A very merry and blessed CHRISTmas...

I wanted to add this way earlier in the week but just finished it, for what it's worth.

Many have often asked why I spell the word, "CHRISTmas" the way I do. I'd like to be original but credit goes to my wife's dad. How many years ago he began doing it, I don't know but since I first noticed his doing it, I began to do so, also. After all, it's Christ, for whom we take the time to celebrate. The letters "mas" mean festival, so it's a pretty simple fix. Let's put the emphasis on the reason for having the celebration of Christ's birthday, a festive event and not forget for what and why we are gathering.

I must confess once again that I've been really remiss in keeping up with my entries. The circumstances which have taken me away from the joyful opportunity have been many and I know, if it were me, I wouldn't want to know, so that's why I'm not telling. But like the last time I said it, I am going to try harder...this time, I really am.

I don't want to bother you with a lot of reading. It take 5:03 it takes to listen to and I'd suggest trying to close out the world around you; keep your eyes closed or meditate on an image that's special to you and gives meaning to CHRISTmas. I hope you will like it. 

I found it a few weeks ago while looking for something else. It's been at least fifteen and maybe even closer to twenty years since this was recorded. I had a terrible time trying to find an audio cassette player with plug ins but no so the case. Growing up on the farm provides creative thinking for what works best at the time! I don't know for what or why this was done but obviously it's got something to do with CHRISTmas. It's rough, to say the least but it's certainly listen-able(you may need to turn the volume up a little, as it starts out softly). I do hope you will get the impression of what I was wanting to leave with the listener.

Two good friends at the time; Dalend Mackey, is singing the vocals, a gentleman by the name of Cecil van Houten is responsible for the keyboard and mixing, and I wrote and narrated the copy. Credit also to Manheim Steamroller for their version of "Silent Night." 

A late Merry CHRISTmas greeting...and the beginnings of preparing for another new year to come.

To my newly invited friends...

...welcome!

Each time I make a post to this journal I'm hoping the result of what you
read, will provide a new "something" to think about and maybe even share
with others. The goal is for an every day delivery but that may not happen for
a little while.


 I believe everyone agrees with themself, in that they have something to share with others, whether others want to know about it or not. I  invite you to think about my blog as a program you would listen to regularly on the radio or television but if you're notinterested in today's show or don't have time, skip it and come back again
sometime.




I'm an emotional person and wear them in clear sight; right on the end
of my shirt sleeves to be easily seen. It's usually not hard for folks to know
if something is bothering me. But in the event they don't I'll usually make
sure they do.




The perspectives I share are mine. You, and a whole lot of others folks may
not agree but that's okay. I am not in a contest to see how many friends I can
garner but rather, I am in a competition with myself, to use this blog as a way
of witnessing about the faith I have in God. I have been so overly and abundantly
blessed and I am anxious to let everyone know they have been also, regardless
of the situation they are in.




I am NOT skilled in grammar and punctuation...spelling is pretty good 'cause
I use some type of spell check, if I remember. Please credit me on the content
of what is said, as opposed to the way and style in which it's written.




I pray you and others will join me in my journey of faith walk...




God bless!

Camp Hope Above Ground - Faith Camp Below Ground

I don't speak Spanish and I am not real good at remembering, so the Spanish word for "hope" escapes me. That though, was the word which designated the name of the area or location, where all the loved ones of the miners lived, throughout their long period of waiting. 

Way below the surface of the earth, where the miners were trapped, was an area much smaller in size than the above ground area of Hope. But size for these miners made no difference. For them, their tomb of hope was surrounded by a faith which could not escape them. The faith, some might say, was being held in check by the walls of their hewn, rock cell.

But the miners knew better. Their faith was being held in check by the strength of their souls, an inner faith that was present before the time of the collapse and way before the establishment of Camp Hope.

My partiality of the song, "Where There Is Faith" knows no ends. The song is more of an everyday staple for me than is eating breakfast! It may not provide much nutritional value for my life but the value of my life that the Spirit fills me with, each and every time I hear and listen to the words of the song - and feel the music being driven into my sixty-three year old frame, puts me into a zone of complete contentment; I've been overtaken by the "peace, like a child sleeping" and for a moment "hope, everlasting, in He, Who is able to bear all my burdens, to heal every hurt in my heart" forms a wall around me that nothing can ever penetrate.

And I’m certain there was some sort of a similarity with the faith which the miners had, both individually and collectively. One man's faith was strong but the faith of thirty three men could not and was not crushed, buried, destroyed, or over taken by the legions of devils, whom I sure would have liked to torn  every timber in that cave, down,  in order to pull a shroud of darkness and defeat over the roof of Camp Hope.

In the darkness of those first few moments and hours, alone and not knowing who was alive, or buried alive, or dead,  the miners had to have been overtaken by a fear they had never and probably never will again, experience in their lives. 

I wonder after how long of a time did the realization settle in that their only hope would be in Jesus, the same Savior, whom family and friends were turning and clinging to above ground. I wonder how long was it before everyone heard there was “a Voice calling, you’re not alone in this world.” How long was it, I wonder when that  “peace, like a child sleeping, hope, everlasting in He, Who is able to bear every burden, to heal every hurt in (their) heart,” became that “wonderful, powerful, place…where there is faith.”

The miners below and their loved ones above probably know nothing "of a man across the sea" and could care less about "a lady dressed in black, in a motorcade of Cadillac’s." But one thing they do know and are sure and certain of, is their faith.

Their faith, in the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, remained a reality. They placed themselves into the hands of the Lord and knew that His will, would be done.

And it's the same for us, for all who believe that God is and forever will be, in control. He has been since before the beginning of time and He will be, for eternity. He is the Voice calling to us, telling us we are not alone in this world!

We need to remember this, the next time life seems to collapse around us and to remind others, of the same.

Again, if you want, listen...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE0Dh-cogcU

Crank it up and let er rip!

I’m going to!

Can We Learn From The Miners' Entombment?

For as much as I want to liken the miners’ coming up from their entombment to the resurrection of our Lord, I am nowhere near qualified to do so, nor should I even suggest such a parallel. But I know of many fine pastors who may put a pen to this week’s event, whether it is a successful transmission for them, or not. Hope mine will for modern day application.

 As soon as I heard about the miners trapped in Chile I asked for the Lord to be with them and their families…certainly nothing different than what others would do. Or was it?

As a CHRISTian, I choose to believe in the inerrant Word of the Bible; that everything in the Bible is true, in its totality.  It doesn’t matter to me whether I can understand it, explain it, or prove it or not, for me, it’s still true.

Faith (confidence, trust, conviction, assurance, belief) is the substance (element, material, stuff) of things hoped (wanted, expected, anticipated, wished, longed) for and the evidence (proof, confirmation, substantiation) of things not seen.

So, when I pray to God, I have faith that He will hear my prayers and answer them according to the will and purpose He has for me, in my life, and the life He’s designed for others.

When I think of prayer, in addition to others things, I think of hope. In this case,

·         Hope for the miners, themselves

·         Hope for the miners’ families

·         Hope of those working in whatever way to help

·         Hope of the community, nation, and world

·         Hope of those descending down to greet their fellow brothers

·         Hope that once above ground all will go well for everyone involved.

I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been/still is like for the miners and their families. If I were one of them how well would I have handled the situation?

How strong would my faith be and that of my loved ones? How long before I would have given up hope, whether it is me in the ground, or them on the surface?

I thank the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. It does so for me, in my life and it does for you, also, in your life.

It’s by my faith that I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. A Trinity I can’t understand or make sense of but that’s okay; faith makes it that way.

And so, as I continue to keep everyone involved with this mining issue in my prayers, I ask and know that my prayers will continue to be heard and know that by and through my faith in the God I believe in, EVERYTHING will end in such a way, as to be pleasing to Him and in accordance to His will, and  His purpose.

For heaven's sake, what is going on?

I'd like to start another blog titled something like, "Huh?", or "Why is it?", or "How come..." but I can't keep up with this one. One would think that with all the free time I have, and how much I think without thinking, and how much I love to want to tell the world what’s on my mind, and on and on, that the cyber-waves would be filled with a strong signal from station W.A.L.T., the oldest, remaining station from the 29th of January, 1947 still on the air west of the Mississippi.

But like with all things in life, I get distracted. Distracted by what might be a priority right now isn't the priority I started to work on five minutes ago!

If it weren't for sin...well, that's the beginning of a sentence which could host a well-meaning discussion for the rest of my life and many more to come.

So, rather than spend any more time trying to understand things in my life that aren't all that important and which won’t cause the world to come to an end, anyway, it’s best I start my humming along with life, trusting God in all things, as I go.

My only real priority is to remain in a constant relationship with God. And I can only do that by His grace. His grace provides me with faith. Faith provides me with hope. Hope provides me with a new awareness. A new awareness reminds me of God's grace. God’s grace provides me with faith…..

...and I pray that God's grace will provide you with,....with whatever it is you are seeking. And not for understanding's sake but for acceptance's sake. Let’s leave the understanding in matters we can’t understand up to God.

So, it's back to you. Reporting live from W.A.L.T......

"And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen" Philippians 4:7
(emphasis mine)

Where There Is Faith there may be a flood...

                                                                 

"Flow,
river,
flow,
flood
the nations
with grace
and mercy!"
                    Graham Kendrick (C)
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE0Dh-cogcU


Floods can be devastating.

Recent flooding around the globe has shown us that the hand of the Lord is still in control, allowing the work of His creation to show its power and majesty, which so often affects us in ways of which we are less than tolerant.
The song, "Shine, Jesus, Shine" served as the opening hymn last Sunday, at the church where I worship. I have a difficult time when I sing, as it seems all too often I sing the words but give little thought to what they are expressing.

So rather than sing, I hum. As I hum I follow along with the words and find the words have much more meaning...as was the case when we came to the words, "flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy."

Think back to Hurricane Katrina and how it affected the people of NOLA. Flooding in Mexico recently left tens of thousands homeless and the devastation in Pakistan, China, and North Korea is almost immeasurable. Nashville was inundated with water, as was my home state of Iowa. Running water has no boundaries and its force leaves indelible memories printed in the minds of millions of people.

In the lives and memories, in the minds of CHRISTians, one flood stands out like no other. Found in the Bible's book of Genesis, the account of Noah and his family tells the story of a loving and gracious God, who no longer chose to deal with the evils of the world and allow them to continue. He called Noah, a humble servant of strong faith, to build an ark, and then gather his family, along with countless numbers of the world’s creatures, and when the appointed time had come, to enter into the ark, close the door, and wait. Wait, until they were told by God it was okay to open the door and exit.

For those who believe and accept theWord of the Lord, no question is asked as to how this event took place. They/We/I simply believes it by faith. That doesn't mean we don't struggle with the "how’s" and "when" and "where’s," because we do. But at days end, we close our eyes and fall asleep with prayers of thanksgiving on our lips; for the grace which our heavenly Father provides, even to the point of not being able to understand or comprehend for all that we would hope.

A good friend from my home town of Webster City, who grew up and worshiped in the same congregation I did, was recently affected by flood waters, flood waters which could have destroyed his whole outlook on life, especially the way in which he thought about the Lord. Relentless rains pounded his golf course until it was almost one, huge water hazard. Here's what he said, as it relates to what took place at his business:
"Think positive!! I don't have to water. I got the day off except for filling the water pump. I didn't have to mow because it was too wet. I can open in two days instead of a week or more like some other courses. I don't have to reseed or deal with dead or diseased greens from being under water. I have a great bunch of loyal pass holders and regulars that play golf here every week. Despite the weather, golf course revenues are up for the year. I have my FB friends. I have Jeannette!!! Life is good!!!"

Almost sounds like how Noah may have felt when the waters went down!

As the flood waters receded that once covered the entire globe, God placed a beautiful rainbow in the sky, which was His way of saying all the evil which pre-empted and prompted the flood to begin with, had been washed away. And He said that never again, would a flood of this devastation afflict the world, as this one did.
So what does all this about the devastation of flooding have to do with faith?

Simple! Everything!! Everything I shared above, talks about destruction...destruction in a bad way. In all the events; materials, goods, and the lives of people were lost and destroyed.

But in the song from last Sunday’s worship, the song writer says, "flood the nations with grace and mercy!" "Grace" and "mercy." Grace is defined as "undeserved love" and mercy is defined as "compassion" or "clemency."
A “good” flood. Waters of grace and mercy and everlasting love. A flood of compassion for the love of His creation and a reprieve and clemency for man’s sinful nature. The only devastation of God’s love shown here, is the devastation of sin and evil.

As the flood waters covered the world to destroy the sin and evil at that time, so it is with our Baptism. The water of Baptism is the water of grace and mercy. Baptism removes the cover of evil, washes away the sinful nature of the believer, in the same manner in which the flood washed away the sins of the wicked world.

The next time you see a rainbow planted in the heavenly sky, remember the love which God the Father and Creator has for you. The waters which floated the ark and it’s inhabitants were waters which flooded the nations of the world, with a destruction grace and mercy, so a new world could come into being.

By faith, believers remember and believe that the salvation through Baptism and believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, Who suffered and died upon the cross and Who was resurrected and ascended into heaven, was done purely out of love. Love for the sinner, who through faith, can now be called a saint.

For you. For me. For all who have ever believed by faith in the past, and for all who will ever believe through faith in the future...a rainbow is awaiting us. It’s a rainbow shaped in the crown of life.
Remember, where there is faith, there is “peace like a child sleeping, hope everlasting, in He, Who is able to bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart…it is a wonderful place, where there is faith.” 4HIM

May the Lord continue to grant you an extra measure of His grace, and His mercy, and His peace, as you walk your journey of faith.

.

The Lord Bless You and Keep You...

I will be away from the computer for a few days attending the 45th reunion of my high school class, in Webster City, Iowa.

I have faith that while traveling and meeting up with class mates from the past that...

...the Lord will bless me and keep me,
...the Lord will shine His face upon me and be gracious,
...and the Lord will lift up His countenance upon me and give me His peace.

He'll do this for me as He will do it for you!

Wondering or Worrying About The Future?

If we wake up in the morning and immediately become a slave of the day's bad news as reported from the night before, or if we go to bed remaining a slave of the bad news of the day, coupled by the day's event for our life...aren't we carrying a burden we need not carry?

I remember back to when I was a child.  We lived about 20 miles away from my Grandma Ricke and at least once a week we'd take a ride over to visit.

Back then the kids didn't have control of what station the radio played. To begin with there weren't all that many to choose from and those which were available we wouldn't have selected anyway.

In our car it was dad who selected. Many times the dial would be tuned to a station which played song hymns and one I recall very vividly was "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." I remember it mostly because my dad thought he didn't have a good singing voice but when that song came on, he rocked! And he'd always whistle it around the house; maybe not the best singer but oh, how he could whistle.

The words of the song are comforting and peaceful and the tune was easy for kids to sing along with:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,


All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer.

O, what peace we often forfeit

O, what needless pain we bear--

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

--Joseph Scriven

You can Google the title of the song and you'll be taken to a host of sites, some of which will have a recording of the song you can listen to.  If you're reading this blog it probably means you would have time to do it right now...go ahead, Google the words, What a Friend We Have In Jesus. Find a site that plays the song and close your eyes as you listen to it...then come back.
 
Wow!  Just think of how many nights you try to fall asleep with the weight of the world on your shoulders, or how many days you attempt to journey through, with tons of excess baggage holding you back from doing the best you can.
 
You may think you don't have a good singing voice but I bet if you can't whistle you can probably hum!
 
Blessings, as you travel in your journey of faith through the obstacles...and pleasantries of life.

I'll try to remember to provide the link for Max Lucado's, Max Lucado Daily: It Was Love  


Posted: 19 Aug 2010 11:01 PM PDT to Walt Timm's email and from there, copied to here.

"I lay down my life . . . No one takes it from Me.” John 10:17-18, NKJV
Jesus knows the meaning of the phrase, “It’s just not right.”
For it wasn’t right that people spit into the eyes that had wept for them. It wasn’t right that soldiers ripped chunks of flesh out of the back of their God. It wasn’t right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth . . .




Was it right? No . . . Was it love? Yes.

4HIM video where they sing, WHERE THERE IS FAITH

The link at the bottom of this post will take you to the CHRISTian, contemporary singing group, 4HIM, where you can watch and hear them singing WHERE THERE IS FAITH.

More often than not, faith is for many people something hard to believe and even harder, to live.  Faith can't be in any human terms, explained.  Faith is something to accept.  Faith is NOT to be understood.

In all that is happening on this day in 2010 it's pretty difficult to have faith. That's because as we look at the events of this day, a day which the Lord has made and one in which we are to rejoice and be glad in, regardless, we try in vain to make sense of what's going on so we can have an answer to the question, "why?"

"Why" implies understanding.  "Why" does not imply acceptance.

I pray that the Lord will use me, allow me the opportunity of being one of His humble servants, and use me in such a way that all which I post to this site, will be to His glory.

May you continued to be blessed, as I am, whether you know you are, or not...

Please copy and paste to your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE0Dh-cogcU

The inspired Word of God says to us in Hebrews 11:1 that “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”

Simply put, faith is a belief. Faith indicates I believe in something. As I grow in my relationship with God the Father and become more acquainted with Him, by His grace, faith becomes more than just a mere belief.

Belief is exchanged for confidence. And as I become more confident I become more trusting; trusting to the point I don’t stay awake all night to make certain the alarm goes off at the right time. I grow more confident that my dad will catch me because he hasn’t dropped me so far. And I’m confident that my parked car is still there because every time I’ve returned to it so far, it’s always been there.

Once I become confident to the point where I “always know” I then become trusting. For me, when I put my trust in something there is no doubt. No second thoughts. No second guesses. I have the full assurance in my mind that nothing is ever going to change the way I feel. I know with full confidence what I believe in is rock hard, solid truth and what I have faith in today will remain that way for the rest of my life. It will never change. Never…regardless.
Faith to me is the assurance that I can truly believe in something without having to have proof.

I believe proof insinuates there may be reason for doubt and I have no doubt that God exists, that He is the Creator of the world and to the time of this writing and forever, He will maintain it according to His divine will and purpose.

Do I understand faith?  Do you?  Do I apply faith in the world and faith in God the same way?  Do you?

This is how I feel. In my short life span of sixty-three years, faith in God has never failed me. I don’t understand it but I know without any doubt or any proof that faith is the only thing that keeps me going…all of the time…and without it I have no concept or idea what I would do when something less than the usual events in life take place.

I pray that what I've said will be a blessing to you in your life and I pray you will be blessed as you follow the pathway and walk in the footsteps of faith…

Welcome…welcome to Where There Is Faith There is…my attempt at wanting to share with others the relationship I have with my Lord. I am not an “expert” when it comes time to being correct in all I’ll be sharing so please don’t quote me, or take me to task.

All I’m wanting and trying to do is share how I feel about my faith and the faith relationship I have with my Lord, with the hopes there may be others who feel as I do or share some of the same concerns.

This is not a battle ground. I ask respectfully that should you choose to make a reply you do it in a way as to not cause offense to others who follow this blog. The world's filled with divisiveness to a level, which I feel and believe is intolerable.

So what's new, huh?

Well then, for the sake of this journal, I ask for agreement that the values of attempting to walk in a Christ-like lifestyle to be the pathway and footsteps everyone will follow.

More to follow...