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A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Read all of chapter 13. It is my opinion it retells one of the most beautiful moments in time.

Jesus is speaking these words to His disciples. He has quietly reflected on how much He loves them, shared His last earthly meal with them and shown them His servant’s heart by washing their feet.

What separates the believer, the Christian, from all else on earth? Love. Love is the defining attribute. You can keep all of the commandments and ancient Jewish laws, but if you do not love your fellow man…………

Gretchen

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

The prophetic passages in the Bible are messages of hope divinely given to people separated from God as a result of sin. Let me say again, “Prophecy is hope!” It’s the light at the end of the tunnel we all seek and follow.

Peter was an eye-witness to Jesus ministry. He listened intently to the lessons and parables used by His dear friend as He prepared them for His imminent and necessary unjust death. The moment of reality was dark, devastating, earth shattering! The disciples were frighten so they dispersed and hid. They were on the brink of giving up completely. Nothing made since according to all they’d been taught and assumed. Then came Sunday morning, hope rose from the grave, ancient prophecy came into focus correctly and the future was crystal clear. Peter is giving testimony to the promise of God’s faithfulness past, present and future.

God is not sending us into an unknown future. He’s leading us through a life we cannot comprehend. Prophesy grants us the clarity of God’s all knowing, all powerful constancy to stay the course He began and that is Hope!

Love,

Gretchen

Home to My Father

This is a story shared with me by my husband. Together we have written it as a testimony to our Christian homes and our journey toward the Throne of God.

The open road is a place of peace. Since early childhood Keith has had a passionate love for all things motorized and the adventures they allow. The wind in his hair and miles before him bring balance and a cleared mind. He knows why the bear went over the mountain. He is that bear and it isn’t just one mountain, it’s all of them. The wandering has never been aimless, for every journey brought him home to his father’s house.

Keith was raised on a rural farm. Keys were left in vehicles, night lights were a waste of power, they ate what they grew, stored for the winter, shared with their neighbors and practiced hospitality to people far and near.

Learning how to repair or build motors was a required lifeskill for a farm boy. Keith found these labors intriguing and challenging. Their backyard garage was alway full of family and friends, metal cabinets full of essential tools, a bottomless quart of oil and a gas can that never stopped pouring. Deep camaraderie grew. Local and world affairs were debated, the great mystery of girls was pondered and a lifetime of adventure was mapped out. At the end of each day there was food for anyone weary and hungry. The thought that this existence was rich with generosity never came up, it was just the way they lived.

In his early twenties, Keith moved to Branson to work and prepare a place for our future. He was returning home for a visit one weekend and passed a couple of hitchhikers from the north headed to Louisiana and the promise of work. It was late fall and the weather was cool. Without considering the danger in picking up strangers he pulled over, invited them in and continued South toward his mom and dad’s. The pair shared their story of hardship, yet hope was just a few days away if they could find the resources to press on. The miles brought Keith to the turn off toward home, but that was out in the middle of nowhere, so he continued on to the next town, then said, “Good-bye and good luck,” and gifted them the contents of his wallet.

Why did Keith do this senseless act of kindness? Because he was headed to his father’s house. He was headed toward warmth, food, companionship, security. He had confidence in the riches and love of home.

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not a life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Matthew 6: 25-26

No matter where life’s adventure takes you, there will always be a home at the end of the journey and a Father on the porch waiting to sit down, eat, fellowship and share His riches so live generously…… be kind…….. it matters.

Waving from the by-ways,

Keith and Gretchen

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God .
2 Corinthians 9:11

The Corinthian church struggled with the idea that Christ was the way to personal success, affirmation of peers, and social power. These early believers put themselves at the center of Christianity rather that Christ.

Paul is teaching that personal sacrifice for others is the example modeled by Christ. God is the giver of all things. Generosity of spirit and action perpetuate the Gospel by meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others.

God is so very good. Our sacrifice and service to others glorifies Christ, the One that gave everything so that we could live.

Have a Wonderful, Restful Weekend

Gretchen

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. John 15:1

In the Old Testament Israel is referred to as the vine taken by God and planted in a place of hope, The Promised Land.

In this poignant passage, Jesus is addressing only His disciples. Dinner is done, Judas has left to follow his evil heart and it is just hours before the world’s most shameful miscarriage of justice. The Gospel will be carried to the ends of the earth by these eleven men hearing this story. They must understand so they will not give up.

Basic vineyard maintenance was common knowledge and the above connection was not lost on the disciples. There is a Gardener, there is a vine, there is a branch, so there should be fruit. Jesus chose this analogy to illustrate our connection to Him, His connection to God and our universal connection to God’s plan. While being the Son of God, He is still the mortal Son of Man. He has free will, but He gives that will in love, back to His Father and rests in His plan. He remains in His Father so that we have the hope of remaining in Him.

God is the source of everything. He is good and trust worthy. Everything He does is for our benefit, to draw us to His throne. Jesus’ greatest act of trust was submitting to God’s will. When we do as Jesus did, we will get the exact same results. Perfect everything.

Love,

Gretchen

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all you might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom Ecclesiastes 9:10

We live in a society obsessed with personal quality of life. We live in the moment, for the moment! Me first! Outside of scripture, everything we see and hear teaches and encourages this: Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. I see the logic of this but I also recognize how outrageous it becomes in the hands of the theologically negligent.

It is our legacy that matters, now and later. Someone is watching, someone is following, someone is emulating you. You are leaving a mark. What does it look and sound like? Is it integrity and a work ethic that is honorable and will bring great rewards in due time? Is it a life’s pattern of putting God first beginning with time allocated for explicit worship?

Make your life count for something beside yourself because death is inevitable no matter who you are. And when you’re gone you can’t change what’s done.

Have a great Friday Eve,

Gretchen

Finally, bothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Paul refers to the people he is writing to as brothers and sisters because they were family, the family of God and we all know, family can talk straight and get away with it. He is doing this. Christians…….live to a higher standard than the rest of the world, be true and noble, just do the right thing!! Make God’s will your will and it will be pure, lovely, admirable.

The essential element in this verse is “THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS.” Our mind is the singular place we have complete and total secrecy. The only way for anyone to know what we are thinking is through our actions and words and even still we can maintain limited deception. So with this freedom we let our thoughts run wild with little risk of consequence. But eventually our hands, feet and mouths follow our thoughts and they become actions and words. So, the key is to stop things at their starting point and turn to truth, honor, integrity, righteousness and beauty.

Love,

Gretchen

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24

David took a census of all the able bodied men, prospective soldiers, in Judah and Israel. This act was in disobedience to God. God doesn’t rely on earthly might and His people don’t need to either. David got his numbers and in return experienced great regret, God’s anger and a consequence that effected the well-being of his people. David acknowledged his sin and confessed. God, through the prophet Gad, demanded a sacrifice. David was obedient, followed God’s instructions precisely and went to carry out his expensive penance. However, a man named Araunah respectfully offered his king, David, a threshing floor and animals needed for sacrifice. David had no desire to short cut through God’s command. He was honorable and obedient and God’s favor returned. The place of this alter became the location of Jeruselem’s temple.

Just as David was prone to do, we often demand our own way. In doing so we replace God’s all-knowing, all loving control of our lives, including outcomes, with our ill informed, powerless efforts. We mess things up in a hurry. The good news is, God is there. He can fix anything we’ve done wrong and unlike David, our sacrifice has already been paid by Jesus.

Let God be God.

Love,

Gretchen

But Very truly I tell you it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:7

These are words spoken by Jesus. Verse 1 says, “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.”

Jesus is mere hours from His earthly destiny, the cross. He knows in full what will transpire and He knows full well that His beloved disciples, his friends and fellow servants have no idea. They have no point of reference for a Lamb that will die so that all may live. They are devout Jewish men, taught to look for a conquering Lion that will rule the earth alongside God’s chosen people. Jesus did not want them to give up when He was gone. We know the rest of the story, they did not.

It is so hard to turn loose of tangible things that comfort us. The disciples not only failed to understand why Jesus had to leave, they weren’t especially enthusiastic about trying. I don’t blame them. Never the less, Jesus did not grow angry or impatient with their questions, concerns and doubts. He spoke over and over of God’s plan for them, and for you.

During His ministry Jesus never quit teaching that God’s way, while not our way, is perfect……. perfect timing, perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect victory, and the all powerful Advocate would continue the work done by the Lamb of God.

Love,
Gretchen

A New Bike

Every child loves to hear stories from their parent’s past. My dad had many stories to share and four eager sets of ears to listen. One of my personal favorites was dad’s first reaction to the news of Japan’s surrender in the summer of 1945. James Bryan Jones’ earliest years were the war years. The industrial world and its resources were consumed providing American forces all they needed to serve justice on Germany and Japan. No child understands the politics of war. All dad knew was that new toys were hard to come by and he wouldn’t have a bicycle until the war was over.

When it was announced over the ocean waves and then the air waves that Japan had surrendered, every church bell across America rang out and people put down their work and toil to celebrate. The free world was celebrating victory for all, but a little boy with a very limited scope of international knowledge knew the end of war meant a closure to childhood’s personal sacrifice.

My father was neither spoiled nor narrow minded. He was a youngster reacting to the world he experienced and perceived. Dad was soon guided to a more correct consciousness of what he was due and the high cost of freedom. How do I know this? He grew to become a generous and compassionate person.

When we face the world each day we bring our gender, age, education, talent, passion and preference acting as a filter to every stimuli entering our physical and mental body. What comes out in response is our perception of facts. Sometimes this takes us far from true reality.

As we get chronologically older the gap between perception and reality should narrow. It’s called maturity, but some never achieve greatness in this endeavor. Spiritually, God commands that we grow and become less concerned with our point of view and more aware of His.

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. I Corinthians 14:20 Have a childlike faith when dealing with sin, but otherwise act like a grownup! For the Christian, maturity is not an option. We have no entitlements but our inheritance has sidewalks make of gold!

Just as my dad learned a more objective way to see his world, he taught his children that they were not the center of the universe. The autonomy we enjoy and the liberties we exercise were paid for by others and the highest gift we were given was eternal life at the expense of Heaven’s Love.

Love,

Gretchen