Mission Faithwalk

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23;4) This verse has come to mind a number of times as I have considered what's going on in this country. Some people are saying that if their candidate isn't elected, we're going to go through a deep, dark valley from which there may be no escape; that America is dead. Do you fear no evil? Do you rest in God's care when President Obama talks of bringing in Muslim refugees that might include terrorists? Do you not fear the possibility of Mr. Trump, or Mrs. Clinton being elected? Is our hope and comfort in God's rod and staff? Or is it in our "taking the country back" and "making it great"?          I mourn for my country, but I keep coming back to when the Israelites rebelled and planned to find someone to take them back to Egypt rather than invading the Promised Land. God told them...

          "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”                 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:   “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish .”   (Esther 4:14-16)               Some people are very upset about what is happening in our country, and about what is likely to happen after the election in the fall. Their angst is understandable. Things don't look good. As one meme posted on Fac...

So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided. (Genesis 22:14)               We want what we want when we want it. We don't want it immediately upon our understanding that we want it, we want it before we even have a chance to want it. Some have suggested that the existence, even for an instant, of wanting is evidence that God is unkind. How dare God make any of us less than 100% happy all the time? Here's the problem: what would make me happy would be for there never to be a sky without at least some clouds during the day, with temperatures that never go above 80 or below 20, but which would normally include both of those extremes, At night, the skies would be clear. That might not sound like a problem until I point out that I know people who consider it a personal insult if the temperature drops below 75 or if a cloud dares to cast a sh...

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)           I'm not sure that this verse applies to people who live under the New Covenant, or that God would see America as the land of the Christians. I'm not really sure that our patriotism is correct, and yet... my heart breaks for this country, and it burns at how we have turned our backs on what we once believed. Here is my gift to you this Independence Day, a holiday concert with verses of some of these songs that you never hear. May your Independence Day be blessed with renewed conviction, renewed determination, and renewed love for our King. This Is My Country God Bless America American Medley God Bless The USA My Country, 'Tis of Thee National Anthem: Star Spangled Banner National Hymn: G...

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate.. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them. (Nehemiah 3:1-2)               Usually, when someone teaches about this section of Nehemiah, they focus on the notion that people were given responsibility to build the section of the wall that was most important to them, the section next to their homes or their places of employment. That's a good observation, but what possible expertise were Nehemiah (the cupbearer to the king) and Eliashib and his fellow priests likely to have in wall-building? Or the men of Jericho, or Zaccur, son of Imri? I don't know anything about building walls that were to be strong enough to keep enemies from invading. Ma...

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire.   Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass.   So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.   The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work. (Nehemiah 2:11-15)             As I look around, I have the sinking feeling th...

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NASB) He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God .(Micah 6:8 NIV)          Do you live well? Do you live a good life or are you so busy chasing the "good life" to have time to live a good life? Or, perhaps, are you too busy trying to have a good time to live a good life? These are easily confused. I've provided today's passage in two translations to make it clear that the point being made is actually being made. God has told us what is good. He has told us what a good life looks like.             The first thing we have to do is act justly or do justice. Before I reread the verse, I remembered it more along the lines of "seek ju...