We welcome your stories of the "heros" in our community. They can be soldiers in God's Army or in our war on terror. We also welcome testimonials and inspirational stories of how you chose the "road less traveled" that led to a life of "joy and peace that surpasses all understanding".
Finding God
By Dr. Michael Halleen
I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1, 2)
October 13, 2008 - Brad was a high school classmate, just an acquaintance, until that summer we went to a boundary waters camp in northern Minnesota. There we were paired up, sharing a tent and a canoe for eight days of paddling across lakes, hiking along portage trails, pitching tents and tearing them down, eating food from little envelopes. And the rain; merciless, cold, unremitting rain. We saw the sun for ten brief minutes in eight long days. Nothing ever got dry. Clothes, sleeping bags, tents, food . . . everything was constantly wet and cold. It was a miserable experience for me, and I haven’t been camping since. I adopted the approach of a radio personality who said for him roughing it meant staying in a ten-year old Holiday Inn.
Brad had the opposite response. The week of tramping through that northern rain forest was the start of a lifelong love of the outdoors. He left college after a year or two to become a guide in that same boundary waters area and in later years used weekends and vacations as opportunities to paddle and portage and pitch tents some more. At a class reunion, he told me that he found God in the north woods. There he experienced peace in his soul that he could find nowhere else.
The people of Bible times struggled with the question of where to find God. Those who were unfamiliar with the message of one God worshipped Baal, believed to be the god of thunder and rain, of vegetation and fertility, who was thought to live in the hills of the land of Canaan. When people were waiting for the seasonal rains that would assure the success of their annual crops, they looked to the hills that is, they sought the help of Baal.
The psalm writer was tempted to look for God where his neighbors did. But he stopped and reflected: Where does my help come from?” It isn’t from the hills, from the gods others worship, but from the Lord, the One who created the hills and the heavens above them.
Brad and I experience the presence of God in different ways. All of us find peace and renewal in different places. What matters is that we look to the God who made it all and not to the things that have been made as our source of strength and hope.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
Tested by Blessings
By Joseph Perrello
Aug 18, 2008 - Bible quotes taken from the "Good News Bible."
During the Second World War, while interned in a German concentration camp for following Jesus Christ, a dedicated Christian lay-worker was asked, "Suppose your God doesn't free you from here, will you still follow Him?"
"Of coarse I shall follow Him. Since He has led me here, He has a reason for my being in this place."
As believers, we recognize that "fiery trials" often test us. Yet how many consider that we sometimes are tested by blessings - a subtle form of testing? We've all heard accounts of believers whose loyalty to Christ could not be shaken during a fiery trial of poverty, but who drifted from Him after receiving a blessing of wealth. (See this writer's article, "Wealth and the Christian").
It's interesting to note the words of Jesus to the multitude, recorded in John 6:26-27: "I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles. Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternity."
To use a vernacular - Jesus had their number! He tested the multitude with a blessing and the multitude desired His blessings, but not Him. It sought Him for what it could get from Him.
Satan is aware of this tendency in humanity to serve God for what one can get from Him. He accused Job of doing so. According to the Book of Job, chapter 1:1-5, Job "was a good man, careful not to do anything evil . . . and was the richest man in the East." He also was blessed with seven sons and three daughters. His sons took turns giving banquets to which they invited others and also their three sisters. This concerned their father to the degree that each morning after the banquets, "Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally."
A careful reading of this passage of Scripture reveals the concerns God's blessings may bring with them. Even before being tested by Satan, Job was a man tested by his blessings; they did not rest lightly upon him. His wealth carried with it the means by which his children reveled by throwing parties that to their father were potential occasions for their sinning. Even Job's faithfulness to the Lord was suspected by Satan as an ulterior motive for his serving God; moreover, the blessing of God's knowledge of the faithfulness of Job prompted a unique test between God and Satan.
"'Did you notice my servant Job?' the Lord asked. 'There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil.'
"'Satan replied, 'Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns . . . now suppose you take away everything he has-he will curse you to your face.'" [Job 1:8-12].
It is obvious from this passage of scripture that Job's blessings initiated Satan's challenge for God to test the man. It also is obvious that without his wealth Job would not have been tested as he was. He was tested by his blessings and remained true to God.
Not all believers are tested by the same caliber of blessings as those of Job. Some may be tested by the blessings of talents they have received from the Lord. Such a test may be the temptation to use the blessings of their talents for self-aggrandizement. Satan may place before them a craving for worldly acclaim. More than one Christian musical artist has fallen for this ploy of the enemy.
Other believers may be tested by the family blessings they have received. This writer recalls one young couple who studied for the ministry. Upon completion of their seminary work they married and young man became an assistant to the respected pastor of a prominent church in his denomination. After the couple had a child the young mother slackened in her church attendance until she stopped attending altogether. When the pastor spoke to her regarding this, she claimed that her child made it impossible for her to attend services.
The pastor pointed out that many mothers with children younger that her own were faithful in attending the services and that the church provided a large nursery from which mothers who felt the need to be there still could see and hear the church services. He asked that she attend services and make use of the nursery as did the other mothers. He pointed out that for her to remain home set a bad example to other young parents since her husband served as one of the pastor's assistants. The young woman rejected the request. The pastor made several more attempts at persuading her to attend services. All were to no avail and, eventually, the pastor was forced to reluctantly dismiss her husband, who never again held a ministerial position.
What had transpired with the young mother? She had been tested with the blessing of a child, among the greatest blessings the Lord bestows. Sadly, she failed the test. She accepted the blessing and rejected the Giver. In doing so she also invalidated her husband's ministry.
All believers are tested by blessings at some point in their Christian walk. During these tests we demonstrate to ourselves, to the world, and most definitely to Satan, that we are not serving the Lord from ulterior motives. We show that even without the blessings, we still would remain faithful to God, as did the Christian lay-worker in the German concentration camp; as did Job when all temporal blessing were taken from him; as we must, should all our temporal blessings flee from us.
About the Author - Joseph Perello: During his many years of ministry, Josprel has pastored three churches, including one in Attica, New York, the location of America's most bloody prison riot. Together with other pastors in the town, he counseled the families of the prison security officers being held hostage by the inmates. Shortly after the riot was quelled, the Attica Prison administration asked Josprel to conducted weekly three-hour Bible studies for the inmates. These studies lasted for some four years, when Josprel turned them over to another pastor, due to heavy demands on his time; a five-time weekly radio program, a large congregation, new members classes, church administration duties, a building program during which the congregation constructed a large new sanctuary and an educational wing. Josprel ministers with the evangelical church denomination of his youth. He is a prolific writer, whose stories and articles have appeared in print and the web. © Josprel (Joseph Perrello) josprel@yahoo.com
Source: Christian Article Bank
Tony Snow: Quintessential American
By David Crowe
"I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10
July 18, 2008 - America lost a dear and great friend [last] Saturday morning. Tony Snow, superb writer, radio and television political analyst, and most recently White House Press Secretary, was only 53 years young when he died of cancer, but he lived life gallantly with an abundance of character to the very end. Effervescent in joy, always thankful, fully engaged, never complaining, he was the quintessential American whose life embodied that to which most men aspire.
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A great father, patriot, and professional, Tony Snow was loved and admired, respected, and listened to, not only in America but around the world. We loved him because he daily reminded us of what Americans could be, faith filled gentle and compassionate souls who passionately love our families and America, speak the truth in love, genuinely care for every one around us, thankful to God every day for our blessings, with humility and grace.
We will miss him, but we will not soon forget him. Such is the legacy of his courage, character, and commitment.
Dearest Father, living LORD Jesus, thank You for sending Your Spirit to indwell us that we might have life and experience it exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Help us understand that in the midst of a sin sick world and the destructive power of the Prince of the power of the air, that You in Your loving wisdom provide Life, hope, and meaning to us that can only come from You; a prevailing power from within that gives light to those who walk by it and reveals the Glory of God through us. Forgive us dear LORD for living in the smallness of our minds when we have so much from you that should give us thankful hearts every day, hearts filled with the joy of the LORD and so many opportunities to serve. Remove from us a complaining, negative spirit. Turn our eyes upon You that the Glory you have with Your Father might live brightly in us, through us, and for others. Thank you for the Tonys Snows of this world who teach us how to live to You and how to die to ourselves with uplifting dignity, courage and character. It is in Your eternal and unchanging love shed abroad in our hearts that we pray, and in the Name of Your dear Son Jesus. Amen.
Please Pray for. . .
- Tony's wife Jill and their three children, Kendall, Robbie, and Kristi
- For all who serve, no matter our station in life, that we might take to heart the example of Tony Snow
- For our nation as we face growing challenges at home and abroad, that we would remember from whence we have come, who we are, how we should live, and Whom we should serve
- All who seek public office, that they would come to know and understand that they serve God first, and not man, including themselves
- The Restore America "Value Your Vote, Vote Your Values" Campaign, that we wil be able to mount an effective Christian Voter Registration and Turnout Campaign for the November Election
- Restore America as we face a continued shortfall in summer contributions in preparation for the Fall Campaign
- For our Donor base as they face the challenges of high gas prices, a sluggish economy, and sacrificial giving
- An abiding confidence in Him Who loves us and is always faithful to meet our every need
To read more from David Crowe, please visit his website at RestoreAmerica.org.
Growing Through Adversity & Plagues
By Dr. Tracy Scott
“Some of us will not see pain as a gift; some will always accuse God of being unfair for allowing it. But, the fact is, pain and suffering are here among us, and we need to respond in some way. The response Jesus gave was to bear the burdens of those He touched. To live in the world as His body, His emotional incarnation, we must follow His example.” Philip Yancey, *Where Is God When It Hurts?*, p.325
“Dr. Scott, I am in pain. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer two years ago and I was told that I needed surgery. I was too afraid to go through the surgery and last month, my doctors told me that the cancer had spread to my stomach. I am here today because I have pain, no place to live and I am depressed. I was staying with a family, but they kicked me out. My two children refuse to take me in and they want nothing to do with me; because they blame me for the sexual abuse my husband committed against our daughter. My husband is the father of our daughter’s child and the kids blame me. Can you help me?”
The challenge of overcoming adversity can be a journey of pain, revelation, discovery and healing. Each time I am confronted with my own challenges or with another’s journey through adversity, there’s at least one important concept I try to remember and that is that God has a purpose for my life. I trust that as you come to understand this concept that it will help you stay strong during your time of growing through plagues and pain. For II Corinthians 1:3-4 states “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Understand that God has a purpose for your life: In the midst of suffering through injustices such as Katrina, Jena 6 or the coerced abuse of child rape molestation, it may be easy to understand why many people question whether God has a purpose for their lives; and if so what?
Solomon like so many of us spent a period of his life seeking its meaning. He struggled with basing the purpose of life on material things and pleasure. “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor.” Ecclesiastes 2:10
You may recall a time, in which you were feeling down, maybe you had over spent your checking or saving account, or maybe a bill was due and you did not have enough money to pay it. For others, maybe it was a racist employment environment, or a disagreement with your spouse, mate or child. No matter what the situation, you felt discouraged. In order to feel better or to move through adversity, you went shopping, fishing or ate your favorite meal. For many people (churched and un-churched) moving through adversity means having an affair, whether emotional or sexual. Some times people turn to alcohol, drugs, sports or they become workaholics. In many cases, people in positions of authority, when they become stressed due to the afflictions of life, cope with adversity by abusing the weak, the vulnerable or those in subordinate positions (people of Color are often the victims of this type of abuse). All of these behaviors directed at coping with adversity bring immediate pleasure and gratification.
And like Solomon, you may have access and the opportunity to experience these instantaneous enjoyments. They can make you feel better; sort of take the edge off. But you find out that it does not last. You recognize that you have exalted yourself and that you have become a slave to your immediate zestful appetite and the maladjustment of coping with adversity; but you did not get the fulfillment that you sought. The bills did not get paid and you still need to work on your relationship with your spouse.
As you experience some momentary short-term success of dealing with life’s plagues, by turning to the titillations of society, you continue to realize that the challenges keep coming and coming. They don’t stop. You understand that all the ways in which you have tried to relieve the pressures of adversity were not genuinely successful. You can point to some small victories, but over and over again, no matter what you do, no matter what you try, nothing brings long-term satisfaction.
It is at this point that many people began to accept the fact that they cannot control their lives and they conceive that there is no help. Hence, over time, as they continue to live and undergo the obstacles of life, they view their outcome as unchangeable and accept that they are helpless, no matter what they do. They believe that it’s futile to keep trying and that there is no hope. It is during this inclination that causes stress and leads to despair and depression. It starts in the mind; pessimistic thoughts and ends with ultimately questioning the purpose of life and giving up.
Solomon was forewarned by his father David, but probably did not internalize David’s message. Solomon tried to live life apart for God and eventually suffered these thoughts. In the end, he finally realized the he could only turn to one master. And in that Master (God) contained all the answers. “Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man; and he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.” Ecclesiastes 6:10
The bible seems clear that God has at least three purposes for our lives:
To teach us to trust Him and to learn how to love and worship Him. I Peter 1:7 To teach us to depend always on His grace and goodness. Knowing Christ as Lord and Savior is needed, but it is the living the Christ life that ultimately is what depending on Him is all about. II Corinthians 12 To teach us to follow Him. Matthew 16:24-25 states “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it”.
The answer is yes, God does have a plan and purpose for each of us. He also loves all of mankind despite the fact that He allows plagues and adversity in our lives. I also pray for each and every one of you that these words will be a source of encouragement to help you carry your burdens and hold fast to the Lord until you are strong enough to intercede for someone else. Remember, it is God’s mercy and grace that holds you close, so don’t let go!
About the Author: Dr. Tracy Scott Healthy Living Seminars www.healthylivingseminars.org
Source: http://www.articles.narrowisthepath.com
Gods Design
By Dr. Michael Halleen
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
June 2, 2008 - John Cardinal Deardon once observed that “The designs of God are not able to be calculated.” We prove Deardon’s insight when we try to discover the will of God in the details of our lives. Does God want me to sell the house?....Attend this college, or that one?....Change jobs?....Get married?....Go on that mission trip? One church member told me it was God’s will that she had been sick at home all week because she had been able to receive a lovely phone call from her sister. (I didn’t dare ask her what she thought about God’s will for those who experienced the cyclone in Myanmar or the earthquake in China that same week.)
The will of God, I think, is more basic than we have made it out to be. Our difficulty is in calculating—or accepting—the simplicity of God’s expectation. God speaks grace, but we hear law. Jesus made it plain: God’s will is that we should treat people as we ourselves would like to be treated in a similar situation.
So the specific circumstances of my life are not, in themselves, what God “wills.” What matters is the kind of person I am in the midst of those circumstances. Married or single, living in Phoenix or in Sydney, healthy or unwell, God’s will for me is the same. Employed or unemployed, waiting tables or waiting in line, running an errand or running a company, I am to love (to be kind and truthful toward) the people around me wherever I am and whatever the circumstances of my life and theirs—family, neighbors, enemies, those who disappoint or fail me—all of them. No one earns his way into God’s love, and no one ought to have to earn her way into mine.
- Occasionally one hears some objections to this “Golden Rule”:
- People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway!
- If I do good, people will accuse me of having ulterior motives. Do good anyway!
- Being kind and truthful with people will make me vulnerable. Be kind and truthful anyway!
- I may spend years trying to build a relationship that the other person may tear down overnight. Build anyway!
- People need help, but they end up attacking you if you help them. Help people anyway!
God’s designs are not able to be calculated, but God’s will is clear: We are to do for others just what we hope they would do for us.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
War, as Viewed by a Patriotic Christian
By Steven E. Coffman
May 27, 2008 - Life is precious in God's eyes, whether it is yours or your neighbors. The only goal in war as a Christian should be defensive, and just to prevent someone or something from killing you, your family, or your nation. What I want you to understand is that I AM NOT advocating you to take a life, even in defense of yourself, unless it is the only last resort for your own or your nation’s survival.
Jesus said that "the meek shall inherit the earth." But my mind and heart tells me that statement didn't mean NOT to defend you, a loved one, or a nation from harm or your continued survival. Each of us resisting evil on whatever level is truly a battle or war. "The meek shall inherit the earth" means to be defensive in your actions as Christians; Finish a war, but never start one for secular, political, religious, or personal reasons.
In the Old Testament, in the book of (2 Chronicles) lists many kings and their success or failures regarding war in God’s eyes. One example that which you may better understand the Christian Bible’s view on war is 2 Chronicles 26:4-15 (NCV); He did what the Lord said was right, just as his father Amaziah had done. Uzziah obeyed God while Zechariah was alive, because he taught Uzziah how to respect and obey God. And as long as Uzziah obeyed the Lord, God gave him success. Uzziah fought a war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls around their towns of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod and built new towns near Ashdod and in other places among the Philistines. God helped Uzziah fight the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites.
In the New Testament an example is Matthew 26:52-54 (NJKV); But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
What I feel that Jesus is saying is that He could choose to fight, but He chose not to at this particular time, to honor His Father's wishes and fulfill the writings of the scriptures. Matthew 26:42 (NCV); Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and it I must do it, I pray that what you want will be done."
Remember, He was praying in the garden and in communication with His Father just before the soldiers came to arrest Him, and His Father told Him that the hour was a hand to fulfill the scriptures, as said in Matthew 26:45-46 (NJKV). Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going, See My betrayer is at hand." Jesus was truly looking at the big picture, and not just current circumstances. Jesus knew that He was sent to earth primarily to atone for the sins of all mankind, so that you and I can someday enter heaven.
From the beginning to the end of the Christian Bible you read of the war between Good and Evil, in heaven and on earth, and of the struggles over mind, body and spirit, from Adam and Eve to Revelations. Each of us resists Satan's temptations daily, as Jesus did in the desert (Matthew 4:1-10). Resisting evil in any form is defending you, your loved ones, or your nation, whether it is on a physical, mental or spiritual level. This is truly the Christian and patriotic way to preserve and sustain our soul, our life, our liberty and our salvation, as a person, a family and a nation.
Author Resource:- Family-eStore will try to provide you with articles of interest to a Christian and patriotic way of life. The articles are written by Steven E Coffman (Owner) of Family-eStore.com (National Essay Contest) winner 1969. I am a person with strong Christian and patriotic beliefs. Tenacity, faith, and a belief in God, Country and Family are key components to success in life. The Christian articles are only intended to bring you closer in your relationship to our Father in heaven. I hope that you enjoy and are enlightened by them.
Source: Christian Article Bank
Thanks be to God
By Michael A. Halleen
Give thanks to (God) and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. (Psalm 100:4, 5)
May 19, 2008 - One night many years ago, Ed Spencer, a student at a seminary near Lake Michigan, was awakened by shouts that there had been a shipwreck offshore from the campus. An excursion boat from the nearby Chicago harbor had collided with a freighter and was sinking. Spencer ran down to the lakeshore from which he could see lights from the boats. A strong swimmer, he plunged into the icy water and started searching for survivors.
For six hours Spencer swam out and back, pulling people ashore, battling stormy waves and powerful undertow. By dawn he had personally rescued fifteen people in as many trips. Exhausted, he sat down until someone spotted two more still in the water. Spencer dove in again and found a man and a woman clinging desperately to a piece of wreckage. He brought them in too and collapsed on the beach.
Fewer than one-fourth of the 400 passengers on that boat survived the shipwreck, seventeen of them rescued by Ed Spencer. His own health, however, was irreparably damaged by his act of heroism, and he was never able to return to school, ultimately living out his days as an invalid.
Years later, a reporter doing a story on Great Lakes tragedies found Spencer as an old man in a nursing home in California and asked for his recollections of that night. He said bitterly, “The only thing I remember is that not one of the seventeen ever thanked me.”
The late British actor Robert Morley once said, “I am not an introspective man, but I am, I hope, a grateful one. Life has treated me kindly, and I hope I shall always be mindful that for over fifty years the sun has shone on my back. Thanks be to God.”
At a Thanksgiving gathering several years ago we invited our guests—in the spirit of Robert Morley—to list several things for which he or she was grateful. We wrote each one down and arranged them into a song which we then sang as a group, using a familiar tune. The variety itself (from “clean sheets” and “my boss,” to “cancer survived” and “Randy Moss”—amazing how the rhymes fell into place) became a feature of the hymn, our recognition that God’s gifts are far-reaching and never-ending.
Thanks be to God for life, for its circumstances common and rare, and for the sunshine on our backs. Thanks be also to the people who touch our lives in great ways and small, and for the sunshine they bring to our hearts.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
Wisdom!
By Michael A. Halleen
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place. Proverbs 3:19
April 14, 2008 - A few thoughts which I count as wisdom, underlined in my notes from years ago . . .
We have been created to heal. If one is accidentally cut, the bleeding soon stops, a scab forms and within a few days the skin is restored—in most cases hiding the wound altogether. This principle of healing operates for the soul as well as for the body. Emotional injury heals too, given time for the process to work. It is the way we have been made.
By wisdom God created healing. We are wise to believe we will get well.
Progress is made in small steps, one at a time. Ancient philosophy gave us the thought that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Eric Sevareid, the late news correspondent and author, and several others had to hike 140 miles through the mountainous jungles of Burma during World War II after their plane had gone down. He writes of how one foot had been punctured by a nail, and soon both feet developed severe blisters. “Could I hobble 140 miles? Could the others, some in worse shape than I? We were convinced that we could not. But we could hobble to that ridge, we could make the next friendly village for the night. And that, of course, was all we had to do.”
By wisdom God leads us day by day, moment by moment. We are wise to have faith that one step will make a difference.
The most important life-change we can make is in our attitude. The way we think profoundly affects the way we live. When circumstances cannot be changed, we need to change our outlook on them. As a teenager, I went to a wilderness camp in northern Minnesota. For eight days we paddled canoes through the boundary waters, portaged along wooded trails, stayed in tents and ate food from envelopes. It rained the entire time. Nothing ever got dry. I was cold, wet, homesick and miserable. Our guide, a YMCA staff member and cheerful, good-natured ex-Army sergeant, whistled and sang as he led us through the rain and endless mire. “Gentlemen,” he said, “when the facts won’t budge, you have to bend your attitude to fit them.” I survived the camp and learned to sing in the rain.
By wisdom God allows us to decide. We are wise to understand that, when necessary, we can make life better by deciding to alter our way of looking at it.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
Find Healing There!
By Michael Halleen
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6
April 7, 2008 - It is said that people in Tibet seek healing from physical and emotional wounds in a unique way. They sit downwind from flowers. It is a therapy that has been carried on for centuries, based not on superstition but on natural medicine. Downwind from flowers one can be dusted with the pollen from new blossoms, pollen that carries certain healing qualities.
Linda Ross Swanson tells the story of a 52-year-old Tibetan refugee named Tenzin who lived in Seattle. Diagnosed with lymphoma and unwilling to undergo the usual chemotherapy treatment because it brought back memories of having been tortured as a political prisoner in China, he was brought to a hospice. There he told workers of the Tibetan method, and one of them was willing to help. On a sunny afternoon the hospice worker picked up Tenzin and his wife, packed some provisions traditional to Tibetans—black tea, yak butter, salt, cups and cookies—and dropped the couple off at a nursery. They found a suitable spot, sat downwind from the flowers and, under the watchful eye of curious nursery employees, enjoyed their afternoon tea. They did the same the following week at another nursery.
The word got around, and soon nurseries all over Seattle were vying for Tenzin’s presence. They called him when new plants arrived, placed chairs to match the wind direction and provided the tea. Customers filled flats with flowers and put them carefully around the couple, and some began calling nurseries to ask how he was doing. Day after day throughout an entire summer Tenzin and his wife sat downwind from flowers around Seattle.
At the end of the summer, Tenzin went in for a follow-up CT scan. There was no trace of cancer. The doctor confessed he was astounded and could not explain the miraculous change. Tenzin had his own explanation: “I know why the cancer left. It can’t live in a body filled with love. When I began to feel all the compassion from the hospice team, from the nursery employees, from all the people who wanted to know about me, I began to change inside.”
I share this story not to promote folk medicine but because I believe love cures people—those who receive it and those who give it. Love is life’s healing agent. When searching for a way to heal—if not cancer, then at least a wounded heart—sit downwind from flowers. Allow people to touch you with their goodness and kindness. Allow them to be touched by yours.
There is healing there.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
Be Happy and Do Good!
By Michael Halleen
I know that there is nothing better for (people) than to be happy and do good while they live. (Ecclesiastes 3:12)
March 31, 2008 - On a Friday evening I sit in the bleachers and watch a group of young men playing basketball in a youth center gym. It’s a recreational game, no uniforms, no referees, the five-man teams arranged as these neighborhood athletes arrive and sign in. They play until one team has ten points, then the losers rotate out and a new five comes on to the floor. It is only coincidental when a person finds himself on the same team with someone he has played with before. The energy level is high. These young men are happy, loving the game, loving the competition.
I mention to a colleague sitting with me that I’m amazed how these players can recognize their teammates who change throughout the evening. A sporting goods store owner I know might be willing to donate some red and yellow jerseys to help make things more organized. We watch for awhile, admiring the skill, the teamwork, the joy of the game. My friend leans over to me and says, “Looks like having jerseys might be solving a problem that isn’t there.”
On a Tuesday morning I sit having coffee with a group of older women in the church basement. They gather regularly to make bandages for hospitals in Congo. They tear bed sheets into strips which are then sewn together lengthwise and wound into tight rolls that can be used to bind up injuries in that distant land. Conversation is lively, laughter is frequent. The women are happy, loving their work, loving the cause it represents.
I ask one of them, a retired missionary to Congo, how long this supply will last in the village hospital. “Not long,” she says with some delight in her voice. “Sometimes the women of the village get hold of them and sew them together again to make sheets!” It occurs to me that our church group could just send sheets and save itself—and the Congolese women—some effort. But no, once more I’m trying to solve a problem that isn’t there. These women come together to do something good, and they take pleasure in carrying out a meaningful mission with friends they enjoy.
It is in playing the game—not in how well it is organized—that the basketball players find satisfaction. It is in doing their good work—not in how their product ultimately is used—that our church women find happiness. One need not try to solve a problem where there is none.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
You Are Rich, a collection of sixty Monday Moments, is available as a book. Send $12.00 for each copy ordered to Monday Moments, P.O. Box 641, Excelsior, MN 55331. Three books or more can be purchased for $10.00 each. Make checks payable to Monday Moments.
Winter will End!
By Michael A. Halleen
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of people. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
March 24, 2008 - The ice on our lake will soon give way. It cannot stay much longer. It’s that time of year in Minnesota when the angle of the sun has become more direct and its rays warmer. Lake ice is not pretty as it dies—gray, mottled, rough. But it’s clear there is no hope for it now.
I like to think of the little problems and burdens I carry as lake ice in its last stages—unpleasant at the moment, but not long for this world. A woman shared her worries with me some time ago, and they were many. She seemed overwhelmed by minor aches, frets and cares. Mouth drawn, eyes sad, voice cracking, she was unable to register hope. I tried to assure her that those concerns, as gray and depressing as they seemed now, would pass, that the world was full also of sunshine. But it was hard to persuade her of a coming spring, and I’m sure I failed to do so. Endless winter.
I met a man a few days later after who hardly noticed the ice at all. Though he had recently lost a high-paying job and had a family to support, he was not dwelling on the problem but rather looking ahead to what’s next. Eyes bright, he spoke of those who had real problems in life and of his desire to be of service to them in a new line of work. Voice alive, he smiled as he talked of the love of family and encouragement of friends. It was as though the lake was already blue and sparkling in his life. There was no need to convince him of spring; he was showing it to me.
Each year, at the first sign of open water, some neighbor kids get into a paddle boat and venture out into the lake for the first time. They seek out the cracks that have developed in the dying ice and maneuver their little craft through them like French explorers searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi. I watch them from my window and remind myself that with eternity in our hearts we can find beauty even in life’s trials, something to discover even in an expanse of gray.
When it happens—the last ice finally settling below the rising water—it takes only a few minutes. Next time I look out the window, the lake might be open, the last of winter’s ice gone. Soon . . . maybe today.
Dr. Michael A. Halleen writes very insightful and inspirational messages known as "Monday Moments". If you would like to recieve these messages please contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net.
You Are Rich, a collection of sixty Monday Moments, is available as a book. Send $12.00 for each copy ordered to Monday Moments, P.O. Box 641, Excelsior, MN 55331. Three books or more can be purchased for $10.00 each. Make checks payable to Monday Moments.
Righteous Anger Brings Powerful Results
by Ann Stewart
March 14, 2008 - Consider the picture of Jesus cleaning out the temple. He did it twice; Once at the very beginning of his ministry (John 2: 15-17) and again at the end. (Mark 11: 15-17) Both times he showed anger, spoke with authority, and single-handedly drove out everyone who used the house of God for personal gain.
These were the only times Jesus showed anger. He wasn't retaliating to a personal offense. He was totally consumed about keeping the temple of God holy and a house of prayer. He performed the prophetic Word spoken through David:
"For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me." (Ps. 69: 9)
In answer to the Jews' query why He had done this, Jesus referred to His own body as the temple of God. How about you? Paul asks the following question:
"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 6: 19-20)
What are you doing to drive out those unholy squatters in your temple? Those intruders come in many forms. They can be addictions, wrong attitudes that keep producing problems, disease, to name but a few. Yes, disease is ungodly. It's not placed there by God. You are living in an imperfect world where the devil will reign, especially in those who don't know their God-given rights.
Remember: you were bought with a price. Your aches and pains were borne by Jesus Christ and have been nailed to the cross.
Just as Jesus did, don't hesitate to use rightful indignation towards anything that has taken root in your body that is not holy! Go on the war path and order it out with the Word of God, proclaiming that your body is holy!
Maybe you're still wondering why and how you have the authority to do this. First of all, you are subject to all the influences of the world, from ungodly thoughts to germs and catastrophes beyond your control.
The good news is that God is always in control. He knows the beginning from the end of your life's journey. He turns what Satan has meant for evil into something good.
"All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
He hath chosen you before the foundation of the world. (Eph.1: 4) His task is not to miraculously take you out of your predicaments. He wants you to effectively use the weapons He has put at your disposal to ward off your enemies!
You don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the devil. God's armor consists of His Truth, recognizing that you are His righteousness, living and sharing the Gospel, salvation, faith, and speaking the Word of God. (Eph. 6: 12-13) Jesus explained that it was not He, the physical man, that performed the miracles, "but the Father, that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."
Likewise, thanks to His resurrection, you have received the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you and He performs the miracles. All you need to do is take authority and speak God's Words in faith over your situations! That's how you will glorify Him:
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14: 12-13)
Faith coupled with the life giving, life altering Word of God will bring about miracles! Believe me. I know!
About the Author: In her book: With Wings As Eagles Ann Stewart walks you through her own trials, demonstrating how indeed God will bring you to a place where you find yourself rejoicing despite the turmoil around you.
Subscribe here to her inspirational weekly newsletter: Embracing All the Promises of God: Life Altering Words.
The Refiner’s Fire
Author Unknown, Sent in by Paul Harrison
Posted February 20, 2008 - Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
When Does Love Die?
By Patrick Odum
Posted January 24, 2008 - This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:9-12)
“I just don’t love her anymore,” says the husband who not so many years before had pledged his undying love to that beautiful girl in the white dress. She nags at him too much, he says. Or their sexual relationship isn’t what he had hoped. She isn’t supportive of him. Or, maybe, she’s cheated. He feels angry, or hurt, or resentful. Or maybe he feels nothing. In any case, he’s on his way out the door in spite of her tears and pleading and pledges to do better. After all, when love dies, what’s left?
But when does love die?
“Why can’t he at least call?” says the father quietly as he paces the living room floor. He stares out the window into the early morning darkness waiting for his son to get home. He knows the shape the boy he used to carry on his shoulders and build models with and coach in Little League will be in when he does get home. He knows he’ll be nearly unrecognizable from hours of partying. He doesn’t want to see his son like that, but he knows what the alternative will be. And so he paces and prays that it’s the scrape of his son’s key in the lock that he hears, and not the purposeful knock of a highway patrolman. And when his son does come home at last, the angry words the father has prepared step into the background to wait patiently until morning. When his son finally does open the door, it’s his father’s loving embrace that welcomes him home. Again. And again. And ever again.
When does love die?
“That church doesn’t appreciate us,” the couple tells each other on the way home. Their ideas have been put on the back burner by the church’s leaders. No one has thanked them for their generosity in the last special offering. Their worship is too old-fashioned to appeal to new people. There aren’t enough activities for their kids. They’ve just fired the minister, again. By the time they get home, they’ve made their decision. Next Sunday, they’ll begin the process of finding a new church. One that appreciates them.
When does love die?
The husband holds his wife’s soft, limp hand in his own gnarled, arthritic one. “Aren’t we a pair,” he chuckles to her. The laughter has to force its way, though, through the lump in his throat. The only response is the hiss of the oxygen. Their kids say he should put her in the bright, clean nursing home they all visited a few weeks ago. They say he’s going to work himself to death trying to take care of her. They’re right, of course. After fifty-two years, though, what has he got left if she’s gone? Work himself to death, caring for the woman he loves? “Really,” he thinks, “not a bad way to go.” He kisses her forehead, and she stirs a little in her sleep. He wonders if she’ll recognize him when she wakes up.
When does love die?
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing….”
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:33-34, 46)
When does Love die? Feelings die, and so if love is about feelings then it dies the moment that warm feelings give way to cold ones, or angry feelings replace kind ones, or vengeful feelings replace compassionate ones. Passion dies, and so if love is about passion then it dies the moment someone or something comes along to stir more passion. Enthusiasm dies, and so if love is about enthusiasm then it dies the moment something becomes familiar and commonplace and boredom sets in. Even happiness can die, and so if love is about happiness then it dies the moment tragedy and pain suck the joy out of life.
But what if love is tougher than that? What if love survives even the death of feelings and passion? What if it outlives enthusiasm and joy? What if love can take the worst human beings can do to one another and return grace, mercy, and forgiveness? What if it outlasts the tearing of flesh and the breaking of bone?
Suppose…just suppose…that love can move aside stones and even defeat death.
Does it change the way we think of love to understand just how God has loved us? He has loved us even when we were rebellious, wandering children. He has loved us when we have failed to appreciate, or even to notice, all he has given to us. He has loved us even though we have proven to be a disappointing bride to him. And when we were powerless, ravaged victims of sin and death he has refused to stop loving us, and even gave his Son’s life for us. All this despite the fact that we were – or might as well have been -- the ones who put him on that cross and mocked him for his trust in his Father.
And when the Son prayed, “Forgive them….”, there was never any doubt his prayer would be answered.
When does love die?
Never. Jesus taught us that.
And whoever you may think is beyond your love, whoever you may think has fallen so far as to be unlovable -- well, I’m sorry, but I must ask: Aren’t you glad God’s love for you never died?
And can’t you return in kind the love that you have received from him?
You can. You can do what Jesus did. You can entrust yourself to God and put yourself on the line, even for someone who might never love you like he should. You can offer grace, compassion, and forgiveness. You can make peace. You can help someone be what God made them to be.
When does love die? Only when you let it.
To read more from Patrick Odum, please visit his website at Faithnet.Faithsite.com.
Choose To Be Glad
By Michael A. Halleen
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
Posted January 11, 2008 - The Psalmist had made a decision. The Lord God had given him that day. Now he chose to live through it with a positive spirit and a hopeful heart.
Nothing is more crucial to the quality of our lives than the choices we make about how we will approach the circumstances, relationships and crises of each day. In the end it is that attitude which largely determines the outcomes we will find. I *choose* God as my refuge...I *choose* to believe...I *choose* to find a way.
Mrs. S. had lived alone for many years and got out only with the help of a wheelchair. Every Sunday she wheeled herself into the side aisle of our sanctuary (one without handicap access) where she worshipped attentively. She always seemed to be "up," a radiant person who made people smile just to be around her.
One evening Mrs. S. spoke to the youth of the church and was asked how she could always be so alive, so full of joy. She responded, "Well, I certainly didn't choose to live the last half of my life as a widow. And I didn't choose to have my son killed in the Korean War. I didn't choose to have to ride around in this chair for the past ten years. But one thing I did choose—to be happy. I decided to make the best of every day and to see the best in every person."
A friend who has been a missionary in South America for many years told me of taking some American visitors through his city. One of them spotted a beautiful large poinsettia tree in front of a small house as they passed by. The visitor wanted to take a picture and, not realizing that the plant was brittle, reached up to pull down a branch for the camera. A six-foot length of flame-red poinsettia snapped to the ground.
At that moment the woman of the house stepped out of the door and confronted the gringos standing there, poinsettia branch in hand. Humiliated, they tried to express regret and offered to pay for her loss. But they could no more fix the personal damage than they could repair the tree. Still, instead of adding to their embarrassment, the woman cheerfully asked them in for tea. She *chose* to forgive them, to overlook their clumsy behavior. She *chose* to offer them grace.
This is the day the Lord has made. We are responsible to decide how we will live in it.
You can contact Mike at mhalleen@att.net. Also check out Mike's book "You Are Rich: Discovering Faith in Everyday Moments": http://snipurl.com/mHalleen (Amazon).
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