Month: January 2021

Let’s Change the World!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3

It is popular to say that, “We want to change the world.” and considering all the changes brought on by the Corona virus, the elections and the ongoing divisions in our society,  we have certainly seen a lot of change. “But we are talking about positive change!” you might respond, so then I would ask, “How would you suggest we change the world for the better? Would you propose building a large social media platform, or inventing a new product or service? Should we run for political office or join others in the street to protest for change?” Amazingly the one person who has changed the world the most did none of these things. Jesus Christ never held a position, owned a home or traveled the world.   He talked about the kingdom of God, healed the sick and encouraged the rejected people of his day. But when His popularity grew till large crowds began following Him, He sent them away to go up on a mountain and pray.  

If we carefully read the New Testament accounts of His life we find that; yes Jesus was interested in changing our world, but He had a tactic far different than ours. Instead of finding the best arenas to fill, He went to obscure places filled with people in need, and when He got there, Jesus usually chose one single person to talk to. The woman at the well and another about to be stoned each left His presence, changed forever. A young man about to be buried was raised from the dead (Now that’s a change!) and a leper on the outskirts of a village was cleansed and healed. But perhaps the most notable – since the Bible devotes an entire chapter to him- is the blind man in today’s verse who was sitting at the corner of a busy city street. Maybe the Bible does not reveal his identity because God wants us to know that any one of us can be like him.

We don’t need to be important, well financed or talented for God to take an interest in us. It doesn’t matter to Jesus what other people’s opinions about us are. God wants us to know that He hasn’t forgotten about us. He reassures our hearts that our problems are not too hard for Him to solve and that if we just put our trust in Him, that He will change our world forever. Then through our lives, no matter what anyone else thinks, God will be glorified. Now tell me, “What change is any better than that?”!

How God Heals Broken Nations

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But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. James 4:6

I have rarely posted a message from any pastor on my blog, not because I think there is anything wrong with it but because I do not consider this venue a productive place to do so. We all have our own churches with varying callings and visions for service in our local communities. However due to the urgency and depth of our nation’s crisis and because I personally was so challenged by Pastor Rick Warren’s message, I have posted it for you today. May God grant each of us mercy and may we with humble sincere hearts call out for God’s forgiveness, healing and restoration of our hearts, our families, our churches and our nation. May God bless you and I as we join together in humbly asking His help, His grace and His healing and direction for our future.

Poetry and The Love of God

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You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 11:18-20 ESV

I have been writing verse since my early teens, and though I wince when I read some of those overly melodramatic lines, occasionally people were willing to pay for a poem. Maybe my fascination was connected to my parents’ idea that learning poetry was an important part of an education. I recall being compelled to learn, the Charge of the Light Brigade and Tennyson’s words “Half a league half league half a league onward” still stick in my memory along side of Bible passages learned for catechism class and the lyrics to my favorite Beatles’ songs. What all of these pretty diverse sources had in common is that I remembered them.

Now this simple post is hardly an adequate place for answering the question “What exactly is the purpose of poetry” But this morning we could simply ask “What is God’s purpose for poetry?” Interestingly the Bible verse today talks about a parents’ job of teaching God’s words to their children. Poetry is one of God’s ways of passing along the story of His love so that they will remember. Think of the scene from the Last Supper as Jesus was breaking the bread and blessing the cup. He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” and then they sang a hymn (A poem from the book of Psalms.) God often uses the poetic form so that we will not only hear Him but then also remember what He has said for the rest of our lives. Of course the Old Testament book of Psalms is well known as poetry but even the gospels are filled with poetry like, The Beatitudes, The Lord’s Prayer and the song of Mary.

So since we believe that God has called us to write a bit of verse it will helps us immensely to begin with His purpose and that is that He wants people to hear and remember Him! We need to keep things plain, simple and yet attractive. Just consider how all the obscure and sometimes strange modern forms of poetry pale in comparison to one simple childhood poem in terms of impact. 

 Twinkle twinkle little star How I wonder what you are
 Up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky

This anonymous work which is hardly even considered “Real Poetry” tells us about the wonder of childhood in just two lines. Simplicity married to meaning makes a great poem even if no other poets like it. Poetry isn’t meant just for poets, it is meant for everyone. So if we want to pass along to the children of the next generation the great wonder of the love of Jesus let’s keep it simple. In the most ordinary of things there is beauty and a song in even the smallest puff of wind. 

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass
He speaks to me everywhere

Have a blessed day! Pass along the love of God to at least one person if not with words then with the poetry of your day lived for Him.