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Good Neighbor Food Pantry, 5804 W Houghton Lake Road, Lake City, MI (2026)

11/03/2024

Our Story

10/31/2024

Acts 13:13, “From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

Luke does not explain why John left them. So I will speculate a bit. He was young. Perhaps he got homesick. He was from the same church as Barnabas. Maybe he did not like seeing Saul/Paul take the lead. Maybe he actually was physically sick and had to go back home to take care of himself. Maybe the hardship of the journey wore him out and he decided to give up. There are many ways to fail. the only way to succeed is to keep going, trusting God for faith and strength to continue. And here’s some good news. Later we learn that John Mark makes a great come back!

A prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes ministry is hard. There can be stresses and pressures we did not anticipate. Sometimes we don't have the resources to continue. Sometimes Lord, what it takes is trusting you, pressing on, waiting for resources, praying for health and strength. You do give us more than we can handle. So, we have to lean on you. I remember too, that you don’t need our success, but you appreciate our efforts and you use the hard times to disciple and strengthen us. So, we thank you that you walk with us through it all. in Jesus’ name Amen.

10/30/2024

Acts 13:9-12, “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul's boldness in this moment is truly impressive. We do not typically address our opponents with such strong language, telling them they're filled with trickery and deceit We try to give the benefit of the doubt, and be gentle. I believe the Bible even calls us to do so. Paul must have been filled with the Holy Spirit and given the words to say. It reminds me of back at the temple when Peter addressed the lame man and called for his healing. “Silver and gold have I none. But what I have I give. Rise up and walk in the power of Jesus name.” I would like to be used by God like that for dramatic effect that breaks through people's spiritual blindness, so they receive the gospel!

Paul inflicted the same sight reversal on the sorcerer that he had suffered on the road to Damascus. So, I think of this as a prescription, not a punishment. Paul administered the same medicine that had worked in his case. One who thought he could see was now blinded by the power of the gospel. It throws the sorcerer into total dependence upon God and people he used to look down upon as inferior. The reversal is humbling, even humiliating. We are not told how long it lasted or if the sorcerer learned his lesson and recovered. The important point seems to be the effect it had on an observer, the proconsul, who became a believer.

A Prayer: Lord, you can make us bold to say what you want said. But we must be listening, always listening, always ready to respond to your nudges and say the words you give us to say, always for the sake of salvation of lost souls, for mercy and grace and love and your glory. Help us Lord to be that responsive to your Holy Spirit in us in Jesus name Amen.

10/28/2024

The Holy Spirit Leads

Scripture: Acts 13

Video links: Full service https://fb.watch/vuhz2MMwSe/
Just the message: https://youtu.be/lDOlRfwu0ME

I do need to tell you there are more comments in the video than in this text post.

Remember Acts 1:8? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Where is that power these days? It does not seem to be at our disposal the way it was for the early disciples and Paul. But why? What is the problem?

I believe it might be our lack of earnest fervent prayer and worship. Oh, we think we pray. We gather every Sunday. We sing. We listen to a message. We can even be moved or impressed by what we hear. But does it really have any impact on how we live the next day?

One of my other pastor friends continuously points out that if all the Christians do is attend church on Sunday and enjoy each other’s company, without worshipping Jesus all week, listening for his voice, and responding in obedience every time he nudges us, then we’re not good disciples. Just listening to a talk each week, even a good one, is not enough for our spiritual lives to grow.

In Acts 13 we see the church doing what it is supposed to be doing. They were worshiping the Lord and fasting. Then, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Up to this point, the Church spread the message by compulsion. The Jews left Jerusalem to flee from persecution and had to explain why they were showing up in their new neighborhoods. But in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit led the Church to commit to a strategic deployment of missionaries. They were to commit to spreading the message intentionally.

From now on, some of the Christians would be traveling missionaries on purpose. And all of them would be missionaries to their neighbors The Holy Spirit told them to. There was no distinction between clergy and laity.

Is it still possible for us to pray and fast so that we are open to the Holy Spirit speaking to us? Maybe one of the issues we need to address is that maybe when we pray, even when we pray for each other, we really still want the blessings God could give us, to make our own lives better, or to get God to do what we want him to do. However, Jesus told us that we would need to take up our crosses and be willing to suffer hardship and sacrifice for the sake of the lost. Our mission is to do what he calls us to do.

When Saul and Barnabas prepared for their first missionary journey, they knew it would be hard on them and not an easy sight seeing tour. But they willingly went, though they knew they would suffer for it. And they did not know how much they would suffer! Let’s read:
Acts 13:1-12

13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

The challenge of doing church through prayer and fasting

Antioch church is multicultural! With wealth Herod’s younger brother and poor and a man from Niger in leadership too.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Paul’s boldness in confronting the sorcerer Bar-Jesus.

Paul inflicted the same sight reversal on the sorcerer. So, I think of this as a prescription, not a punishment. Paul administered the same medicine that had worked in his case. One who thought he could see was now blinded by the power of the gospel. It throws the sorcerer into total dependence upon people he used to look down upon as inferior. The reversal is humbling, even humiliating. We are not told how long it lasted or if the sorcerer learned his lesson and recovered. The important point seems to be the effect it had on an observer, the proconsul, who became a believer. Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

The crowd shows up and the regulars get mad! Persecution and suffering come from those who reject the gospel. It is amazing the blinding grip sin can have on the religious people, the older brother in the prodigal son story, the ones who think they are living right and deserve God’s blessings.

I have a few more comments on why the modern church has so little power of the Holy Spirit. I hope it’s not us. But there is a worldly problem affecting much of today’s church. We can see it in the culture wars. One of my other pastor friends analyses it this way. Let’s try not to be too defensive as we hear this and consider whether or not or how much we may have been influenced by this way of thinking.

The last thing that Jesus is recorded as saying to his disciples is “You shall be my witnesses.” He also told them, “Go and make disciples.” Those two statements describe the role, (the vocation and responsibility) of a Christ-follower on earth. Jesus wants His disciples to be “in the world but not of the world.”

Jesus said His followers are to be “the salt of the earth.” When salt is added to food it changes its flavor, but it doesn’t become the food. Salt is in the food but not of the food. In the same way Christians should influence the world, but not think, speak, and behave with the world’s attitude.

Christians should make disciples by being living examples of a Spirit-led lifestyle — directed from within by “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” They are called to be “the light of the world” by continually radiating the character, presence, and power of the risen Jesus. Every single Christian should be a godly content creator and holy influencer directing people to the glorious beauty of Christ — not a sponge that soaks up the hostile, vain, negative, dishonest, sexually obsessed, competitive, carnal, and cruel content of their culture.

When Christians think, talk, and act like the proud and self-focused society around them they lose their witness. Instead of shining Christ’s light they merely reflect the culture around them. Rather than being a missionary to bring light to the world, they become the world’s mission field and absorb its darkness.

Instead of blessing those who curse them, too many Christians are the ones doing the cursing. Instead of loving their enemies, too many Christians are spewing angry accusations. Instead of considering others better than themselves, too many Christians think they are better than others. Instead of praying for people who despitefully use them, Christians are praying that God judge those people. Instead of making disciples of Christ, too many Christians are letting their mean attitude drive people away from Jesus.

To be a witness for Christ requires living beyond our own opinions, desires, and feelings. It requires laying down our pride and humbly speaking the truth in love. Until Christians are willing to daily obey the living Jesus as their Lord (absolute Ruler and Master) their witness will usually be about themselves and their desires, not about Christ.

10/28/2024

Acts 13:1-3, “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

In Acts 13 we see the church doing what it is supposed to be doing. They were worshiping the Lord and fasting. It was an interesting group of leaders too. Simeon, called Niger, may very well be the man who helped Jesus carry his cross to Calvary! He became a believer, and later a leader in Antioch. Think also of the young man who had been brought up as friends with Herod the tetrarch. He would have been living the life of high privilege and easily spoiled rotten. But he also became a believer and leader in Antioch. I wish we could read his personal testimony!

Then, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Up to this point, the Church spread the message by compulsion. The Jews left Jerusalem to flee from persecution and had to explain why they were showing up in their new neighborhoods. But in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit led the Church to commit to a strategic deployment of missionaries. They were to commit to spreading the message intentionally.

From now on, some of the Christians would be traveling missionaries on purpose. And all of them would be missionaries to their neighbors The Holy Spirit told them to. There was no distinction between clergy and laity.

Is it still possible for us to pray and fast so that we are open to the Holy Spirit speaking to us? Maybe one of the issues we need to address is that maybe when we pray, even when we pray for each other, we really still want the blessings God could give us, to make our own lives better, or to get God to do what we want him to do. However, Jesus told us that we would need to take up our crosses and be willing to suffer hardship and sacrifice for the sake of the lost. Our mission is to do what he calls us to do.

A prayer: Holy Spirit, we are yours to command. You are in charge. So, we earnestly pray to hear and obey your voice. Help us to see and receive the crosses we are to bear for your glory, for the sake of the lost, and or the advancement of your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

10/25/2024

Acts 12:20-24, “Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

In today's reading we see that life goes on. People in Judea and Caesarea, who are not of the Church, have their political and economic problems and issues that need to be managed and dealt with. Herod went to Caesarea to officiate at an appeal being made to him on behalf of the people of Caesarea because they needed food. Arguments had been going on and disagreement and dissatisfaction with negotiations, but the people of Caesarea had gotten an advocate named Blastus on their side. So, Herod came to hear them once again.

The historian, Josephus, described Herod's royal robes as made of some flashy, shining, silvery fabric so that he was all sparkly as he sat in the sunlight before them. It made quite a visual impression. And of course, the people were not above using flattery to get what they wanted out of the king. That's the whole basis of idol worship, is trying to please the God you're worshipping so that he does what you want him to do. Foolishly, Herod, of Jewish descent, knowing the commandments. did not rebuke the people for calling him a God.

So, God's angel stepped in to judge and condemn Herod for his sins. God took out a major persecutor of the church in that instant and provided for the word of God to continue to spread and flourish. We give thanks because that's the way we want this story to go. Take out the opposition! But, of course, the story does not continue to go that way. More persecution will be coming.

A prayer: As we pray and worship you, may we submit to your sovereign will, knowing you care for us and do not abuse us to enrich yourself. You are not angry with us. So, as we deal with daily life, as citizens in our land, may we live with peace and patience toward our circumstances and our fellow citizens, exhibiting kindness and love at all times, in all places. In Jesus’ name, amen.

10/24/2024

Acts12:18-19, “In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.”

Try to imagine the moment it dawned on the attending soldiers that to them Peter had simply disappeared! Had they fallen asleep? How could they know? Imagine their panic! They knew they were in big trouble since Herod himself had been in charge and given the order for super security. This was a very big deal! They must have looked at each other and wondered about trust and betrayal. It looked like it had to be an inside job. But which of them could have had the motive? I feel sorry for those guys. They did their job to the best of their ability. They were executed unjustly, just as James was. But not because they sympathized with the Christian. They just got lumped in with Herod’s outrage! No angel came to their defense.

And this is the way things often happen in this world. Complexities of guilt and innocence, corruption and honesty get mixed and confused together, with good outcomes for some and sad or bad outcomes for others. Some wives and children lost their husbands and fathers that day. So tragic and unfair!

A prayer: I thank you Lord, for the hope of the gospel. Without that, life is truly not worth living for so many suffering tragic and incomprehensible loss. Your love, mercy and compassion are the only source of hope for all things to be set right in the end. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.

10/23/2024

Here I am fully plugged in and portable and ready for a day out.

10/23/2024

Acts 12:12-17, “When this had dawned on him, (that he had been busted out of jail), he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

It's the middle of the night. No one else is out and about. Peter is now alone on a dark street, maybe trying to recognize exactly where he is so that he can head for the familiar house. The house is filled with church. They are up late praying for Peter. One thing about this young new church, they prayed together a lot! They knew that Peter’s life was in grave danger, and they knew that all they could was talk to God about it.

They had that much faith. When you pray for rain, you ought to bring an umbrella to the meeting! But they were not expecting Peter to actually show up. They had that much fear too. I can’t put a number on exactly where their faith met their fear, but it must have been more on the fear side, because they didn’t believe that Peter himself was really at the door when he knocked, even when Rhoda told them he was.

A prayer: Lord, increase our faith and help us in our unbelief. All glory, honor, and especially all power are yours! As we pray for miracles of deliverance and healing, may the answers you provide always be for your glory and the salvation of souls. May our prayers always be more focused on fulfilling the great commission to reach the lost than on blessing us. Because seeing souls saved will bless us too!

10/21/2024

Acts 12:1-3, “It was about this time (That is, during the successful ministry to the Gentiles in Antioch.) that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.”

Stephen was the first martyr in Jerusalem. Now we read of another important leader, James the brother of John. At least he was targeted for a reason. But due to Saul’s persecution, there must have been at least several others. We do not know how many unnamed believers were executed for their faith. It reminds me of all the innocent babies murdered by Herod’s men after Jesus was born and raises the difficult question, Why? Why does God allow the innocent to suffer when he could save and set them free? Peter had been in the public jail back in Acts 5, and an angel set them free then. Why not set James free this time?

God does not explain himself. He just asks us to trust him no matter what.

I don’t think we like that. It seems like the human condition is to always look for a formula that will help us get the best out of life. How can I live to avoid the most suffering and reap the most rewards? What can I do to guarantee the longest, healthiest life possible?

Some people believe that the answer lies in the accumulation of wealth. “If I have enough money, I can remain in control, and I won’t need to be dependent on anybody. I can do whatever I want and when I grow old, I can ensure that I will be cared for well.

Some people believe it is in being religious. or, as we say it today, “in being good.” If I follow the rules and obey God, God will bless me with long life and prosperity! Isn’t that in the Bible?

A prayer: Lord, I believe the key here is surrender to your will, whatever it may be, even if I don’t like it. Help me to trust you completely because you are a good, good father. In Jesus name, amen.

10/20/2024

Acts 12

Why Me? Why Not Me?
Video links: Full service: https://fb.watch/vkXfTYYJKb/
Message only: https://youtu.be/bEXrnUYNaDU

It seems like the human condition is to always look for a formula that will help us get the best out of life. How can I live to avoid the most suffering and reap the most rewards? What can I do to guarantee the longest, healthiest life possible?

Some people believe that the answer lies in the accumulation of wealth. “If I have enough money, I can remain in control, and I won’t need to be dependent on anybody. I can do whatever I want and when I grow old, I can ensure that I will be cared for well.

Some people believe it is in being religious. or, as we say it today, “in being good.” If I follow the rules and obey God, God will bless me with long life and prosperity! Isn’t that in the Bible?

Another approach is: if I exercise and eat healthily, eat right and get enough sleep, I will live into old age and avoid most of the aches and pains that I see others have who sit around, watch TV, or other screens, don’t eat right and do all sorts of other unhealthy things. I’ll be better than them because I’m, “doing it right!” I know, nobody would think like that here!

Kathy and I are kind of going through this right now, especially after my diagnosis of brain cancer. You know, we’re not exactly content with just depending on the pharmaceutical approach to trying to stay healthy, so we’ve also been looking at diet to see if there is anything we can do to improve my chances for long term survival. I am amazed at the variety of opinions there are on the subject! First, there’s the Mediterranean diet. That’s probably the closest to how we eat now, chicken, fish, vegies, salads, olive oil, nuts and seeds; you know.

Then, there’s the debate over whether or not sugar feeds cancer. Wholistic practitioners say yes, oncologists say “no.” So, who are you going to believe? To that end, there’s the Keto diet and the vegan diet. Then, there are those who haven’t changed their diets at all. But, guys, you’ll like this one the best. The other evening, a friend of mine, who is a cancer survivor, sent me his diet; “The Carnivore diet!” Check this out. (I would be happy to help you with it. We keep it pretty simple, eating a routine of things. We eat a 3 egg, 3 meat omelet at around 9:00am, then snack on jerky. Watch the jerky because some can be high in sugar. We have also made our own jerky. in the oven. Then we eat a steak around 6:00 or so, depending on our activity and the weather! For steaks we mostly eat chuck eye or NY strip. We just bought a bunch of NY strips from Ebels for $7.95/lb. Usually 8 oz steaks because they get smaller beef for some reason. We also make chicken thighs in the air fryer and use “Head Country” seasoning on them…they are the best! Tonight we had baby back ribs (on sale at Ebels) in the crock pot with “Chupacobra” rub on them. Very tasty! FYI, we typically do not spend more on groceries than prior to this way of eating.

Also, add cheese and butter to your diet to pick up the fat content. No veggies? Not with carnivore… beef, bacon, cheese, and eggs. What are the specific benefits associated with carnivore, besides the tasty meat? We feel better..healthier. There are many auto immune benefits. For an over eater, a high protein diet leaves you feeling fuller longer, and keeps me away from eating bad stuff. Our main motivation was loosing weight, but it also made our life simpler.. grocery shopping is a snap, and cooking is easy..especially if you have an air fryer. Our frig and cabinets are mostly bare, but the freezer is full. Some carnivores eat steak 3x a day, but we just couldn’t do that at current prices, and you don’t need to. That kind of diet is being referred to as the Lion Diet.

“But, what happens when the formula fails? What happens when you’ve done all you know to do, right, and the bad that you’ve been trying to avoid, happens anyway? What then? Did God fail? Was the formula wrong? What are we to think? I’m amazed at how many church goers have said to me, when they are enduring a trial, “Why me? I’ve tried to be a good person. Why is this happening to me?”

Well, let’s get into reading Acts 12:1-19: and see if there’s any help for us there. 12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

Today, we are focused on the lives of two of the apostles. Both of them walked with Jesus from the beginning. Both of them were in Jesus’ inner circle. They saw the transfiguration, they walked further into the garden with Jesus on the night He was betrayed. Both knew Jesus. They loved Him, they were both, what we would consider the upper tier of leadership in the fledgling church. Yet, God dealt with each of them very differently. Comparing would have crippled them, but instead, they trusted. The results were different, but the message remained the same.

So, here’s where I’m at now. Many people know the Bible story in the book of Exodus of Moses leading the Israelites to cross the Red Sea on dry ground when the Egyptian army thought they had them trapped. My Red Sea right now is facing this fast-acting lethal brain cancer diagnosis. Treatment is holding it at bay for now. I loved a comment I read about wanting both faith to live and courage to die. And as long as I am alive, I want to keep the faith and walk home toward the Promised Land alongside others, confident of ultimate victory because Jesus has conquered death for us!

One more thought based on the parting of the Red Sea. What I want is miraculous healing, the Red Sea parted, and Dr’s amazed at No Evidence of Disease! What I will surrender to is the humiliation of shaving my head completely to wear an electronic skull cap that generates an electric field to hinder/prevent further cancer growth. My faith is still in God more than medicine as I walk through this with hope and joy.

I also reflect on the other side of this coin: 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says, Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price." That means God owns me and has obligated himself to take good care of me. He keeps his word.

I am definitely wanting more time with my family.

On death and dying I guess I'm trying to be like Jesus. “Not my will but thine be done.” Nevertheless, if there is a way to live longer that's my prayer. I am trying to fully surrender to God's will for the events to come in my future, however long or short it may be and I am grateful that unlike so many people's experiencing God's absence in trials and tribulations, like Job, I have more richly experienced his presence, like I'm walking right beside the Good Shepherd, his rod his staff literally comforting me as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, which immediately brings tears to my eyes because I still want to live too.

It's kind of like totally trusting God while we walk through the wilderness too, really believing that tomorrow morning there will be more manna to collect, to keep me alive another day.

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