Jim's Missionary Blog

Abraham Was FULLY Convinced

2012-01-31T21:50:00.000+01:00

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."
Romans 4:20, 21 (NKJV)

In Romans 4 we read about the promise God gave to Abraham about having a son. When God first gave this promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:15-17, Abraham fell on the ground laughing! Laughing at the promise of God does not sound like something someone who is fully convinced about something does; it sounds like someone who does not believe what was said. The question is, how did Abraham go from not being convinced to being FULLY convinced and what can we learn from this story?

In Genesis 17:5 we read that God said, "No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations". The name Abraham means, "father of a multitude". The interesting thing is that this was not the natural reality in Abraham's life. Then in Romans 4:17 it quotes what is said in Genesis 17:5 and adds "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did". Abraham had a choice, to call himself what God called him (Abraham) or to call himself what he had always called himself (Abram). Abraham made the decision to talk about himself in the same way that God did and that is the key.

Many people are weak in faith and unconvinced about what God says in His Word, first of all because they don't really know God's Word, and secondly because they are not talking like God talks or seeing themselves as God sees them. No matter what is happening in our life we need to go back to God's Word and see what God has to say about it and then speak and act accordingly. This is how we get to the point of being fully convinced about God's Word.

At first Abraham did not believe what God had said and laughed about it. But as Abraham continued to act and speak in faith, by referring to himself as Abraham (father of many nations), Abraham developed in his faith to the point that he was not laughing at the promise but expecting the fulfillment. How about you? What is happening in your life and what does God's Word have to say about it? You may look at God's Word and what God has said about your situation and it looks as impossible as God's promise did to Abraham. But if you continue to focus on what God has said and continue to speak like God speaks, you will receive the promise and then you will really have something to laugh and rejoice about!

New Things In The New Year

2011-12-31T13:30:00.002+01:00

As the New Year is about to begin there is a lot of talk about people doing new things and making changes to their lives. Many people make New Year's resolutions in an effort to make positive changes in their lives and in turn make the New Year better than the last year. Although it should be obvious that nothing special takes place between December 31st and January 1st, many people use the changing of the calendar as the point to make a change in their lives.

No one is perfect and we can all find areas in our life where we can grow and develop, but we don't have to wait until the end of a calendar year to do so. There is something about the change of the year that gives people new hope and the belief that things can change and be better. For anyone who is a Christian we know that God has promised to help us and God has given us the Holy Spirit to assist us in our daily lives. Positive changes can be made at any time and with God's help the change can be a permanent one.

Permanent change is another aspect of having new things in the New Year. Many people start the New Year wanting to change and trying to change, but by February some have already made a mess of things and they give up. Or they get sidetracked with things in their life and they lose their focus on the intended change only to remember it later and then feel remorse at the fact that no real change has taken place. The good news is that even if you get off course you don't have to wait until the next New Year to start over again and pick up where you left off.

For any real change to take place in a person's life there has to be a willingness to change; the hard part is to keep going after the initial change is made. Recently I heard about an App for Smart Phones that will remind a person about their New Year's resolution. When I heard that I thought about how God has given us the Holy Spirit to remind us about the changes we need to make and to help us make the desired change. So make this coming year a year of positive change and development with new things in the New Year.

The Light Of The World Or Just Like The World?

2011-11-30T18:35:00.000+01:00

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
John 9:5 (NKJV)

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."
Matthew 5:14 (NKJV)

In John 9:5 Jesus said that as long as He was in the world that He was the light of the world. Then in Matthew 5:14 Jesus told His disciples that they were the light of the world. What was Jesus saying and how does it apply to us today? Jesus is the light of the world and as Christians we are His representatives in the world. Jesus is no longer physically present in this world but He is here through His Body, the Church.

Anyone can say "I am a Christian and I follow Jesus", but being a Christian is more than just saying a certain set of words; people often say one thing and then begin to act in a way that contradicts what they just said. There is an interesting verse in Titus 1:16 that talks about people who say that they know God but with their works (their actions) they deny Him. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that because of what they were doing they were carnal and acting like mere men. In other words they were not being the light of the world; they were acting just like the world!

So am I suggesting that Christians should live a life of following some rules and regulations in order to prove that they are Christians? Actually no, because as Paul wrote in Galatians 2:16 no one is put in a right position with God based on their works. What I am saying is similar to what we read in James 2:20 where it says that faith without works is dead. We don't do good works to get saved but because we are saved our life should produce good works.

Romans 12:1, 2 talks about Christians not being like the world but instead presenting our bodies to God to do His will and renewing our minds with the Word of God. By doing this we are transformed to be like Jesus instead of being conformed to the world; people who are not Christians need to see a difference in our lives because we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Make the decision today that you will carry on the work of Jesus and be a light to the dark world around you. You may be in this world but you are different than the world, let your light shine!

God's Word Works The Same For Everyone Everywhere

2011-10-31T22:05:00.001+01:00

There is a misconception that many Christians have about God and His Word. Many Christians think that God plays favorites and does some things for some people that He would not do for other people. Some people also believe that the things that God does in one place with a certain person or group of people is limited to that person or those people. None of those ideas come from God or His Word because God's Word works the same for everyone everywhere.

The Bible tells us in Romans 2:11 that there is no partiality with God, God has no favorite children. In Mark 9:23 Jesus said that all things are possible to those who believe and 1 Corinthians 12:6, 11 shows us that it is God Who works through people as He wills. God may use different people in different ways but it is still God working through that person.

We can look at the disciples of Jesus for an example here. Jesus picked twelve men from various backgrounds to follow Him and carry out His work. Jesus did not just select a certain class of people or people who had some special abilities, Jesus picked ordinary men who became extraordinary when they followed Him and acted on what He said. The same is true for people we read about in the book of Acts, God uses all kinds of people to do His will.

Today God is looking for people that He can use and we need to be ready to work with God. If we think that God and His Word work differently for some people based purely on some preference God has or that person being special then we are limiting ourselves and God. Jesus said in Mark 11:23 that whoever speaks to the mountain and does not doubt in his heart will have whatever he is saying. Remember, God's Word works the same for everyone everywhere but we still have to put it to work. Find out what God has to say about you and your life then believe it and act on it; you'll be glad that you did!

Speaking To Or Speaking About The Problem

2011-09-28T11:10:00.000+02:00

In Mark 11:22 Jesus showed us how faith works, we must speak to the "mountain" (the problems in our life). Unfortunately today many people are not speaking to the mountains in their lives, they are speaking about them. If we look at the life of Jesus and what He did when He faced a problem we can see this in action and learn for ourselves what we need to do. If all we ever do is talk about and describe the problem we will not see the results we desire.

In Mark 11 Jesus spoke to the fig tree. Jesus did not talk about the fact that there were no figs, Jesus cursed the fig tree and the tree dried up from the roots. When Jesus faced a storm on the sea with His disciples in Mark 4 Jesus did not recite the weather report and check on the size of the waves, He rebuked the storm and spoke to the sea. In Luke 4 Peter's mother-in-law had a fever; Jesus rebuked the fever and the fever left her! Over and over again we see examples like this in the life of Jesus.

Sometimes when people see these examples they say, "Well of course Jesus could do that, because He was Jesus". But remember that in the original example from Mark 11 Jesus told us that "whoever" would do this type of thing would receive the same result and in John 14 Jesus told us that we can do the works He did and even greater works. It is not a matter of trying to put ourselves in a position where we do not belong but it is simply us taking our place as New Testament Christians and putting God's Word to work in our lives.

If you listen to most Christians today they are talking about their problems and not to their problems. When we face a difficulty instead of just talking about the situation and how bad it looks let's talk about what God's Word says and what Jesus did for us. When we have a problem let's not try to see how well we can describe the problem but let's use the authority God has given us in Christ to speak in faith to the problem. Don't become an expert at describing problems but become an expert at speaking to the problems and walking in victory!

Encourage Yourself In The Lord

2011-08-30T22:05:00.001+02:00

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV)

In 1 Samuel 30 we read the story of David and his men returning to their homes and finding the city burned and all of their families taken away as captives. 1 Samuel 30:4 tells us that all of the people, including David, "... wept until they had no more power to weep". This was obviously a very difficult situation and things then went from bad to worse when all of the people somehow decided David was to blame and they wanted to kill him. The good news is that David did not die that day but he went on to become the king of Israel.

The important thing to notice here is what David did in this difficult situation. Yes David faced some bad circumstances and his first reaction of crying would be the normal thing to do; but David did not just cry, he dried his tears and encouraged himself in God! David turned from his emotions and simply focusing on the problem to focusing on God and looking to God for the answer to the problem. Although it is not specifically stated here, I believe that David did exactly what he did in many of the Psalms he wrote; he started talking about how big God is and how God has the answer to any problem that comes along.

How about us? What will we do when we face a problem or a difficult circumstance? Will we just cry and look at the problem wondering what we are going to do? Or will we follow David's example and start talking about God working in our life, God being on our side, God leading us into victory, and God having an answer bigger than the problem? When we do those things we are encouraging ourselves in the Lord and tapping into the strength that God is always ready to give us in every situation. Next time you face a problem don't just look at the problem, see what God's Word has to say about the problem and then start talking about that. You will find yourself growing stronger rather than weaker and you will put yourself into the place where God can speak to you, just like He did to David, and God will show you the way to victory!

What Is A Missionary?

2011-07-27T19:45:00.001+02:00

Although it may surprise some people, the word missionary is actually not in the Bible. The word missionary came into use in the early 1600s and the word means, a person who goes on a mission, especially a religious mission. The closest word in the Bible that could be used for what is known as a missionary would be the word apostle, which means someone who is a delegate or an ambassador, someone who is sent out. However, because the word apostle has often been misused in the church world I would not want to call myself an apostle. But the word missionary can be so vague and it sometimes gives the wrong impression.

When people think about a missionary they often think of someone who lives in a jungle or some other primitive conditions. While this can be true many people like me live in very modern cities in modern countries. So a missionary cannot be defined just by where or how they live.

Some people think missionaries are those who help the underprivileged get access to food and clean drinking water. This may be the case but not always. Some missionaries combine humanitarian work along with their spiritual work but this depends on the missionary and the work they are called to do. Some missionaries spend time translating the Bible into the language of the people they work with. That is not an issue in Germany; Martin Luther translated the Bible into German about 500 years ago.

Missionaries can be from any one of the five spiritual leadership offices listed in Ephesians 4 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher) or even in the helps ministry. But to define a missionary as only being a pastor or evangelist would not be accurate. Sometimes I have difficulty explaining to people that while I am considered a missionary and that I use the term because people understand it, my real calling in the context of Ephesians 4 is that I am a teacher and teaching the Bible is what I am called to do.

So what is a missionary? A missionary is someone sent out and equipped by God. Missionaries live in a variety of places, under a variety of conditions, doing all kinds of work. While every Christian is not sent out to another country, every Christian is called and equipped by God for some "mission" so in one sense of the word everyone is called to be a missionary. Next time you meet or hear about a missionary in another country, find out exactly what God has called them to do; I am sure you will be happy you did.

God And His Word Do Not Change, We Change

2011-07-13T19:25:00.001+02:00

In 2 Kings 22 there is a story about King Josiah. King Josiah commissioned people to do some work in the temple and while these people were working they found a copy of the Book of the Law, which would have been the first five books of the Bible. When they read what was written to the king he had a dramatic reaction to what he heard. It says that King Josiah tore his clothes, which was a sign of his deep sorrow. King Josiah realized that he and the people had gotten away from the principles God had given them to live by. King Josiah made a positive change when he heard what God's Word said and King Josiah's change in turn affected the whole nation.

In Jeremiah 36 there is a story about another king, King Jehoiakim. God gave the prophet Jeremiah a message for the king with the intent that the king would repent and change his ways, which is what King Josiah had done. However, when King Jehoiakim heard the message God had given to Jeremiah and that Jeremiah had written on a scroll, the king took a knife and cut the scroll up and threw it into the fire! This is quite a different approach and attitude towards what God had said than King Josiah's. The end of those stories is that God blessed King Josiah but King Jehoiakim was taken captive and carried away to Babylon.

In James 1:21 we are told to receive the word with meekness, which means we need to come to God's Word with a sense of humility. There will be times in the life of every Christian when they see something in God's Word that is contrary to what they see in their own life. This is when we have the choice to be humble, put God's Word first and make a change; this is what King Josiah did. The opposite reaction is to try to ignore what we have learned or try to justify why we need to continue living the way we live; this what King Jehoiakim did.

There is one thing we can be very sure of; God and His Word do not change. God has given us His Word to show us the best way to live and to fulfill His will for our lives, if a change needs to take place that change will be with us. Sometimes our actions, attitudes, or beliefs needs to change to line up with what God's Word has to say. If we are wise we will be like King Josiah and make the change because the end result will be for our benefit.

It's What You Know That Matters

2011-06-29T19:45:00.001+02:00

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - " 1 John 1:1 (NKJV)

The introduction to John's first letter gives us a really good standard for the things we share with others, something we know and understand. John says that what he is talking about is not just something he heard from someone else or something he read somewhere but this is something he has spent time with and has experience with. If we really do not fully understand something we are better off not saying too much about it but instead we should spend some time reading and studying God's Word to get the understanding we need about that subject.

There are many people you can see on television or on the Internet who are supposed to be "experts" in some area or even say they are Bible scholars. My question has always been why are they considered an expert or an authority on the subject? What I have seen is that often people who claim to be experts in some field or even people who claim to be Bible scholars are not at all what they claim to be. Recently I read an article on the Internet by someone who claimed to be a Bible scholar and after reading their article I wondered if that person had ever read the Bible!

In Acts 4, when Peter and John were arrested for teaching people about Jesus, Peter and John said in verse 20, "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard". This is just like what John wrote later in 1 John 1:1, we need to speak about what WE have seen and heard. It is the truth from the Bible that we personally know and have experience with that we will do the best talking about.

This is why our own personal time with God and His Word are so important; if we don't know something we can't put it into action in our own life and we really can't help other people understand it. The things we do to help other people and teach other people start with and come out of our own relationship with God. Read and study the Bible for yourself; not just so you can check up on the things you hear to see if they are true but also so you have firsthand experience with biblical truth that you can then share with other people.

Walking In Love - Speaking The Truth In Love

2011-06-20T19:30:00.001+02:00

Our words are very important. But, it is not only what we say that matters it is how we say it. You can say the right thing in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, and have a negative impact instead of a positive impact. The words we speak should be the kind of words that help and not hurt, words that build up and not words that tear down.

"but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ -" Ephesians 4:11 (NKJV)

Here in Ephesians 4 Paul is talking about spiritual growth and development. One way we can contribute to the growth and development of others is by speaking the right words, in love. It is when we speak the truth in an attitude of love with the goal of helping the other person that we will see the greatest results from our words.

So often we speak before we really consider what it is we are going to say. The problem is that once you say something you can never take those words back. As it has been said, it is better to put the mind in gear before the mouth goes into motion. I would take that a step further and say that as Christians we need to check our heart before we put our mouth into motion. Is what we have to say going to contribute in a positive way to the person or the situation?

This does not mean that we are always just saying gentle, flowery words that lack any real content or even correction. There may be times we need to help correct someone but we can do it in love and bring correction and guidance to the person instead of beating them down with words that harm instead of help. As Christians our goal should be to contribute to the overall growth and development of those around us and by speaking the truth in love we are taking a big step towards doing just that.

What Do Othes Say About Us?

2011-06-11T11:55:00.000+02:00

"And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus," Acts 4:36 (NKJV)

In the Book of Acts we read about many great people from the early days of the Christian Church. One person who has always been interesting to me was Barnabas, whose real name was actually Joses. Barnabas is mentioned over twenty times in the Book of Acts but only once by his actual name of Joses. What I find interesting about "Barnabas", which means the son of encouragement, is that the name we know him by is really just a nickname that was given to him by the apostles.

This got me thinking about some other verses that show us this same principle of it being important how others see us and the reputation we have with others. In Acts 6:3 the apostles said that the people who would be chosen to serve needed to have a good reputation. In 1 Timothy 3:1-10 Paul said the same things were necessary for people who wanted to serve as bishops and deacons, they had to be "blameless" and have "a good testimony among those who are outside". While Christians should not live a life just to please other people or only do things to seek the approval of others, what others think about us is important.

If the lives of Christians are not meeting the standards of God's Word and they have a bad reputation with other people, then who will represent Jesus and Christianity to the lost world? What if Joses was a difficult person to get along with and the apostles decided to name him the son of discouragement? How about calling him, the son of sorrow, because he just made people miserable whenever he was around them? When we bring this into our lives, what terms do people use to describe us? How many of us would be called the son (or daughter) of encouragement today and how many of us might be called something else less flattering? Ouch!

In Titus 2:7, 8 Paul encouraged Titus to have a life style of good works so that people would have nothing evil to say about him. This is a pretty high standard to live up to but I believe it is God's standard and it is attainable. So when people talk about us, what name would they give to us? This is something we all need to consider and continue to grow and develop so that we are doing what it says in Philippians 2:14-16 where we live a blameless life and shine as lights in the world.

The Answer Is Closer Than You Think

2011-05-30T21:50:00.001+02:00

"Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." Proverbs 17:24 (NKJV)

Everyone one of us will face difficulties in life and have questions that we need answers to. Often we find ourselves in a situation where we need wisdom to know what we should do and how we should do it. The problem comes when we look for the answers in the wrong place. As Christians we have two wonderful resources for answers in our time of trouble, God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Over the years as I have talked with people who are going through something where they are at a loss about what to do or they are seeking counsel about something in their life I refer them back to the Bible, God's Word. What has been surprising to me is how often those same people almost seem disappointed that I don't have something different for them. Many times the answers to the questions we have are much closer than we think and because we fail to realize this we look in all the wrong places for our answers.

In 1 Kings 19 there is a story about how God talked to Elijah when Elijah faced a bad situation. Elijah was on a mountain looking for an answer from God and there was a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire that came but the Bible tells us that God was not in those things. Then, after all of these spectacular things happened, there was a still, small voice that was God speaking to Elijah. I use this story to show how when we look for answers and we focus on some outward spectacular thing, waiting for writing in the sky, an angelic visitation, or some voice from heaven we miss the answers that God has already given us in His Word.

Not only that, but as the Bible says in Romans 8:14, the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Then we can add 1 Corinthians 3:16 where it says that the Holy Spirit is living in us. Rather than being foolish and looking everywhere else for the answers to the questions we have we need to start with the simple truth of God's Word, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us through it, and let the Holy Spirit lead us and direct us. Finding the answer is a lot easier than we think because the answers are often closer than we think!

You Will Know Them By Their...

2011-04-27T17:50:00.000+02:00

In our world today, through the Internet, advances in telephone technology and multiple channels on television a person has a wide range of ways to make connections with other people and what those other people have to say. This can be a good thing but it can also be a bad thing, it all depends on who you listen to and what they have to say.

In Matthew 7:20 Jesus made a statement about how someone could recognize a false prophet, Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits. In other words, we can tell what kind of person someone is by what their life is like and what things are being produced through their life. The Bible also tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 that we have to test everything and hold on to the best. Too many times however it seems that today people do not take any time to really find out what someone is like before they allow that person to influence their life and often the results are confusion and problems.

Today it seems like a lot of people think Jesus said, "You will know them by their titles, talents, tweets, or personality". But none of these things are necessarily a sign that a person is a mature, stable Christian who we should allow to influence us. Too many Christians are weak and ineffective and many times the root of the problem can be found in the people they allow to influence them. Our first and main influence should be from God through His Word, the Bible, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. If we start with this we will save ourselves a lot of problems in the long run.

We can all learn a lesson from what happened to Joshua and the children of Israel in Joshua 9 where they unwisely made a covenant with some people who were actually their enemies. What was the reason they did that? Because the people of Israel did not listen to what God had to say about those people. The people of Israel only took into consideration what the other people had to say and what those people had to offer. Just because someone has an impressive title, wonderful ability is some area, or has access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or some other form of mass communication does not mean that what they are doing or what they have to say has any real value. Be careful who you listen to and who you allow to influence you. Make sure everything you hear lines up with God's Word and you will be better off because of it!

Language Skills

2011-03-28T21:55:00.001+02:00

Over the past 12 years since I have been living in Germany I have noticed two different things about my language skills. First of all, my ability to speak German has improved. Although I would not say I can speak German fluently I can speak it well enough to hold conversations with people and to do the things I need to do here without always having to ask someone else to speak for me. That is a really good thing because being able to speak the language of the country that you live in is vital for a missionary.

However, everything we do in the ministry of RHEMA Germany here in Bonn is done in English and in German so I am not required to speak German all of the time; being fluent in German is not as necessary for me as it might be for some other missionaries in Germany. My goal is to improve my German language skills so that I can speak even better German than I do now.

The second thing I have noticed is that my English language skills have diminished a bit. Obviously I am still able to speak English but I notice that sometimes I get stuck with even simple English words and sometimes I think of the German word for something before I think of the English word! That is a strange feeling to have. When I do speak English with people here or I teach in English I always try to find a simple way to say what I want without using too many big words. It seems to me that this may be a part of the reason my English language skills have decreased a little.

I have also noticed that sometimes my sentences follow a German sentence structure instead of English. I must say that I am very happy for the spell check program on my computer and for my family members who proof read my newsletters before they are sent out. Now I don't think I will ever lose the ability to speak English but I have noticed that living in another country has had a definite affect on my language skills. In fact, when I did the spell check on this document I found that I made five simple mistakes so I think that proves the point!

Walking In Love - What's In It For Me?

2011-02-28T15:15:00.003+01:00

The subject of the love of God is something that is very important; love is mentioned in every letter in the New Testament. Even the small books of Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude all mention love. Walking in love is one of those things that we don't always hear that much about but living a life motivated by the love of God that is in us is a vital part of a successful Christian life.

If we read through the New Testament and study all of the Bible verses about walking in love we will find that we all have some room for improvement. Typically we tend to be selfish and we think about how what we are doing will benefit us. We might even ask the question, "What's in it for me?" as we consider doing something. The thing is that if we are going to walk in love, instead of wondering what we are going to get out of a situation we should be wondering what we could contribute to the situation and what it is that we have to give instead of what we could get.

Our goal should be to do what we can to help others and not to see what others can do for us; even Jesus said that He did not come to be served but rather to serve others (Mark 10:45). Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, love always builds up and edifies; this is what Jesus did and we should do the same. When we go into a situation only thinking about how we can benefit we will miss opportunities to help others and we will fall short of the plan of God for our lives.

Too often we only focus on getting what we want and we don't even consider others and their needs. Instead of always asking the question, "What's in it for me?" we would be a lot better off if we would always ask ourselves the question, "What can I do to help and benefit that person and how can I help in this situation?" By doing this we will walk in love and be a greater blessing to the people around us.

Keeping Your Guard Up

2011-01-31T21:45:00.002+01:00

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

One of the best things we can do is to keep a guard on our heart to be sure that the things we allow ourselves to be exposed to help us and don't hurt us. The Bible is very clear about our having the right kind of influences in our life and the results of having the wrong influences. By this I am not just talking about hanging around with the wrong kind of people and avoiding places that everyone knows to be a bad influence. Those kinds of things are certainly included, but from what I have seen and continue to see, many Christians are allowing themselves to be influenced by teachings and beliefs that are having a harmful effect on them.

One of the things I do in my ministry is to teach various classes in Bible schools. No matter where I might be and no matter what the topic of the class might be there is always someone there who has a question about something in the Bible. Very often the questions stem from something they heard someone teach somewhere. Then, because the person who asks the question is not sure what to make of that teaching they look for someone to help them understand what the Bible has to say about that thing.

No matter what we read or listen to we must be careful about what we "hear" because it will have an impact on us. Too often Christians just listen to anything that sounds good and they get themselves into trouble because of it. When we hear or read something we must always first check it with what the Bible says. If we cannot find clear Bible verses on the subject we should stay clear of it. If we don't do that we are not guarding our heart and the result will be confusion, doubt, and a hindrance in our relationship with God. We have to guard our hearts by keeping ourselves filled with the Word of God so that we will know what the truth is. If we don't we end up with problems that can send us off course in our walk with God. Guard your heart with the truth of God's Word and keep your relationship with God strong.

2011 - The Year Of ...

2010-12-31T19:15:00.001+01:00

Here we are once again at the end of one year and the beginning of another. With a New Year often come great expectations of things being better this next year than they were the last year. One thing I have seen is that sometimes Christians will say that this next year will be a year of ______ (fill in the blank) and most of the time whatever they say rhymes with the year coming up. But there is one thing I have noticed about all of this that usually spells disappointment and unfulfilled dreams for people as they go through the next year.

The majority of the time when people look ahead to a New Year, and especially when people "name" the year as the year of blessings or abundance or something like that, they focus on something outside of themselves. Many times when Christians talk about what they are looking for in the New Year there is a big focus on what God will do but normally there is almost no focus on what they can or should do. Now I am not against declaring that 2011 will be some great year of whatever but my question would be, how is that going to happen?

If we want 2011 to be the year of blessings and abundance or whatever then a lot of that happening is going to depend on us. We just got done celebrating Christmas where we traditionally mark the birth of Jesus but we forget that He did not just stay a baby, Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the Old Covenant and to bring us into a New Covenant with God. God's part in our being blessed or having abundance is pretty much taken care of. Now it is our turn to do what we need to do to live in the reality of what Jesus did for us.

My desire is for each and every person to have 2011 be far superior to 2010, but again so much of that is up to us. If we really want things to be different next year then maybe we should declare that 2011 will be the year of growing up spiritually, or walking in love, or renewing our mind with the Word of God, or giving more than ever before, or being a doer of the Word and not just a hearer, or volunteering in church more often, or studying the Bible more than ever before. If we do those kinds of things then the blessings and abundance we are so often looking for will be ours. May 2011 be a year of blessings and abundance for all of us as we live our lives according to God's Word.

What Are You Doing With What You've Got?

2010-11-30T20:15:00.001+01:00

Every day we have different opportunities about how to use our time, our money, and our talents. How do we use these things and what could we do differently in the future that would make better use of them? As a Christian I believe that how I spend my time and money as well as what I do with the abilities that I possess is very important. The Bible shows us that God has a plan and a purpose for each person and that He has given each person certain abilities that should be used to serve and glorify Him. When we make wise use of our time, money, and talents we will live a much more satisfying and successful life than if we fail to do the right thing with what we have.

Many people do not realize that God has a plan for their life and that He has given them unique talents and abilities; this is the first thing to deal with. Before we can make a good use of what we have we must realize that we have it! If you don't know what plan God has for your life or what talent He has given you then start with the other two areas of time and money. How do you spend your time and money? Are you investing in things that are temporary or things that are eternal?

One thing that everyone can do is to invest more of their time working on accomplishing God's plans and purposes and investing financially into what God is doing today. This can start with your local church but it also includes what God is doing in your city, state, nation, and around the world. Now I am not saying to give away all of your money or spend all of your time working in the church, but we all should be doing something in these areas. This will help us to discover the unique plan and purpose that God has for our life and it will also help us to develop the talents and abilities that God has given to us. Then, once we are making good use of what we have we need to keep developing our talents and help others to discover their own unique talents. So, what will you do today with your time, money, and talent? Make the most of the opportunities you have and I guarantee you will be glad that you did!

IN Everything Give Thanks

2010-11-24T20:35:00.002+01:00

"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

Tomorrow, November 25, is Thanksgiving Day in the USA. As I was thinking about the whole subject of giving thanks, the Bible verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 came to mind. The original idea behind Thanksgiving Day was not just having turkey to eat with family and friends but the origins go back to the early settlers of the United States and a celebratory time they held in recognition of their recent successful harvest. In 1941 President Roosevelt signed a bill declaring the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving.

Sadly thanksgiving is not something that people do a lot of, either on Thanksgiving Day or during the rest of the year. In fact it seems like the closer it gets to Thanksgiving and Christmas the more unhappy and grumpy people get! People get so caught up in what is happening that they lose their perspective and seem to only think about the negative side of things.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we should give thanks IN everything, but we don't necessarily give thanks FOR everything. For example, today the weather here in Bonn, Germany was cloudy, cold, and rainy, but instead of focusing on the negative I realize that there is a lot worse weather that I could experience like a tornado or hurricane so a little rain won't hurt me. We might look at where we live or work and wish we had something better but we can at least be thankful in our situation because we do have somewhere to live and somewhere to work. While being thankful does not mean we have to be satisfied with our situation in life we should at least be grateful for what we do have.

It is also interesting to notice how this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5 tells us that giving thanks is God's will for us. If we focus on the positive aspects of life and keep ourselves in the attitude of being thankful it is easier for God to work in our life and for us to hear His direction for us. If all we do is to complain and focus on the negative side of things our perspective is on the wrong things and that will cause us nothing but problems. So no matter what day of the year it is, choose to be positive and look for something to be thankful for in every situation.

The Importance Of God's Word

2010-10-30T17:30:00.001+02:00

There are many things that are considered valuable. The value of something is normally determined by its importance or relevance to someone or some situation. Some people place more value on some things than other people would. Sometimes people do not see the value in something because they do not know its benefits or they do not realize what that thing is really worth.

While most Christians would agree that the Bible is very important many of those same people do not really know very much about what is actually in the Bible and they do not understand the relevance of the Bible for their lives. If we don't know about something or understand it then we really won't appreciate its significance and worth. As Christians we should be getting to know and understand God's Word better and we should put it into practice in our lives.

So, why is God's Word so valuable and what can it do for us? Here are a few things I found using my New King James Version of the Bible. God's Word is pure (Psalm 119:140, Proverbs 30:5), proven (Psalm 18:30), forever settled (Psalm 119:89), and profitable for many things (2 Timothy 3:16). 1 Peter 1:23 tells us that we are born again through God's Word and in 1 Peter 2:2 we are told that God's Word will help us to grow spiritually. God's Word is valuable to us because we can change our lives by renewing our mind with the Word of God (Romans 12:2). We are also told that faith comes by hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17), that we should live by the Words that come from God (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4), and that we need to do what God's Word says and not just hear it (James 1:23). God's Word can guide us (Psalm 119:105, 133), counsel us (Psalm 119:24), strengthen us (Psalm 119:28), and give us life (Psalm 119:50). The Word of God is very important and very valuable. Spend some time reading and studying God's Word today and let it make a difference in your life!

Running Your Race

2010-09-29T18:40:00.000+02:00

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)

One thing that many people do not understand is that God has a plan and a purpose for their life, God has a race for each of us to run. Using this example of a race there is a lot that we can learn about what we should do with our life. The first thing we need to understand is that there is a race for us to run. Some people do not understand that and so they go through life without a sense of purpose and meaning. But God created each and every one of us with a specific purpose in mind and we need to fulfill that purpose and run our race.

People often ask me about how they can find their purpose in life and discover the plan that God has for them. My answer is to tell them that the most important thing is to grow and develop as a Christian and trust God to guide you. Another piece of advice I share with people is that I encourage them to get involved by working in their local church. Doing both of these things is a step in the right direction and as we grow up spiritually and get involved God will guide us each step of the way. No matter what we do for God it all starts out with our relationship with God.

Another thing we should realize is that we have our own race to run. Sometimes people look at what another Christian is doing and think it is the most wonderful thing in the world and they try to imitate it. But God has given each of us a race to run and if we want to finish our race on earth here with success we need to run our race and let other people run their race. When I was in high school and I was on the track team the coach might tell me to run the 1600 meter race. If I then decide to go over and run the 100 meter race I am in a place I don't belong and I won't have the same level of success as I would if I had run the race the coach planned for me to run.

Lastly I would say that a large part of our success in running the race that God has for us is that we need to be willing to put aside anything that might hold us back or slow us down. When I ran track I did not wear hiking boots and a winter parka to run, that would have been crazy! But today a lot of Christians are trying to run their race with all kinds of extra stuff in their life and because of it they only have moderate success. It is not just the sin that will hold us back, it is all the other little things that will also cause us problems.

Living a life knowing that what you do has eternal value is much better than just existing on the earth hoping to hold on long enough to get to heaven. God has a plan for our lives and we need to run our race with patience and fulfill God's will for our lives. Find your place and run your race!

Some Things Look Better When Your Eyes Are Closed

2010-08-31T16:25:00.001+02:00

Before we had the Internet and email I used to write letters to people or send postcards. Although I still send postcards to people from time to time most of my letter writing days are behind me now. When I did write letters, and sometimes when I wrote a postcard, I would end with my name and sometimes with a little smiling face next to my name. But, the thing was that when I would draw the little smiling face I would always draw it with the eyes closed, on purpose, to make a point for myself and anyone else who I told this "secret" to: some things look better when your eyes are closed. That statement is based on a verse from the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:18.

"while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)

There are things we can see in the Bible that do not always agree with what we see in our everyday life. For example, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is a Christian that person is a new creation and old things have passed away. By just looking at a person physically and from a natural standpoint that does not always make sense because that person does not change their physical appearance when they become a Christian. So sometimes we must look past the natural things we see to the spiritual truth the Bible teaches us.

Another example of this is when we face a difficult situation in our life or our physical body is attacked with sickness. We have the choice of what will we "look" at. Will we look at and focus our attention on the natural and physical reality that we see or the spiritual truth that the Bible shows us? While we cannot deny the reality of the situation in our life we need to realize that there is a higher reality that we need to look at if we want to have victory and success in our life.

We cannot just say to someone "I am not having a problem" or "I am not sick" or "I do not have a bill to pay" when that is the natural reality. But instead we can say like the Bible says, "No matter what situation I face God is on my side and He will help me" or we can say "Jesus took my sickness and pain on Himself at the cross and I declare myself healthy and healed" or in when we find ourselves in a challenging situation financially we can say "The Bible says God will supply everything I need". When we do this we are choosing to look at the spiritual truth in the Bible and we are choosing not to look at and focus only on the natural situation. When we do this we are doing things the way God would have us do them and by getting in line with God's Word and declaring it we are on the pathway to success. Sometimes things do look better when our eyes are closed.

Preparation For Tomorrow Starts... Yesterday

2010-07-31T20:15:00.000+02:00

The other day I was out running and on my route there is a hill that is a bit steep. Most of the time when I see people riding their bicycles get to this hill they have to stop and walk their bikes to get to the top. While I was running the other day and starting on my way down the hill there was someone riding their bicycle the other direction approaching the hill. This person was not going very fast and as he started going up the hill he continued to peddle trying to make it all the way up without dismounting from his bicycle. As I saw this taking place I thought to myself that there is no way he will make it all the way up the hill because he waited until it was too late to really get the speed necessary to go up the hill.

As I watched this happening I got thinking about how this is just like what so many people do in life, they wait until it is too late to try and do something that they should have been doing all along. Most people wait until they have financial problems before they really try to get a handle on their finances. People don't go to see the dentist until their teeth start to hurt or they wait until they experience health problems before they begin an exercise program. These natural examples have a parallel in the spiritual realm because most Christians really don't get too serious about God and the Bible until they are in a crisis situation. By the time all of these things are taking place it is past the time to have started to do something about the situation.

My title for this blog of "Preparation For Tomorrow Starts... Yesterday" is not a mistake but an attempt to emphasize the point that we need to start right now to do the things that will help us be ready for our future. Some people have come to me with problems that they are facing and what I want to tell them is that the real answer is that they should have been doing something about this a long time ago and if they had they would not even be in their bad situation. As Christians, if we spend time with God though reading and studying the Bible and fellowship with God in prayer on a regular basis we will keep ourselves built up spiritually and then when problems come, as they always will, we will be ready to meet the challenge and come through victoriously!

Now I am certainly not trying to put guilt or condemnation on anyone with what I am saying. The good news is that even when we make mistakes and don't do what we could have or should have done in the past God will still help us, but think of the difficulties we could avoid if we would prepare ourselves as best we can beforehand. Start where you are today and get your spiritual life in order and begin to build yourself up in God's Word so you are ready to deal with any kind of difficulty. If we do all we can now to prepare ourselves then we will be in the position to stand strong and overcome in the storms of life and help others to do so too.

Real Rest And Being Refreshed

2010-07-11T20:40:00.000+02:00

We live in a very busy society today where there is so much going on that sometimes it seems like it never stops. People make out to-do lists and instead of checking things off and completing it the list seems like it just keeps on growing. Everyone has things that they need to do and work that has to get done. But what we do in life should not bring us to the point where we can't go on anymore or we have to take a break before we have a breakdown.

Many people look forward to a time of vacation as the answer to their problem. The trouble is that often people take a vacation and come back home just as tired as they were before and sometimes even more tired. Some people dream of changing jobs or better pay at their current job only to find out that advancing in their career is not as satisfying as they thought it would be. Other people think a change in a relationship or a change of address will be the answer only to find that any new relationship or place of residence still includes them and the same issues that they faced before. Many people today live under a lot of stress and not many people seem to have a real lasting answer to the problem; but, as always, the Bible has the answer!

Jesus said: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19 (NKJV)

First and foremost a relationship with Jesus as the Savior and Lord of our life is the starting point for any real answers to what we face. But, even when someone is a Christian they are not immune to this same busyness and stress that comes from the workload that many people carry today. Personally I know what it is like to have more things to do than there seems to be time to do them. The main thing we have to do is look to God as our source of strength and satisfaction. Just doing this and keeping our focus on God will help us with what we are dealing with.

Setting priorities is definitely something we all need to do. There are also times when people are busy with things that have no real place in their life and this is causing them problems as well. Jesus said if we would come to Him He would give us rest. Acts 3:19 points out the important fact that real refreshing comes from God and nothing else. If you are facing what seems to be an overload in your life maybe you need to spend more time with God and less time with some other things. Setting your focus on God and the things that God puts value on can help you see any areas in life where there needs to be an adjustment. God wants us to live happy, healthy, and satisfying lives. We all have a lot of things to do but by looking to God and building our life on Him and His Word we can live in a place of real rest and keep ourselves refreshed.

Opportunities For Influence

2010-06-29T22:55:00.000+02:00

Unless you are a hermit and live in a cave somewhere you interact with people every day. There are a lot of days that I work at home and even then I still have some interaction with other people either through a telephone call, an email, or through some other means over the Internet. No matter how we make our connections with other people we have an opportunity to be a positive or negative influence on them. Even if you just go shopping or something like that you are still around people that you can have an influence on one way or another.

About a year ago a couple of people encouraged me to create a Facebook account. It has been a good experience overall as I have been able to connect with friends and family that I might not otherwise have had much contact with. But I have also noticed that Facebook and other social networking Internet sites are great opportunities for influencing others. Through the Internet we have opportunities to reach out and influence others in a way that was not possible just a few years ago, but I wonder if we are all using these means we have in the best way possible.

Recently I was thinking about some people I have known in the past and what kind of an influence they had on me. There are people that I have known who helped me get to the place I am at today because they took advantage of the opportunities that were available to make a positive impact on my life. At times I have wondered how different my life would be if some of these people had not done what they did for me. It inspires me to want to do more to make an impact on others and to use every tool I have available to me to get the job done. If I am able to be in direct contact with someone then I can do it in person. If I am on the phone, writing an email, or even posting some status update on Facebook I want it to be something that will help to point people in the right direction and make a positive impact on their life. It would be a good thing if we all made the choice to take advantage of the opportunities available to us and to be a positive influence on the people around us in every way we can.

Change Your Words And Change Your Life

2010-06-14T22:40:00.002+02:00

"A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him." Proverbs 12:14 (NKJV)

"A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled." Proverbs 18:20 (NKJV)

These two verses tell a very important Bible truth; our words will have an influence on our life. In November of last year I wrote another blog about the importance of our words. This is such a vital topic that I wanted to say some more about it. This subject is something that we see over and over again in the Bible but it seems most Christians do not really understand what their words are doing for them and even to them.

Some people would say that their life is just not what it should be and that they are not satisfied with how their life is going. My answer would be Proverbs 12:14 and Proverbs 18:20, our life is what it is now because of the things we have said in the past. There have been times when I have told people about these verses and said that if they are not satisfied with their life then they should check what they are saying. When people take a look at their life and see that it is filled with things they don't like and they are in situations that they want to change I tell them that they need to change what they say.

Now I know that the whole message of what our words will do for us has been taken to an extreme by some people but this does not do away with the biblical truth that our words will shape our life. In James 2 it compares our tongue to the rudder on a ship showing us that we can set the course for our life by the things that we say. If we will use our words wisely and say the right kinds of words it will change our life. If we would start saying what the Bible says about who we are, our life today, and our future and less about what things look like and what other people have said we would change the course of our life. If you aren't satisfied with how things are going in your life and your world seems to be filled with nothing but trouble then change what you say and you will change your life!

Walking In Love - Putting Others First

2010-05-31T18:00:00.002+02:00

Here in Germany I live by the Rhine River and that is where I like to go when I do some running. But I am not the only person who likes to make use of the path by the Rhine and some days there is quite a bit of congestion on that path. Sometimes with other people running, people riding bicycles, and people walking there is not much room available. Besides that, it seems that a lot of people don't have any interest in moving out of the way for anyone else and I have heard some angry words and seen some mean looks that people give one another just because no one seems to want to make room for anyone else.

Well, recently I was thinking about some Bible verses that fit with this situation. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 the Amplified Bible says: "Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self seeking". Then Philippians 2:3-4 in the New King James Bible translation tells us, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." While these verses are probably not what most people would consider their favorites, they are powerful verses that show us an important truth; we should put the needs of others before our own desires.

Now, I am not saying that you should let people push you around and take advantage of you. But what I am saying is that as much as we are able we should do things that help and benefit others even if it is not something that directly helps or benefits us personally. It is easy to get so caught up in our own world and what we want or need to do and then just plow ahead in life no matter how others are impacted by what we do. This area of walking in love towards others is something we must continually work on because we all tend to be too self-centered.

After my thoughts about this the other day I have been making more of an effort to try to find ways to help others and not just focus on what I want. Just today I stopped to wait and let someone go into a store, and even open the door for them, although I myself was in a bit of a rush. The result was that the person just looked at me a bit surprised and that made me smile. Romans 5:5 says that as Christians the love of God is in us and I think it would do all of us some good if we found some ways to let that love out by putting the needs of others ahead of our own needs. What a different world it would be if this was something everyone did!

The Bible - The Christian's Instruction Book

2010-04-24T17:40:00.001+02:00

Last week I bought a new computer. My old computer is almost 5 years old and it began to have some problems with the hard drive. Try as I might I could not fix this problem and realized that a new computer was the best solution. So, I spent some time checking out what was available, found a computer I liked and bought it. After I ordered my computer I found the manufactures user guide for this model on the Internet and started to familiarize myself with what my new computer could do and what features were available.

My excitement over having a new computer tempted me to fall into the trap that many people do when they get a new computer or something else new. I was so happy to have this wonderful new computer that I wanted to just start using it without reading the user guide. But I realized that if I did not read the user guide then there would be many things involved with using my new computer that I would not make the best use of, if I even knew to use them at all. The user manual for my computer is 192 pages long and I just wanted to skip around to read about the parts I thought were most interesting to me but I put that off too and made my way through the document. Now, while I am still learning how everything in my new computer works, because I read through the instruction book I believe that I am having a much better overall experience with my computer than I would have had otherwise.

For Christians, the Bible is our instruction book. If we want to have the best "Christian experience" we should read the user guide given by the manufacturer. So many people are excited about God and being a Christian but they fail to take advantage of all of the great things that God has provided for them and sometimes Christians fail to use what has been given to them in the right way because they have never read the entire instruction book. There are parts of the Bible that people may want to spend more time focusing on than others but to get the best results we need to read and know everything that our instruction manual, the Bible, has to say.

As I talk with people it is surprising and sad to see how many Christians really do not know very much about the Bible at all. While I would never claim to know everything in the Bible I do know from all of my years as a Christian and a minister that most people really do not know what the Bible has to say and they live below what God intended them to have as a result. The best thing we can do as Christians is to make it a habit to read the Bible often, and not just the parts we think are interesting, and learn everything we can about what God has provided for us through Jesus. It's all in our instruction book, we just have to read it and make the proper use of it.

Christian Confidence

2010-03-30T20:35:00.002+02:00

This coming Sunday is Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday as many Christians call it. This is a day that Christians celebrate the fact that Jesus has risen and is alive today. What most Christians fail to realize is exactly what that means for their lives today. Of course we understand that because Jesus is risen our sins are forgiven and through accepting the work of Jesus in His death and resurrection Christians will one day go to heaven. The really good news is that we don't have to wait until we get to heaven to experience all of the benefits and blessings that Jesus has provided for us.

A person could actually write quite a lot about all of the good things that God has provided for us through Jesus Christ but I just want to write a bit about our Christian identity. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus took our sin and we became the righteousness of God in Christ. This is a wonderful statement that, at least in my opinion, most Christians do not fully understand. Rather than think of ourselves in light of the redemptive work of Jesus most Christians view themselves through their feelings, their good or bad deeds, and even their natural background (such as national or ethnic origin, etc).

To have an effective life as a Christian we need to do as it says in Colossians 3:2 and "exercise our mind" on things above because our real life, who we really are, is hidden in Christ. When facing difficult circumstances too many Christians wilt because they have no real Christian confidence (based on who they are in Christ), they only have their own self confidence (based on who they are from a natural standpoint). Instead of boldly facing any challenge of life that comes to them they shrink feeling inadequate to do what is necessary to succeed. If we focus on who we are in Christ we can have a true Christian confidence knowing that God is on our side (Romans 8:31), God will help us (Hebrews 13:6), and He will lead us triumphantly at all times (2 Corinthians 2:14)! In ourselves we really don't amount to much but with God on our side and Jesus as our Savior we can have great Christian confidence.

Another Part Of Missionary Life

2010-02-27T16:15:00.000+01:00

When people think about someone who is a missionary they normally think about what that person does in the country they live in, which is usually not their country of origin. However, one necessary part of missionary life takes place away from where the missionary normally works. This is the part of missionary life that has to do with connecting with ministry partners and raising financial support.

Currently I am nearing the end of a three week trip in the USA where I have been doing a bit of traveling to speak in churches, visit with supporters, friends, and family, and I also attended some meetings at RHEMA USA in Tulsa, OK. My time in the USA is always enjoyable and I try to make the most of it. It is important to connect with and thank the people who support me in the work that I do in Germany and Europe and it is also good to look for opportunities to talk with other people who may be interested in what I am doing.

One thing I find over and over again is that people are excited about what God is doing around the world. It is good for everyone to have a vision for reaching the world and when I can tell others about how God is changing people's lives through the work I am involved in it can help in this process. For the people who currently support me it is great to have the chance to share with them about what they are helping me to do.

While I am in the USA there is a lot of traveling and visiting with people to talk about what I do, but this is just another part of life as a missionary. I certainly look forward to my returning to Germany next week but having the opportunity to let people know about all of the good things that God is doing around the world is also very enjoyable for me.

Our Standard Of Measurement

2010-01-27T23:05:00.000+01:00

When I was growing up in the USA everything was measured in inches, feet, and yards. I have learned that this system of measurement is called the English System of Measurement. Today I live in Germany where everything is measured in centimeters, millimeters, and meters, this is known as the Metric System of Measurement.

In a similar way before I was a Christian things were measured by my thoughts, emotions, and circumstances. But today, as a Christian, I have just one standard for measurement: the Bible. Today everything I think, feel, or experience needs to be checked against my new standard system of measurement.

Over the years I have had different conversations with people about what they believe, how life works, and what is right and wrong. When I would ask people to give me their basis for what they believe I would get all kinds of answers. What I have found over and over again is that everyone has some standard system of measurement, whether they realize it or not. Most of the time people just wanted to do what they thought was right but that kind of reasoning leads to anarchy because what one person believes is right is wrong in the view of another person, there has to be some standard system of measurement that everyone can go by.

People have so many ways to measure and judge things but the Bible is the only safe standard that we can use to measure things by. If more people would follow the guidelines God gave us in the Bible the world would be a much better place. By that I am not just talking about people who do not know God but I am including Christians too. Even Christians base things in their life on all kinds of things outside of the Bible, like their feelings, what someone else has said or done, and even on how everyone else does things. None of these standards are a safe guide for us. My goal is to base what I do on what the Bible says and to measure everything that I think, feel, or experience by the Bible, how about you?

How To Have A Happy New Year

2009-12-31T15:45:00.001+01:00

Today as I have been out running some errands people have been wishing me a "Happy New Year". No one has wished me a "Bad New Year" or even an "Average New Year". All of this got me thinking about what it would take to actually have a Happy New Year and to make 2010 better than 2009.

Normally people will make resolutions as a New Year approaches about what they want to change and areas they want to make improvements in. Often the initial commitment does not last and this can lead to an Average New Year or even a Bad New Year because of the disappointment and lack of change or improvement that actually happens compared to what the desired result was. One suggestion I have for a Happy New Year is to make realistic commitments to things that really matter and stick with it. Making a commitment to things like growing and developing spiritually, getting more involved in your local church, being sure you are an asset and not a liability to the place you work, and even working on relationships with family and friends to do what you can to make those relationships better; all of these would be good things to make commitments about and to stay with in 2010.

Another thing that really hinders people from having a Happy New Year is that people go into the New Year while looking back at problems and failures that they might have had in the last year. We can never really move forward when we are always looking backward. If some things did not work the way you wanted them to or you made some mistakes last year then plan on doing better in 2010 and make any necessary adjustments to make sure you don't run into the same problem again. Don't hang on to the problems of the past, let them go and look forward to something better.

Finally, another thing we can do to make it a Happy New Year is to take action for yourself and not just wait for everything to happen to you. What I mean is that so many people are waiting for something to happen in their life without them doing anything about it themselves. We need to do what we can, when we can, to make the difference in our own life and not just expect someone or something else to do everything for us as we just passively sit back and wait. Too many people miss an opportunity because they fail to act when they have the ability and possibility to do so.

So as we enter into another New Year my wish would be for everyone to have a really Happy New Year and to make 2010 a far better year than 2009. I have some high expectations for the coming year and I look forward to some great things happening in 2010!

Christmas With Family And Friends

2009-12-24T16:15:00.001+01:00

First of all I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! This is always a great time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are many people and things that try to take away from the significance of what Christmas is all about but we should not let anything change our own point of view. No matter what others may say Jesus was born and He came to restore the lost relationship between God and man. I for one am so glad that He died on the cross for my sin!

One thing about being a missionary is that this normally means you move away from family and friends. When holidays like Christmas come around those exact things of family and friends are what can make the holiday so special. Today I was thinking about just this when I had another thought about all of the people that God has brought into my life, the people who are a part of my spiritual family.

We all have a natural family that we are born into and when we become a Christian we are "born again" into another family. Currently I live in Germany and while I have a wonderful natural family back in the USA that I love God has also connected me with so many people here that form a sort of second family. This will be a unique Christmas for me as I will be with my spiritual family tomorrow for our church service and afterward I will leave to fly to the USA where I will spend some time with my natural family.

The people that I work with at RHEMA Germany are like family to me, as are the people in our church and in our Bible schools. There are so many wonderful connections and relationships that God has blessed me with over the years that I now have friends all over the world who are a part of my spiritual family. I am grateful for my natural family and I certainly look forward to spending some time with them during the holidays. But, I am also very thankful for all of the people that God has connected me with that make up my spiritual family.

Improvements In Missionary Life

2009-11-30T20:40:00.003+01:00

In October I celebrated 11 years of being a missionary in Germany. I truly enjoy what I am doing here and feel privileged to be able to share the truth of God's Word with people in our Bible schools, church, home groups, and in various other settings. Recently I was thinking about how much things have changed for me in these 11 years and beyond that how much things have improved for missionaries over the years.

One thing that I like to do is read. I have read about other great missionaries like George Muller and Hudson Taylor. There is another missionary I read about who I think has the best name for a missionary, "Jonathan Goforth". With a name like that I guess you just have to leave home and go somewhere else. All three of these men, and their families, left everything and everyone that they knew to go to another country and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I have read about these people and others like them I think that those of us who follow God's direction to go to another country today have it pretty easy by comparison.

Muller, Taylor, and Goforth all lived during the 1800s. They did not have the luxury of flying on an airplane to their destination; they all had to sail on ships and some of their trips lasted for months! None of these people had email, Facebook, Twitter, or even the Internet to keep in contact with others or to find resources to help them in their work. I can use the telephone or Skype to talk with family and friends without any difficulties and these early missionaries spent months and often years without having any contact with family or friends. Just this past week, I have had contact through the Internet or by phone with people on every continent, except Antarctica, and that was not possible for these early missionaries. Besides that, I am using a computer to write this blog and I use it for much of my work also; when I first came to Germany I did not even have a computer and I know that computers were not available in the 1800s!

No matter what anyone does to follow God's plan for their life there will be challenges and some sacrifices to be made. There is always a price to pay for serving God but the rewards always make it worth it! When I look at the improvements that have come for people who serve as missionaries I am very thankful for living in the day and age that I do. I know that no matter what circumstances we face that God will always make a way for us to succeed. But I am glad that there are many natural obstacles that I do not have to face today as many of my predecessors did and I am grateful for their hard work and sacrifice that paved the way for missionaries like me.

The Importance Of Our Words

2009-11-11T19:20:00.002+01:00

In September I was back in the USA and towards the end of my trip and then when I got back to Germany I was having some trouble with a cold. The second day back in Germany I almost completely lost my voice and had a hard time talking. Because of that I limited how much I talked so that I would not put any unnecessary strain on my voice. Some people would probably say that my not speaking as much would be a good thing, and you might know someone who should talk less. But, all kidding aside, it is not how much we say that matters as much as what we say.

When I was in this situation of not speaking much it got me thinking about words in general and the things that people say. There is actually an important truth here that we need to learn, our words are powerful and have more impact on our lives than we may think they do. One thing that we must realize is that we need to find out what the Bible says about us, our life, and those around us and then say what the Bible says about each of these. The Bible has quite a bit to say about our words and what our words can do.

Here are a few things that the Bible has to say about words, just from the Book of Proverbs. Our words can bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21); our words can deliver and preserve us (Proverbs 12:6, 13:3), our words can be pleasant (Proverbs 15:26) and promote health (Proverbs 12:18), or our words can destroy others (Proverbs 11:9) and ourselves (Proverbs 13:3). Another good place to read about the value of what we say is in James 3:2-12. Let's make it our goal to be the kind of people who say the right kind of things and have words that bring life and encouragement instead of words that do nothing but bring harm to ourselves and to others.

Quick To Remember, Quick To Forget

2009-10-31T16:55:00.000+01:00

October 1998 is when I moved to Germany to begin working with the ministry of RHEMA Germany, which is always a nice thing to remember. There are some other things I remember like when I asked Jesus to come into my life and I became a Christian, my experience of going through Bible school at RHEMA USA, and various things that have happened in the past 11 years I have been in Germany. While we can never live a successful future just based on the accomplishments of the past I still believe it is good to remember the good things that happen in our life and the blessings that God brings to us.

On the other hand, there are a lot of things we need to be quick to forget about: mistakes we have made, wrongs that other people have done to us, and past bad experiences. The problem seems to be that we have it all backwards; we spend a lot of time thinking about all of the negative things and not so much time remembering the good things! We need to take control of our thoughts and be sure that we are quick to remember the right things and quick to forget about and put behind us the wrong things.

There are a couple of good examples of this in the Bible. In Psalm 77 and 105 it talks about remembering the things that God has done and in Philippians 3 Paul says we should forget about the things that are behind us and reach towards the future. The Bible tells us to remember the words of Jesus, the words of the apostles, and that Jesus was raised from the dead. By focusing on and remembering the good things it will be easier for us to forget about and leave behind the wrong things and to live a successful Christian life.

Spiritual Jet Lag

2009-09-30T20:15:00.000+02:00

Jet lag is defined by Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as "a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (as fatigue and irritability), occurs following long flight through several time zones, and probably results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body". Whenever I have flown over the ocean to or from Germany I have noticed this condition and its effects. This past week I returned to Germany from a three week trip in the USA and I thought of a spiritual parallel to this natural condition.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," Colossians 1:13 (NKJV)

When someone becomes a Christian they change kingdoms; we move from the devil's kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom of light. We can experience a sort of spiritual jet lag because we are coming into a place that is spiritually far removed from where we were living previously. We are accustomed to a certain way of thinking and acting and now those things are at odds with our new spiritual location.

When I fly to the USA from Germany or back to Germany from the USA one of the first things I do is change the time on my watch to the time it is at my new location. Then, when I have landed in my new location I keep my thoughts focused on where I am and not on where I was. Spiritually, once we become a Christian we need to change our way of life as soon as possible. We are not Christians because we follow some set of rules but God gave directions on the best way to live and by living a life that is in agreement with God's Word it is easier for us to quickly get acclimated in our new spiritual location.

Now that we have moved into our new spiritual location we need to focus our thoughts on where we are and not where we were. Too many Christian's minds are not renewed with God's Word and it leads them into trouble. By making some adjustments in our way of thinking we can easily make the most of our new life with God and minimize the difficulties we may face in our transition from the devil's kingdom of spiritual darkness into God's kingdom of spiritual light.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

2009-08-31T20:25:00.003+02:00

On Wednesday I will fly from Germany back to the USA for a three week trip. While I am in the states I will speak in some churches and visit with family and friends. Usually I fly back to the states at least once or twice a year for a combined time of business and personal activities. Part of the life of a missionary is taking the time to visit with and thank the people who support you and your work, so trips like this are normal for missionaries.

I have lived in a number of different cities in two different states in the USA. I have lived in Germany for almost 11 years in three different cities. But no matter where I live I am at home. When I prepare to fly to the USA I often say to people that I will fly home on such and such a date. Then when I am returning to Germany I tell people in the states that I will be flying home on a certain date. Because I grew up in the USA it will always have a home feeling for me but I feel as much at home in Germany as I do in the states.

In my opinion, too often we get focused on the natural attachments we have to the people and things around us and without these around us we can get "homesick". They say that home is where the heart is and Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is that is where your heart will be. When we treasure the plan of God for our lives more than any natural thing or any human relationship that is when we truly find our home.

Don't get me wrong, I am very glad to be taking this upcoming trip and for the opportunity to visit with family and friends. But I am also very glad for the place and the people that God has connected me with here in Germany. If the time should come when God wants me to go back to the USA or somewhere else I plan on being just as happy there as I am here. Home is where the heart is and my heart is set on following God and fulfilling His will for my life!

Focus On God's Word

2009-08-24T17:35:00.003+02:00

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

This morning I was reading 2 Timothy and something stood out to me. In his second letter to Timothy Paul encourages Timothy to focus on the Word of God. I especially like 2 Timothy 2:15 and how Paul talks about "the word of truth". What I noticed was that in this letter to Timothy, in addition to what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 about God's Word, there are several other things that Paul mentions to Timothy: striving {arguing} about words (2:14), profane {wicked} and idle babblings {useless discussions} (2:16), and foolish and ignorant disputes (2:23). It seemed to me that Paul was telling Timothy to stay focused on God's Word and keep away from these other things.

Paul does not just say something like, "Hey Timothy, study and stay with God's Word because I said so" but Paul gives some good reasons for what he is saying. Paul calls God's Word the truth in 2 Timothy 2:15 and he then goes on in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to list the things that God's Word is good for: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. He then further says how this will enable the man of God to be complete and ready for every good work.

In contrast to this Paul also mentions the results of focusing on these other things of striving {arguing} about words, profane {wicked} and idle babblings {useless discussions}, and foolish and ignorant disputes. Paul said that these things: will ruin the hearers (2:14), increase to more ungodliness, their message will spread like cancer (2:16-17), and they generate strife (2:23). When you compare these results with the results of focusing on God's Word it is easy to see where we need to spend our time! By staying focused on God's Word and avoiding all of the other things we hear we will be ready for every good work.

One For All, All For One

2009-07-29T22:25:00.000+02:00

The past couple of weeks I was following the bicycle race know as the Tour de France. This is probably the worlds most famous bicycle race and it involves over 100 riders racing in stages over 2000 miles for about three weeks. This race is something I have been interested in for several years so every year I follow it a bit. This year as I was watching some of the race coverage I got thinking about a comparison between the teams in the race and Christians.

In the Tour de France the riders are all part of various teams. Each team has nine riders and some have different strengths than others. There are some riders who are better on the mountains and some who are better in short distances. What I thought was interesting was to see was how on the different stages of the race the team would all work together to help one of the riders to win. This all reminded me of the motto of the Three Musketeers of "One For All, All For One" meaning that they would stay loyal to one another and help one another no matter what.

All of this got me thinking about how Christians make up what the Bible calls "The Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27). All Christians are a part of this Body but we all have different strengths and gifts. Many Christians know this as a fact from the Bible but I am not too sure if they really grasp the concept and the comparison with the human body. Every part of our natural body works together for the good of the whole body. Each individual part does its job and the result is success for all of the parts. What if every Christian realized the same thing was true for the Body of Christ?

Jesus said that people would know we were His disciples if we had love for one another (John 13:35) and the Bible also tells us that love does not insist on its own rights or its own way because it is not self seeking (1 Corinthians 13:5). We are further encouraged by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:24 (Amplified) "Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor". If we just took these few verses to heart and started living that way, think of what we could do as the Body of Christ. If each Christian was more interested in the good of the whole than their own individual part we would be able to have greater success as a group and also as individuals. It works pretty well in the Tour de France and it would work even better for Christians since team work was originally God's idea anyway!

Six Degrees Of ?

2009-06-30T19:10:00.002+02:00

A few years ago there was this trivia type thing going around about the actor Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon made a comment that he had worked with everyone in Hollywood or someone who had worked with them. Some people then had the idea that you could link anyone in Hollywood to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. This whole idea is actually based on something called six degrees of separation or the human web that has as its main idea that each person on earth is only separated from any other person on the earth by six steps or degrees.

Well, the whole point of my blog is not to write about Kevin Bacon, statistics, or who I might know or be connected to. This idea came to me recently as I have been preparing to teach a class on the end times. I have been studying and working on my notes for a few weeks now to get myself ready for the class. What I have noticed is that in the Bible study I lead, in some conversions I have with people, and when I am watching TV over and over again I make connections back to the subject of the end times! I realized that because I have been focusing on that subject so much that it has begun to have an influence on how I view things around me.

Each person has some thing or idea that a lot of what they do and talk about can be connected to. For example, some people may be overly focused on money and everything to them somehow relates to money. Some people who have been rejected by others in the past see rejection in many of the contacts they have with people. Still other people are sports fans of some team and everyone around them knows that in a conversation eventually this person's favorite team will come up.

The things we spend our time with will have an influence on us and these things can begin to have an influence everything we do or think. By that I do not mean whether or not you are a Christian or if you love your family or something like that. But what I am talking about is how some topic or thing can have such a place in you that you see it in everything around you. Because I have been studying about the end times I have a tendency to relate everything around me back to that subject. Right now I am sure that I could connect almost anything to the end times within six steps! My question is if you look at your life, what is it that everything around you connects to in six steps or less?

Culture Shock

2009-06-20T12:45:00.000+02:00

Depending on what information you look at, the term culture shock was introduced in the 1940s or 1950s to describe the sense a person has when they enter into a different culture and environment than what they are used to. There is also a term "reverse culture shock" that is used to describe what can happen to someone who has lived for some time in a new place. Then when that person returns to their original culture and environment they once again must make an adjustment because they have gotten used to the new culture.

Culture shock is something that I believe every missionary deals with at one point or another to one degree or another. Personally I would say that culture shock has not been such a big issue for me but from other missionaries I know personally and that I know about it can be a big problem.

There are different symptoms of culture shock such as feeling sad and lonely, insecurity, irritability, and resentment, as well as idolizing the culture and environment you came from as opposed to where you live now. Reverse culture shock can be harder to deal with because people often have an unrealistic recollection of where they came from and once they return their image and reality clash dramatically. There are different stages of culture shock ranging from the initial excitement of being in a new place to the final adjustment of learning to live and thrive in the new environment.

Is there a "cure" for culture shock? While I am certain no one would consider me an expert on culture shock I have lived outside of my home country for over 10 years. I realize that no place is perfect and there will always be some things that I would rather see done differently; that goes for Germany and the USA. Many people spend their time thinking and talking about how great it is somewhere else and why their current location is not as good. That and always longing for some type of food or dwelling on how little they may be able to see some family and friends is, in my opinion, a recipe for disaster. Every place and every people group have their positives and their negatives. Culture shock may be something that has to be dealt with but I believe that being flexible and keeping the right attitude are keys to not allowing culture shock to become a personal crisis.

Golden Oldies

2009-05-31T20:15:00.001+02:00

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe." Philippians 3:1 (NKJV)

When I was younger I used to listen to music on the radio and they had some songs that were called "Golden Oldies". What was meant by that was that these songs were not something that had just been written yesterday but they had been around for a while. The idea was that these "Golden Oldies" were so good that they stood the test of time and you could hear them over and over again and still enjoy them.

I like what Paul said in Philippians 3:1 about writing the same things to the Philippians. Paul was not always looking for some new doctrine to thrill people. Paul knew that the basics principles of the Gospel message were so good that they stood the test of time and you could hear them over and over again and still enjoy them. We should never get tired of the basic truth of the Gospel and the simple truth of God's Word.

This whole idea can be compared with what some pagans did in Athens. There is an interesting verse in Acts 17:21:
"For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." Acts 17:21 (NKJV)

This is quite a contrast to what Paul said in Philippians. 3:1 Paul told the Christians in the city of Philippi that it was a safe thing for them to hear some "Golden Oldies" but the ungodly people in Athens were always looking for something new. What is really sad is that many Christians today are more like the people in Athens than the people in Philippi!

We live in an age of incredible access to information but we need to be careful that we don't look for some exciting new thing all the time and then neglect the simple, basic, foundational truths of the Word of God. It is not the latest fad that will help us to grow and develop spiritually it is those "Golden Oldies" that people like Paul wrote to us in the Bible. Stay with the Word of God and make sure when you do hear something that is new to you that it always agrees with the time tested truth of God's Word.

Eating Vegetables And Washing Windows

2009-05-23T16:45:00.000+02:00

Today I have been at home doing a few different things, including cleaning my apartment. As I was cleaning my apartment I had the thought that it had been a while since I cleaned the windows so I figured today would be a good day to do that. Washing the windows is one of those things, like eating vegetables, that needs to be done but no one really gets too excited about doing it. Well, I got all the windows done and now they look great! It was not a lot of fun to do but the results are worth it.

In our Christian life there are some things we should do but they don't always seem to be fun. Reading and studying the Bible, walking in love, and volunteering to work somewhere at church are all examples of this; I am sure most of us can come up with a few more if we think about it a bit. But regardless of whether or not something is fun or exciting there are some things that are just right to do. I have met more than just a couple of people who were more interested in what was fun than what was right!

So, am I saying that we should never have any fun or even that being a Christian is a miserable thing? Definitely not! But we cannot live a successful and productive Christian life by avoiding what we don't get excited about. It seems like if someone wants to hold a conference on prosperity or the gifts of the Spirit there will not be enough seats for all those who attend. But, if you decide to have a conference on growing up spiritually or walking in love you will have plenty of empty seats. I believe in prosperity and the gifts of the Spirit but I also know that if someone is not spiritually mature and does not walk in love their life will be a mess.

Life can be fun and exciting but the process we go through to live at that place is not always the most fun or exciting. And just like eating vegetables and washing windows, doing what we need to do and what is right to do brings results that are always worth it!

Distractions

2009-04-30T13:50:00.000+02:00

This is my first blog this month and only my fourth posting for the whole year! My plan has been to put up more than that but things have been busy for me this year, including my taking a trip to the USA for three weeks. I find that I have plenty of ideas for blog posts but I don't always get to them because there are other things I need to do that take priority over my blog.

One thing I have been considering lately is connected to this whole thing about my delay in posting more on my blog. As I live and work here in Germany (and when I am back in the USA) I notice how busy people are. Besides just having schedules that are filled with activities we now have cell phones and MP3 players so we can have something going on all the time. Before you get the wrong idea I have to say that I do have a cell phone (here in Germany they are called "Handys") and I also have an MP3 player, so I am not anti-technology.

Too often we end up getting away from the things that are really important because we get so involved with other things. I like how the Bible mentions in Hebrews 12:1 that we need to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and to run with endurance the race that is set before us". What I have always noticed in this verse is how it not only talks about sin being a hindrance to us but there are also other things that can become weights to us and slow us down in running the race that God has given us.

There are so many things in life that can distract us from what is really important so we need to constantly be on guard against them. The first step to being successful at that is to know what really is important and what the real priorities in your life are. This is something that each person must do for themselves but first and foremost we need to keep our relationship with God as our first priority. By keeping the important things in life as priorities we can prevent some of the distractions that are around us from weighing us down and preventing us from doing what we really need to do.

The Proper Point Of View

2009-03-31T17:30:00.000+02:00

"But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by their puny plans." Psalm 2:4 (Living Bible)

"and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV)

This picture to the right is one I took last month as I was flying into Charlotte, North Carolina from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on my way back to Germany. I like the picture and I currently have it on my computer desktop, this picture also gave me an idea for a blog about the problems we face in life.

Everyone deals with problems and difficult issues from time to time. There is no escaping the fact that we all have challenges in life. Although we can not always control everything that comes our way we can control how we handle the situation and what we choose to do about the problem. When you are flying in an airplane and you look out the window everything looks so small. In reality the houses and other buildings you see are large enough for several people to fit into but from the point of view you have while flying over them they look very small.

If we look at our problems from our natural perspective or point of view they can look so big and overwhelming. I like the verse in Psalm 2:4 where it talks about God laughing at the evil plans men have because He knows they can't succeed. The other verse of Ephesians 2:6 talks about the position we are now in spiritually because of who we are in Christ. Christians are spiritually seated with Jesus in a position of authority because of His death, burial, and resurrection. So, if we look at things from our spiritual position of being seated with Christ it is easy to laugh at whatever problem shows up. If we look at the problem in the context of who we are naturally and what we can do we might want to cry!

No matter what we face in life we always need to see what the Bible has to say about the situation. If we only focus on the natural issue that we face, how we feel in the situation, and what others say we can become discouraged and feel like there is no solution. When we keep a heavenly perspective it is easier to see what we need to do about the problem. Everyone faces problems but it is the people who have the proper point of view who will live the life of victory that God wants us to have and that Jesus came to provide for us!

What Is In You?

2009-02-28T16:15:00.004+01:00

It has been almost a month since my last blog. Some of that is due to the fact that I have been in the USA lately so I have been keeping busy with some other things. As I have been traveling around and doing things here in the states and then thinking about my blog it actually gave me an idea for a blog!

"So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also." Romans 1:15 (NKJV)

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 (NKJV)

These verses are something that I have had some thoughts about lately. When Paul talked about coming to see the people in the church at Rome he said he was ready to preach the Gospel to them. What I like is the way that the New King James Version starts this verse by saying, "So, as much as is in me"... Then putting what Jesus said in Luke 6:45 together with Romans 1:15 you get something that I believe is important for us to notice. What we have in us is going to come out of us and as much as we have put things into us we are ready to do whatever it is we need to do.

If we spend time reading, studying, and meditating on God's Word it will fill us so that it will come out of us when we speak to people and in the different situations we face in life. The problem that many people have is that they spend so much time filling themselves with everything except God's Word that when they face a problem or God wants to use them to help someone else there is no reserve of God's Word built up in them to do anyone, including themselves, any good.

Paul was successful in his ministry because he was filled with God's Word along with a spiritual understanding of that Word to the point that when he had the opportunity to speak with others God's Word is what came out. This is a pattern that we need to follow in our lives. Be sure that what is in you is based on God's Word so that when you have an opportunity to speak into the life of someone else what you have to say is worth hearing! And when you speak about yourself or the situations you face in life be sure everything you say is coming out of God's Word. Filling ourselves with God's Word and then speaking that Word out of our mouth is a key to success that we need to be sure we pay attention to.

Making A Real Change

2009-01-31T10:45:00.008+01:00

January is the time of year when people are trying to put into practice all of the New Year's resolutions that they have made. My last blog had something to do with that and it is something I have been thinking about lately. Personally there are a couple of areas I am looking to improve in this year and I have to say that after a month things are going pretty good, but I know for something to be a real change it has to be more than just a temporary thing.

Most of the time when I travel here I use the train. The trains in Germany are really great and they made some changes of their own with the beginning of the New Year. Starting in January we got some new trains, the schedule changed slightly, the ticket machines changed, and even the ticket prices changed. The problem is that one of the main things that people want from the train, punctuality, that has not changed.

Recently the trains have been running late pretty often, like the day I took this picture, and this is where I got my idea about this blog. The German train system is really pretty nice but trains not running on schedule are not so nice. It is easy to change a ticket price or rearrange the schedule but if the train is not on time what does it matter? In our own lives, you can say you want to lose weight this year and get into better physical condition. You can buy books about the subject, you can plan your workout routine and select the proper food to eat - but you still have to actually do something or you will never lose weight! A Christian can talk about wanting to grow spiritually. They can buy a new Bible, make their new Bible reading plan, and tell all their friends at church what they want to do, but they still have to read the Bible!

Too often the changes we want to make end up as nothing more than a few preliminary preparations with good intentions that never really amount to anything. Making a real change means commitment and follow through in the area we are dealing with. Real change is possible in any area of life but we can't just expect it to happen based on our nice ideas. This year I am sure we can all use some improvements so let's make some real changes that will bring lasting results and make us better Christians and better people.

Out With The Old And In With The New

2008-12-31T22:20:00.001+01:00

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead," - Philippians 3:13 (NKJV)

Here we are at the end of another calendar year; tomorrow will be the first day of 2009! This is the time of year when a lot of people make resolutions about what they would like to accomplish or change in the future. Often people look back on the previous year and see things they are not satisfied with and want to make some positive changes.

The verse from Philippians 3 is a very good verse to start the New Year with. No matter who you are I am sure that there were some things in 2008 that did not work out the way you would have liked them to. For me, 2008 was a very good year in many ways but there were some things from 2008 that I would rather not repeat in 2009!

First, we need to be like Paul and realize that we have not already arrived. Since we are all still human we will make mistakes and we are all still growing, developing, and changing. We should all do like Paul says here and forget about the past and look forward to some new things.

Second, we need to look at the coming year as a new page for us to write some great things on and not a worn out old piece of paper filled with crossed out lines and white out (remember that stuff?). We need to learn from our mistakes and failures but not live in the place of failure. Too many people make a mistake and then don't move past that place because they don't leave the past in the past. Forget about the shortcomings of 2008 and plan on success for 2009. Even if you had a lot of success last year you can't go very far forward when you are always looking backwards. So start off 2009 right, forget about the past and look toward the future; God has a great plan for you in the coming year!

Here Comes Santa

2008-12-23T20:45:00.003+01:00

When I was young I remember being told how Santa Claus would come around to bring presents at Christmas time. Somewhere along the line the story was told that Santa would somehow magically come down the chimney to get the presents into the house. Since we did not have a fireplace with a chimney I was never too sure how that was supposed to happen, but since I always got some presents I did not really care how he got into our house.

Well, that whole idea takes a different turn in Germany. Since so many people live in apartments Santa has no chimneys to work with but he still has a job to do. Although apartments may not have chimneys many do have balconies and that is where someone got the idea for Santa's M.O. here in Germany, take a look at these pictures.

This is one of those things that made me do a double take when I first saw it, Santa climbing over the balcony like a burglar! It was a bit of a shock to me to see these guys hanging off of balconies all over, and while not everyone does it the "balcony Santa" does seem to have his place here in Germany. This is one of those things about living in another country; some things may be the same in principle but different in application.

If you are interested in some more German Christmas type things, last year I posted a blog about German Christmas Markets with some pictures that you can see by following this link - http://www.jimrogahn.org/2007/12/christmas-markets.html and if you would like some more information about what Christmas is like here in Germany you can go to this website - http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa120298a.htm.

Being Thankful - Part 2

2008-11-28T23:30:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I posted a blog about being thankful and focusing on positive things instead of the negative. Well, tonight I had a really good opportunity to do that! This weekend I am hosting Jon Perrin who is a friend of mine and a former co-worker here at RHEMA Germany. Jon and his family now live and minister in southern Germany and if you would like to know more about their ministry you can follow this link http://www.perrinministries.org/pmwp08/ and go to Perrin Ministries to take a look.

At about 10:00 PM Jon and I were doing some computer work when we heard some very loud music. When I say loud it is not an exaggeration but it was so loud things in my apartment were literally shaking! I soon discovered it was the neighbor next to me who was responsible and so I went out on to the balcony to try and get him to quiet down. He did come out to talk with me and he said he would be quiet after I told him it was too late to be so loud. Well, he went back into his apartment and started up again. By now all the other people in the building and even the people at the pizza restaurant across the street we all yelling at him to turn the music down.

Finally about 10:30 PM the apartment building superintendant had called the police, since my neighbor would not answer the door, and the police asked if they could come into my apartment to get to the noisy neighbor. I let them in and they climbed over my balcony to his to make him turn off his music. The police then told me to call them again if he starts with the loud music.

What does all this have to do with being thankful? What I have noticed is that when you see and embrace a Bible truth that very often something will come up to "test" you in that area. When this guy was playing his music so loud and ignoring my request to be quiet I was very tempted to start yelling some more and to maybe even throw something at his speaker, which was outside on the next balcony by the way. But, unhappy as I was with the situation I kept my cool and did not let it ruin my evening. The whole thing went on for over and hour with Jon and I laughing at how crazy the whole thing was. So the next time you face a difficult situation, especially about something you are just learning about do like it says in James 1:2-4 and count it as a joyful thing when you have a trial because you can be sure that your successful completion of the trial will only make you better!

Being Thankful

2008-11-27T23:00:00.003+01:00

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I think it is great that one day has been designated as a day to be thankful for things. What I think would be even better is if everyone was more thankful during the entire year and maybe we just had one day to be ungrateful and to not give thanks for what we have! That is a joke by the way.

As I thought about this blog idea I actually started to wonder if "thankful" was a word or if my English language skills were really getting bad after 10 years in Germany. So, I looked at an online dictionary to see if it is really a word and it sure is! Not only is thankful an actual word but the definition fits with my idea for this blog. The dictionary says thankful means, conscious of benefit received. Today is a day when we should be conscious of the benefits we have received.

Just before posting this blog I got home from my Thursday night Bible study and I can look at this two ways. I can be thankful that I have a place to go on Thursday night where people want to learn more about the Bible or I can be grumpy that it is late and it takes me about an hour to get home. Being thankful is a matter of perspective and focusing on the blessings we do have and not on whatever may not be so great. Everyone faces challenges in life but spending all of our time thinking about them will not only lead us to be unthankful (if that is even a word) but we will have a negative outlook on life and be a person no one wants to be around.

We need to start counting our blessings, as they say, and see how blessed we really are. So often we have a lot of positive things going on but we look at the negative. For example, when I saw the advertisement for this apartment they said it has a view of the Rhine River, which is cool. What they didn't say is that my apartment also has a "view" of a major street on one side and a "view" of the railroad tracks on the other side! I like my apartment and when I look out the window I choose to be thankful I have a view of the Rhine River and I don't focus on the traffic or the train. To me that is what it means to be thankful, focus on the good and positive things and don't let the negative side of things be all that you see. Happy Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful for all that God has done for you!

That's What I'm Here For

2008-11-25T20:30:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since I posted my last blog, almost a month in fact. Things have been busy here with school starting and all of the other activities of the ministry and everyday life. I also had some computer "issues" to deal with but I am glad to get back into the blogging world. It seems like I have a lot of ideas for blogs but usually the blog falls behind other things in my list of priorities so that means no blogs sometimes.

When I moved to Germany 10 years ago one of the main things I wanted to do was teach other people Bible truth. I not only see this as my calling in life but I have a great desire to help others learn about God's Word for themselves. Last week I taught the class "New Testament Literature" in our weekday Bible school, I also did my Bible study on Thursday, and I led a small group with some of our students as a part of the Bible school.

What happened was that during the week when I taught my class, on Thursday at the Bible study, and in the small group with students there were times when I could tell that people were seeing the truth for themselves. Two particular instances stand out to me where I was having some discussion time, once in the Bible study and then in the small group with students. Both of these times I was asked a question about what something in the Bible meant and I explained from the Bible what was being talked about and what it means for us. The great part was when you could see the light go on with these people as they recognized the truth for themselves. When this happened I remember thinking to myself, that's what I'm here for!

I would by no means say I know everything about the Bible and my goal is never to brag about how great I am. What I do want to say is that when I see God use me to help someone else get an understanding of what the Bible is all about it gives me a sense of satisfaction because I know that is why God brought me here. Being a "missionary" living in another country and even being in full time ministry is not always the easiest thing to do. But I must say that the rewards of helping someone to learn more about God and His Word are more than worth it all. I am in no way complaining about my situation in life but rather I am rejoicing that I was able to fulfill part of the plan of God for my life and to help someone along in God's plan for their life; that's what I'm here for!

10 Years In Germany!

2008-10-29T21:10:00.001+01:00

Today is a special day for me as it marks the date that I moved to Germany 10 years ago to work with John and Michelle Grunewald and the ministry of RHEMA Germany. So much has happened during these past ten years that I could write several blogs about it all but I will only mention a few things.

My first trip to Germany was in 1995 but it was not until three years later in October 1998 that I actually moved. At first I lived near Heidelberg, Germany, which is a few hours south of here, and I relocated to the Bonn area a few months later. In 1998 there was no RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany; it was still in the planning and development stage. Being a part in this ministry from the very beginning has been a great experience.

These past ten years have been filled with growth and development. RHEMA Germany now operates a weekly Bible Training Center in Bonn and we oversee several weekend Bible Training Centers all over Germany and Europe. RHEMA Bible Church in Bonn has grown from a handful of people at its beginning in May 1999 to an average attendance, including children, of over 200 each week. The branch of the ministry we refer to as "RHEMA Europe" helps to oversee and assist the over 1000 RHEMA alumni who live in greater Europe.

The ministry team I am a part of at RHEMA Germany is outstanding and it is one of the reasons I have enjoyed being here so much. Most missionaries do not stay on the mission field for ten years and I credit some of my longevity to the awesome "fellow-laborers" I work with at this ministry. Being a missionary is not always the easiest thing to do but I have found the experience to be very fulfilling and rewarding. Not only am I following the calling that God has placed on my life but I have been able to be a part of working with and changing the lives of so many people through the church, Bible schools, and home groups. With ten years now behind me I look forward to the next ten and I expect them to be even better!

School Registration Day

2008-10-07T20:15:00.006+02:00

Today was the first day of the 2008-09 school year at RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany! This is always a great day as we get to meet new students entering their first year of school and we welcome back those students who are returning for their second year. For all of us who teach and are involved with the school it is a day we look forward to each year. We know it is just the beginning of great things in the lives of our students.

Although we are a Bible school there are still some things we have to take care of like registering the students, collecting fees, distributing books, and giving some basic instructions and information about the school. This picture shows some of the students waiting in line to register. They will then pick up their student manual which includes the student handbook and some class material.

Some of these new students come to us through the referral and recommendation of our graduates. Some of them have heard about us but do not know us very well. We also realize that the students come from different backgrounds and are at different levels of spiritual development; but the principles of God's Word work the same for everyone. No matter who they are or what course these students may have taken to come to the school we know that as they are taught the Word of God it will be a life changing experience for them!

One Class, Two Missionaries

2008-09-20T11:45:00.004+02:00

Last weekend we held a class at our mobile Bible Training Center in Bonn, the subject was "New Testament Literature". This is a class that I normally teach in our week-day school and in some of the mobile schools, but this time we did something different. Another missionary, Mark Six, was in Bonn during this weekend so it was decided that he would teach this class. Mark was informed that I would be attending the class and because the class consists of 12 hours of teaching over two days, and because he would be speaking in our church on Sunday, I could do part of the class if he wanted me to. We ended up having Mark do the first six hours of the class and then I did the final six hours. Here are two pictures from the class, one with Mark Six teaching and the other of me teaching.

Mark received a copy of my notes to help him prepare for the class and he did an excellent job not only covering the material but also by adding some of his own personal insights on the New Testament. It was different for me to have someone teach the first half of a class and then coming in to finish it but it worked out great. I personally enjoyed the teaching that Mark did and I heard from others in the class that they also benefited from his teaching as well as mine. With two different missionaries teaching in the same class the students had a unique opportunity to gain insight from both of us on the subject of the New Testament.

Mark and his wife Robin have been missionaries in several countries for a number of years, and I actually met them both a few years ago. Previously they lived and ministered in Belgium and The Netherlands and a return trip to these two countries was why they were in Europe. Both Mark and Robin are graduates of RHEMA Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma and they currently live and minister in Japan. If you are interested in learning more about Mark and Robin Six and their ministry you can visit their website at http://www.desti-nations.org.

Don't Get Weary While Doing Good

2008-09-12T10:30:00.002+02:00

"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint" - Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible)

Recently I have been thinking about this verse and how it can apply to growing and developing as a Christian and even making changes in everyday life. In July I posted a blog called "Making Changes" where I wrote about how we need to be open to change and growth in our lives. This blog might be called a second part to that one because they both fit together. There are many people who as they make changes in their life or as they take a further step to grow as a Christian they get tired and give up before they reap the results of their efforts.

There will always be growth "opportunities" and things that the Holy Spirit will show us that need to be changed and/or corrected. Usually we are enthusiastic at the beginning and ready to do whatever has to be done. But as time goes on we don't often see things change as fast as we want and we get weary in doing the right thing and we quit. In times like that I am so thankful that God is a good and gracious God and He will continue to work with us and help us get back on course if we get off track.

As I have been making some changes in my life, naturally and spiritually, I have sometimes become discouraged because it seems like it is taking me so long to get where I am going. God reminded me of that verse in Galatians 6:9 and He also gave me a good example to encourage me. One problem we have is that we live in such a fast paced society today and we want everything to happen right away without any waiting or delay. But the fact is that real growth and change will most often take time.

The example God gave me was that of a ship in the ocean. If one of those big oceangoing ships decides that they want to change course it is not an instant thing, especially if the course change is a big one. What God showed me is that making changes in life is more like a ship on the ocean than the drive through at McDonalds. We would like everything to be like the drive through where we place our order and a few minutes later we get what we want. Real change may take some time and realizing that can help us to hold steady as we make course corrections in our life. If we continue to follow the growth plan that God has for our lives we may not see changes overnight but if we don't get weary in doing the right things we will see the desired results. No matter what change you may be making or no matter how long you have been standing on God's Word in faith be assured that the time will come when you reap the rewards and it will be worth the effort!

What Would We Do Without You?

2008-09-01T18:40:00.000+02:00

Last week I was helping someone move into a new apartment. There was some painting to do along with the moving of boxes and furniture. The person who was moving made the comment to me, "What would I do without all of you?" They were simply expressing their gratitude at the fact that a number of us were helping with the necessary work involved with relocating to a new apartment, but it got me thinking about a spiritual truth.

This comment made me think about the fact that today Christians are called the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says; "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually". Then you can read in Ephesians 4:16 that every part of the body of Christ has something to supply, or give, to help the body. Too many times as Christians we do not realize the connection we have to one another and how important we are to each other. Often we think it is only the pastor or someone called into full time ministry who is really vital to what God is doing today. The truth is that we are all important parts of the body of Christ. If every Christian would see the value of what God has called them to do and then use the abilities that God has given them to help others it would change how they live and act.

Most of the time we put a high value on the gift and talent that someone else has and we minimize what God wants to do through us. The problem then is that every part of the body of Christ is not supplying what they have and so the body is not as well developed as it should be. Naturally speaking, if only half of our body was functioning we would have a problem. Spiritually speaking, too many Christians are not fulfilling their part in the body of Christ and we all suffer because of it. The answer to the question, "What would we do without you?" is that we will do far less than we should and not be as effective as we could.

If you are not sure about the plan that God has for you or about the gift and talent He has placed in you then ask God about it and get involved in your local church. God will help you see the ability that you have and how you can use it effectively to be a vital part of the body of Christ. Getting involved in your local church will give you a place to start contributing to what God is doing and it will give God something to work with in your life. We all need to understand our own importance to the body of Christ, take our place, and contribute with the abilities that God has blessed us with.

Leadership Training

2008-08-23T16:00:00.008+02:00

This past Thursday and Friday, August 21 and 22, I attended a leadership training seminar led by Dr. Dean Radtke of The Institute of Ministry Management and Leadership. Dr. Radtke travels all over the world holding workshops for pastors and ministry leaders to help them develop their overall leadership skills. In the past I have attended this same "CEO and Leaders Workshop", as Dr. Radtke calls it, but I believe that teaching about leadership and effectively working with people is something that needs to be heard over and over again. As a minister and a missionary I strongly believe in continued training and education along the lines of ministry and leadership to help me stay sharp and so that I can continue to grow and develop in these areas.

On the left is a picture from the workshop that just took place here. Approximately 85 people from Germany, France, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and The United Kingdom participated in these meetings that we at RHEMA Germany hosted for Dr. Radtke. There is a lot of work that goes into holding a series of meetings like this but it is well worth the effort. This leadership seminar was a benefit to me personally and by being involved with the work of hosting this seminar, and in that way having a small part in helping train and develop pastors and leaders, this also helps me fulfill the calling that God has for my life.

If you are a pastor or ministry leader I would definitely recommend attending one of these workshops. More information about Dr. Radtke's ministry can be found on his website at http://www.ministryinstitute.org/ and you can also find a schedule of his upcoming meetings there.

A German Child's First Day Of School

2008-08-15T17:10:00.014+02:00

Last week I had the opportunity to be a part of something very special in the life of a child, their first day of school. In Germany, like the USA, children attend Kindergarten but the big step comes when they enter the first grade. Here below are a couple of pictures of Silas, who happens to be my godson, ready for his first day of school.

The first thing that you may notice is that he is holding this blue thing that looks like some giant ice cream cone, this is called a "Schultüte", which literally means "school cone". The Schultüte is filled with things a child will need for school like pens and pencils and it also contains candy. That seems like a pretty good deal to me as I don't seem to recall getting any candy on my first day of school!

The first day of school for Silas was quite an event. First I accompanied Silas and his family to a brief ceremony in the church in the small town where he lives. After this church ceremony all of the children walked to another building for a sort of get acquainted with the school meeting. This meeting was a big production with a lot of things happening.

Once the meeting got started the person who is what we would call the dean of the school greeted the students and their parents. He then acted as a sort of MC to introduce the different classes of the current 2nd through 4th graders in the school who all had some song or sketch to perform for the new students. This picture to the left is of the dean addressing the new students and their parents.

Part way through this meeting a couple of other people were introduced, they were from the mayor's office. The mayor himself could not be there because he was sick. The representatives of the mayor also addressed the students and their parents. Then they gave the dean of the school a bottle of wine to congratulate him on his fine work or some such thing. Since the whole thing was in German I missed a word or two but I figured that the wine was either a gift to congratulate him on something or they figured it was going to be a pretty tough year for him. What ever it was it was something that you probably would not see in the states but it is not a big deal here in Germany. Once this meeting was finished the children then went to their classes.

German children all attend the same basic school from grades 1-4. After grade 4 they will go to a different school based on the type of vocation they will pursue. Since I would not say I am an expert on the German school system if you are interested in finding out more about how the education system in Germany works you can take a look at http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html for more information.

The first day of school is a big event for the children and their parents. I am glad to have been a part of this special day for my godson and I am sure that he will do very well in school.

Just Not My Day

2008-08-06T23:00:00.002+02:00

The other day I was at a grocery store and as I was going to pay for my purchase I got mixed up trying to get the correct amount of change to the cashier. I was about to hand her some money when I realized my mistake and then recounted my money to give her what was needed. As the girl working the register saw my mix up she said, "It hasn't been my day either". I just smiled at her, trying to be nice and not really able to think up a good response in German. But I thought to myself, "Every day is my day because God is on my side" and as I took my things and walked away I got thinking about what she said.

Sometimes we have a day where it seems like we run into problem after problem. Often when this happens we say something like this girl said to me, "I guess it's just not my day!" But if today is not my day then when will I have my day and how will I know when it is my day? The problem is that the standard we use to determine when we are having a good day or a bad day is our circumstances. Instead of checking my circumstances to gauge if today is my day I have decided to make every day my day and believe that God will help me to deal with whatever comes my way.

Part of this for me is getting my thinking straight and part of it is getting what I say lined up with what God says about me. I choose to take God's side in my day and He has said He would help me (Hebrews 13:6), He is on my side (Psalm 118:6), He is for me and not against me (Romans 8:31), no weapon formed against me can succeed (Isaiah 54:17), and He will guide me in my life (Psalm 32:8). By focusing on what God has said about me and what He will do for me I find that my days are better and even when I face a difficult situation God always helps me to overcome it. So, if it seems like you are having one of those days that is just not your day then focus on God and what He has to say about your life and every day can be a great day!

Actions Or Reactions

2008-07-30T23:15:00.008+02:00

This blog is from another one of my adventures at an airport. Traveling on an airplane is normally a very fast way to go from one place to another and usually the place that you are traveling to is one you want to get to so it is generally a pleasant experience, but not always.

This picture on the left is one I took at the Chicago O'Hare airport back in January after a crazy day of flight cancellations and delays. The line that these people are standing in was going to the United Airlines customer service center where a person would have the opportunity to try and reschedule their travel plans. I stood in this line earlier for just over an hour to find out that I had to wait two days before I could actually get on another flight to go back to Germany. When I was in the line it was actually much shorter than it is in this picture. My connecting flight arrived late in Chicago so I missed the plane I should have been on to Germany. But upon my arrival I found out that I was not alone in missing a flight and due to some severe weather conditions many, many flights were canceled.

This whole incident was not one that I would like to relive but things like this can and do happen. What I noticed about all of this was how the people involved in this unhappy mess were acting and reacting. Many people were very upset and yelling at anyone from the airlines who was standing still long enough to listen. I had to work my way around a couple of irate people just to be able to speak to someone from United Airlines and find out what my options were after missing my flight. I will have to say that everyone I talked with from United were very helpful and since they did not cause the tornadoes that caused my flight delay I was not mad at any of them, but that could not be said for everyone in the airport that day.

For me this whole incident was a lesson in actions and reactions. In any negative situation we can either react to the problem and be upset and take it out on whoever or whatever happens to be around us or we can see what has to be done to solve the problem and take the appropriate action. Although I was not happy about missing my flight back to Germany I realized that if I yelled at the United Airlines people that they would be less likely to even want to help me. Besides that, my being upset would not do anything to first of all change the weather (or what had already happened) and second of all it would not make me or anyone else happy. So my thought for this whole thing is that it is better to take a moment to look at a situation and find out the proper course of action instead of reacting to the problem and possibly making it even worse. Sooner or later in life we will all face a problem and how we act or react will make a big difference, for us and everyone around us.

Making Changes

2008-07-22T21:30:00.000+02:00

For over two years now I have had a blog site. This blog site is actually my second, the first one I was using crashed. Then, to make things worse, the company running the site did not have things in place to back up the site and restore everything so I moved on to a new site. Just the other day I was looking at my blog site and I decided to make some minor changes to the way the site looks. That got me thinking about some other related things.

Throughout our lives we are making changes. In fact, the only thing that does not change is that things change! Most people are like me where the things that are familiar are what we like best and we don't always want to make the changes and adjustments that we should. Recently I have been looking at some things in my own life and making some changes. Nothing radical, just some small adjustments that I believe will make things better for me.

My belief is that since none of us are prefect we need to be ready and willing to make changes when we find an area of our life that needs it. As a Christian and a minister I want to follow God's plan and purpose in my life and that sometimes leads to a change or two. What I have found is that there are times I resist the change from something familiar to something new, but when I make the changes that God leads me into it always pays off! Keep an eye on your life, and keep your spiritual ears tuned in to God and be ready to make any necessary changes; it will always be worth it.

RHEMA Germany Graduation 2008

2008-06-28T15:15:00.001+02:00

Last month I posted a blog about our school graduation ceremony and the alumni luncheon that was held on the same day. At that time I only had some pictures that I took at the luncheon but none of the actual graduation ceremony itself. I now have some pictures and I have finally gotten around to making another post using these pictures to show what our graduation was like. This first picture shows the graduates from RHEMA Germany with Pastor and Mrs. Hagin and the school instructors.

Pastor Hagin was the featured speaker for the ceremony itself and here are some pictures from the ceremony showing Pastor Hagin and also one of the audience.

At the end of the graduation ceremony the students received their diplomas to signify their completion of the two years of training that they received at RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany. Here are one of our students from Germany and another from The Netherlands receiving their diplomas.

The graduation ceremony was a complete success. Many of these graduates are already involved in one area of ministry or another. We believe that the training that all of these graduates have received has helped to prepare them to continue on in the plan of God in their life and we expect them all to be a great benefit to the Kingdom of God!

Playing Softball In Germany

2008-06-16T19:50:00.001+02:00

Yesterday we had our annual church picnic. It was a really great time of fun and fellowship with the usual cookout on the grill and lots and lots of good food. One thing we did here for the first time was to have a softball game. For most Americans that does not sound like a big deal but in Germany most people have never played any kind of baseball. So what we ended up with was quite a few people doing their best to play a game they had only seen in a movie.

We divided up those who wanted to play into two teams. But when the teams consist of a few Americans and people from Germany, Croatia, Russia, and South Africa then as you can imagine the skill level is not too high. Besides that we had adults and kids playing so that also had an effect on how much we bent the rules in order to just have fun and not really count who was winning or losing. Some of the kids ended up having about five strikes before they hit the ball and many of us who were playing the field were suspiciously inept at being able to make an easy throw to first base or something similar. However, everyone had a lot of fun (myself included) and we all found out that just playing for the fun of it is alright sometimes.

One thing that I did get thinking about was the differences between different countries and how something that people are so used to in one place is so strange to people from another place. Softball is one such example of that. I thought it was really great for so many people who had never swung a bat or put on a baseball glove to go out and try this strange game and how most of them did surprising well at it. We may or may not play softball at our church picnic next year but I am sure the memories from this year's game will last a long time.

RHEMA Germany Promotional Video

2008-05-30T21:30:00.001+02:00

At our graduation ceremony last week we showed a video that we are using as a way to promote our school and the overall ministry of RHEMA Germany. The video is about four minutes long and it gives some information about what we are doing at RHEMA Germany. The video also includes some statistics about Europe, RHEMA around the world, and there are some testimonies from past and present students. I hope you enjoy the video and it helps you to have a better idea about what we are doing here in Germany and Europe.

This video was originally posted on the RHEMA Germany channel on YouTube with some other videos from the ministry here. If you would like to view this video on YouTube you can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpAEnQ2RHg.

Graduation And Alumni Meeting

2008-05-27T16:30:00.000+02:00

Last week we held the graduation ceremony for RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany and an alumni luncheon on the same day. Although we have students who complete the school program each year we only have the actual graduation ceremony every two years. There are a couple of reasons that we do it this way and one of those reasons is so that we are able to have Pastor Kenneth and Lynette Hagin come as our featured speakers for this event. The graduation ceremony is a wonderful time for the students to have a public recognition of their completing the two year school program and a time for others to celebrate this occasion with them.

One other thing we always like to include with our graduation is an alumni meeting. Because Pastor and Mrs. Hagin are already here for the graduation ceremony we like to hold an alumni meeting with them as well. Here is a picture of the Hagins addressing the alumni and a couple of pictures I took of some of the alumni who attended the event.

There were approximately 90 alumni from four different RHEMA schools who attended this meeting. The Hagins expressed their joy at being able to see so many graduates and they also encouraged each person to fulfill the plan that God has for their life. Graduations and alumni meetings are not something we do here every day but when we do have them they are always special events.

Let Go Of The Can!

2008-04-30T21:30:00.001+02:00

In February, after returning from my last trip to the states, I was in the Frankfurt airport waiting for my luggage. As I waited for my bags to come down the conveyor belt I saw another man doing the same thing. However there was one difference between him and me, he was holding a can of some type of drink in one hand. I noticed the drink and thought to myself about how after a long trans-Atlantic flight it is nice to have something to drink.

Then, before my bags came along the man with the can spotted one of his bags. Like many people he had a large bag that was packed pretty good and when it came by him he grabbed it, but he didn't let go of the can! I watched in amazement as he struggled to get his one bag off of the conveyor belt with only one hand. He did it but it took a lot of effort and certainly much more than he would have needed had he used both hands. Then something even more amazing happened, his second bag arrived and he did the same thing! This man was on the opposite side of the baggage pick up area from where I was and too far away for me to help him but I wanted to yell at him, "Hey, let go of the can!" It would seem like an obvious thing to do, but rather than drop the can he struggled to get his two bags with only his one free hand.

Shortly after this incident my luggage arrived and I left the baggage claim area. As I walked away I thought about how hard it was for this man to do what he needed to do because he would not let go of the can he was holding. This was an example to me of how so many people go through life hanging on to things that although they are not wrong, what they are holding on to makes what they need to do in life more difficult than it has to be.

This reminded me of what it says in Hebrews 12:1 where it tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Often times it is not the sin that becomes a problem but it is the extra weight that holds us back from "running our race" for God as Hebrews 12 goes on to say. We need to keep an eye on the things we hold on to in life, like that man did with the can, and let go of anything that might hinder us from being as effective as we ought to be. God has a great plan for each and every person and by putting aside the things that hinder us we can be more productive in the things that we do.

Teaching AND Translating

2008-04-25T20:00:00.002+02:00

On Thursday nights I lead a Bible study in the city of Cologne. The group is made up of people from several different nations and normally we do the meeting entirely in English. That may sound strange to lead a group in English while living in Germany. But there are a number of people here who speak English and it is simpler to lead a group in one language. Occasionally we do have some people who do not speak English at the Bible study so someone translates for me. This group has been going for over two years now and it is always something I look forward to.

Last night was a different meeting than normal. I did my usual part of leading the group and teaching the lesson but I had an extra job to do last night, I was the translator too! This is actually the second time this happened. Last night there were two people at the meeting who did not speak enough English to be able to understand the lesson without translation. The only problem was that no one was present who could translate. One young man in the group volunteered to try to do it but he did have a few moments where he got stuck and so for some of the group I would say something in German and then translate it myself into English. The other time this happened I did the whole thing on my own.

My German language skills are not at the level where I would consider myself a fluent speaker of the language but I can get by and have some conversations with people solely in German. But, translating yourself from German into English is another thing! And because my German is not as good as it could be there were a few funny moments as I mixed up some words or used a completely wrong word and had to have someone else help me out. It certainly made the evening a very interesting and memorable one.

Now, I am by no means trying to drum up sympathy here. I am willing to do whatever it takes to do what I am supposed to do. The first time I did this it was harder because I had never done it before. But, it did work so when faced with the situation the second time I was more prepared to jump in since I had been down the road before. This whole thing motivates me to improve my German language skills more but it also shows the importance of being ready for anything and being willing to do whatever it takes, even if it sometimes means doing double duty.

A Different Kind Of Memorial

2008-03-22T20:45:00.004+01:00

One of the things that the city of Bonn is known for is the fact that Beethoven was born here. The house he was born in has been turned into a museum and they have placed a statue in the center of the city as a way to remember and honor Beethoven. While I was in Bonn the other day I took this picture of Beethoven’s statue.

As I was riding the train home I got to thinking about this statue of Beethoven that was set up as a memorial to remind people of who Beethoven was and that he once lived in Bonn. This got me thinking about Good Friday and Easter, which were only a few days away at the time, and how these days are used to remember Jesus, who He was and how He died and rose again. Today Beethoven is dead and you can listen to some music that he wrote. Today Jesus is alive and He gave us more than just some music; Jesus came to die on the cross for us and to bring us into a new covenant relationship with God.

As Christians we are the temple of God and living stones in the spiritual house of God, which is the church, the Body of Christ on the earth (1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:27; 1 Peter 2:5). To me this is an amazing thing and it is what makes Christianity different than every other belief system in the world. We are a different kind of memorial, a living representative of Jesus on the earth here to show the world who He is and what His life meant for us and everyone else. Easter is a special time to remember Jesus but we need to keep in mind that we are ambassadors for Christ everyday and we all have a “mission field” to work in. From now on when I am in Bonn and I look at this statue it will make me think of more than just a great composer; it will remind me that I am a different kind of memorial.

Traveling, Traveling, Traveling

2008-03-10T20:00:00.004+01:00

This past year I have done a lot of traveling. In fact, I just returned to Germany from a two week trip to the USA to speak in some churches and to attend the Winter Bible Seminar at RHEMA USA in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When I look back at the past twelve months I realize that I have done quite a bit of traveling.

In the past 12 months I have taken 3 trips back to the states as well as several trips inside of Germany and Europe. I have traveled in cars, trains, and airplanes through 4 different countries and in 6 different states. During my travels I have spoken in 12 churches and shared about my missionary work at 2 others. I have spoken in 4 different Bible schools, including our regular weekly Bible school here in Bonn, on 9 different subjects. I have also been through 14 different airports and I have flown on 7 different airlines.

Not every trip was as smooth as I would have liked it to be but I was satisfied with what I was able to accomplish on these trips. My first goal is of course to teach people about the Word of God. Many of my trips also included times of me telling people about my ministry to give them the chance to get involved with what I do through their financial support. I do like to travel but after a few delayed flights and several different hotel rooms it does not seem so glamorous any more. But don't get me wrong, I think what I do is the greatest "job" in the world even though it isn't always the easiest thing to do.

One other aspect I like about traveling is that it gives me the opportunity to see what God is doing in other churches and through other people. As I travel I also have the chance to visit with many people that I have been friends with for several years and even to make a new friend or two along the way. Besides all that, just with all the traveling and interacting with other people you end up with a lot of stories to tell. I already have a few ideas about some blogs I could write about some of these stories so that is coming up. Traveling can be a busy and tiring experience but it can also be very rewarding. This time next year I suppose I will have to look back again and see if I traveled more or less than these past twelve busy months.

The Rhine River

2008-02-10T19:30:00.000+01:00

One of the things I like about where I live in Germany is that I am close to the Rhine River. I am fortunate to have a view of the Rhine River from my apartment. These first two pictures were taken by me from my balcony looking towards the river. The first was obviously on a sunny day while the second I took after a storm had passed through.

The Rhine River is about 700 miles long and it is the most important inland waterway in Europe. The Rhine flows from the Swiss Alps northward to where it empties into the North Sea. Here are two more pictures that I took of the Rhine that show some of the river traffic.

In case you are wondering if I rented an airplane to take those pictures I have to say no, I just climbed a hill that lies to the west of the Rhine. On this hill there is an old castle ruins, which you can see in this picture below.

On the very top left-hand side of the picture you can see the castle ruins I mentioned before. The castle on the right hand side of the picture is the same one I mentioned in a previous blog titled "Amazing or Ordinary" from last July.

The Rhine River is quite a sight to see and I feel very fortunate to live so close to it. In fact, the advertisement for my apartment listed a view of the Rhine River as one of the apartment benefits. However, what was not listed is that on the side of my apartment where the Rhine is I also have a nice "view" of a very busy road and on the other side I have a nice "view" of the train. If you look carefully in the fourth picture you can see both the road and the tracks for the train. In spite of all that it is still a great place to live and I really enjoy being able to look out my window and have a view of the Rhine River.

The Most Important Thing

2008-01-31T22:00:00.000+01:00

It seems like I just made my last posting here but it has actually been one month ago! Normally I have been adding something to my blog site twice a month. But since returning from my trip back to the states in December I have been busy catching up with some things here so my blog had to wait.

Like most people it seems that I can always find something to stay busy with. One thing I have learned is that we need to keep things in the proper perspective and to set priorities. Because people do not do that they often have difficulties in life. Too many times we just run from project to project trying to put out all of the fires that come up and we never really seem to get caught up. Besides that, the most important thing in life gets neglected - our relationship with God. We should realize that if we put our relationship with God first then everything else in life will fall into place; getting God more involved in our life will only help us!

My main goal is to be sure that I take time to keep my relationship with God strong through reading and studying the Bible and by spending time with God in prayer. If I do that, then I am better prepared to do the things that God wants me to do in my life and ministry and everything else in my life seems to work out better. If we don't keep our relationship with God strong then we cheat ourselves and everyone around us out of the best that we can be. The most important thing in life is to have a strong relationship with God and with that as our main goal everything else in life will be much better for us and everyone else too.

2008 Can Be Great

2007-12-31T17:00:00.000+01:00

New Year's Eve 2007 is here and so 2008 is right around the corner. I don't think anyone looks at a New Year and says, "I hope my life gets worse this year" or "I really want to make some big mistakes this next year". Although I don't believe that is what people really want that is often what actually happens; 2008 can be great and a lot of that has to do with us.

With this blog post I just want to mention a few things that can help us to have success in the New Year. First of all we can't live in the past. No matter what failures, or success, we have had in 2007 we need to keep on moving and not get stuck with what happened yesterday; it's hard to go very far forward when you are constantly looking in the rear view mirror.

Secondly, if we want 2008 to really be great we need to make the commitment to develop spiritually. We need to spend time getting to know God's Word and we need to spend time fellowshipping with God in prayer. Getting to know God and His Word better will help us to grow and develop spiritually. If we live our lives like spiritually mature Christians it will have nothing but positive results for us, and others, in the coming year.

Third and last if we want to have a better year this year than last year we need to do something outside ourselves. We can get so focused on our own lives and what is happening with us that we never do anything for other people and we don't get involved with anything in God's Kingdom. If we get involved in what God is doing in our church and we get involved in helping other people it is pretty hard to be self centered and selfish.

My desire is that each and everyone will have a great 2008, but it really depends on what we do with the opportunities we have. Make the most of this next year by continuing to move forward in life, growing spiritually, and getting involved. I believe if you do these three things in the coming year then at this time next year you will be able to look back and say that 2008 really was great!

Christmas Markets

2007-12-21T21:00:00.000+01:00

December in Germany means that it is time for Christmas Markets. Many towns and villages in Germany have Christmas Markets where different people set up booths to sell various items ranging from foods to gifts. There are also rides set up for children so Christmas Markets really become a family event.

Rather than try to explain more about what a Christmas Market looks like I have posted several pictures of the Christmas Market in Bonn. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

The Traffic Camera

2007-11-30T20:00:00.000+01:00

Everyone likes to see themselves in photos, but there is one kind of camera here in Germany that you do not want to take your picture. In Germany there are traffic cameras placed in different locations to catch people who violate the traffic laws and these cameras take their picture to prove it; here is a photo of one of those cameras. The camera is on the right hand side of the picture by the tree.

These cameras are placed along the roadside to catch speeders and they are also located at some intersections to catch anyone who may run through a red light. I have seen the pictures that these cameras produce but I am glad to say I have never had my picture taken by one of them. In German these cameras are called "Blitzers" because of the flash of light that the camera makes when it takes the picture; the word Blitz in German means lightning or a flash of light. If you are caught by one of these cameras what will happen is that you will receive a letter in the mail with your picture from the traffic camera and the amount of your fine.

The one thing that does seem a bit odd to me about these cameras is that they are usually set up in one place and they stay there. There is a portable version of this type of camera that you can see being set up in different places from time to time to catch people. However, because most of these cameras are in a fixed place, people will drive over the speed limit until they get close to the camera and then they slow down. That seems to me like it defeats the purpose because once people know where the cameras are they watch out for them. I suppose the best thing to do is just to be careful how you drive since not every road in Germany is a part of the Autobahn!

International Ministry With The International Gospel

2007-11-25T19:30:00.000+01:00

This past month I have been doing a lot of teaching in the Bible school and on Thursday evenings in my Bible study. Recently I got thinking about something in connection with all of this and I finally got around to posting a blog about it. Here is a picture of me teaching this year at RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany.

Although you can't tell just from looking at the picture, there are people in our school this year from Germany (of course), Brazil, Cameroon, Croatia, England, Italy, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Slovakia, the USA, and Vietnam. When you add in the people who attend the Bible study on Thursday night there are more Germans, as well as people from Eritrea, Ghana, Iran, Nigeria, Romania, the USA, and Zambia! Besides all this there are many people from other countries who attend our church and others who have been to our school in the past. So, from this one place I end up with a very international ministry that touches the lives of people from many different places.

The other thought I had about this was how, no matter where someone comes from, the Gospel message can have a positive affect on their life. Some people are so concerned about a person's natural identity and ethnic background, but not God. God is not considering where someone was born or the color of their skin. The Bible is just as valid in Europe as it is in North America and it is great to know that God's Word works for everyone everywhere who puts it into action. The Gospel is an international message of the Good News about what Jesus did for all mankind and I am glad to be able to tell so many people from so many places about it!

Message Multiplication

2007-10-31T20:00:00.000+01:00

Just over a week ago we had one of our Bible Training Center alumni visit us at the church. Corina is originally from Germany and she now lives in South Africa where she works with children. Here below I have posted a picture of Corina sharing about her work at our church.

It was great to hear about the work that Corina is doing in South Africa. It was also very nice to listen to Corina and see how she has gone from a student in school to an alumnus who is out proclaiming the Good News to others.

At the bottom of every newsletter I have my "Mission Statement" of "Teaching the Word of God and training believers for greater service in the Body of Christ." It is one thing for me to know and understand the Bible so that I can teach and help others. But my desire is to go beyond my own personal development and to teach others to apply the Word of God to their own life and then also reach others with the truth.

When I see one of our graduates, or someone else I have worked with, sharing the life changing message of the Word of God it gives me great satisfaction. There are a lot of things that people use to measure their success. When I see someone I was able to help succeeding in life and the work that God has called them to, that is success to me!

RHEMA Bible Training Center Starts Its Ninth Year!

2007-10-24T19:00:00.000+02:00

This month we are starting the ninth year of RHEMA Bible Training Center Germany! It does not seem like it was actually that long ago that we began the school here and welcomed our first students. This month we welcome a new group of first year students along with those students returning for their second year of school. Here is a picture from school where John Grunewald is teaching the students about the background and history of RHEMA. Because we deal with people from many different backgrounds and many different countries, everything at the ministry of RHEMA Germany is done in English and in German. The young lady to the left of John Grunewald is Simone who is a graduate of our school and one of our translators.

It is always great to get started with school again and to be able to teach and train people to fulfill the will of God for their lives. The beginning of school is a time of excitement and anticipation for the students as they come to learn about God and His Word. But with that there is also a bit of uncertainty as some students are not quite sure what to expect from us. However, as the school progresses and the new students get to know us they settle into the place of learning and growing through the truths that they are taught.

This is our ninth year of school and all of us on the staff are expecting great things. The students are very receptive and eager to learn. I have already done some teaching and in about a week I will start the class on Bible Interpretation. We have had eight wonderful years of school so far and I really believe that this year will be great as well.

A Matter Of Perspective

2007-09-30T22:00:00.000+02:00

On my recent trip to the USA I was able to visit with some family and friends as well as speak in some churches over a period of about three weeks. It is always great to see everyone and to catch up on all the latest news. Another thing I enjoy is hearing about what is happening in other people's lives and ministries. Taking a trip like this is something I like to do because of the people I see and also because of the chance I have to get some different perspectives.

I have realized after nine years of being a missionary that it is good to get away from things from time to time. Taking a step back from the normal routine helps me to keep things in my everyday life in the proper perspective. It is also good to have the opportunity to talk with fellow ministers to see what God is doing in their lives. Hearing about all of the victories and even the challenges that are going on in the lives of others is also a good way for me to keep my own life in perspective.

It is so easy to get focused on our own lives and situations that we miss seeing the big picture. Taking a step back to examine our life and to see that what we know and experience is not all there is will help us to keep the right outlook on life. Some people think they are the only one who ever had a certain problem or that they are in a situation that no on else ever experienced. Besides that, some people start to get the idea that they see and know things that no one else sees or knows and that is not too good either. We all need to keep our life and experiences in the proper context. With a little realistic self examination and some good input from family and friends we can keep things in the right balance; I believe it is a matter of perspective.

Seeing Around Corners

2007-09-27T11:30:00.000+02:00

Driving in Germany is different than in the USA, even though we drive on the same side of the road here and in the

USA

. I have been asked quite often about driving on the opposite side of the road here but that is in England and not

Germany

. Besides the obvious difference of signs being in German and not in English there are some other things that you will find if you are driving around in

Germany

and one of those things are the traffic mirrors. I have a photo here of one of these mirrors to show you want they are like. To get a better view of this you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

The traffic mirror is a handy thing that some smart person came up with to see around the corner in some of the tight streets here. There are some places where you cannot really see what cars might be coming your way but these mirrors are set up so that you can see the traffic on the street you are entering before you might meet them head on. In this picture you can see a mini-van that is on the street that intersects with the street in the picture. These mirrors are really helpful and I can think of a few places I have been in the states that would have benefited from having one of these!

Dutch RHEMA Day 2007

2007-08-26T22:00:00.000+02:00

Yesterday a group of us from the ministry of RHEMA Germany traveled over to The Netherlands for what we refer to as "Dutch RHEMA Day." This is something we started four years ago as a way to connect with RHEMA alumni living in The Netherlands. At a typical Dutch RHEMA Day, RHEMA alumni as well as other ministers and Bible school graduates come together for fellowship and to share ideas about how to effectively reach The Netherlands with the truth of God's Word.

Yesterday there were about thirty people who got together for lunch and some discussion time. There were RHEMA alumni from three different schools in attendance (USA, Germany, and South Africa). In the past we have also had other ministers from Germany and Belgium too. One of our goals at RHEMA Germany is to connect with and find ways to work with everyone we can with the idea of being as inclusive as possible and sharing resources and ideas that benefit others.

We have seen some great relationships develop through these meetings and many other established relationships have been strengthened. I have had many interesting and mutually beneficial discussions with RHEMA alumni and fellow ministers at these meetings. These get togethers have been wonderful and all of us are already looking forward to the next Dutch RHEMA Day.

A Permanent Visa!

2007-08-21T11:00:00.000+02:00

In a previous post back in April I wrote about the process of renewing my visa to stay here in Germany. This post is an update to that post because I will no longer have to continue renewing my visa every couple of years because I now have a permanent visa! This is a great development for me and it means I will not have to go through the renewal process every couple of years any more.

The process of getting this new visa was a bit strange for me. I went through the usual steps for my visa renewal and then the person I picked up my visa from said he had to ask me some questions for my visa. Since the entire conversation was in German I thought I misunderstood something and said yes I have the visa now for two more years. He said, no I have to ask you some questions for your visa (?). I started to feel like I was in the old "Who's on first?" routine from Abbot and Costello. After a few moments however I realized he was talking about a different kind of visa and for this he needed some more information.

So he proceeded to ask about what I am doing in Germany, my financial status, my health insurance, if I have a family and about where I live. After all of that he said he needed to make some calls to check on some things. Once he did this he said he would let me know the results.

A couple of weeks ago I received the notice in the mail that my new residence permit was ready and my visa now has no expiration date! I am very happy about this and I know it is something every missionary would like to have. The really great thing about it was I did not even request the new visa or ask for the extension but the whole thing just developed on its own. It is so good to serve a God who not only cares about me but He is actively working to help me in every area of life; my permanent visa is one proof of that!

Teaching at RHEMA Mobile Bible Training Center - Berlin

2007-07-31T10:00:00.000+02:00

This past Friday and Saturday I was in Berlin teaching at our Mobile Bible Training Center there. Last year we started this school in Berlin as a way to reach more people with the same teaching of God's Word that we have here in Bonn. This was my fourth trip to this school and this time I taught the subject of Bible Interpretation. The twenty students who attended this weekend heard some teaching on the basic principles of interpreting the Bible along with some examples of questions that people have about the Bible like, "What does the Bible teach about women in the church?", "What was Paul's thorn in the flesh?" and "What is the unpardonable sin?" As always the students were hungry to know more about God's Word and I thought this experience would be a good one to write about for my blog.

To start the whole process off I first had to go from Bonn to Berlin. On Friday morning at 8:30 AM I arrived at the Cologne / Bonn airport along with a translator from our ministry here. Our flight left at 9:40 and we did the check in along with the usual security screening. The flight itself only lasts 55 minutes so it does not take long to get to Berlin. Once we arrived and picked up our luggage we found a taxi to take us to our hotel. The Mobile School does not start class until 4:00 PM so there was some time for lunch, a short rest and a little time to look over my notes again. At 3:00 we took the 15 minute walk to where the school meets and got set up.

The classes in our "regular" school in Bonn as well as in the Mobile School in Berlin last for a total of twelve hours. In the Mobile School that means we have four classes on Friday night, four classes on Saturday morning and four classes Saturday afternoon. On Friday night after the last class we usually talk with students for a short time and then find somewhere to have a late dinner before going back to the hotel. Classes on Saturday start at 9:30 in the morning and the last class finishes at 6:30 in the evening. Normally between classes students will have questions so you answer questions, take a drink of water, and check the notes for the next class in between the teaching sessions. When you teach so many hours one right after the other it is different than just a class or two like we do in Bonn but it works fine for me. Once the classes are over on Saturday we get all of our materials packed up and we go back to the airport.

Normally we arrive at the airport around 7:30 PM and the flight will usually leave around 9:30. Unfortunately this time we had a bit of a delay. Our flight did not leave at 9:30 as scheduled but it left the airport at 1:00 AM! That caused us to arrive back at the airport here at 2:00 AM and I finally got home just after 3:00 AM. What made that significant is the fact that by 8:30 the next morning I needed to be at the church to start helping with the set up for our Sunday morning service. You could say it was a long weekend and a short night's sleep but judging from the reaction the students at the Mobile School had overall and from talking with some of them individually it was all worth it because the teaching helped them. That's the goal and with this and the previous classes I taught at RHEMA Mobile Bible Training Center in Berlin and from all indications it seems that this goal was met.

Amazing or ordinary?

2007-07-13T21:00:00.000+02:00

This picture is from a castle ruins along the Rhine River, not far from where I live. In fact, I usually see this everyday of the week. I still remember when I first saw it, how amazing it looked and how cool it was to me that there was a castle just down the road from my apartment! But that was a few years ago. Now as I go by this castle, "Drachenfels" I see it but it is just an ordinary part of the landscape.

This experience is similar to what I have seen with myself and others in a number of areas. It can happen with interesting landmarks we live near, it can happen with our relationships and it can happen to us in our Christian life. Since my main area of work has to do with the spiritual side of life I tend to see things from that perspective. So often people start out as excited Christians, amazed by God and His Word and in a few years they have lost the initial excitement and everything becomes ordinary to them. "Yes, the Bible is wonderful but I've read it. God is so good but I've been a Christian for some years and I've settled into reality." These are not unique ideas or attitudes but something I have seen more often than I care to say.

When we start treating the Bible as just another book or we read it only as a part of our daily "Christian ritual" we are in a bad spot. When spending time with God is just another thing to do and not an amazing connection with the God who created the universe and sent His only Son to die for us we are in a sad state spiritually. What we need to do is really consider what the Bible is saying to us today and Who God is. Just like the natural landmarks we so often take for granted we need to take the time to stop, consider, and place the right value on God and His Word so we keep everything in the proper perspective. By doing this I believe we can keep our Christian life amazing and not allow it to be just ordinary.

Paris In The Spring - 2

2007-06-18T17:00:00.000+02:00

After I made my first post about Paris In The Spring I wanted to make another post with some more pictures from my visit to Paris in May. For more details about the trip itself you can take a look at my last post; this time I mainly want to put up some pictures. One of the days I was in Paris I took a bus tour with some friends, that is probably the best way to see all of the things there are to see in Paris. This first picture is of the famous cathedral "Notre Dame".

The next picture is of the Louvre Museum. What surprised me about this building was that it is so large. I had the image of it being a building similar to some of the other museum buildings that I had seen in other places. The Louvre however is huge and this picture shows just one end of the building.

I also thought it would be interesting to just show a city street in Paris. Every city is different and this is one of the streets I passed through during my stay.

The last picture may seem odd but I have found it a bit fascinating to see how the police dress in different cities and countries in Europe. This is a picture I took on my bus tour of one of the types of police they have in Paris. I can't tell you exactly what all the different kinds are but I do know that there is more than one kind.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the pictures I took in Paris. In the future I plan to post some more pictures along with my blogs. If you want to find out more about Paris itself I found what seems to be the official website at www.paris.org and this site has plenty of good information and pictures.

Paris In The Spring

2007-05-31T23:30:00.000+02:00

Earlier this month I had to opportunity to visit Paris during a series of meetings that were being held there. I had only been to Paris once before and that was only to change planes at the airport. This time I was there for four and a half days while I attended meetings in the mornings and evenings. That left the afternoons open for some sightseeing, which I don't always have much time to do.

Paris is a very interesting and impressive city and there are so many amazing things there are to see in the city. Every city seems to have a certain kind of atmosphere all its own and Paris is no different. The hotel I stayed at was only about 20 minutes walking distance from the Eifel Tower. The picture here is one that I took while I was in Paris.

From where I live here in Germany Paris is only an hour away by air so it is not too hard to get to. Next year there will be some more meetings in Paris during the month of May so if I am able to go to those meetings, and if I have some free time, I would definitely like to go and visit some more of the wonderful places in Paris. I took a lot of pictures while I was there and to end the blog here is another I took. This is of course the Arch de Triumph; it too is quite impressive when you see it in person.

Trash School

2007-05-29T23:00:00.000+02:00

This post is actually from my old blog site that I had last year. But, because my old blog site died and went to blog heaven, I decided to "repost" this. I hope you like it and this is not something I am making up but the way things are really done here in Germany.

Before I moved to Germany I took some lessons in the German language and I studied a bit about Germany and the German people. But, when I got to Germany I found out that there were other things to learn about in order to live here and one of those things is trash. Many people have asked me about learning the German language but I don't think anyone has ever asked me if I have learned about the German trash system.

In Germany there are a number of different kinds of trash. At the bottom of this blog I have included a picture of some of the trash cans for the apartment building where I live. There are trash cans for recyclable trash (yellow containers), non-recyclable trash (metal container), and biodegradable trash (brown container); but that's not all. There is also separate trash collection for glass, which must be separated by the glass color (white, brown, or green), and there is also a separate trash bin for paper. So that is five different ways you can dispose of your trash.

But things don't stop there. Just when you think you have earned a degree in trashology you still need to master the trash calendar. The trash calender is a booklet that tells you what kind of trash is which and when it will actually be collected. This trash calendar has nine listings for the different kinds of trash to be picked up because it includes a schedule for things like appliances that you might throw away.

This may sound a little bit funny to hear about trash on a missionary blog site but it is just one of the interesting things you learn about when you live in another country. Maybe instead of just having language schools for missionaries there could be trash schools to help with the trash transition!

Energy From The Inside

2007-05-22T22:30:00.000+02:00

Lately things have been so busy that I have not really taken the time to put anything on my blog site. Tonight as I was finishing up some other work I got thinking about what I have been doing lately, how it has been so busy, and how there are a few busy days coming up. It is 9:30 PM as I am writing this and I had a good idea for a blog post based on how things have been going for me lately.

No, I am not going to sing the blues and say it has been so hard lately. What I do want to mention briefly is connected to what this blog is titled, Energy From The Inside. If you look at what Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16 about his prayer for the people in the church at Ephesus it is very interesting. Paul talk about, "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" and I think this is something that we often miss. Too many times we look for strength, support, and help from everywhere but where we should be looking, on the inside. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us and through the Holy Spirit we have available to us all of the strength, support, and help that we could ever need!

So many times we look at our circumstances, our feelings, or other people around us and we think we just can't go another step. I think vitamins, exercise, and vacations are all great but if we are relying on those things to help us get through life without being overwhelmed we are neglecting the real strength that God gives to us. We need to stop trying to be strong in ourselves and start focusing on who we are in Christ and what we have as new creatures in Christ. All of us need some recharging from time to time and I think the best way to do that is to plug in to the greater One on the inside of us and let Him help us and give the strength we need to live the victorious life that God intended for us to live!

Renewing My Visa

2007-04-29T21:05:00.000+02:00

This past week I had to renew my visa again. Although this is not an extremely complicated process it can be time consuming. As a foreigner living in Germany I am required to register with the government and then to have their permission to live here. Again, this is not such a big thing but it is not something you think much about unless you are living in a country you were not born in.

The picture shown here is the government building I went to that has the offices for dealing with foreigners who need visas. This place is called the "Kreisverwaltung" but I am not exactly sure what the translation of the word would be into English. This building has offices for people like me looking for a visa as well as the German equivalent of the Department of Transportation where you can get your drivers license and license plates for your car. This is the same place that I got my German drivers license at a few years ago.

As an American getting the visa I need to live here is not too hard. What I am required to do is to show some purpose for being here and basically that I have enough money to not be a burden on the government. There is some paper work to take care of and some documents I need to provide them with (along with a fee of about $50.00) but it has all gone pretty smoothly for me. It is a bit strange thinking about the fact that you need to get permission to live somewhere and that there is even the possibility that they could actually throw you out of the country! The way I look at it is that this is just another one of the unique things that I need to do to live here and just another part of the life of a missionary.

The Autobahn

2007-04-09T13:25:00.000+02:00

If there is one thing many Americans know about Germany it is about the autobahn. While it is true that the German Autobahn system was an influence on the US Interstate Highway system there are some differences.

Most Americans have the idea that the autobahn is a system of roads with no speed limit. This is not entirely correct because although there are sections of the autobahn that are free of speed limits most of the autobahn has a limit of 130 kilometers per hours (about 80 miles per hour) and sometimes less in areas around cities. On the parts of the autobahn that have no speed limits there is often so much traffic that you can't go much faster than the normal limit. Besides that, because of the normal traffic congestion, a long drive on the autobahn is not a very relaxing experience.

Recently I took a trip to a leadership seminar with some other people from RHEMA Germany. Our trip to the meeting took us just about 4 hours but the trip home took about 7 hours! The main difference was that on the way home there was an accident on the autobahn and traffic was backed up for miles. Some of the traffic jams get so bad that the autobahn basically becomes a big parking lot and people get out of their cars and walk around to see if they can get some idea about what is going on. In fact, we experienced one of those situations on the way to the seminar. The autobahn is a great road system for getting around Germany but you hope that when you want to go somewhere there won't be any accidents or that most other people just want to stay home!

Updates Available

2007-03-12T17:50:00.000+01:00

Like most people I have a computer. It is something that is very useful for me and my work and it is something I can use for some fun stuff too. On my computer I have some different types of software, like a firewall program and a virus scan program, that need to be updated on a regular basis. The other day as I was checking one of my programs on the Internet I was told that an update was available and that got me thinking.

To make sure that our computers operate properly we need to constantly upgrade and update the programs in it. If we only install the programs on the computer and then forget about them we can leave ourselves open to problems or at the least we fail to take advantage of some benefits that are available for those programs. This is very similar to how it is with Christians and the Bible. God has given us the Bible to help us in our life here on earth, for our benefit and protection. If we find out what the Bible says and make the truth of the Bible a part of our life it will help us to avoid some of the problems that come our way and it will help us to develop and grow as Christians.

Too often people become Christians and then they fail to check in the Bible to update what they believe and it is to their disadvantage. We all need to do as it says in Romans 12:2 and be transformed by the renewing of our minds. But we won’t be transformed if we do not continually check what we believe against what the Bible teaches and continue to live a life based on Bible principles. There are always updates available to Christians in the Bible because we are all growing spiritually. Don’t wait too long between updates so you don’t miss out on the best things that God has for you!

Up And Running Once Again

2007-02-18T20:00:00.000+01:00

Well, here I am blogging once again. This is my second blog site and I am hopeful that this experience will turn out better than the previous attempt. The first blog I used had some problems and an eventual hardware failure that pretty much wiped out everything that I have done before! That was not so nice and I will give this blog a shot at working out.

I have some copies of some of my past blogs and in the future I plan on reposting some of them. This blog is completely new to me so it may take some time to get everything figured out and there will probably be some changes and developments along the way. For now I will just start blogging again and posting things about my life here in Germany and some of my thoughts.