I got an electric bike to help me get in better shape. I say “better shape” because I am already in shape. Round is a shape, right? And don’t be like one of my friends who said, “Electric bikes aren’t exercise.” Go pound sand, Sparky! I have bum knees and a bad back. I may not be doing the Tour de France, but I am pedaling and exercising, so go back to kicking dogs or taking candy from small children, you joy crusher. But I digress…

Anyway, I have been riding all around the mobile home community where I live, but on Friday I wanted a change of scenery, so I took a ride outside the park

I had ridden for about 20 minutes when something didn’t seem right. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the mechanics of an e-bike, I’m not, but I think we can both figure out quickly that the tires need air in them.

Yep, I had a flat. My back tire was as flat as my little turtle after my brother sat on it.

Fortunately, I discovered the flat right outside a tire shop. A nice mechanic filled my back tire and I was off. I no longer cared about exercise, I just wanted to get home before the air ran out again.

No such luck.

I pushed the bike about half a mile to an oil change place right down the street from my house. I filled the tire up once again and pedaled for home. This time I made it. It had taken me two tries, but I made it home.

I know a lot of people who have tried serving Christ, but somehow the air got taken out of them. They hit a difficulty, or a relationship went bad, or maybe a pastor or a church hurt them. Whatever happened, they gave up and left Jesus behind.

The longer the time after they left, the harder they make it on themselves to return. One man told me, “I can’t go back to Jesus, Jerry. It has been too long.” Too long? Too long for whom? Not God. God is not constrained by our ideas of time, so He’s not the issue.

Often, the issue is our own pride. We would rather struggle in life than admit we need Jesus back in our lives. Instead, we just keep pushing the bike with the flat tire, sweating and cursing, wishing something would change.

Just come home.

In Luke 15 Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son. Tired of waiting for his dad to die, the son goads the father to give him his inheritance and then leaves home. It doesn’t take long for the son to come to ruin, so he decides to eat his pride and go home.

As he gets within distance of his house, broken, hurting and shamed, he sees something:

Luke 15:20

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Don’t miss this! “While he was still a long way off…” His father was waiting for him to return. The father greeted his wayward son not with a lecture, but an embrace. He wasn’t greeted with anger, he was enveloped in love, a love he took for granted. The father wanted the son to come home more than the son did!

God has been waiting for you to come home, too. Quit making excuses, swallow your pride, and come home.

Your Father is waiting…

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

I love the videos on the Hydraulic Press Channel on Facebook! There is something very satisfying about watching a container of Skittles pressed until a rainbow of stuff comes squeezing out of the slots of the press. In the videos you can hear the joy of the man and his wife as they squash stuff that shouldn’t be squashed. Light bulbs? Squash ‘em! A sledge hammer head? Squash it! Very few things, if any, can’t be destroyed under the pressure of the mighty hydraulic press.

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be squashed, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die.”

I’m sure all of us can relate to Paul here. The pressures of this life weigh down on us, trying to squash us until we feel like death is right around the corner. I know I have felt this way. There were times when I thought death would be preferable to the pressure and pain.

But there is a way out!

So often when we feel these pressures our first reaction is to do whatever we can to “fix the problem.” Yeah, how’s that working out for you, Sparky? If you’re like me, not very well.

Paul’s answer, and one I have leaned into, is to stop relying on ourselves and rely totally on God. That means taking your hands off of the problem, relinquishing your worries, and letting God take care of it.`

It ain’t easy, but it is necessary. You see, our “trying to help” just get in the way of God working. If I hand you a book and firmly grasp one corner of it, I severely limit how much you can do with it. But if I place the book in your hands and take my grubby mitts off of it, you are free to do what you like with it. You may do things with that book that are totally different than I would have done with it. That’s fine, it’s your book, do what you want with it.

We need to treat the pressures and troubles of our lives the same way. Hand all of them to God, then take our clingy, controlling hands off of them. Let God have full control, knowing His ways may be different from ours, but they are infinitely better!

Now excuse me, I just found a cool video of a Santa being crushed, and I can’t wait to watch the fat man to get what’s coming to him…

In Mark chapter 15 the leading priests had brought Jesus to Pilate to have Jesus executed. Pilate was smart enough to have figured at least one thing out:

Mark 15:10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

The dictionary defines envy as, “To feel resentful and unhappy because someone else possesses, or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved”

The chief priests wanted what Jesus had. They wanted to be loved and adored. They wanted the authority that came from God truly speaking through you, not just making sure other people followed their rules.

Okay, so a bunch of whiny babies are envious. Big deal, too bad, so sad for you, little man.

But their envy led to more. Much more.

A few verses later, after the guards had beaten and spat on Jesus we find,

Mark 15:20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

No envy from the chief priests means no beating and mockery of Jesus.

The chief priests were envious, and it led to the beating, the humiliation, and the death of an innocent man.

If we’re not careful, we can let our envy cause all kinds of pain, too. Our envy can cause us to talk down a person simply because we want to “take them down a notch.” It’s easier to try to bring someone down than to try and raise ourselves up. Envy is the cheap, destructive way out.

God wants us to let Him raise us up. God’s plan is to make us better. All envy does is make us bitter.

You can be better or bitter. It’s up to you.

Today’s Readings: Job 26,27: Mark 15 16

Here is the fist video in my new Bible Study series, Restoration Project. The 4 part series will deal with God’s amazing grace: how to accept it and how to live in it.

I came across this song as part of my Spotify feed this morning, and it spurred something in me.

Pat Barrett has a song called “I’ve Got A Fire,” that so sums up how excited we should be about serving God, but sometimes we let things get in the way.

“Break off the chains, let the horses run
Unleash the praise at the top of your lungs
Right now, we're living in the glory days
Right now, Heaven is in this place

“I can sing forever how You freed my soul
Freed my soul, freed my soul
I can sing forever how You made me whole
Made me whole, made me whole
I can sing forever how You freed my soul
Freed my soul, freed my soul
I can sing forever how You made me whole
Made me whole, made me whole”

Matthew 22:37-38 says, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

I love that verse! ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind. Sold out completely, lock, stock and barrel! God didn’t love us halfheartedly, we shouldn’t love Him that way, either. Don’t worry about what anybody else says or thinks, love God with everything you have!

Then I looked for a video from the song, and boy, did I find one! The video shows Pat Barrett’s father, Marty, listening to his son’s song. Joyful chaos ensues!

I’ve embedded the video below, watch it and you’ll see what I mean. I don’t know about you, but I could use some joyful chaos today!

I bought a set of elastic resistance bands to exercise with. I’m getting older (okay, much older), and I need to get into a shape other than ovate. I’m never going to be skinny, but I would like to get to the point that no part of my body jiggles weirdly on a bumpy road.

After thinking and researching for a month or so, I decided that the elastic bands made the most sense for me, and I had a good think about ordering them. No sense rushing into these things, you know…

The bands seemed like a nice, low impact way to begin exercising, so I fired up the Amazon machine and had a set sent to me. They arrived and I promptly let them sit on my counter for a couple of weeks. No sense rushing into these things, you know…

Finally, my frugality overcame my laziness, and I moved the bands outside to my table where they promptly sat for another few days. No sense rushing into these things, you know…

Last week I started using the bands, and sure enough, they work great. I have lost 150 pounds in the two weeks I have been using them and I seriously considering resuming my swimsuit modeling career.

Okay, I made that last part up. The bands do work great, though. I immediately found out how inflexible my joints are! I worked out with a nice lady on YouTube who could twist the elastic bands into pretzel shapes with her feet behind her head. Meanwhile, I was struggling to fit the bands over my feet and onto my ankles.

Even though I am not good at them yet, I am still going on with the exercises. I have a goal, and I can only attain it by persevering. Quitting won’t get me where I want to go.

A lot of people start out gung-ho for Jesus then slowly taper off in their zeal and dedication. They never attain the joy in Christ or the spiritual freedom they needed because they gave up.

Galatians 6:9 says, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

In February I am going to turn 67 years old. I can be a fitter, trimmer 67 or I can remain a, well, not so trim, definitely not fit 67. It’s the same amount of time, it’s the amount of effort and persistence that will make the change. Effort alone won’t do it if I’m not persistent, and persistence alone won’t do anything if I don’t put in any effort.

So if you drop by my RV in the afternoon you may get the chance (misfortune?) of seeing me trying to twist an elastic band into a pretzel with my feet behind my head. Or at least, trying to get the band over my ankles. Either way, you will see me trying.

John 5:1-6 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

My name is, well my name really isn’t all that important. I’m a nobody, a non-entity, really. I don’t have a job, I am crippled, I have to beg alms for what little sustenance I get. I’m nothing.

Every day my family drags me down to the Sheep Gate and plops me down on the sides of the pool of Bethesda. I’m not just laying around, though. I am waiting for the waters to stir. You see, every time they stir, the first one in the pool gets healed. Of course, I’m never the first one in. Problem is, I can’t move so good, and somebody beats me to the water every time. Maybe one of these days I will be first in the water. Someday. Of course, it hasn’t happened yet, and I have been lying here for thirty-eight years. Maybe tomorrow. Probably not, though…

It is about midday, and I am getting hungry. Too bad my family doesn’t pack me a lunch. I will just have to hope that someone takes pity on me and gives me their leftovers or something. Yeah, fat chance of that.

I look up and someone is blocking the sun. I try to see his face, but the sun is glaring right behind his head. His voice is calm and soothing. He looks down at me and asks me one of the stupidest questions I have ever heard. “Do you want to get well?”

Do I want to get well? What kind of lame-brained question is that? If I didn’t want to get well, would I have my family drag me down here every day? Of course I want to get well. I am about to really tell him off when I realize something. Do I really want to get well? Sure, my life is tough, but if I get well things will change. I will have to get a job. People will start expecting things of me. Do I want to get well? Hope begins to well up inside of me for some reason. I blurt out, “Yes, sir. I do want to get well.”

The man looks down at me and says, “Then pick up your bed and start walking.” Of all the out of work comedians in Jerusalem, I have to get this guy. Sorry, pal, take your sick standup routine somewhere else. If I could get up and walk, I would. I have tried so many times, I finally gave up. But something inside is telling me I can do it. What the heck, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I tentatively pull my legs underneath me, pushing my body up on my hands. Here goes nothing…

To my amazement, everything works! My legs are strong for the first time in almost forty years! I stand up tall and straight, then reach over and roll up my bedroll. I turn to look for the stranger, but he is gone. Shouldn’t he have stuck around and gotten some credit? How weird.

Whatever, I am healed! I head down the street, a bounce in my step, feeling free for the first time in years. Then I see them, the holy men, coming toward me in a hurry. One of them shakes his finger in my face and yells at me, “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know it’s the Sabbath? You can’t carry a bedroll today!”

I try to explain to him that I have been crippled for almost four decades, and now I can walk! “The man who healed me told me to carry the bedroll. He is the one who healed me, so I figured it would be okay. I don’t know his name. He didn’t stick around.”

The holy men leave me standing there. They are muttering under their breath about somebody. Evidently they know who the healer was, and it upset them. Whatever. Their rules and their judgmental attitudes never got me healed.

Later, I was walking, yes, you heard me, walking, home through the Temple. And a man came up to me. I don’t recognize his face, but when he speaks I know instantly who he is. “You look wonderful,” he says, “You’re well.” I ask him his name so I can thank him properly. He says his name is Jesus.

Jesus, what a wonderful name. I will remember him forever. There is something pretty special about him…

For the audio of my message based on this story, go to No Hairspray, No Cameras, Just Help

Blessings to you… Jerry

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@remnantchurchiv

#NewBibleStudy

I came across this story online the other day and decided it was too stupid and bizarre to be real. I was wrong…

Yes, young people in China have embraced a trend of keeping activated yeast as a low maintenance "static pet". This "pet yeast" is a jar of fermented flour and water that the owner feeds regularly, creating a living, bubbling companion. The trend aligns with a "lazy healing" lifestyle, offering a simple, low-cost way to experience companionship without the demanding responsibilities of traditional pets, and it can be repurposed into steamed buns when the owner no longer wishes to care for it.

What the what? You keep a jar of potential bread or beer starter as a “pet?” The dictionary defines a pet as: “a domestic or tamed animal kept for companionship or pleasure (emphasis mine, also the emphasis of any reasonably sane person, which may or not include me…).

One “yeast pet owner” said, “No need to walk it, no mess, it’s worry-free and easy to look after!”

“If you don’t want to keep it anymore, just add more flour and turn it into steamed buns to eat; there is no psychological burden,” another yeast ‘parent’ commented.

There it is, the easy, perfect, utterly psychotic way to get along in this screen obsessed impersonal world. You make up a weird, bubbly mass of grossness that you don’t have to nurture, walk, or pay attention to. And once you get bored with it, which you undoubtedly will, you eat it. Trust me, when I get bored with Winston (fat chance) I sure ain’t eating him!

Romans 1:21-23 says, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. “

When we don’t acknowledge the true God, our lives look for replacements and substitutes, but nothing works. Blaise Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

Quit looking for a substitute for God, you won’t find one that satisfies. Only a personal relationship with Jesus will fill satisfy your needs.

I only hope my sandwich today wasn’t somebody’s pet…

I travel with a French Bulldog named Winston. I named him after Winston Churchill because he looks grumpy. Kind of like me.

Last week Winston was on his usual perch, my lap, sleeping and doing his best to mess up whatever I was doing on my iPad.

It was time for me to visit the facilities, so I said quietly, “Alright…” Suddenly Winston jumped up and headed for the front door, then back to the cabinet by the sink. His ears were perked up, and he looked at me expectantly.

Mind you, I hadn’t said “walk,” or “treats.” I had merely said, “Alright.” Over the following days I realized that whenever I go to do a new task, get up from my chair, or whatever, I say, “Alright…”

Winston is a smart enough dog that he has learned that word means something is going to happen. It might include food, treats, or walking. He doesn’t know WHAT’S going to happen, he just knows SOMETHING is going to happen, and whatever it is, he’s ready!

I wonder sometimes if I am as ready to move when God speaks as Winston is when I do. I should be, God has always been there for me. Through the highs and the lows of my life He has been there. Whether I find myself beside still waters or in the valley of death, the Good Shepherd has always been with me, providing peace, guidance, and wisdom.

Unfortunately, I haven’t always listened. Invariably, the lack of listening has led to bad decisions, pain, sin, or all of the above simultaneously.

In John 10:27 Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” That’s the key: listen and follow. Listening doesn’t do any good if you don’t follow what God says. Following doesn’t work if you haven’t listened for directions. Listen AND follow.

Let’s all take more time to listen for God to say, “Alright…” and be ready for what’s next. One thing is for sure, it will be a walk with a Savior who loves us, and will lead us to still waters in a chaotic world.

Engage Old Man Rant Mode:

Yesterday I sold my left kidney so I could treat myself and go to the movies to see the new Naked Gun remake. After signing a Promissory Note, I was able to buy popcorn and a soda.

Unfortunately, the movie was pretty bad. I loved the original Naked Gun with Leslie Nielsen, so I knew the reboot might not compare.

It didn’t.

Lots of dead time, a plot stolen from The Kingsman, and a few good laughs.

The worst part of the movie was Chatty Cathy sitting next to me, explaining every joke to his wife, who I can only surmise had the IQ of an ice cube based on his explanations of EVERY JOKE IN THE MOVIE! Did he whisper them? He did not. He had the vocal volume of a man standing next to a 747 at takeoff.

I had fulfilled my part of the cinema social contract. I bought my ticket early, and chose a good seat. Somehow when Mr. Loudmouth was picking his ticket, he thought, “Hmm, the theater is mostly empty, where should I sit? Yeah, I’ll sit next to the old guy sitting by himself.”

Next time, I’ll just wait for the video to come out on Netflix.

Old Man Rant Mode disengaged… for now

For the last two summers, I have been working as a Ranger at Gettysburg Farm in Dover, Pennsylvania. I enjoy it there, they are great people here and you can’t beat the weather.

The other day, my coworker, Matt, and I were sitting on the porch of the Ranger station, and he happened to mention George Strait. I’ve always liked George Strait, but I don’t listen to him very often. So that afternoon, while I was doing paperwork in the shack I told Spotify to play me some George Strait.

It has been three days now, and I have been listening to George Strait Radio on Spotify nonstop for my entire eight-hour shift! It’s all Matt’s fault. If he hadn’t mentioned George Strait I probably wouldn’t have even thought about it. The next day Jami came in, heard the music and said, “Looks like I need to go put on some George Strait!”

It’s funny how suggestion works. Matt wasn’t trying to get me to listen to Ol’ George, but there I was listening to “Ocean Front Property” and “Amarillo by Morning” nonetheless. We were having a casual conversation and it sparked something in me.

As Christians, we should be influencing people around us to Jesus. Not by preaching, not by haranguing, and certainly not by judging. We should be living a life that makes them say, “I need to put on some Jesus…”

In Matthew 5:14-17 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

If we’re living our day to day lives as Christians our conversations, our love, and our care for others will influence those around us. It’s a byproduct of walking with Jesus! Just like Matt casually mentioning George Strait and influencing me, then Jami coming in and being influenced by me, when we live for Jesus in front of others, it becomes a multiplication factor!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to hear “Amarillo by Morning” one more time.

Matthew 10:9-10 “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

I don’t like uncertainty. I have been traveling in my RV for over three years now. I make a schedule for where I am going to be staying, where I will refuel, and where I am going to stop to eat.

Well, I try to. Sometimes things happen. As the old Scottish poem says, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

I can’t imagine being one of the disciples who got these marching orders from Jesus. Every cell in my body would cry out, “But, but, but...” The disciples knew that even though Jesus told them not to take anything they were going to be fine. Why did they believe that? Because Jesus sent them.

There’s a great exchange in the movie, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Pee Wee and Simone are sitting in the head of the Cabazon dinosaur. Simone has always dreamed of going to France, and Pee Wee encourages her to go. She answers, “I know you're right, Pee-wee, but...”

Pee Wee tells her, “But what? Everyone I know has a big "But...? C'mon, Simone, let's talk about *your* big "But".”

What is your big but? What is keeping you from fulfilling what God has for you? Is it fear? Is it being timid? Is it a lack of motivation? What is your big but?

We can come up with a million and one excuses not to follow God’s plans for us. In the end, though, we have one good reason to follow His plan: because He sent us!

So quit worrying about your big but. Let Jesus take you where you need to go and do what He needs you to do.

The first step is the hardest, but He is with you all along the way.

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. John 19:20

Millions of people went to church on Easter Sunday.

Now what?

Choirs sang beautiful cantatas, and thrilled church goers.

Now what?

Pastors gave impassioned messages aimed at bringing the lost to Jesus.

Now what?

On Good Friday the disciples watched as their rabbi, their friend, their Savior was crucified.

Now what?

If you’re the disciples, you go hide in a room and lock the doors, afraid for your lives. Seeing your leader get crucified will do that to you.

Now what?

Then Mary came running into the room with the news that Jesus had broken the chains of death and was alive!

Now what?

In John 20:21 Jesus told the disciples exactly what was next: get to work! “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

The Easter story is not only told in church once a year, it is lived by us daily, in everything we do. The story of Jesus and his resurrection that brings us healing, peace, and eternal life must ooze out of every pore of our body! It must inhabit our lives, our conversations, and the things we do.

So Easter isn’t over, it’s just beginning in our hearts.

So I ask you: now what?

What will you do in your life to echo the story of Jesus? What will you do to show those around you that not only does God love them, but you do as well?

You’ve been given a calling.

Now what?

The wall of Jerusalem was in shambles. The Israelites had been exiled from their country, then allowed to return.

Ezra had rebuilt the temple, but the city walls were destroyed, and its gates were burned to the ground. A city without a wall is vulnerable to attack. Something had to be done.

When Nehemiah heard about the state of Jerusalem, God’s holy city, he wept. God was preparing Nehemiah to do something great, but first, Nehemiah needed to be broken.

In Nehemiah 1 prays a prayer of brokenness;

Nehemiah 1:5-7

Then I said, “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

Nehemiah acknowledged his sin, he didn’t try to hide behind a corporate “We have sinned…” No, Nehemiah broke before God and admitted his own need of forgiveness.

Like the wall, Nehemiah was ready to be rebuilt. But how?

Nehemiah 1:8-9 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’”

Nehemiah reminded God of His promises. God hadn’t forgotten them, but there is something powerful in praying God’s promises back to Him. In essence, we are telling God, “I know you said this, and I am putting my faith in you keeping your promises.”

Psalms 81:10 says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”

Did you notice the steps there? “Open your mouth wide” THEN “I will fill it with good things…”

God will rebuild us, but it begins with being broken. As we pour out our hearts to God, he begins pouring into our lives. Brick by brick, block by block, God builds us up, pouring good things into us, if we will open our mouths wide and let him.

I am in the rebuilding phase. Brick by brick, block by block, I can feel God restoring me. There has been a lot of repenting, crying, and feeling sorry for myself. I have been broken, but God has begun pouring into me. I still have rough days, but God is in those days, too. I fall, get back up, dust off my britches, and try again. Opening my mouth to sing God’s praises and remind myself of His promises.

Trust me, my mouth is wide open for His blessings!

With tears in my eyes, I hurry down the road. My slave is sick, he may even die, but I know who can help him.

I have heard much about this Jewish man named Jesus. They say he teaches like no one before him, that he has compassion. And, most importantly to me right now, he can heal the sick.

It’s crazy, really. Under Roman law I can just kill a slave when he gets too sick to work. That’s what all my fellow soldiers said to do, some even offered to do it for me! In my view, though, he’s not property, he’s a person. Who knew I would end up caring about Jews?

The problem is, I can’t ask Jesus to come into my home. It is forbidden for a Jew to enter a Roman dwelling. If he is the miracle working rabbi that I believe him to be, he doesn’t even have to enter my home. I’m not worthy to be in this teacher’s presence, let alone invite him into my house!

Well, there he is. As he is approaching me, I see his eyes. They are full of compassion, yet it feels like they are looking straight through me. This is a mistake. Why should someone as great as him help me? Here goes nothing!

“Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

He looks at me, and I am suddenly terrified that I have offended him, but then I feel a warmth toward me as he speaks and says, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”

I thank him and turn toward home. Something odd has happened, and I am going to have to really ponder it to make sense of it all. Another one of my servants is running down the road toward me. He needn’t get out of breath; I know what he is going to say.

My servant is well. Jesus has healed him.

What power, what majesty the man has! Yet, what grace and compassion he offers. There really is something special about him. I need to know more…

See Luke 7:1-10 for the full story.

I have had the same coffee mug for almost ten years, maybe longer. It has been to crime scenes, church, and camps. It has traveled from California, all the way up the east coast. The poor cup has fallen off trucks, tractors, and cars. It has always survived. Until the other day…

I was getting into the RV and the cup fell. No big deal, it has happened literally hundreds of times. Not this time. The handle broke off!

I was in shock! This mug has survived so much, only to be broken by a three-foot fall! It’s like an Abram’s tank being taken down by driving over a pebble!

I took a moment to grieve my old friend. The next morning I made coffee in a virtually identical mug, but it just didn’t seem the same. It wasn’t MY mug, even though it belonged to me.

I started looking for replacement mugs on Amazon, and I found one. I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

In the end, I drank coffee out of my now handleless mug today, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I thought about using epoxy to attach the handle but decided against it. Like the paint that has chipped off, and the dents, the lost handle is part of the cup now.

Like my cup, I have quite a few miles on me. I’ve got bum knees, a bad back, and assorted other niggling little issues. Put it all together in a not very attractive package and you have Jerry Godsey.

And God loves me, scars and all. None of my shortcomings change His love for me. The aches and pains and broken parts of me don’t change His love. Even my sin can’t make Him love me less.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:35-39:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That kind of love can only come from God! The great thing is that He loves you like that, too. No matter how far you have been from Him, he still loves you, and He desperately wants you back. Even if your handle is broken off, God will still treasure you.

So now when I drink out of my scarred and broken mug every morning, I will think of God’s love for me, a love that transcends my failings and shortcomings, and I will give thanks for God’s amazing love for me, and for you.

You know, I think I’ll make an afternoon cup of coffee in my broken, scarred mug. And I will love it!

During the COVID lockdown Remnant did a series called Beautifully Broken. The song we used was Beautifully Broken by Plumb, and I still struggle to get through it without crying.

Lately, God has been bringing me back to the idea of being beautifully broken. Like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, God is able to take a cup that is broken and left for the scrap heap, and make it beautiful again.

My own life is in the rebuilding phase right now. I have no idea where it will take me, or what my life will look like when God is done, but I do know this: God doesn’t make junk, so I am looking for beauty!

Below is the link to a sermon I preached as part of the series, called Broken Cups. I don’t usually share sermon video, but this seemed right today. If you are broken, hang in there, God can, and will, start the restoration process!

Broken Cups

Sing along with me:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Football is starting and

Hockey is starting and

Baseball’s in high gear!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Let all of your senses take in the joy that is around you. Can you smell it? It’s the smell of hope.

As of today, every team in the National Football League is even. The Chiefs may be returning Super Bowl champs, but they have the same record as the New York Giants. My Chicago Bears are tentatively looking forward to moving up a notch this year. Who knows? They could be really good!

That’s the beauty of a new season. Anything is possible! Every football fan can look forward to the possibility that this could finally be your year. Well, except for Dallas Cowboys fans, you are destined to be crushed once again…

Have you entered a new season in your life? Do you wake up every morning in anticipation of what God can do in you, for you, and through you? Or do you wake up with dread, fear, and pain? Every day is a new season, a chance to achieve greatness in our spiritual lives.

How do we do that? We need to remember that yesterday ended at midnight. Yesterday’s victories, defeats, joys, and hurts don’t have to follow us into the next day.

Oh, sure, we can continue to wallow in our pain. We can try to live off the blessings we had yesterday. Neither of those choices are best for us, though.

We need to face each day like the Apostle Paul, who wrote:

Philippians 3:13-14

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

I love that verse! Whatever happened yesterday, today is a new day. It is a new season for us to thrive and strive!

Trust me, I know how hard it can be to be upbeat about what happened, or didn’t happen, yesterday. What is bringing me out of the wilderness I have struggled through in the last few months is that God still loves me, and His love is enough to help me start a new season every day.

Now, if the Bears can just get out of their wilderness…

Let me share some quotes with you:

•  “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Charles H. Duell, U.S. Patent Office director, 1899.

• “Who the h--- wants to hear actors talk?” H. M. Warner, Warner Bros. Pictures, c. 1927. (Actually, this might fit now, as well…)

• “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” Grover Cleveland, 1905.

• “Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.” Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, c. 1895.

• “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty.”  The Michigan banker who advised Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the new motor car company.

   You know what all these mistakes have in common?  We still remember them.  We read the quotes from famous men who said stupid things, and we remember.

   Bigger than all these mistakes, though, is not accepting Christ’s offer of forgiveness.  Jesus did all the heavy lifting and accomplished for us what we could not do for ourselves.  He forgave us our sins, our mistakes. We just need to remember to accept His love for us.

   Someone once said that failure is not fatal.  That is not necessarily so.  Failing to accept Christ’s forgiveness is indeed fatal.  It will keep you out of heaven, and keep you from all the happiness and peace that God has for you.

   Christ sees all of our mistakes, but still is able to forgive us.  Not only does He forgive us, He also forgets about our sins.  Once Christ forgives you, He doesn’t hold it to your account any longer.

Psalms 103:12 says, He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

     Steve Brown tells the story of a nun who once confessed to her bishop that Christ had revealed himself to her in person. The bishop was surprised, but he knew this nun and the deep walk she had with the Lord. So he said to her, "Look, the next time he reveals himself to you in person, ask him about the sins of the archbishop, because I'd like to know some of the bad things that he's been doing."

   Because he was her confessor, the nun said that she would act in obedience and do exactly that. A number of weeks later she came back. The bishop said, "Well, did he reveal himself to you?"

   She said, "Yes."

   The bishop said, "What did he say?"

The nun replied, "He said, 'I don't remember.' "

   Isn’t that great?  He doesn’t remember our mistakes.  He only remembers forgiving us.

   Burying my mistakes in Christ’s forgiveness... Jerry