Posts Tagged ‘ Hope ’

Some Final Thoughts About Momma Klem

My mom said to get the Wisdom of God, so start with some of the thoughts found at Proverbial Thought!

Last week, Jesus gave my mom a great big hug and took her Home, one day after her 53rd birthday. The amazing thing is how much joy and love for God was experienced and expressed throughout her final days.

It is hard to stay upset when someone on her way out stresses the importance of our Lord being glorified in the middle of everything.

It was my honor this past Saturday to share about my mom at her Celebration of Life service. I am sharing it with you … plus the last bit I knew I would not be able to say in that moment!

I remember telling my parents when I was a child that I wanted to be just like them when I grew up … only better.

When I first became a Christian, my mom was afraid I had joined a cult, but she could not deny the change in my life.

James 4:6 says, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” My mom’s response was “Well, I guess I’ll never get grace!”

However, she had a lot of questions, and within a year of my coming to Christ, my parents did to. But mom just asked more questions. As [Pastors] Todd and Scott  can attest, she always had questions. Sometimes there were full arguments over Scripture and Christian life. She would often come to me, call me, or message me in some fashion asking if she was sinning for doubting and questioning so many things that came her way.

First, I would remind her that many people doubted, including the Apostle Thomas, and He is a pillar of the Church! And I would always respond with 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test everything; hold onto the good.”

Back to James 4, in verses 7-8, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

As a new Christian, I often wondered why more people would not help out as much as I did as a new believer. When my parents finally started following Jesus, there was no stopping them! Ask anyone: they dived in head first, helping out everywhere they could.

But my mom had compassion and love for others. She had raised me to not judge anyone, not for any reason, no matter what they looked like, no matter what they acted like. She certainly lived out 1 Samuel 16:7, which says “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Many of you here know how true this is. How many co-workers, youth, and others did she reach with her love and compassion? She very easily lived out 1 Corinthians 9:22, I will just read it: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” She struggled through her doubts so that with compassion and love she could help others struggle through their doubts that others might be saved.

She learned to live out James 4:9, to “[become] wretched and mourn and weep. [And to] Let [her] laughter be turned to mourning and [her] joy to gloom” so that others would come to know the same Savior she knows.

And as verse 10 says, she learned to “Humble [herself] before the Lord, and [she is exalted].” I think needing to be moved to a larger hospital room to fit all of the guests, and the people sitting here and lining the halls attests to, she has been exalted. And for all of us who know Jesus, we will one Glorious Day see her again.

[What I would have said, but had written down]

My parents have been through many fires and trials in life, and they have grown to live Jude, verses 20-23, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.“

My parents have made it very difficult to do life better than them. I just look forward to that Glorious Day when we all get to reunite with our Lord and remember all of our stories together.

2014
08/19
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 06/22/2014

Give your weary mind some refreshing wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

Perhaps you are struggling through something.

Maybe you have lost a loved one.

Maybe you have suffered through addiction.

Maybe you have suffered through prolonged illness.

Maybe you have received the news of disease or illness.

Maybe you deal with bullying.

Maybe you come out of abuse.

Maybe you live with depression, fear, or hatred.

As trite and cliché as it may sound, Jesus is the truest answer and ultimate Healer for all that burdens our weary souls.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30, ESV

Healing may not come immediately. Physical healing may never come in this life. But trust in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and you will find hope and peace. It may not come fully until the next life, but His resurrection proves His promises are true. We may suffer now, but we have the promise of eternal rest and peace.

 

as dawn breaks

on the weary soul

as dawn breaks on the weary soul

awakening the stillness of God

what the weary traveler has sown

will be reaped in the precious blood

as new light pours over this one

and eyes are opened for the first time

those eyes see the image of the Son

and see through the power of that Christ

as dawn illuminates this person

becoming more aware of deep filth

this weary one comes undone

and gives in to the Higher Will

as dawn breaks on the weary soul

and this weary one awakens to love

and realizes it is okay to let go

it is finally known that God is more than enough

2014
06/22
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Despair
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Getting Safe to Shore with Rend Collective

Here is another reminder to check out the wisdom at Proverbial Thought, and do not forget to check out the book!

I am not going to explain this one that much. I just hope you find the same encouragement and joy I do when I hear this song by this terrific band. The Rend Collective Experiment is that amazing Irish band that loves loving God and helping others love Him more!

 

My Lighthouse

Rend Collective

In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won’t walk out
You’re great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

In the silence You won’t let go
In the questions Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

My lighthouse
My lighthouse
Shining in the darkness I will follow You

My lighthouse
My lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore
Safe to shore

I won’t fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I’ll rise and sing
My God’s love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea

Fire before us You’re the brightest
You will lead us through the storms

2014
04/29
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Where Jesus Spends His Time Today

Seek the wisdom of God, and find a taste at Proverbial Thought!

This past Sunday much of the Christian world celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Interesting note: this past Wednesday was probably the actual anniversary of the event.)

Last week I mentioned where Jesus spent the Passover when most Jews (except His followers and some others, I am sure!) were celebrating their freedom to worship God. Come Sunday morning, He proved He was God when He was raised from the dead!

Happily ever after, right?

Close.

There is still more to the story:

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:1-11, ESV

The message this week is simple: our Lord is in heaven. Our Risen Savior has given us a hope for eternal life, and He sits at the right hand of the Father. He is in control!

AND HE IS COMING BACK AGAIN!

2014
04/22
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Where Jesus Spent the Passover

Here is another friendly reminder that Proverbial Thought is back! Also do not forget the first book published by Parson’s Porch!

Today is the Jewish Passover. It is a time of celebration of the freedom from slavery and living in the Promised Land.

There have been several times in history when it was merely a celebration of freedom from slavery in Egypt, and that was all because the Hebrew people could not live in their land.

Sadly, it took the mass murder of about six million (6,000,000) of them in World War II for them to get their land back. They also have not had all of the land restored to them.

However, about 2000 years ago there was a similar story. The Jews lived in the land, but they were under the rule of Rome. They were allowed to worship as they wanted, but it was always under the supervision of Roman leaders.

This is the same time that Jesus was born, raised, and performed His ministry. When He was about 33 years old, He went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His closest disciples.

The night before Passover officially began, He was betrayed by one of His friends, arrested by the Jewish leadership, interrogated and beaten, denied by another of His friends, and then at the time the sacrificial lambs were being sacrificed He was beaten some more and nailed to a cross to die.

Thus, He became the sacrificial Lamb who washed away our sin that separated us from God.

Just before nightfall, which is when the Passover would officially begin, this is what we read in Mark 15 (ESV):

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Therefore, the Savior of the world, Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah (Christ), spent Passover lying dead in a tomb.

We may not always feel like celebrating. The disciples certainly did not that weekend about 2000 years ago.

Yet, when our faith and hope is found in Christ that the Father is in control, we can have peace through the Holy Spirit knowing something the disciples did not that bleak Sabbath day, found in the next chapter of Mark:

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.

Our God and Savior is ALIVE! HE IS RISEN!

We celebrate this week the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have hope because He has overcome death and the grave!

2014
04/15
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When Life Roughs You Up

Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:27-31, ESV

I am not sure about the rest of you, but the last few weeks have been not the easiest.

We have heard of planes disappearing, countries invading each other and seceding from each other, and problems (still) in the Middle East.

My wife and I have had many car problems (all of which were fixed for around $40 thanks to a great and godly friend!), we have heard a friend’s mom may colon cancer (or just some big problems), and my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.

There is a lot wrong with this world.

Yet I take stock in the promises of God, that, as quoted above, He is in control and does not grow weary or run away. He understands what is going on, and He is there to strengthen us in it all.

When we trust in Christ, the power that flows from the Cross through the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father, we can live in His promises:

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:26-27

There are a lot of problems in this world, but our Lord is in control. We may not understand everything that is happening, and we many not like everything that is happening, but “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

2014
03/18
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God-Esteem

I grew up in the midst of a relatively new social experiment that has taken hold of our society.

Self-Esteem

I know many people who struggle with self-esteem and/or have struggled for a long time.

It sounds so good!

“Believe in yourself!”
“Find your self-worth!”
“You are beautiful!”
“You are precious!”
“Look within yourself to find happiness!”

It all sounds so great, until you get to that last one.

Self-esteemers are big on finding what is good in you and latching on to it. “It is the good in you that gives you a good self-esteem!”

My pastor recently shared with me some information he read. It looked at the claim that so many people are in prison because of low self-esteem. After surveying several inmates, it was deduced that they did not lack self-esteem. If they lacked anything it was a proper distinction between right and wrong or guilt over what they had done. Many were confident in and of themselves. The only real hit they took to their egos was that they were arrested.

Self-esteem was not the issue.

(We might even find many of them were told they are great and can do anything as they were growing up.)

It can also be tough overcoming low self-esteem you are constantly told about how great you are, how much you can accomplish, or you are basically good, and find out how untrue these can be.

Children may be told time and again that they can do whatever they want, yet poor children are often told that they are worthless by much of society.

So many are told they are able to do great things, yet they are not always given the opportunity to learn or try (for myriad of factors) and are left in their failure.

We are told that we are basically good, and then we struggle with our imperfections and failures.

And what do we find when we look inside ourselves?

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9

It is easy to see that most of us are not that good. We feel the truth of how not good we can be when we get cut off in traffic and yell at “YOU IDIOT!” We feel the truth of how messed up we are when we see injustice in our world and want to destroy those who perpetrate it. We feel the truth when we break a rule “because it is silly, anyway” (like when we drive 5 mph over the speed limit).

It gets worse when we read the next verse in Jeremiah:

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Many of us might say, “Yeah, but I have not done as many bad things as others?”

a) But we still understand we are not as good as we like to think.
b) If we have to justify ourselves by comparison to others, that becomes a self-evident point to our not-goodness.
c) By God’s standard, all sinful deeds are choosing our own will over His, they are disobedience.

We have little within us to make us completely happy.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Isaiah 64:6

There is hope for us, though:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Colossians 2:20

Our worth is found through self-esteem. It is found when we esteem the Creator and Lover of our souls who saved us from ourselves!

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:4b-14, NIV

2014
03/11
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 03/02/2014

Every so often we find life feeling like too much. We are not sure what to do with ourselves.

This poem came out of one of those days. It just felt like I was disconnected from God, almost as if He had pulled away.

One of the amazing things about these moments, though, is that if we continue to cling to our Heavenly Father we find so much joy and strength on the other side.

However, as Mother Teresa would have attested to, sometimes this can go on for years. I am sure she would still attest to it being worth clinging to God, anyway.

We await a far greater life of joy, peace, and love with our God, and the promise of this was given three days after Jesus died on that cross.

Hold on. Jesus is coming!

when i do not feel near You

it is when time drags on
when i do not want to move
it is when i feel numb
when i do not feel near You
it is when time feels surreal
when i feel old and used
it is when i can eat no meal
when i do not feel near You
it is when time eats away
when i feel i cannot do
it is when i waste away
when i do not feel near You

2014
03/02
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Christmas Bells – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Listen to the wisdom of proverbs at Proverbial Thought!

Last week I shared with you why “The Little Drummer Boy” is one of my favorite Christmas carols, and the one I have enjoyed the longest of my favorites.

This week I look at one of my newer favorites: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. I fell in love with this song in 2009 when I heard Casting Crowns’ version:

In truth, I had heard the carol when I was much younger, but I had forgotten about it.

For now, you cannot go wrong with Andy Williams singing the song:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

This site does a great job of relating how the Bible is associated with this poem turned song.

My Thoughts

This carol relates the work of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

The great thing about this song is that it tells us that our Lord is greater than our circumstances.

When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem “Christmas Bells” on December 25, 1864, it was over three years since his wife burned to death in a freak accident in which he was injured trying to save her, and he had recently learned that his oldest son had been shot in back (fortunately surviving his wounds) during a battle in the American Civil War. This man had many reasons to feel sad and angry.

Yet, while he was sitting in his house that cold Christmas morning, he could hear the bells ringing down at the church. It reminded him that our “God is not dead” “nor doth He sleep” and will one day bring about “peace on earth, good will to man”!

Though we may face troubles, heartbreak, and pain, our Lord is able to overcome our situations and give us peace and joy, and One Day He will restore all of Creation including our bodies to perfection!

All we must do is completely trust Him and give all of our worries, pains, heartbreak, joys, dreams, and love to Him.

And He helps us.

2013
11/12
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Waiting for the New

Get your thrills (and some wisdom) over at Proverbial Thought!

Jesus said to His disciples just before His arrest, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

My wife and I have thought about this verse a lot recently (such as in this post last month).

Home Renovations

As of this posting, we have had they keys to our house for a week and a half!

The promise has been made. We have a home.

The thing is, it has been We have keys to our first home! and emptied by people, so we cannot move in, yet.

On top of being summer in Phoenix, AZ, we have needed to go in (early, to avoid the 115 degree or higher temperatures in a house without air conditioning) to clean things before they can be painted.

We have to keep meeting with people to figure out colors, placements, designs, materials, and all of the hows and whys.

It takes cleaning things, removing walls and fixtures, building new walls and fixtures, renewing the electricity and water, replacing floors and ceilings and doors and locks.

Did I mention this is in the summer heat of Phoenix, Arizona?

And we cannot do it all. We have to have help every single step of the way, those with the knowledge and expertise to make our dirty, empty house into a beautiful new home.

It can be overwhelming at times, and sometimes it can be discouraging as we wait. But we have a hope that keeps us going that one day we can go to our home.

Spiritual Renovations

Likewise, we experience difficulties in this life for a myriad of reasons. As Christians, we know that God is preparing us for our Home with Him.

We will go through changes, many as we choose to let the Holy Spirit change us and many as God moves us through situations and seasons to change us.

All the while we see how fallen our world is, and we long for a better home.

Actually, I think Paul said it best:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5

We may face struggles and troubles in this life, but we can endure. We endure because Jesus Christ made us a promise that He is getting a Home ready for us, and He proved His promise is true by dying on a cross and rising from the dead three days later.

If Jesus can come back from the dead, He will come back to Earth one day to take us Home!

2013
07/02
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Faith
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