Archive for the ‘ Lifestyle ’ Category

Weary Rest

I am quite tired.

I have not really had a good break in a while. I have been working in classrooms with autistic children for about six months, and it can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. I only have had four weeks off from school in the last two and a half years. My current class is a true test in patience due to human factors, therefore it is more mentally and emotionally taxing than it needs to be. My wife and I volunteer in many areas of our local church and with friends’ ministries. Also, three weeks ago our car kicked the bucket (stopped working), and we have had to deal with that. (We got a vehicle on Thursday night!) One area of my character God is helping me work on is dealing with (my lack of patience with) stupidity in others. Needless to say, I have plenty of opportunities throughout almost every day to work on this!

I am tired.

I know many people understand. I mean, I do not have children of my own, yet! I can only imagine (though I get some experience with the classrooms in which I have worked)!

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Many teach that this refers to our eternal rest in God, that we will suffer in this world and receive rest from all of our pains and troubles in the next world.

This is certainly true. However, I offer another teaching that is out there.

I am tired. I get up everyday, go to work or church or launch straight into homework. I often finish my days (nights) working on homework. I get between five and seven hours of sleep on a good night.

What gets me up every morning?

There is my beautiful wife. She makes every day worth it!

The children in the classroom have a tendency to bring a smile to my face, even when I have to change a smelly pull-up diaper and deal with spit, snot, and pee. They help keep me young!

I get to share the love of Christ with children, teens, young adults, and many other people throughout my week. My life has some meaning!

I even get to drive around in a new(er) vehicle (at the moment)!

None of these really gets me up every morning, though.

My wife and I finish our nightly prayers the same way each night: “Lord, give us Your rest tonight that we might be ready for whatever You have for us tomorrow.”

We do not just mean “let us sleep well.” We give God all of our worries, fears, drama, joys, laughs, and dreams.

He gladly takes our burdens.

Okay, physically I might be pushing it a little. Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, my God relieves me and restores me.

Do you give God all of your life? (We can discuss the full implications later, but for this context I mean worries, fears, drama, joys, laughs, and dreams.) Can you give God the weight on your shoulders?

2012
02/07
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 02/05/2012

The poem this week was written back in 2002, and I had slated it to be posted this week before I realized what I would write this past Tuesday! I truly enjoy seeing how God works.

not me—God

why look to me for help from God
when He is waiting for your call
i do not know what you should do
but God can surely get you through
please look to God for your needs
and if you have to come to me
make sure it is for prayer support
that is what i am good for
i may not know how to aid
but you will be fine in Jesus Name

Taken from deeper words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 25.

2012
02/05
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Imitating Christ’s Humility

I know this is a little later in the day than I have been posting these, but here is my follow-up from last week’s post!

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11

There are not only denominational differences, regional differences, and even congregational differences, but it is very difficult to even find one or two other people who believe exactly the way we do as individuals on every little thing (theologically, biblically, socially, and habitually).

We need to stop assuming we are right about everything, or at least more right than everyone else. Unless someone is flat-out heretical and/or blasphemous, we can still get along with our differences.

Therefore, how can we fulfill what Paul (and God!) has commanded us here? How can we be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose?” With another quote:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Matthew 22:37-39

Seek out and love God, then seek out and love on people. Show God’s love. Indiscriminately.

I have friends who are Calvinist, Arminian, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, charismatic, fundamentalist, “free-thinking” (I honestly still have no idea what that is really supposed to mean!), non-denominational, denominational, institutional, etcetera …

We get along for one important reason: We love God so much that our differences seem like nothing.

We each reach out to others in God’s love for one important reason: We know that God loves us first.

I dare you to try it.

2012
01/24
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 01/22/2012

I have always enjoyed climbing trees. There have been trees I have climbed after my parents or someone said “Do not climb that tree!” I have not climbed trees after my parents or someone has said “Do not climb that tree!”

There are two trees to which I have listened and not listened the command “to climb,” to follow the lifestyle each tree represents. Which tree forms the basis for your life?

It Was a Tree

It was a tree in a garden
That had something special.
It had a fruit of knowledge
And a conniving snake.
The snake tricked humans.
We now live in sin.
It was a tree.

It was a tree near a city
That held something special.
It held a perfect man
And a loving God.
The man loves humans.
We are now free from sin.
It was a tree.

Taken from deeper words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 21.

2012
01/22
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My Re-Birthday

On this day 12 years ago, at 6:46 PM CST, I began consciously following Jesus Christ as my Savior (arguably, it was another six months and 17 days before I consciously made Him my Lord).

I call it my Re-Birthday, because, at least in the Evangelical world, it is said you become born again when you believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ through His life, death, and resurrection. Therefore, I am re-12!

I like calling it my Re-Birthday, also, because it is fun!

12 years ago today, I began to willfully choose to at least try to listen to God and believe that He saved me through Jesus Christ. I like to celebrate this day as a special reminder (kind of like Christmas or Easter/Resurrection Sunday, but slightly more personal), and I encourage all followers of Christ to do the same. If you are not sure what day you truly believed, you can go off of your baptism, as most churches keep a record of that day. If you do not know what day you were baptized or were baptized as an infant, just use your actual birthday.

Honestly, this is something that should be done continually and every day, but it is also fun as well as one more way to share your faith.

Also, please join me in wishing my wonderful mother-in-law a happy birthday. It is her actual birthday today, and without her I would not have my amazing wife!

God bless you, and remember that Jesus Christ is the reason we live and move and breathe and have meaning!

2012
01/09
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 01/01/2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2012!

Whether or not this new year brings a lot of joy or continued pain and heartache, I pray that you receive blessings from God. This could be finding Him for the first time, or it could be temporary relief from pain and suffering, or it could be even complete relief from pain and suffering. Just keep in mind that all of these blessings can come in ways we might not expect, and they may even be painful themselves.

This year, starting today, I will be posting here poetry and other works from my second book. I would like to see today’s poem be true, but as I just mentioned above God’s blessings can sometimes come through pain.

Be a Man

People say “Be a man!”
All I see when we act like men is
Fear
Pain
Suffering
Death
Instead I take it like a kid
I run to my Father and get
Love
Care
Healing
Life
I will not say “Be a man!”
I will say “Run to Dad!”

Taken from deeper words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 15.

2012
01/01
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Responses to Christmas: Temple Knights

We have now looked at how Jesus’ parents, the Innkeeper, and some shepherds responded to the birth of Christ. Today, some prayer warriors meet the infant (and this will be longer, because the passage is 20 verses long):

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Luke 2:21-40

These are two people who have spent the majority of their lives praying. One lived a very righteous life, and the other secluded herself in the Temple to pray continuously.

Simeon “was waiting for the consolation of Israel,” and to see “the Lord’s Christ.” His entire life was about waiting on the Lord – God’s humble servant, if you will. His entire life was dedicated to glorifying God.

Anna went from tragedy – losing her husband relatively early – into a life dedicated to God, 24/7 prayer and fasting. She never left the Temple, so her social life must have been rather limited.

Something fascinating about these two is that the moment they saw the baby Jesus they knew they were looking upon the face of the one who could save Israel and all of humanity. It was instantaneous. Further, this little baby had not even done anything of note (of which they knew, such as the immaculate conception … the virgin conceiving a child without physical interaction with a man), yet Simeon and Anna were ready to die. As Simeon said, “you now dismiss your servant in peace.” He knew he would not die without having seen the Lord’s Christ, and he was content – nay, overjoyed! – to have seen this tiny baby.

Sometimes, when reading this story from Jesus’ infancy, I hear Anna start singing “Let’s Here It for the Boy” when seeing Jesus! Silly, I know, but it at least helps me grasp her excitement!

Do you get excited about the Lord’s Salvation? Can you contain your excitement about all the things God has done and will do? Are you prepared for His Encore, the Second Coming? Are you able to discern His presence? Would you have been able to recognize the child as the Savior of the world? Will you recognize Him when He returns?

We do not necessarily have to hide ourselves away in a temple or monastery to pray 24/7, and we certainly do not have to be perfectly righteous in our own right. Christ took care of that part through His death and resurrection. We do have to be willing servants. I have to be. You have to be.

2011
12/22
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Responses to Christmas: The Innkeeper

Yesterday we looked at how Mary and Joseph responded to the birth of Christ. Continuing this little series, how did the Innkeeper respond? (This is a short post, today)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Fasimplemanofgod.wordpress.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1324264788564Many people have a tendency to label the innkeeper as rude, mean, hard-hearted, and even evil. It is possible, but what if these labels are either half-truths or flat-out wrong?

As we read, the Emperor had decreed a census required of all people in the Roman world. Even a tiny town like Bethlehem was besieged by weary travellers heading to comply with Imperial commands. We must remember that Bethlehem was the City of David. David had multiple wives with multiple children. His successor as king of Israel, Solomon, had 300 wives. The descendants of David would have been rather numerous, to say the least (even after centuries of being conquered and carted to and from the land, wars, and natural disasters). It is understandable that Bethlehem, surely the home town of many other people who had children throughout Israel’s history, would see many folks showing up for the census.

This would mean that a tiny inn in this tiny village could only handle so many people, even filling to over capacity. It is safe to say that the innkeeper was handling more than his fair share of responsibility.

If the innkeeper is guilty of anything, it seems it would be being too busy for God. He had to keep his paying guests as happy as possible in cramped circumstances, so he did not have time to worry about a young couple expecting a child. There may have already been some expecting parents staying there. GIVE THE GUY A BREAK!

The question we must ask ourselves – both during the busy holiday season and throughout the year – is are we too busy for God? Do we take time every day to focus on God? Are we filling our lives with so many distractions and obligations that we neglect the One to whom we owe our very existence?

Another thing to consider is that perhaps we struggle finding God because He is not moving where everyone else is going. We must also remember that if Jesus was born inside a cramped, over-crowded inn, how would the shepherds have been able to visit the newborn Savior of the world?

2011
12/20
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Misplaced Thankfulness

This is a period of the year when happy stories gain prominence in the public sphere. This past week was Thanksgiving, that time when we express our thankfulness for what we have.

Unfortunately, there are still stories abounding that are less than happy (downright sad most of the time). On Wednesday night (11/23), I read a news story that was less than happy. If you do not have time to read through the article, here is a brief synopsis:

A South Korean couple wanted a baby, and they gave birth to a girl a few months ago. She was born prematurely, and they did not have jobs. This led them to feel inadequate for the job of raising a child, therefore they would spend many hours a day at internet cafes playing a game called “Prius Online” (a lot like The Sims and Second Life, if you know what that is). In this game, they began to raise a virtual baby named Anima. They would go home every so often to feed their real baby powdered milk (I am assuming they added water so that it was not just powder). This past September they came home from a 12-hour session of their game to find their daughter had died from malnourishment. The father said, “I am sorry for what I did and hope that my daughter does not suffer any more in heaven.”

Here is my take on this situation: the parents had a misplaced thankfulness.

We see this kind of thing all the time. People have something great or even perfect for them in their possession, yet all they think about are the things they can get. They are not focused on what they do not have, just what they can get. We know this is the case with these people, because they do not complain about not having something. In fact, this kind of people brag about what they do have and want to have (and plan on getting).

In the case of this child’s death, we can see that the parents wanted a child. We can see that they wanted to care for a child. Their problem was that they were not able to cope with their situation. While they wanted a child, to care for a child, they felt they were inadequate given their circumstances. Therefore, they shifted their thinking from being focused on their real child to being focused on their virtual baby. They misplaced their thankfulness.

  • It is just like the man who works 80 hours per week to provide for his family.
  • It is just like the child at school who bullies others because he does not know how to show affection.
  • It is just like the woman who gives gifts she can not afford to find acceptance.
  • It is just like the church who focuses on programs instead of people while trying to be hip and inviting.
  • It is just like the Christian who avoids “sinners” because of the desire for purity.

In all of these scenarios, people substitute something in place of real relationships. They want people around and to have things “perfect,” but they do not connect with others (at least not in a way that is good).

There is really only one answer for all people: Jesus Christ.

As I posted last week, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:15-16)

Also, read Hebrews 12 and 13 … and the rest of the Bible!

2011
11/29
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Why I Am Thankful

I am thankful when I have had a long day at work putting children in time out, reprimanding and coercing them for not and into doing their work, and as they are leaving having them hug me and laugh. Each child’s laughter is the voice of God saying “I love you and am proud of you.”

I am thankful when I can ride to work in the morning with the radio on and sing along with songs praising God. I can almost hear the angels singing along, as well.

I am thankful when I go to church and talk and sing with my family in Christ. I get a little taste of eternity with our Father.

I am thankful when I can wake up every morning next to my best friend. Seeing that face as the first thing reminds me that God wants to give me the desires of my heart, even after I have disobeyed. This moment is a reminder that His grace is amazing and His love limitless.

I am thankful when I look at my life and realize my God saved me by His grace through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful, because God is I Am.

2011
11/24
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