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There are a number of theories as to why Christmas (originally the Mass of Christ) is celebrated but it is almost certain that Dec. 25 is not the actual day. Among other factors, the nights at that time of year often get overly cold and snowy, and it was not the tradition of Jewish shepherds to have their flocks in the field in the winter months. But again, why Dec. 25? Many have pointed out that that date was when the Romans celebrated the pagan festivals of Saturnalia and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. One prominent theory holds that that date...
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” Romans 15:13 Planning for upcoming holiday festivities often puts folks in a dither. Minds whirl with all that needs to be done; stress levels spike. The list of holiday preparations looms long and daunting with self-imposed deadlines. Where’s the peace that should envelope us at this time of year as we reflect on the hope and love God gave us in His Son Jesus Christ? God’s merciful gift of joy and peace was made available to all of us when Jesus was born. God is the...
One definition of perspective is “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” We all have a perspective and that perspective can greatly influence our outlook on life. A good perspective, a good attitude, results in a positive outlook on life, whereas a poor perspective, a bad attitude, results in a negative outlook on life. We all have ups and downs throughout the course of a year, but I think that this season of holidays, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas, can be a great time to stop and reflect on wha...
It was somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mother was preparing for her yearly pilgrimage. The old hand grinder was clamped to the table with care and calling out the back door Mother knew I’d soon be there. She had all the dates and fruit and whatever she put in her famous fruitcake waiting for me to crank away. None of those big lumps in Mom’s fruitcake, no-sir-ree. I knew better then argue with my elders so I “debated.” And so I explained to her that I needed to finish the snowshoes I was working on, the trapline was ready to be l...
And now I want to urgently remind you, dear friends, of the old rule God gave us right from the beginning, that Christians should love one another. If we love God, we will do whatever he tells us to. And he has told us from the very first to love each other. (2 John 1:5-6) Grace and peace to all through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Like many of you over the last week and a half, I have been praying and pondering over the details of the stories emerging from Sutherland Springs, Texas where a man came into a church and shot and killed 26 people and...
A memorable experience in my teenage years was a strenuous hike up Mount Rainier in Washington State. I ascended the mountain to an elevation of a little over 10,000 feet arriving at Camp Muir. This camp contains shelters that are important staging camps for mountaineers desiring to summit the peak of Mount Rainier. Those planning to reach the summit of the mountain rely on the refuge of Camp Muir to provide shelter while awaiting a mountain summit. There is no way to accurately plan or predict...
In Proverbs 23:7 we read, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” In these past few months we’ve had a lot to think or be concerned about. It seems the world has been in commotion with all manner of natural and man made disasters, even in our corner of beautiful Montana. The news has brought us daily accounts of tragedy including: earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, wildfires, mass shootings, terrorist acts and even the threat of nuclear war. And yet, with all these events raging about us, the Lord comforts us. In John 14:27 He says,...
“He got up, and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” (Mark 4:39) I don’t know what’s more impressive: Jesus calming the storm or him simply being able to sleep through it, on the deck of a small boat, upon Lake Galilee. I just returned from Africa, riding in planes for more than 30 hours. I’ve never been able to sleep much in a car or in a plane, let alone on a boat in a storm. But there’s Jesus, dead to the world, within the storm. Perhaps he was too exhausted to worry....
Francis Scott Key once said, “The patriot who feels himself in the service of God, who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of almighty direction, and will find His Word in his greatest darkness, ‘A lamp unto his feet, and a lamp unto his paths.’” And Woodrow Wilson said in 1911, “We are born unto a Christian nation.” If you’re over 60, you may remember different times, lighter times, times when the most awful thing you could do in school was talk or chew gum in class. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that murde...
Revelation. It is not only the final book of the Bible but it is also a very descriptive word for the entirety of God’s Word, wherein He continuously reveals Himself and His love for us. Its Latin origin has two meanings: it is both something that reveals things that were heretofore hidden but also places some things behind a veil. The languages of the original texts are mostly Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. Throughout both, there has always been an understanding that the words of man are not commensurate to c...
Exodus 20:1-3, “And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” This is the opening to one of the most well known passages of the Bible, the Ten Commandments. Most of us are probably fairly familiar with this passage. “You shall have no other gods before me,” is the first of the Ten Commandments, and, as is commonly the case with the first of a list, is of particular importance. You may be like me when you hear or...
I’ve struggled to feel the blazing flame of Christ lately. Sure, I still attend church – and my faith in Him hasn’t faltered – but I haven’t felt the fire quite like I have in the past. I think routine has become the killer. Whether that routine includes regular worship or not – it’s as though I’m going through the motions without getting in the fight. Each relationship I build – or each relationship I lose – acts as kindling for my fire. Every piece of scripture I read and every worship song I sing adds some wood to the pile. And at the en...
This has been an eventful summer in Seeley Lake. We have faced a threatening fire for multiple weeks while under an evacuation warning for most of the time, only to have an evacuation become a reality for many. On top of this our community endured a long period of unrelenting smoke. From our situation in Montana we have also watched increasing wildfires spread through the Northwest stretching firefighting resources to the limit. There were also devastating hurricanes affecting the lives of so...
While the Savior was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, some scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him who was guilty of adultery: They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that...
Psalm 39:4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.” We have no guarantee of life tomorrow--let alone of living a long life. At some time, either death will come to us or Jesus will return to bring an end to life on this earth as we know it. God has numbered our days but has not revealed that time to us. Your life could be over at any time. We need to be ready to meet our Maker (Amos 4:12). Friend, please take heed. None of us is assured of even one more hour of life...
How’s your JQ (Joy Quotient). Jesus prayed for his Disciples “...that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” Paul prayed, “...that I might finish my course. With joy.” In Galatians 5:22, Paul lists joy as one of the gifts of the Spirit. So clearly God wants us to share in His joy. Yet Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, spells out four things that can rob us of our joy. They are: 1) Circumstances, 2) People, 3) Things and 4) Worry. Who among us has not allowed one or more of these to rob us of our joy? Yet Paul does not leave us...
Shibui and Shibusa are related Japanese terms that are not easily definable, but basically describe something that is outwardly very simple, basic and beautiful in perception/appearance, but within which lie subtle but increasing complexities that are only appreciated and perceived over time, giving a “depth” that cannot be seen or known at first glance. To some, God’s Word may appear to be similar to any other book, with black letters printed on white paper. But when we realize Who the author is, and that these are not just a collection of wor...
It has been a hectic week, filled with uncertainty, upheaval, flames and smoke. If you live or recreate in Seeley Lake, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you do not live or recreate in Seeley Lake, you probably still know what I am talking about as our normally sleepy small town community has become a headline story as we face the very real threat of a wildfire sweeping through our homes, businesses and property. So far, due to God’s grace and providence and His gifting to men and women the ability and willingness to fight fire, w...
“I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless...
From the Bible, we come to discover the descriptions of Who God is, or His attributes. Not only do we have an understanding about God, we also gain a deeper appreciation of how we can trust in God. I want to highlight the attribute that God is eternal. This means that God is not created but has always existed. There is no beginning and no end to God…the Lord exists outside of time and limits. The world around us and the visible universe is our reference for what exists. I was born in a c...
In the book of Matthew, Jesus taught, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Here we learn a powerful lesson—that it is impossible to orient ourselves towards Christ without having an unselfish attitude toward others. How can we develop this attitude of unselfishness? It has to start with the simple choices that we make every day. It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny. Joshua of old declare...
One of the most challenging actions a person can take is to thoroughly examine themselves in the light of Scripture. Isn’t it always easier to point out the shortcomings of others rather than truly recognize the problems with ourselves? Self-examination is a Biblical principal. 2 Corinthians 13:5 states: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?” Jesus made it very plain that self-inspection is part of the Christian life when...
As of this reading, the Fourth of July will by now have passed. Many others have written far better than I can hope to about the meaning and relevance of this and other holidays in modern day America but still I couldn’t help but think of how surprisingly similar some aspects were even in the years not too far passed in our country’s birth, especially with respect to those who were part of it. Two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Benjamin Rush and John Adams, who had a deep friendship. In just over three decades after that...
One of the more important aspects of a happy and meaningful life deals with relationship. Both personal and interpersonal and perhaps most importantly, our spiritual relationship. In case you hadn’t noticed it, both the Old and New Testaments point out God’s desire to have a very special relationship with His people. Many of these relationships were indicated by the names by which God’s people knew Him. For example: the name El Elohim points to the covenant relationship God has with His people. The name El Shaddai (God Almighty) points to th...
I write this as Father’s Day is drawing to an end. You won’t be reading it for another few days, or possibly later than that, but I still found myself reflecting on my father today and decided to share a bit with you. My father was a great father. He still is! He is a godly man who loves the Lord with his whole heart and has played an active role in the lives of my sister and I while loving us unconditionally. I respect him greatly, love him dearly, cherish my many wonderful childhood memories of him, and continue to look forward to the tim...
