Black Thursday?

 “How many never in their lives read through all the Scriptures? 

These have a sword but only to hang on the wall.” William Gouge

  So how did your Black Friday go? Did you know that long before there was a “Black Friday,” there was a “Black Thursday?” But it had nothing to do with Christmas shopping. Black Thursday was a riot back in 1901 over a new translation of the Gospel of Matthew. 
  Greece is largely considered the birthplace of democracy. Who would have thought that a new translation of the Gospel of Matthew would cause a major riot, but that’s what happened on November 8th, 1901. Translating Matthew into the common Greek vernacular led to bloody clashes in Athens. A newspaper called Akropolis published it in demotic Greek, the modern version of Greek. Greek has evolved from its ancient roots to the point that modern and ancient Greek sounded almost nothing alike. 

  The differences resulted in a “holy war.” On one side, ancient Greek proponents—particularly in the Greek Orthodox Church—believed that if they watered down their language, they might lose claim to their Byzantine landholdings. On the other end, demotic or common language Greek proponents said language isn’t as important as investments in artillery. So when the newspaper published Matthew in the common language—alongside a political editorial—violence broke out. Eight demonstrators died. Ultimately, proponents of the ancient language failed in their efforts to make it the preferred form of communication. Modern Greeks speak and write in the demotic form, but the Greek Orthodox Church continues to use ancient Greek as the liturgical language in its worship services.

  While in Greece they fought over versions, in modern-day China, the government is making access to the Bible more difficult. Though most Bibles are printed in China as they are the only ones with the special printing presses needed to print the thin paper, Chinese citizens with iPhones can no longer download the Olive Tree Bible app after Apple removed it from their app store at the request of the communist authorities. 

  The Bible software maker in the US was told it’d have to file special permits to comply with rules regarding “book or magazine content,” which censor religious literature. Those who have already downloaded the programs can continue to use them but can’t get updates. According to the human rights group, Amnesty International, Apple has consistently submitted to China’s censorship demands. But China is not alone in its censorship of Scripture. According to The Voice of the Martyrs, in over fifty countries it’s illegal to own a Bible.

  We’re so blessed in America! Yet, what’s tragic is not that we don’t have access to a Bible, but that so many Christians rarely read it.

  Would you please make this the year that you determine to habitually read the Bible? Many Christians when asked about their Bible reading say: “I’ve been really busy.” Many others who are extremely busy still read their Bibles. Those who claim busyness are up to date on the news, watch movies and sports, use social media, exercise, and a host of other things. Let’s be honest, none of us are truly too busy to read the Bible. So, why read the Bible?

  The Bible is God’s love letter to you. When Jane and I were dating, I was thrilled to receive a letter from her. I’d read, re-read, and re-read again those letters. I never could get enough of Jane! God’s Word is His love letter to you. Do you treasure it? How’s your relationship with God growing or stagnant? Reading our Bibles helps keep our relationship with our Heavenly Father fresh and growing.

  The Bible is the best resource for positive behavior modification. At the most basic level, we read the Bible so we know how to live. It guides us on how to behave as the people of God in a sin-contaminated world. But not as a rule book or as a list of things to do if we want to stay on God’s good side. As the people of God with His Spirit living in us to guide us, we’re motivated to live rightly. The Bible shows us what it means to live in a way that pleases the Lord. Sometimes it’s by direct commandments, but mostly it’s by principles and examples, leaving us to apply them and work out how to live it out in our own lives.

  If you’ve been a Christian very long, when it comes to what’s right and wrong, you probably know what God wants you to do 99% of the time. The difficult part is actually doing it or remembering to do it. God’s Word is a reminder for us on how we should live in a way that’s right.

  The Bible is the best resource for wise life investment. We read our Bibles to know what goals to set and to help determine what to pursue in life. Reading Scripture challenges us to not fritter away our lives. We need purpose, we need goals. Out of all the things I can do, what will I choose to do more of? It will be different for each of us because God has designed us uniquely and called us to different tasks.

  The Bible challenges us to ask life-directing questions: How will I spend my time? How will I spend my money? Which people group or subculture will I reach out to? The big story of the Bible is about investing in the real world, eternity. We must set life goals that make sense against that story.

  The Bible is the best tool to view this world. We read God’s Word to inform our worldview and see life the way that God sees it. Once you see the world as God sees it, the other things follow – how we behave, who we are, and where we’re heading. It’s why Paul prays "having the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph 1:18-19). The Bible tells us how God sees life and that we’re part of His story. It tells us how God sees us and His perspective of our world.

  Consistently reading the Bible helps us grow to be more like Jesus. Do you want true life change? Commit to reading and studying God’s Word consistently. It will revolutionize your life!  

 Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Turkey of Comparison

 “Comparison is the death of joy.” Mark Twain

   Each year I struggle with a bit of buyer’s remorse. Usually, I’m the one at our house who shops for the turkey for Thanksgiving. I compare prices and brands (Is Butterball better than Honeysuckle? What about the less expensive store brand?) I’ll visit a few stores checking prices to get the best deal. Over the years I’ve found that you have to wait until about a week before for stores to lower their prices but don’t want to wait too long in case they run out. But this year with rumors of shortages of everything for your Thanksgiving feast, I was telling Jane that I thought we needed to buy early, so I purchased the turkey nearly a month before I normally do. It was higher per pound than I normally pay but I wasn’t sure if the prices would go up or down…or if they might even run out. And when I bought our turkey, there were only two others left. But it put a warm spot in my heart to walk down a store aisle the other day and see that the turkeys they had on sale were a full 40 cents more per pound than I paid! I won…maybe. 

  We’re entering into the full-blown comparison season. We’re going to be spending time with family and friends, and the turkey of comparison will attempt to gobble his way into our hearts to steal our joy. Don’t let him!

  It’s noteworthy that the first records of comparison in the Bible were between siblings. It’s often our soft spot. Cain compared how God responded with acceptance to Abel’s sacrifice and it so angered him that he took Abel out. The “baby wars” between Leah and Rachel are the stuff of legend. Rachel seethed with jealously that her less attractive sister was “Fertile Myrtle.”

  The Apostle Paul warns us of the danger of comparison in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” Did you catch that? “they are without understanding.” That’s a polite way of saying that they’re stupid.

  I can’t help but think that Paul wrote those words from the winner’s circle of defeating the comparison temptation. He knew as every preacher knows the subtle temptation of comparing your ministry with someone else’s.

  Later this week when you roll in for Thanksgiving and throughout the holidays, the turkey of comparison will be strutting to compare things like cars, houses, landscaping…even decorating. But he’s not done. He wants you to compare your spouse, your kids, and even your parents. You’ll look at your clothes compared to others. They bought a new outfit to dribble their giblet gravy on but you’re wearing what you wore last year and the year before. Your kids will whine and act like kids but your cousins’ kids will be angelic. Then, someone will talk about their 401K or their promotion or their work benefits and you find yourself shrinking in your seat. Their pumpkin pie looks better than yours. Even your stories and jokes aren’t as good. If you lost weight last year, they lost more. If you got Covid, they got it worse…and the comparison goes on and on. At the end of the day the turkey isn’t the only thing being cooked, so is your heart.

  Contentment is something we can and need to learn. Our Heavenly Father gives us exactly what we need. All that we have and are, is from Him. Our Father truly knows best. So you have to fight the temptation of comparison. You may need to go full-blown Pilgrim with an ax looking for Tom Turkey in your own soul. Here are some “comparison hunting” strategies.

  Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139:14 reminds us of this biblical fact. That means that each of us is God’s unique creation. As we surrender our heart and will to Him, He can mold us and transform us into exactly what He wants us to be. When you feel inadequate or feel the temptation to compare, quietly whisper a prayer of thanks to God for making you exactly the way you are. 

  Realize we all have different strengths and weaknesses. No matter how hard you try, someone will always be better at something than you are. When you are tempted to compare, recognize instead that it’s an opportunity to practice humility and appreciate the gifts of others.

  Choose praise over pettiness. When you notice your host could give Martha Stewart a run for her money, praise her for her talent. If your brother has a newer car, compliment him on it (it’s okay if it’s a sports car to ask for a ride). That joy and sincere smile eradicate self-pity that wants to take root in your heart. Genuinely complimenting others outwardly keeps us from complaining inwardly and cultivating a jealous spirit. 

  Rely on God’s opinion rather than the opinion of others. We must remind ourselves to live for an audience of One. We have to take control of our thoughts and direct our thinking in order to keep our minds from going down a sinful dead end. Not only are you fearfully and wonderfully made, but in Christ, God sees us as perfect. That means we have God’s measuring stick, not our own or that of others to live by.

  Truly thank the Lord for what you do have. Practice being grateful for your blessings instead of fixating on someone else’s. You can even be thankful for things you don’t have that you don’t want! This will probably shock you but while you’re fighting the temptation of comparison with someone who has more than you, someone is fighting that same temptation about you because you seem to have so much that they don’t have.

  Comparison is selfishness disguised. It has us looking at others and thinking about ourselves. We must train our minds to want to please God instead of attempting to impress others. When we stop thinking of how others view us, we can be free from the burden of selfishness.

  Comparison steals our joy and contentment. When we compare ourselves with others, we’re not using an accurate measure. Dragging around the world’s expectations hinders us from the journey that God has in store for us. We cheat ourselves out of God’s blessings when we try to live the life we see others living. When you live your own life, and stop envying someone else’s, you can see your blessings more clearly. Each of us must learn to rejoice and be thankful for what God has given us because the truth is that it’s so much more than we will ever deserve!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Killing Flies with Cannons

 

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” Oscar Wilde

 

  It gives a whole new meaning to the term “bad haircut.” A court in India ordered a hair salon to pay a model $271,000 to compensate her for a bad haircut. This model had been employed by hair care product firms because of her long hair, but the offending salon chopped her hair short against her instructions, causing her a huge monetary loss. India’s National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) ruled that she lost “her expected assignments and suffered a huge loss which completely changed her lifestyle and shattered her dream to be a top model. She underwent severe mental breakdown and trauma due to negligence...in cutting her hair and could not concentrate on her job and finally she lost her job.” 

  This model had gone to the hotel in 2018 to get a haircut and gave specific instructions to the staff about the look she wanted. But the hairstylist cut a major part of her hair, leaving only 4-inches from the top touching her shoulder. When she complained to the salon, she was offered a free hair treatment to make up for the mistake. The woman told the court that the treatment was “dubious and it resulted in damage of her hair. She also suffered the loss of income due to a mental breakdown after the shoddy haircut and, thereafter, the torturous hair treatment. She left her job also… She has gone through the pain and trauma for the last two years after this incident. She lost her self-esteem due to little hair.”

  Probably there was financial loss and some compensation may have been justified but her hair will grow back. What’s the old saying, “the difference between a good and a bad haircut is about two weeks.” $271,000 compensation? That’s way over the top for one bad haircut!

  Overreacting is the norm of today’s world. You’ve probably been in a restaurant where someone had a meltdown because their order was incorrect. Many of these incidents have been captured on YouTube. This world is filled with petty individuals and dramaholics.

  Sometimes these individuals find their way into our churches. Recently, I learned of an administrative assistant at an area church who each week has church attendees point out all of the mistakes she made in the church bulletin. How sad! These missionaries of misery typically overreact about things that don’t really matter, the minute details, the little goofs that have no bearing on anything of significant importance.

  Yet let’s admit it, most of us have our “shooting flies with a cannon” moments. Often, we’re toughest on ourselves. Somehow we’ve lost a grip on the reality that mistakes happen. As famed English poet, Alexander Pope, wisely observed, “to err is human.”

  Mistakes are a part of life. Who hasn’t been driving down the road and realized that they’d left their blinker on for countless miles or forgot to turn off their high beams until an oncoming driver flashed their lights at them. I find that I’m a professional at misplacing things. Often I find what I lost last when I’m looking for the current item that I’ve lost.

  Accidents happen…it’s why they’re called “accidents.” Wise parents help their children handle mistakes by not overreacting. There’s a huge difference between an accident and purposeful rebellion. For example, children spill things (so do adults). That’s completely different from a child who dumps things in anger or throws them. A response to an accident should be a different response than one for rebellion or disobedience.

  My friend, Kathy Lincoln, would wisely say: “You have to know the difference between a lump in your oatmeal, a lump in your throat, or a lump in your breast.” Most gaffes we encounter aren’t worth the angst we give them. Often they’re not permanent and are easily solvable.

  One of my favorite things to say to a clerk or food server who is horrified that they have made a mistake is: “If that’s the worst thing that happens to me today, I’ve had a good day.” Please understand I can slip into being an ogre of overreacting as well as anyone. Something though about being in innumerable ICU units and emergency rooms over the years has given me a needed sense of perspective. It’s a broken, sin-contaminated world. Mistakes are ingrained into it. How should we handle mistakes?

  See mistakes as a blessing and an opportunity to grow. David McCullough’s, The Wright Brothers, records the many failures Orville and Wilbur had before they finally succeeded in inventing the airplane. Mistakes can lead us to discover diverse ways of successfully completing a task. Without mistakes, we’d miss learning many things that make our lives so much more fulfilling.

  Mistakes can be relationship builders. Mistakes provide us with an opportunity to build relationships with those that we otherwise wouldn’t have a relationship. Seeking out help or advice after blundering is an opportunity to make a new friend. None of us are experts at everything. God designed us to need and depend on others.

  Mistakes are an opportunity to show grace. Why did Peter love Jesus so much? Because Jesus was so forgiving and patient with Peter’s continual bungling. Compassion and patience build relationships.

  Think of some of the individuals you feel closest to. Often they’re the ones who’ve shown you the most grace. Graciousness deepens our relationships and trust. One study by Jonathan Haidt of New York University showed that the more employees look up to their leaders and are moved by their kindness, the more loyal they become to him or her.

  When you make a mistake, admit it. Confucius said, “If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.” James 5:16 has the best way to handle it, “Confess your faults to one another.” Don’t blame others, instead take personal responsibility. Stick to the facts and don’t make excuses. It’s not a time for humor or making light of the situation. Apologize that you blew it. If there’s damage or restitution needed, cover it. If possible, outline your new direction or decision, provide the process and timeframe for correcting future mistakes.

  We all blunder. We need to show grace when others make them and take responsibility when we make them. Thankfully, we have a forgiving Father for our countless sins. We’re to forgive others as He has forgiven us (Eph. 4:31-32). Being a forgiver is what it means to be a Christ-follower.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.  

Don't Bury Your Praise!

 “Eternity will be too short fully to recount His praise. 

Let us not shorten our joy by neglecting to begin on earth.”  Henry Law

   A gravestone has finally returned to its resting spot in a Michigan cemetery after it went missing nearly 150 years ago. It was discovered by an auctioneer who found the gravestone during a Lansing, Michigan estate sale last August. The family had used the marble slab to make fudge, but no one could remember where it came from. 

  So, with the family’s permission, the auctioneer contacted a local cemetery preservation society to return the stone to its rightful place. Society members looked for relatives of the gravestone owner, Peter J. Weller, who died in Lansing in 1849, but they couldn’t find any survivors. Eventually, they learned that when Weller’s grave was moved to a different city cemetery in 1875, the monument somehow ended up in the family’s home. On Sept. 26^th, the group conducted a memorial service for Weller marking the return of the gravestone. 

  We’ve all made our cooking mistakes but I think that they really “fudged” on that one. Using a gravestone to cook with has to be up there with one of the top gauche decisions of all time. It’s a bit like using a human femur to stir soup. Some things just ought not to not be done.

  Just as wrong is designating gratitude to the month of November or to the Thanksgiving Season. Praising God needs to permeate our lives 365 days a year, 24/7. Nothing so changes your life as growing into a person of praise. Too many of us compartmentalize praise and make it “church stuff,” when it should be life stuff. Gratitude should be woven into the fabric of everything we do, not relegated to a few hours at church on Sunday. 

  Have you ever tried to think of things to praise God for and struggled to come up with much? While I rarely have difficulty coming up with things to pray for, praise isn’t as easy. Here are five that will help: 

  1) His love endures forever! God loves us so much, He sent His Only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Never mind all the time that we spent ignoring Him, disobeying, etc., He still loves us. (John 3:16; Rom 5:8).

  2) His grace is amazing! His capacity for forgiveness is never-ending. No matter how much we fail, His grace is more than enough. (Eph. 2:4-5).

  3) He is sovereign overall! While none of us know all of the mysteries of life, God does. When you feel out of control, or that the world is out of control, He has it all under control (Ps. 103:19).

  4) He is omnipotent and omniscient! God has the power to do anything and everything! He knows everything and is never surprised. Nothing is beyond His power or knowledge. (Mt. 19:26).

  5) He is always faithful! The Bible promises that the Lord will be with us always, and He’s our ever-present help in times of trouble. (Ps. 46:1). God is awesome and has designed us to praise Him. After your personal quiet time with the Lord, the best place to praise the Lord is in your own home…Our homes and marriages should be permeated by praise. Parents become frustrated when their child whines or chronically complains. Yet, where did they learn that? Too often, it’s from us. How often do our children hear us praising the Lord? How often do we thank our spouse or praise our children? 

  If you put a dollar in a jar over the course of a week for every time you complained and took one out for every time you praised the Lord or thanked someone, you’ll probably have lots of money in the jar by the end of the week.

  Praise and gratitude must be the believer’s default setting. Last year when the pandemic rules began to loosen New York Times reporter, Soumya Karlamangla described how she experienced “a small burst of joy.” Every return to some old, familiar activity, from hugging people to getting haircuts to wandering the aisles of grocery stores, became “almost wondrous” to her. At least for a while, but then, she admits, the feelings began to fade. 

  Karlamangla had some advice for people looking to preserve that “post-lockdown feeling:” practicing the lost art of gratitude. “Once a day, stop and appreciate what you’re able to do now that you weren’t last year. You can make a mental note, tell your partner, text your friend or write it down in a journal. The method doesn’t matter, as long as you’re making a deliberate effort to acknowledge that things have improved.” 

  She goes on to cite scientific evidence of the physical and mental health benefits of cultivating gratitude, including better sleep and higher levels of happiness. “Feeling thankful for the little pleasures in our lives,” she concludes, “can add up to make us happier people overall.”

  Precisely because the pandemic was so disruptive to normal life, our emergence from it provided incredible opportunities for embracing this kind of gratitude. Habitually practicing gratitude is extremely beneficial for us, even for those who don’t believe in God. For that reason alone, we can hope that Times readers take Karlamangla’s advice seriously. Yet for us as Christians, gratitude isn’t some mental health strategy. It’s a profound way of telling the truth: to ourselves, to others, and to the whole world.

  Complaining isn’t harmless; it’s serious sin. The Apostle Paul wrote, “And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel” (1 Cor. 10:10). Think about it. Who are our complaints really against? God. That’s so convicting! Who gave you whatever you find it most tempting to complain about from your spouse to your children to your job to your country to your government to your church (Nah, no one ever complains about church).

  Israel lost forty years wandering the wilderness because when they should have been praising the Lord for His deliverance from slavery in Egypt and provision and protection in the wilderness, they bellyached. We must grow weary of wandering in our own wilderness of discontent and ask the Lord to forgive us. Then, we must learn the habit of praise. Yes, there are some terrible things going on in our world and in our lives. Our Father though is in control. He’s the One we need to share our cares with. We must learn to live in Philippians 4:6, and not just at Thanksgiving, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

  Grumbling should be as rare for a believer as using a tombstone to cook with. Let’s commit to being people of praise!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

A Literal Devil? This is 2021 not 1321!

 “There is no devil in the first two chapters of the Bible and no devil in the last two chapters. Thank God for a book that disposes of the devil.”  Vance Havner 

   During the autumn of 1944 Germany had been beaten back behind its borders. The Nazi war machine was in tatters and the repeated bombing raids of the Allies all but assured that Hitler’s forces would never rise again. Around the perimeter of Germany’s borders, the Allies spread a thin line of forces. One person observed that Allied forces were was so scattered that a man could slip in between its lines without being observed. 

  All across Europe, there was celebration. Parties, dances, speeches all of them rejoicing in Germany’s defeat. The war was effectively over. The only problem was that somebody forgot to tell Hitler and Nazi Germany. 

  Even as his forces were being shattered and driven back Hitler was devising a plan for one last onslaught. Underground factories churned out more weapons, armament and ammunition. More of Germany’s young and old men were conscripted and trained for war. As Europe celebrated, Hitler conspired. His goal was not to drive back the Allies into the sea, as much as it was to divide the British to the North and the Americans to the South, so demoralizing them that they would sue for peace on his terms. Hundreds and thousands of men died because somebody forgot that the enemy still lived and that the war was not completely over.

  We have a much greater and more evil Enemy than a Hitler. His name is Satan. Intellectuals and those in academia are shocked that there are still people who believe in a literal Devil. After all, this is 2021, not 1321.

  If you do not believe in moral absolutes, if you believe that good and evil are relative and on a continuum, then it’s easy to scoff at a literal devil. When evil is relative, it quickly becomes a socially constructed concept, different for each culture and society. It’s held then that different cultures have varied ideas and beliefs about what constitutes “evil.” What is evil to some may well be acceptable and even valuable for others. Morality, good and evil become nothing more than an opinion a world flooded with them.

  To explain away evil or to suggest that it’s only a social construct or a psychological problem is impossible to rationalize away in light of some of the vile evils of just the last century. Was the Holocaust, the genocide of six million Jews who were systematically murdered, nearly two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population a sociological aberration? How could one witness Auschwitz or Treblinka or any other death camp and come to that conclusion? Or conclude it was a psychological failure not a moral one?

  What about Stalin’s Great Purge? How does one rationalize that evil is not real or there is no face of the Devil behind the large-scale repression of the peasantry or the ethnic cleansing by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union? After assessing twenty years of historical research in Eastern European archives, American historian, Timothy D. Snyder concluded that Stalin deliberately killed about 6 million, which rises to 9 million if foreseeable deaths arising from his heinous policies are taken into account.

  Is the Rwandan Genocide of a million souls, the Cambodian Genocide that butchered between 1.5 and 3 million people at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, or Mao’s Great Leap Forward that ultimately exterminated tens of millions, with death estimates ranging even between 15 and 55 million, making the Great Chinese Famine the largest one in human history just social constructs? Just ask the families of the 17 victims of Nikolas Cruz if evil is subjective? Ask them if there is no such thing as right or wrong?

  Evil has a face. Such depths of perversity can’t be explained without a literal Devil. Satan is the great deceiver. One of his greatest deceits is to convince people that he doesn’t really exist. But Satan really does exist, just as surely as God exists. He isn’t some vague, impersonal force; he is a real person—that is, he has a real personality. Just as you and I can think and make decisions and act, so Satan can think and make decisions and act. The difference is that everything he does is evil—without exception—because he is totally opposed to God.

  The Bible teaches that Satan is the number one enemy of God and mankind. Satan comes from a Hebrew word meaning adversary. Devil comes from an equivalent Greek word also meaning adversary or slanderer.

  Throughout Scripture Satan is known as “the ruler of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2); “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4); “one who has the power of death” (Heb. 2:14); “the cosmic powers of this present darkness” (Eph. 6:12); “the great dragon (Rev. 12:9); “the evil one” (Matt. 6:13); “the tempter (1 Thes. 3:5); the accuser of the people of God (Rev. 12:10); and “the father of lies” (John 8:44). But praise God, he is a defeated foe. Wise are the words of Ann Voskamp, “Satan prowls but he’s a lion on a leash.”

  While Satan is a very powerful, spiritual being who hates God and His people, he isn’t equal with God but is engaged in a constant battle against God. We must not take him lightly. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ”

  The most important truth that Christians need to remember is that Satan is a defeated foe. By His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus overcame all the powers of death and evil, and someday His victory will be complete.

  While skeptics deny the reality of Satan, Bible believers cannot. God’s Word warns us to be aware of his plans. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Believers must resist him vigilantly and steadfastly, aware of the reality of his plans to defeat us. When tempted, we must submit ourselves to the Lord, resist him and he will flee (James 4:7).

  A little girl was once asked how she defeats Satan. She said, “When Satan comes knocking at the door of my heart, I send God to answer the door. When Satan sees God, he says, “Oops, I am sorry, I must have the wrong house.” We can’s defeat Satan on our own. We need God’s strength to enable us to conquer him. We must fight Satan, but we must only fight Satan through the power of God proclaimed through His Word. The victory was won 2,000 years ago but we must be vigilant in the fight until Satan’s final defeat. We will win but only in our Savior’s power!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Singing in the Dark

 “Music expresses that which cannot be said  

and on which it is impossible to be silent.”  Victor Hugo

  One of my favorite professors in Bible college was Dr. Edward Burckart. He was a very godly man and truly a gentle soul. Dr. Burckart was a gifted violinist and had studied at Julliard. During World War II he served in the army in Europe as a radar technician and I remember him sharing how the hymns of faith had gotten him through that difficult period of his life. 

  Our Heavenly Father created music. Read the Bible and you’ll find that Scripture is permeated with music. It can be powerful medicine for our souls. As Paul reminded the Colossians believers, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). While Scripture must be our first resource because it’s God’s inspired Word, godly music is a powerful tool to cry out to God with and can be used to minister to our hearts.

  If you’ve been a believer long then you know that the Christian life is a journey of mountains and valleys. Mountain tops are exhilarating, yet God uses the valleys in our lives for our good, yet they’re rarely pleasant. As I’ve walked through my own valleys, God has often used music to encourage and comfort my soul. Some years ago as we struggled with our son, Ben’s epilepsy, one of my favorite songs became Ron Hamilton’s Rejoice in the Lord. 

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song. 

  Hamilton wrote that song immediately after losing an eye to cancer. He went on to use his new eye patch for God’s glory writing several albums geared to children as “Patch the Pirate.” The song is based on Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” 

  Nearly every pastor goes through dark periods in ministry. I know that I’ve gone through mine. I’ve thought a few times that there must be an easier life and was tempted to leave the ministry. During one of those periods Steve Green’s song, Find Us Faithful shored up my soul. 

O may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.

  When this pandemic first struck, I was in a terrible funk. Remember that the first news reports indicated that many were going to become terribly ill or die. I imagined losing many of my friends. I pictured burying some in our church family (wonderfully we’ve not lost a single person at church to Covid). It weighed very heavily on me and I didn’t sleep well for months. My song for that period was Twila Paris’s, God Is In Control.  

This is no time for fear. This is a time for faith and determination.
Don't lose the vision here. Carried away by the motion.
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart.

There is one thing that has always been true. It holds the world together.
God is in control. We believe that His children will not be forsaken.
God is in control. We will choose to remember and never be shaken.
There is no power above or beside Him, we know, God is in control.   

  During the past several months Jane and I have been walking through a dark valley. I’m glad that we don’t play records anymore because I’d have worn the record out. God has used two powerful songs to lift up my soul, Casting Crowns, Praise You In This Storm:

I was sure by now God, you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away. Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen," and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls. I barely hear your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you.” And as your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm. And I will lift my hands
For you are who you are. No matter where I am.

  Praise You In This Storm was inspired by the band, Casting Crowns,  experience with a young girl, Erin Browning. Right around the time the band connected with Erin and her family, it had been discovered that this little girl had cancer and she soon died. According to lead vocalist Mark Hall, "Watching [Erin's mother] walk through this really showed me truth about my worship. Watching her walk through a real storm showed me that my worship was extremely situational.”

  Just one more…When we go through difficult times and valleys, we feel very alone. I know that I do. Sometimes the pain is so great we can’t share it or fear we’ll lose control of our emotions. During the past few months, the Lord has used Another In The Fire by Hillsong to remind me over and over again that I’m never alone. It’s based on Daniel 3 when three faithful Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon after they refuse to bow down to the king’s idolatrous image.

There was another in the fire. Standing next to me.
There was another in the waters. Holding back the seas.
And should I ever need reminding. Of how I’ve been set free.
There is a cross that bears the burden. Where another died for me.

  Another In The Fire is the personal testimony of worship leader, Chris Davenport, after learning his son had autism. Resolving to go on, despite his feelings and trust God though he was hurting so badly. He shares, “This is what faith's all about. It’s not about a fairy tale. It's not about everything working out. It's about becoming more like Jesus, no matter the cost.” 

  I’m thankful for Christian music. Much of it puts God’s eternal Word to a melody and helps me remember His truth. It’s a well of hope for parched souls. It reminds us to trust Him and keep praising Him. It helps me to keep on singing because I know that my Father truly is in control.

 Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Food, Family and Lighting a Candle

 “A family can be the bane of one's existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one's existence. I don't know whether my family is bane or meaning, but they have surely gone away and left a large hole in my heart.”  Keri Hulme

   Prior to reading most books, I read the book reviews. Because I love to cook and experiment with new recipes, I was intrigued by a book review in the July 17, 2021 issue of “World Magazine” about Life From Scratch by Sasha Martin. Over the course of 195 weeks, food writer and blogger, Sasha Martin set out to cook—and eat—a meal from every country in the world. As cooking unlocked the memories of her rough-and-tumble childhood and the loss and heartbreak that came with it, she became determined to find peace and elevate her life through the prism of food and world cultures. Sasha had a very hard early life. She never met her father who’d abandoned the family. Her mother lost custody of her two children, and Sasha and her brother ended up in a foster family. Her brother committed suicide. Sasha lived with the foster family in Europe, acted out, and moved back to the United States. She graduated college and attended cooking school. An internship brought her to Tulsa, Oklahoma where she fell in love and embarked on a project: cooking a meal from every country in the world. The project led to this engaging memoir with recipes. In it, she depicts the joy and chaos of her early life, shows the power of food to break down barriers, arouse an appetite for adventure, cultivate community, and work to piece together a fractured family. 

  Though witty, warm, and poignant, Sasha Martin’s memoir about cooking her way to healing, it was sad to read of a child experiencing so much family pain. What’s most heartbreaking is that her family history is becoming more and more the present norm in American life. 

  Today some 16 million children live with their single mothers. Another three million live with their single fathers. 25% of children under 18 live with single moms; 4% were living with single dads. 1300 new stepfamilies are formed each day. 40% of families in the U.S. are blended with at least one partner having a child from a previous relationship before marriage. 

  Today 53% of U.S. adults ages 18 and older are married, down from 58% in 1995. Over the same period, the share of Americans cohabiting has risen from 3% to 7%. Taken together, six-in-ten Americans are either married or living with a partner. Frequently underage children are in those homes  

  About 1 in 8 children (8.7 million) aged 17 or younger live in a household with at least one parent with a substance use disorder, the recurrent use of alcohol or other drugs or both, that results in significant impairment. 

  The cost and deep pain of a lack of stable home and emotional stability on children is very high. The ramifications can last a lifetime.

  Birthdays are times of reflection for me (today is mine). When I was 10. my mother was killed in a car accident and I was raised by a single Dad, who though financially successful, was a prescription drug addict. The truths of Psalms 18:30, “As for God, His way is perfect” and Joseph’s words to his murderous yet now repentant brothers are still true, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Gen. 50:20). But I carry my scars as many of you also do.

  One of my favorite quotes is, “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Methodist pastor, William L. Watkinson in a sermon titled “The Invincible Strategy” made that powerful statement. His sermon was later reprinted in a periodical called “China’s Millions” to challenge Christians about the great need for missions in China.

  The “millions” today are all around us but they’re not just in China. They live next door, work beside you or even sit near you in church. The fragmentation of the family carries a high price. It’s why many see a therapist or are on medication for emotional issues. The lack of family stability often has long-lasting pain. What can we do?

  First, we need to be biblically honest about our own family history and the baggage that comes with it. Often what is our “normal,” isn’t. When I lived with Dad and Mom Cummins in my early twenties, I was shocked to learn that they didn’t fight all of the time (I only remember a handful of disagreements). They actually problem-solved and dearly loved each other.

  Christmas was one of my bigger shocks. Every Christmas growing up, my Dad lost his temper with my Mom and she’d end up in her bedroom crying. It was my “normal.” To actually have a “Merry Christmas” was a bit like being transported to Mars for me.

  Many of us carry harmful relational baggage and don’t know it. We need godly friends to come alongside us, be honest with us, and help us. We need the truth of God’s Word to come into our hearts and work its way inside out so we become more like Jesus, who is the standard of normal.

  Second, we must have more grace and patience with each other. We need to walk a mile in their shoes. That simply means trying to consider and understand the other person’s perspectives, experiences or even family history before making judgments about them. Often we’re so self-focused, we neglect to take the time to understand where others are coming from. We need believers that take seriously Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

  Third, we need more spiritually mature Christians to disciple and mentor younger ones. None of us are perfect, so please don’t wait until you’ve “arrived.” In our church family, we have young couples and parents who could use the prayer, encouragement, and support of those who’ve already traveled their road. They don’t need scolding over inconsequential concerns. Many of them just need to know that someone has their back, is praying for them and encouraging them.

  While we can’t change the world, we can make a difference in ours. It’s what God has called us to do! It’s time to light some candles. It’s an opportunity to make a generational difference by assisting younger believers to dine on the fruit of the Spirit in their marriages and families. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.