individuals in heaven are fully devoted to facilitating answers to our prayers. Wow! I’m confident that none of them have wristwatches.

From Jesus’ stories in the gospels to Revelation’s narrative, it appears that it is the preoccupation of heaven to care for the prayers of the saints.
In his vision, the Apostle John finds himself utterly confused again by what he sees. One of the elders asks him about a crowd of people milling near God’s throne.

“Who are these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?”

And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

Then he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they are standing in front of the throne of God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will live among them and shelter them. They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears.”

It seems that my destiny may indeed lie with the twenty-four elders after all, because there are times when I certainly feel like one in need of rescue from “great tribulation.”

If I am to be one of those in that vast crowd, I need to get a better perspective on my relationship with time. Right now, I have a poverty mentality. In my limited perspective there is a finite amount of time in which to accomplish a seemingly infinite stream of responsibilities. With this view, I am time’s slave and fully under its constraining power.

I need to begin to experience time as one who has already been rescued from “great tribulation.” Jesus makes it clear that He has already secured my rescue. He said, “I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life . . . They have already gone from death to life.” I need to start practicing the reality of that promise today. For the rescued saints congregating around God’s throne, their first priority is to remain in close proximity to God. It is in this nearness to God that the earthly constraints of time fade. The saints have all the time they need to accomplish what is truly important.

So when my alarm clock awakens me tomorrow morning I can make the best use of my limited time by starting my day in the presence of God. It is in heaven’s realm that the floodgates of time open up and I am inundated with the gift of instant eternity.

In his theory of relativity, Einstein said that time runs faster or slower depending on our position in the universe. I wonder if he understood that time moves much more slowly when we’re on our knees in prayer before the throne of God. The act of prayer connects us with heaven where the obligations of a thousand years can be discharged in a single day and the rest and relaxation experienced in a single day here on earth can be enjoyed at leisure for the next thousand years.

Randy writes from Medford, Oregon where he hopes to eventually have time to spare. You can correspond with him at knappsnest@msn.com

Daddy's Empty Chair

Sent in by Nancy Corliss

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. There was an empty chair sitting beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me, he said.

“No, who are you?" said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man.

"Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer, the old man continued, until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, "Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. "

Here is what I suggest. "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will be with you always'. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though, if my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

Did he die in peace?" he asked.

Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later I found him.

But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."

Nancy Corliss writes from Anchorage, Alaska.

Crabby Old Man

Sent by Gayla Vick

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

This little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the internet.

“What do you see nurses?…What do you see? What are you thinking…when you're looking at me? A crabby old man…not very wise, uncertain of habit ........with faraway eyes? Who dribbles his food…and makes no reply. When you say in a loud voice…'I do wish you'd try!' Who seems not to notice…the things that you do. And forever is losing…a sock or shoe? Who, resisting or not…lets you do as you will, with bathing and feeding…the long day to fill? Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse…you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am…as I sit here so still, as I do at your bidding…as I eat at your will. I'm a small child of ten…with a father and mother, brothers and sisters…who love one another.

A young boy of sixteen, with wings on his feet dreaming that soon now…a lover he'll meet.

A groom soon at twenty…my heart gives a leap. Remembering, the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five, now…I have young of my own. Who need me to guide a secure happy home.

A man of thirty…my young now grown fast, bound to each other…with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons…have grown and are gone. But my woman's beside me…to see I don't mourn.

At fifty, once more…babies play 'round my knee. Again, we know children…my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me…my wife is now dead. I look at the future…I shudder with dread. For my young are all rearing young of their own and I think of the years…and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man…and nature is cruel. Tis jest to make old age…look like a fool. The body, it crumbles…grace and vigor, depart. There is now a stone…where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass…a young guy still dwells. And now and again…my battered heart swells. I remember the joys. I remember the pain. And I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years…all too few…gone too fast. And accept the stark fact…that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people…open and see. Not a crabby old man. Look closer…see…ME!

Gayla Vick writes from Medford, Oregon.

Choosing To Be Content

By Cheryl Castro

A while ago I visited the Fort Bragg-Mendocino area on the California coast. What an awesome place. As I stood on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with the charming town of Mendocino behind me, I felt an overpowering urge to sell all I owned and move there. I wanted to bask in that beauty forever.

Have you ever been to a special place? A beautiful spot in the forest or a sunlit beach, maybe even a solitary place in the desert at sunset. Did you experience the same urge I did? The desire, however, can become so strong that we grow dissatisfied with where God has placed us on this earth.

Most people in Jesus' time didn't have that temptation. They lived out their lives in one area, usually where they were born, be it in the desert, by the ocean, or a lake. In poverty or wealth, their lives passed without the possibility of seeing the different beauty of foreign lands. For the most part, their home was their world and they were satisfied.

In our day we are able to visit many exotic and beautiful areas, where the lust of the eye can draw our attention away from the life God has for us, and away from the practical process of living.

I need to be ever mindful that God has a plan for my life. Even if I am not where I would like to be, He has placed me where He needs me to be. So I continually strive to be content, and bloom where I have been planted.

My prayer is, "Lord, help me to be satisfied and grateful. I praise You for all You have given me, the good and the bad, and trust that You are working everything out to benefit my life."

Cheryl Castro writes from Shady Cove, Oregon.

Chaplain Mickey

By Marlene K. Yundt

“Hi Mickey!” Those were the words of the Cub Scout as he ran across the field. The experiences from the two camps of that summer brought bonding, rewards and unforgettable experiences. There were numerous challenges to meet, stories to be heard and dreams to be shared. There was no way these six-to-eight-year-olds were ever going to understand “Chaplain” or “Marlene”
The poster posted outside the seminary classroom read, “Wanted: a few good chaplains” It illustrated men. As I entered the classroom, I inquired. The professor was also in charge of recruiting and treasurer of the Columbia Pacific Council located in Portland, Oregon. “I’d like to apply,” I said. The students and the professor laughed. “Do you think the pants will fit?” asked the professor. Finally, I was taken seriously. I completed the application. Notification came shortly thereafter that I would be their “first female chaplain for the Columbia Pacific Council for all of Oregon and Southwest Washington.

A few years after those camps ended, I heard on the news that one of the dearest Cubs was (in all probability) kidnapped and silenced by a sex offender while the family was on a fun outing looking for Christmas trees in Southern Oregon. The young boy was Derrick Ingebretson. I remember both the father and son. They were great partners in the Cub Scout movement. Derrick had come to inquire about beginning his God and Me award.

The first camp of the summer began at Scouters Mountain, high up in the hills above the Clackamas area – a very scenic area on several levels. One of the things I appreciated most about this camp was its private place for a Chapel. It was scenic, quiet, serene and had an expansive area of seating and a beautiful podium from which to deliver the chapel message and songs. The second was being built above Scotts Mill.

Upon arrival that spring, there were a small number of leaders for every facet of the group. There was also a very special group of teenagers from all over the countryside to work wherever they were needed.

Teens were needed to lead singing, give prayers and readings. They were enthusiastic, creative and dependable.

The theme for the first scouting camp that summer was George Washington. I was given a book by the Program Director called, George Washington, the Christian.

Two very generous men provided free literature to the entire camp: Dr. Robert C. Pamplin, Jr., a philanthropist, businessman, farmer, author and minister, provided One Who Believed. These are stories of individuals whose faith was the model for their life. Another who also gave generously is James Dobson of Focus On The Family. He supplied every scout with an activity sheet – similar to a comic book. The scouts loved them.

Though the time was brief, there were many bonding relationships. One young teenage worker had confided in me many times over that brief summer period. One day she disobeyed the rules of the camp and had to be relieved of her assignment. I had the opportunity to give her comfort and encouragement and a hug before she left.

I entered the scout chaplaincy into my senior years. There was a vast generation gap between teens and myself. Yet, I found them to be respectful and helpful. Their days and hours were already filled with activities and duties. Despite their long hours of service, they provided outstanding assistance.

Scouts even went “the extra mile” to create something special for me where I spoke for the chapel – a podium. It communicated an unforgettable bond. I never heard them complain to me about anything I requested them to do. They gave their all. The scouts related to them and were motivated by them during times of worship and song. They were there as scouts; but, they were there as young men and women of integrity and a willingness to serve.

Award evenings were very special times. Nearly every scout received an award at each ceremony. I was humbled by the willingness of churches that provided Bibles and Psalm books. Spiritual leaders graciously agreed to give of their time to provide spiritual growth to the young scouts and teens who desired to study with them in their area of faith to earn their awards. Camp parents and leaders willingly gave of their time and areas of expertise. Projects were intelligently designed to give scouts creativity.

The desire was to make this scouting experience more than activities and fun. It was even beyond the mealtime and sharing. My motivation as a Boy Scout Chaplain was to instill faith-believing values. The readings from George Washington, the Christian, the prayers and the New Testaments and Psalms were to give spiritual food as nourishment to their young souls.

It was a privilege to serve the Boy Scouts of America. Each of my three sons was a Cub and Boy Scout. Their father was a Webelos leader. I was a Brownie and Girl Scout. May God always be the center of their program. “On my honor…” Contemplate serving. You are never too young or too old.

Marlene K. Yundt writes from Portland, Oregon. marlene.yundt@comcast.net

Building A Marriage Successnet

By Pam Farrel

In our newest release, The First Five Years of Marriage, we encourage all couples, especially newlyweds, to build a “successnet” of relationships. The Bible says, “In a multitude of counselors there is safety” Proverbs 24:6 Because this group of people is so important to our future, we will call this our Success net. Who are some of these key players and why do we need them in our lives?

Family and Friends
These play a key role in helping a young couple in establishing their dream. Our marriages will grow stronger as we learn to forge new relationships as a couple with our friends and family, and in a crisis, they will be the first ones to show up.
Spiritual Advisors
Not only do we need our pastors, but we need friends who are in full-time ministry, marriage and family counselors, small-group leaders, and marriage mentors. We will all at times face decision points, tough transitions, and difficult circumstances, and we will want some people to help us discern God’s view on the matter at hand. We need to attend church and get to know our pastor, join a small- group Bible study, and participate in men’s and women’s ministries. We will do well to also involve ourselves in parachurch groups that interest us.

Health Care Professionals
Those who care for our physical bodies are all a part of our success as well. If we are young and healthy, we may underestimate their influence, but they will become more valuable to us with every passing year.

Insurance Agents
These service people stand between us and possible financial ruin. We may never think we need these people until our houses are flooded or burn down, a tornado hits, or a family member has a health crisis, car accident, or, God forbid, a spouse dies. But it is precisely because life is unpredictable and calamities do come and that we need to be wise and forward-thinking.

Financial Advisors
Who doesn’t need help to create a plan for a bright financial future? And, we’d all like to save as much on taxes as possible!

Lawyers or friends who know the law
We all need police officers, lawyers, and paralegals as part of our success team. These are the kind of people we want to be able to call, even in the middle of the night if we have to, so we can make critical decisions if something horrendous happens.

Transportation Dealers
Unless we live in a big city and take public transportation, we need someone we can trust to sell us a reliable car at an affordable price.

Home Help
Once we own a home, we need people in the field of building and maintaining homes. We will need to know people skilled in contracting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, gardening, painting, electricity, and general home repairs. It is great to have help when we need it. It truly takes stress of the marriage.

Realtors/ Mortgage Brokers
These professionals help us know when we are financially prepared for home-ownership and can then help us get the best home for the most affordable price.

Do we have a “successnet” of relationships? A “multitude of counselors” as Proverbs tells us? Perhaps we need to take some time and see the people God has already placed in our lives and then intentionally begin to build a team of players around us to prepare us for the great opportunities and challenges that we will face in the days to come. With some vacation time coming over the holiday season, now is a great time to network with family and friends to find reputable trustworthy professionals to add to our successnet team.

Pam Farrel writes from El Cajon, California. She and her husband, Bill want to be available to marriages as relationship specialists. Couples can sign up for their relationship ezine at www.farrelcommunications.com, or check out their books like The First Five Years, Red Hot Monogamy or Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti (or the single version).

Beyond The Imagination

By James R. Whitman

Settled in emotions that yearn for happiness
I was lost inside devotion of sins left unconfessed
The dreams that saw tomorrow, were lost in yesterday
In a life of fears and sorrows, that leads your soul astray
My mind would seek the answers for the questions from the heart
That asks to heal the wounds, of a life so torn apart
With every path I walked, I chose to walk alone
To the world of endless lies, from the truth I left at home
The reflections of the mirror, that saw a boy so lost
Would soon become much clearer, with eye’s that see the cross
With hope I sought the wonders, with deep and solemn prayer
That could lead me to the faith, of His ever loving care
The boy who seeks forgiveness, and reaches out his hand
Can find his endless paintings, that color him a Christian man
The winds of change have blown
Through the branches of broken trees
And strengthened the roots below
That could grow with true belief
So now with all the temptation
Comes the truth that can be heard
With a future beyond the imagination
In the reality of God’s word

James R Whitman writes from Vacaville, California

An Abandoned And Abused Son

By Dave Norris

Like too many other people these days, I have multiple parents; specifically, two fathers. My birth father married too young and left too early for me to get to know him. Years later I was adopted by a step-father, who abused each of his children in various ways. I left home as soon as I could, an angry 17-year old young man.

Thirteen years later, after having gone around the block on my own several times, I surrendered the mess I had made of my life to the Lord. At first all went well, but then I was brought face-to-face with the fact that my relationship with God was incomplete. I had no problem loving Jesus as my older brother and the Holy Spirit as my ever present companion and helper. But, when it came to God the Father, that was another story altogether. To me, a father was someone who abandoned or abused me and I wanted no more of that.

A pastor who knew my situation suggested I separately meet with and try to restore my relationship with each of my fathers, neither of whom had I seen for years. After going through a dark night of the soul, I met with first one and then the other.

Both men were different in very many ways, but they each carried a similar load of guilt, shame and pain over the part they had played in my past. Both were visibly nervous during our time together, and greatly relieved after I forgave them of their actions towards me. I am sure both men could tell you a tale of healing.

Since our meetings, I have no strong relationship with either man. Too much time and distance separates us, but we call and speak whenever we feel like it. We are free now to do that.

On a deeper level, I have grown to know, love and trust God my Father for almost thirty years and that has nourished my soul in more ways than I have time or space to tell.

Beyond even the deep self-centered satisfaction that my relationship with God gives me, the greatest fruit of restoration is what my children enjoy. As a father of four I have called on my Heavenly Father for advice, wisdom and assistance thousands of times over the years. My children know I have had to do this and they have learned to do so themselves. In every situation He has answered my call for help. He has shown He is faithful to all generations. My fathers. My children. Me.

Dave Norris writes from Medford, Oregon.

Talking About Adoption In The United States

By Cindy Bigelow

Since starting our ministry, Chosen this past year we have learned so much. I continue to be contacted by adult adoptees and adoptive parents from literally around the world saying this is a ministry that is greatly needed. The face of adoption has changed dramatically in the past decade. I found some statistics that I found very interesting. In 1970 (pre legalized abortion) there were 172,000 adoptions in the United States, and almost all of those were infants with a birthmother making adoption plans. Last year, 2006, there were 142,000 adoptions with only 10% of the adoption plans made in this traditional manner. Nearly 90% were children with court relinquished parental rights who come to their adoptive families from the foster care system at the average age of 8. There were 22,000 who joined families through international adoption, many from Eastern European orphanages. These kids all have deep layers of emotional wounds from prior abuse and neglect.

The Christian community encourages adoption, but these families are feeling greatly deserted and judged when they have problems when these severely damaged kids reach their teen years and begin acting on the pain and anger they feel over the circumstances.

Adolescence is difficult enough, but when you add abuse and trauma into the picture, well, is it any wonder. Brain science is bearing out the psycho neurological damage that occurs in children at different stages of development when the brain releases huge amounts of cortical in response to neglect and trauma. This causes their brains to be "rewired" so that they truly do not process things the way most of us do, and I do not mean just the normal learning disabilities of people that we see. These parents are desperate for help.
Despite taking their children to church and trying to teach them about the love of Christ, hearts have hardened in a protective response to pain and these truths do not sink in, nor does the love of compassionate Christian parents.

There are many single women adopting from the foster care system, as well as grandparents who become the parents to the kids of drug addicted and neglectful parents. These families desperately need the church to wrap their arms around them and support them. They are adopting the "social orphans" of today. Talk about true and undefiled religion (James 1:27)

But unfortunately, that is anything but what the church is doing. Many parents they tell me that they are made to feel like they just are poor parents and while they were once applauded for being willing to take on the children no one else wants, when things go desperately wrong, and believe me these parents try everything they possibly can to help their child, then they lose all the support they once thought they would have if they needed it November is national adoption month, and CHOSEN is hosting a conference for adoptive parents, grandparents and teens on November 3rd in Grants Pass, with the keynote speaker being Stephanie Fast. She has been on Focus on the Family many times and they have her broadcast is in the most requested shows ever. It is titled "Healing Childhood Traumas" and she has a story that I believe will resonate with many people. A G.I. baby of mixed blood, Stephanie was abandoned at age four in war torn Korea and survived on her own as a street child, suffering every kind of physical and emotional abuse possible. A World Vision nurse finally rescued her from a garbage dump near death. When she was adopted at age nine by a missionary couple, she was covered in lice and emotionally dead.

I am hoping to develop an online teen mentor program with Christian adult adoptees that can say I understand and will just be an adult they can turn to for some direction that will be Godly. This is probably down the road a bit, but I am beginning to just seek some those adults that would have just a few minutes a week at any time of day or night that they could do this, and remain that adult that points them to the Lord as the ultimate healer of hurting hearts.
If you have not been to our website recently, I encourage you to visit it at www.choseninternational.org

Cindy Bigelow writes from Grants Pass, Oregon.