Gifts with Eternal Value!

“I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, As a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

Hey Gang: I asked the question many times of kids whose lives were reaping the dividends of bad decisions, “My name is Kermit, I am a green- Genie frog and I can give you anything, the deepest desire of your heart, what would it be?  No matter how hardened the hurting soul was in front of me the answer was always the same, to have my mom and dad together and my brothers and sisters together in a loving- warm home.

I learned very early in my tenure of working with hurting children I could never give them what they wanted the most – a mom and dad together who loved them on a quiet street where dad would play catch with their son or mom would give here undivided time with her daughter. 

We have a very special friend who was rejected at birth by her mother and put up for adoption.  She was truly blessed to find her way into a warm loving family who loved her as her very own.  But even though she loved her adopted mom, as she matured in years she wondered, as she passed every woman on the street, “Was that was her real mother?”   

As she neared her graduation day from high school and thought of the next step in her life, there was the growing yearning in her heart just to know who her mom was and why she gave her up for adoption. The day came when she put her yeaning into action and, through the grace of Almighty God, after many closed doors, the one that led to a grand reunion of mother and daughter finally came. 

Did it lessen the love she had for her adoption mother?  In no way.  But as she has said many times when she saw her birth mother for the first time a peace came over her and she felt like she was complete for the first time in her life. 

In one of the previous Morning Messages I mentioned I spent a couple years in close contact with the Amish community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and a close observer of what made their family life so very special.  The Amish have a saying, “The dearest things of life are mostly near at hand”.  Think about that for a moment.  What are the important things in your life?

Gar Trussley was a “Time Share Expert” who studied how people use their time.  He discovered, when he asked people to list their top ten priorities, that more than ninety percent of the three tops on the list was get heart right with God, fix problems in marriage and repair problems in other relationships.  But he also discovered that a similar number, when asked to make a second list,  those ten things in the order of how they stack up in the reality of how they are living their lives right now, he found the top ones to be at the bottom of their list!

I love to tell the story of the father and the rabbit hutch.  It is a wonderful example of the priorities of two fathers, one Amish and One English (as the Amish refer to non-Amish.)  The Amishman’s seven-year old son was the recipient of a gift of two young bunnies.  Dad took son to the local hardware store and bought all the needed materials to build a home for the bunnies and then step by step he and his son built a very sturdy rabbit hutch for the newly arrived bunnies.

His neighbor also had a son of the same age who noticed the Amish father and son at work and came to see what they were doing.  When he learned they were building a rabbit hutch he said to the Amish Dad, “Hey, you can buy a hutch on sale for half what you are investing in time and material and it is already built.

The Amish father’s response, “I drew the plans for the hutch with the help and advice of my son. We went and purchased the materials together and learned about purchasing and marketing. We have learned to use a tape to measure, a hammer and a saw to cut.  Soon the hutch will be ready for occupancy and my son will feel the pride of accomplishment every time he feeds the rabbits.” 

What lessons would he have learned if we just bought the finished product?   Jesus said there is no greater gift than for someone, -a father, who would lay down for his life for a son. Teaching quality living is a gift that cannot be purchased – except with love and time.

So, take if from an old salt who has asked the question, “If I, a green-genii frog can give you anything you want this morning, what would it be?  If they say trinkets and glitter or new electronic gadget, you have some work to do now!

Blessings,

Gramps

Jesus said, "Be Alert!" Are You Alert?

“That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah saying “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to break the bow of Elam, The finest of their might, I will bring upon them the four winds “ (Jer. 49:34-35).

Hey Gang, In the early years of my walk with the Lord I confess, I was an active member of the ‘weak and unaware’ class of believers.   And then one day God opened my eyes to His prophetic word- which started me down a road that has lasted more than 50 years.  I learned very early in the education process that prophecy was a key to opening doors of understanding for hearts who needed to see the Word in black and white.

But I also learned from a dear lady, by the name of Grandma Jessie, that superficial reading without taking the time to follow the road maps of the Word tends to do more confusing than clarifying.  Jesus said that He did not want us to be unaware.

In the morning Scripture, Jeremiah tells us Elam is in for a shocking experience.  I had read this Scripture many times but never took the time to ask the question, “Where is Elam” It was just a place mentioned in passing as I progressed through the Scripture reading of the moment.  But when you realize that Elam is a portion of Iran it tends to add a sudden interest in what Jeremiah is saying.

Much like the rhetoric from the many prophecy gurus of our day who are shouting from the roof tops, “Beware the Gog - Magog Confederacy is preparing their horses and sharpening their swords in preparation to complete what Hitler initiated with the holocaust -the total annihilation of the Jews.  

As one Iranian General stated recently, when asked how he felt about the Olim (Jews returning to the land of their heritage) returning home, responded, “It will be easier for us to annihilate them”.

Iran continues to make no bones about it; they have God’s Chosen People and Chosen Land in their cross hairs. And history has taught us that when you tamper with the “Apple of God’s eye” and threaten to remove them from the face of the earth, the question is not “IF’ God’s patience will run out but  “When!”  

Do you think God is wringing His hands?  I think not.  You see He programmed the land of Elam before time began for this very season.  Man, in his infinite wisdom chose this very area, in all of the vastness of Iran to locate their nuclear programs.   Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Reactor is located in Elam’s Bushehr Providence, erected by Russia with substandard rods.  When you add the sub-standard nuclear facility to the fact that Elam is one of the most seismic-active places in the world, one might be concerned for their physical welfare - knowing an earthquake could hit at any moment and send the whole area into orbit.

 When most people talk about the future of Iran in Bible prophecy, they typically go to Ezekiel 38-39 where the prophet Ezekiel explains what is coming down in their future.   Again, one does not have to be of super intelligence to see the day is rapidly approaching when “Something is going to happen.”

 

Notice verses 36 through 36: “I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four ends of heaven, and will scatter them to all these winds, and there will be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam will not go”.    The Iran government has done all in their power to cleanse their nation of Christ followers, which has resulted in continual growth of followers of the Lord!  How many is difficult to tell due to many underground believers.   But it is known fact that the number is considerably high and their battle cry is “bring on Elam.” That will set them free to fulfill “…there will be no nation to which the outcasts of Elam, will not go.”  Their hope is to evangelize the world.  

So, my friends, I close with the same question!  “ARE YOU ALERT”.  Are you sensitive to what is happening all around our world?

 Jesus said, “When all the signs are coming together, look up, your redemption is very near.”

Blessings,

Gramps

God Said "I WILL" and That's Enough!

God is good, a hiding place in tough times.  He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, no matter how desperate the trouble.   But cozy islands of escape He wipes right off the map. (Nahum 1:7-8 (The Message).

Hey Gang:  Something to ponder as we are into a new year; if you could create a perfect ending to your year, what would it look like?  What is the one thing you placed on your “to do” list that, if completed would give you the peace, joy and satisfaction of a year well done? 

As I have aged, I have learned the old Dutch adage:  “If there ain’t no tomorrow, it won’t matter no-how if a degree of wisdom was attached to it.  Granny Bliss, a dear friend, said, “The first thing I do in the morning is check the ‘obits’ and, if my name is not there, I get out the Post Toasties and get my day started. 

If you look closely at the Christmas display in our basement, you will see a tiny chain that was carved out of one piece of wood.  When I asked Vern, the carver, what he did when he was not whittling, he remarked, “Sharpen my knife!”

I learned a very important lesson years ago when I had close contact with the Amish community.   Now, I also confess, it was not until I began to wind-down in the later years of my life that I implemented some of the things I learned from them;  the most important, “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and take what comes with a smile”.  I also confess there were days when that did not compute.

On the wall of the milk house just above the tack for his pulling horses, Amos Zook had put up a clock.  Problem, it did not run.   You see the Amish pay no-mind to time.  They rise with the sun and they call it day with the darkening of the sky.  But when I asked Amos, how come you have a clock that does has no purpose? His reply, “Oh but it does, You see, nothing is all wrong; even a clock that has stopped running is right twice a day.

On the subject of how time can rap its clutches around your life, I remember the story of my brother, a Colonel and Squadron Commander in the Air Force; he was responsible for a  barn full of F4J aircraft and a bunch of young airman who often did not use good sense.

He said, “I had a chance to make General, if I would return to Nam one more time.”  He said, “I choose to retire instead and take control of my life.”  As he drove off the base for the last time as an airman, he gave his watch to the guard at the exit. He then handed him his date planner and told him to put it in the trash can.

There was an old salt by the name of Gar that did time studies as a professions.  He found that most folks were in bondage to their watches and date planers and now a new device has been added to add further bondage, the new phone technology.  I could spend a day or two listing the damage the invention of the chip has done to relationships. 

  

Let me return to my days with the Amish and share what I believe is the foundation of their lives.  Most live by the adage: “The cornerstone of faith is truth; not tolerance.”  They take Scripture literally and don’t rationalize or justify behaviors that the Bible labels sin.  To them evil is evil and the source of evil is the devil for whom they have a healthy respect.  One of their favorite adages: “Speak of the devil and you will hear the flap of his wings”.

Many put the Plain People (Amish) down because they have chosen to live their lives outside of the mainstream of our world.  They look upon them as being uneducated but I have never found one on welfare or unemployed.  Nor have I ever seen an Amish child on a police blotter.

I close this epistle with one of my favorite Amish adages: “He who bows lowest in the presence of God stands straightest in the presence of sin”.  One more, “It may be difficult to wait on the Lord, but it is worse to wish you had”.  I pray you will have a blessed 2019 as you await the coming of the King of kings!

Blessings,

Gramps

Prophecy- Time for Some Digging!

For the Scriptures this morning I would suggest you read chapter 38 of Ezekiel and Psalm 83.

Hey Gang: This morning I am addressing a problem that has bothered me for many years.  I would challenge you to not take my conclusions as the truth, nothing but the truth, so help you,  God; but it will spur you on to seek answers for yourself.  The Holy Spirit stands ready to lead you through the study and research process. 

In the early years of my interest in prophecy the Economic European Union was in the formative stages and the buzz word was Gog and Magog; the hour when the Bear from the North and of its confederates would come forth from the North and try and blow Israel away seemed very near.

I confess I was not “up to speed” in all the ramifications leading up to the invasion but there appeared to be two prerequisites that Ezekiel pointed that must be in place before the Gog-Magog invasion.  In verse 11 of chapter 38 we find these words: “I will go up against the land of unwalled villages”. 

 After checking a dozen or so resources, I came to the conclusion we could change the verse to read, “I will go up against the land that is at peace”.  

Having been to Israel on several occasion, most recent two years ago, I can attest that is not a fitting description for Israel today.    To drive the streets of the land you cannot alwaays see the military might but you certainly know it is there.  On one of our trips to Israel there was an incident in the Mediterranean that placed the land on alert; within one hour Jerusalem looked more like an army post than a thriving city.  So, I concluded prerequisite one was not yet in place for Gog – Magog invasion.

The second prerequisite, reason for the invasion, is found in verse 12 of chapter 38: “…to capture spoil and seize plunder”.  At the time of my study, Israel was recovering from another war with their neighbors and the major interest of the fledgling nation was survival, not building a Fort Knox for all their wealth. 

In other words, I could not see how the next step in the Middle East on-going-saga could be the invasion of Gog-Magog.  But there was an even greater reason that anyone with a map could see- a hole in the reasoning that Gog-Magog was next.  When you line up the nations that are listed as participants in the Gog-Magog invasion something is conspicuously missing, not a single nation that would be considered a butting-up-neighbor of Israel is listed yet they are the most verbal in their hatred of Israel! 

My question?  Where are they?  Isn’t it wonderful when you find some creditable person that agrees with you?   Several years ago, Bill Salus wrote a book titled Psalm 83, The Missing Prophecy.  It was a wonderful read for it agreed with everything I thought but had no backing to stand on a street corner and proclaim as truth.  Now, here in living color – Psalm 83- are all the nations that butt up against Israel and listed as part of a coming invasion; and they will be reduced to rubble!  

Keep in mind as you translate the ancient names with current names, every inch of Israeli’s boundaries is covered.  The question now is “when?” The arguments rage as to whether it will be pre-tribulation or during the seven year tribulation period and how does it stack up against Gog- Magog? 

Well, good buddies, I pray I have not confused you.  I challenge you again to get into the Word and test me out.  I confess I am a prophet only by study and not by revelation and, therefore,  prone to take wrong side-roads once in a while.  But when you rely of two or three study and prayer sources, the Holy Spirit does right our ship and get us back on track.

Blessings,

Gramps  

An Effective Insurance Policy

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk to them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:5-7). 

Hey Gang: I have often shared with you some of my experiences in Amish country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This morning I want to share a few of the wonderful experiences that I was privileged to see and, even been a part of, that show the heart of the Amish people.  I learned very early in my tenure among them that they have two focuses, God and family and everything they do centers on those two focuses.

This is the story of the Amish dad who was working with his very young son building a rabbit hutch. You see, the Amish believe that every person in the family should be a contributing member, therefore each is assigned chores that fit their age and capabilities, as soon as they are old enough to fulfill those responsibilities. 

His neighbor, who was a very successful farmer came over and suggested that he could save a lot of time and even a few bucks at the local elevator (grainery to the Amish).  They sell rabbit hutches already built and at reasonable prices.   The Amish Daddy said, but what would my son learn, if I bought an already completed rabbit hutch, and how would I teach him that a job well done brings confidence to try greater tasks?” 

He then added, “With each board that is cut and nail driven there is memory attached and a deeper relationship built between father and son.”  He closed his conversation by saying, “Cheaper is not the important issue that I want to teach my son, quality is.  I want him to feel good about his accomplishments, which will the foundation to far greater things in his future.”

We, meaning my bride and I, drive to Shipshewana, Indiana, several times a year for breakfast.  People thing we are a wee-bit weird, but Shipshe is Amish and Mennonite Country and we can feel the peace as we approach the tiny town.  There is only one other place where I feel such peace and that is when the aircraft wheels touch town at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.  

We often spend the day just enjoying the clip-clop of the horses and see the warmth in the interaction of the families.   Oh, I know they are not without their problems. One day I saw the usual long table with the patriarch and matriarch at the head of the table and all of the family in attendance enjoying the fellowship. When asked, if attendance was mandatory, the patriarch said, “Not by word but by the desire of the heart”

I have told the story of a special comradery that exists among the Amish community, especially in times of woe.  One morning, as I was driving my route, I noticed Amish buggies with carts and full families on board heading toward one farmer’s place.   Tragedy struck! The barn caught fire during the night and burned to the ground. The fire destroyed livestock, farm implements, feed for the winter and all the other non-essentials that one likes to keep at hand.  Keep in mind the Amish do not believe in such things as insurance (as we know it), welfare or hand-outs of any kind.

 

To make a long story very short, the barn was totally raised with the week - but they were not done!  When the carts left the property for the last time, the livestock had been replaced, the farm implements were in the barn and the barn was filled with the needed livestock feed for the coming winter months.  As I drove by each day, it looked more like a family reunion, with all the wonderful festivities than a barn raising.  

Well, folks, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some of the wonderful memories of my time among the Plain People.  As I mentioned above, yes, they have their problems, but their problems are not theirs alone; there is a community of people who all look much alike in their clothing and are amazing in their respect for each other.  Have you demonstrated God’s love and insurance policy to your neighbor recently?  Why?  Or Why Not?

Blessings,

Gramps

Have You Thought About your Future Travel Plams?

“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.  (Matt. 24:13).  “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28). 

Hey Gang: In my growing up years there was a program on radio, (there was no television yet which gives you some idea of how old I am) called “Can You Top This”.  The goal was to develop the biggest falsehood and, as I recall, each participant was very adept at putting together some huge whoppers.  Today there would be no interest in such a program because truth, honesty and integrity have become as hen’s teeth in our country and world.

In past years I started my day by checking the weather channel to see if I needed waders or tennis shoes for the day’s activities.  I then kicked on the overnight news headlines just to see how man has screwed up God’s perfect creation since the last depressing news cast.

 I have changed that format in recent months, I no longer check to see what nonsense has transpired in the halls of government, since the last news cast.  Why, simply stated, my nervous system can no longer handle what those in the news industry think I need to know. 

You see, one day when the news was especially vomit and sewer dominated, God seemed to whisper in my ear, ’Why do you want to fill your limited brain cells with all that garbage?’   He seemed to impress on my heart that inputting something that filled my heart, mind and soul with the joy of the Lord would be better for my mental health!

So, I made a promise to the Lord and myself that I would start my every day with Him, in His word, seeking His love, encouragement and guidance for me. That He would show me clearly the difference between the news that increased my power and witness as a warrior for Him than allowing a darkness to evade my heart as I stared the new day.  

Hey ‘gang:  I really don’t want to use Gramps Morning thought to share the tragic things that are happening in this once God- fearing great nation, but sometimes it is the only way to emphasize a point that I believe God would have me share.  Example!

I was in the Super Market replenishing our supply of oranges; while waiting for my turn at the check- out counter I noticed a very bold headlines on one of those smut-like magazines that announced the name of a young beautiful and very talented young lady who had been awarded a top actress award.  In her acceptance speech she said I give all credit to Satan who made this achievement possible.  

The word is filled with the signs of what will happen on earth, just prior to Father God saying to Yeshua, “Go, collect your family”.  Jesus gave us a clear picture of what those signs will look like in Matthew 24:1-9.  I would challenge you to look carefully at those nine signs and compare them to what is happening in our world today.  

If there were a Doom's-Day Clock on the tower where the ball drops signifying a New Years has started, I wonder where that Clock would be set right now.  How wondrous it is to know that we have a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and He has made provision for us to be secure in His hands when Father God says “Time to bring Your bride home!"

Blessings,

Gramps

  

God's Provision In Times of Temptation

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (I Cor. 10:13).

Hey Gang, Is it not fan-tab-u-lous to know that God has made promises and provisions that apply to every facet of our lives – even the very tough ones?  I have many wonderful memories of when God’s provision kicked in -when we least expected it.

One Monday morning, I received a note from an Assessment Center Staff telling me they had run out of milk all across campus when they received a knock on the door at the Assessment center.  The person at the door said, “We had an overrun on our milk supplies and thought you could use it.”  He said, I thought perhaps a gallon or two but was astounded when they just kept coming and twelve cases of individual packets were delivered!

Charles Spurgeon wrote the following: “A promise from God may very instructively be compared to a bank draft.  It is given to the believer with the view of bestowing upon him some good thing.  It is not meant to be read over and then set aside.  No, he is to treat the miracle as a reality, as man treats a check.  He is to take it and endorse it with his own name by personally receiving it as true.  He is by faith, to accept it as his very own.”

But with all things we must be patient and know that Father knows best.  He knows our every need and is the Creator of all.  He is entitled to fulfill His promises exactly when and how He wants!!!

Studying the promises of the Bible is like drinking out of a fire hydrant.  They are so powerful they knock us off our pins.   But with all things there are prerequisites that open the doors to God’s provisions and miracles.

I learned gaining God’s provision is often conditional – we must do something before God will act. Secondly, we must be locked into God’s power supply. Thirdly, each is meant to be  encouraging and lead us into a deeper walk with the Lord and lastly, all of the promises are universal and are as up to date today as when they were written.

So, be aware God is keeping His eye on you for He knows there is a deadly predator who is lurking in the shadows seeking that moment when he can devour you.  He is relentless in his attacks, but you do not have to give in no matter how sever the attack is!!   Our God is an awesome God ever ready to give us the strength to be overcomers.

Blessings,  

  

Gramps

Planting God-seeds in New Year

Happy, healthy, God-filled New Year!!

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.  (1 Cor. 10:13).

Hey Gang:  The festivities are over!  The tree and tinsel has been taken down and the house has a kind-of-bare look about it.  Time to take the things that don't fit back and battle the return lines. Time to get back in the same routines we put on hold for a few days. 

In other words, it is time to recycle and get back in the same ruts we were in before.   Well, not necessarily so!  O, you certainly can do that if you want, but you do have alternatives, options and choices.  Hey gang, this is a New Year with new opportunities.  

I read a story recently about a couple who had reached the point where the dark clouds had blocked out the light and they could not see any escape to the problems in their marriage.  The husband, in preliminary conversation with the divorce lawyer, had laid out a scenario of woe that was filled with about every negative his wife had demonstrated in their years of marriage. 

At the conclusion of his description of what had to be a terrible and unsolvable marriage, the divorce lawyer leaned back and said,   ‘I will prepare the divorce papers- but before I have you sign them and proceed with the divorce, I want to challenge you to do something that I ask all others to do, who come here seeking escapes from their marriage.

 I want you to put all of those complaints in a little box and put them in the back of the closet and every time you feel that she has done something right I want you to compliment her.  I also want you to go to the florist each week and get flowers and just place a note thanking her for the things she does that we men take for granted.  

Several weeks passed and no call from the husband and then one day he showed up at the lawyer’s office.  The lawyer took out the completed forms and laid them out for the husband to read and sign, but the air seemed to be much lighter.  The husband very calmly took the forms and folded them neatly and put them in his pocket.  He had learned a very good lesson in the weeks of ‘giving instead of complaining’. "You reap in relationships what you sow!"

A New Year, yes, but will it be a spitting image of last year?  All it takes to make it like last year is to use the same seed-planting program you used last year.  If you sowed seeds by the road side, or in very shallow soil where it could not take root, or in-the-midst of one of the many thorn patches, you will probably not enjoy the crop.  Perhaps it is time to take heed and follow the example of the husband listed above. 

If interested, check out the rest of the story presented by Jesus in his message of the seed planter.  Jesus gives us a better course of action that is available to each-and-every soul who seeks a life filled with the joy of the Lord.  He said, "Some seeds fell on good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty, He who has ears, let him hear".  (Matt. 13:8-9) Bad news, that parable works in the negative also.

So, good buddies, there will be opportunities to plant good seeds into your marriage, the lives of your family and all of those you meet this day.  It may be a simple smile and word of encouragement to the check-out person at the super market, volunteering to work in the nursery at church this Sunday, or even emptying the dish washer and putting the dishes away.  But most important, make sure you are planting positive God-seeds in the good earth in your marriage, family and home.

Blessings to you this New Year and keep in mind that God loves you and so do we.

Gramps and Grandma Peanut!