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DECEMBER 27, 2025 WE ARE ALL FERAL CATS PART 2

December 27, 2025

This morning, I can hear our new kitten crying pitifully as he sits in his litter box in his cage. Gabriel, our kitten, has been drinking the water and eating the food we have given him, but he longs for his mother. We long to comfort Gabriel, to nestle him in our arms, but he still fears us. Were we to try to cuddle him right now, one of us might wind up in the Emergency Room with stitches!

One of the many names of Jesus is “Immanuel” or “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” But why should God order that his Son be called by such a name? God wants all people to know that He is not sitting someplace far away but that He is as close as their heartbeats. But there’s a problem: Just as we struggle to communicate with little Gabriel the kitten, God keeps sending His Word by various means to communicate with people, many of whom aren’t listening or are deafened by the noise of the world around them.

All we want to do is to comfort Gabriel, to make him feel secure, and to demonstrate the depth of our love for him; yet, we struggle to reassure him. If one of us were able to speak “cat” or even to become a cat with the knowledge we have, it would be much easier to comfort Gabriel. We celebrate Christmas because at Christmas, God accomplished what we cannot: He sent Jesus to be born as a baby to a poor family from an obscure village so that He could demonstrate His love and concern through Jesus. Jesus was also born so that he could love, minister, and die as a blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, conquering death, hell, and the grave.

Each time little Gabriel mews pitifully, our hearts break, and we beg God again to help us find some way to comfort him. Now if God is a loving Father, with a great heart of love deeper than anything we can possibly imagine, won’t He have compassion on His suffering children just as we have compassion for our kitten? When we cry, God hears us, even though help doesn’t always come in the form we desire. Again, Isaiah 55:9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, he was struggling to impart everything he possibly could to his disciples while he was still with them. John recorded those conversations. In John 14:7-11, Jesus was trying to reassure his friends.

7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

If Jesus had been a cat speaking to other cats, he would have told them that he was sent by the Creator of all cats to demonstrate that Creator’s love.

Do we think we occupy the place of God with our kitten? Far from it! We are flawed human beings whose race mostly lost the ability to communicate with the animals when sin entered the world. Throughout the world, there are those individuals blessed in their abilities to communicate with animals. But we firmly believe that God can comfort our kitten and we are begging Him to do so. We are begging for Immanuel to comfort little Gabriel, to be “God with Gabriel.”

Please notice something: we should always worship the Creator, not the creature. Someone grieving the loss of their sixteen-year-old cat mentioned on Facebook that they intended to create an altar to the cat. As a shrine to remember the cat, that might be all right; however, to worship a dead cat would be quite wrong, no matter how precious the memories might be.

So once more, we find ourselves resembling feral cats. We want to trust God, but we have bitter memories, and we aren’t really sure if this “Immanuel” business, this “God with us” stuff is real or not. But the good thing about Jesus is that his followers recorded Jesus’ teachings in four different Gospels, each with its own approach, giving us the information we need about Jesus and his Heavenly Father.

If you are new to the Bible, begin by reading the Gospel of John in a format that speaks to you. Personally, I like the New King James version because it preserves the language of the King James without archaic terms. But other versions such as The Message or The Living Bible are equally good. The important thing is to learn about Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are all feral cats. We have been hurt and we don’t trust anybody. Lord, please speak to the hearts of all those reading these words, make Yourself so real to them that they KNOW You are Immanuel, God with them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

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WE ARE ALL FERAL CATS! DECEMBER 26, 2025

December 26, 2025

We have mourned for two months, ever since losing our beloved kitty Mr. Cat. As conscientious and loving cat owners, we have mercilessly beat ourselves up-should we have gotten medical attention earlier? Did he die because we somehow neglected him, even though we thought we were doing everything correctly? It’s no exaggeration to say that the two of us have been reduced to tears on a daily basis.

Christmas morning, one of our friends came holding a small sack. When we asked him what was in the sack, he said, “A cat.” And there was a two-month-old male kitten, grey with dark stripes. We immediately named the cat Gabriel because he came bringing good news at Christmas.

Poor little Gabriel is still in shock. Just a day ago, he was running freely around our friend’s compound. Now we have confined him to a large cage, albeit with food, water, a litter box, and a box he can use as a den to hide in. For now, we are using the cage while we try for him to get used to us. Eventually, we hope he will have the run of the house, as well as the outdoors. We are offering him our fingers and hands to sniff, but we are not forcing ourselves on him.

Will we be able to tame Gabriel so that he will become a purring cuddly kitty? Who knows? Cats are always individuals, and you must respect their personalities. Forcing a cat only injures everyone. But when we picked Gabriel out of the sack, I picked him by the scruff of his neck and set him on my chest, where he promptly curled up without biting or scratching. I am hoping for good things in the future.

When it comes to loving God, we are all like feral cats. We want our freedom, and we aren’t interested in being tamed. We have no idea that God’s nature is love and that He only wants good things for us. Even when God provides everything for us, we are still like poor little Gabriel; we fear that this Great Being may harm us. But there is good news for all of us.

Romans 8:18-23 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”

There is one difference between Gabriel the kitty and us: As humans we have a sin problem. When sin entered the world, God was forced to subject the entire creation to futility because of the sins of mankind. Gabriel is part of the creation that waits for redemption. Gabriel does not need a Savior, but we humans do.

Jesus has promised that one day, he will return, not as a baby but as a conquering king. On that great day, all creation will be released from the consequences of human sin.

Isaiah 11:6-9 tells us, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.”

In that day, none of us will act out of fear, for in that day, there will be no more feral cats. God’s love will unite us all in His Creation as He intended it from the beginning of time, for the knowledge of God and the peace of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

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ARCHIBALD THE ANKLE UPDATE NOVEMBER 26, 2025 CRUTCHES!!!

November 26, 2025

One of the many lessons Archibald the Ankle is teaching me is the value of various kinds of crutches. Several years ago, we helped Taala Ruth, a young girl with terrible orthopedic problems. Eventually, Taala reached the point that she can walk without crutches, even though she has undergone a Girdlestone procedure, removing the ball of her left thigh bone because of infection, and has a fused right knee due to infection, injury, and malnutrition at a critical time. It was only a few months ago that Taala gave back her elbow crutches, the same crutches I am now using.

For those needing crutches, elbow crutches are far superior to those with cross pieces that fit in the armpit. The danger of armpit crutches is that if one leans on the crosspiece, one can easily put too much pressure on the nerves, damaging them permanently and making it impossible to use the hand and forearm. A trick with these crutches is for them to be short enough that there is at least 2-3 inches between the armpit and the top of the crutch. All the patient’s weight should go on the hand grips and not on the top cross pieces. The advantage of armpit crutches is that they are simple and easily manufactured, making them the predominant type of crutch in rural Africa.

Elbow crutches depend on pressure on the hand grips with the elbow supports keeping the upper arm stable. But not all elbow crutches are created equal. When we looked for crutches for Taala Ruth, we got the best ones we could; however, they have mobile clips that fit around the upper arm. Threading one’s arm through these clips can be difficult, and removing the crutches when entering a vehicle or sitting down can also be difficult. There are more expensive kinds of elbow crutches that have a rigid support molded and attached to the crutch. Such crutches are easier to handle because they are less tricky when the user wants to put them aside.

Remember that my condition is not permanent. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and I am deeply grateful for many things:

  1. I am grateful that my injury was minor and that I should heal within a few weeks without operation.
  2. I am grateful that the pain is reducing daily. The pitfall is that I might forget and put more weight on my injured leg than I should.
  3. I am grateful that my injury demonstrated the fact that obstructing a public path with a log might lead to disastrous injuries. Had a local motorcycle rider hit that log, he could have flown off his bike, landing on his head and snapping his neck, dying instantly. I do, however, agree that our local motorcycle riders and motoking drivers constitute a public menace. Controlling these people is a big problem.
  4. I am grateful that we had crutches at the house and that we were able to secure a wheelchair.
  5. I am grateful that I am able to maneuver around our home.
  6. I am grateful that I am able to rest. Until my injury, I had not taken annual leave.
  7. I am grateful that I am learning to handle videos and to convert Power Point presentations into videos for upload onto Youtube.
  8. I am grateful for the loving care my husband and our friends give me daily.
  9. I thank God that because of my injury, I will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving without worrying that I might be called to an emergency at the hospital. I cannot tell the numbers of holiday celebrations that have been forfeited or postponed because of my work. I have also been able to attend two weddings without interruption due to my injury.
  10. I thank God that He continues to care for us and to provide. Despite my injury, we are still helping support patients and their families with medicines, blood, and feeding.
  11. Most of all, I thank God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to live as a sinless man, to die for all of our sins, and to defeat death, hell, and the grave! Because He lives, we live also.

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BURYING BILLY GENE PROCTOR SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

September 29, 2025

They’re burying one of our closest friends today, and we can’t be there. This is the part of missionary life that few people speak about, but it’s one of the toughest. Financial limitations? No problem! Both my husband and I grew up in families where money was a bit scarce. Devoting time to caring for others? Giving up luxury vacations to pay for blood, medicine, and food for patients? Sure, those are challenges, but anybody in any kind of ministry faces similar problems. There are many things we have sacrificed gladly for the sake of God’s calling on our lives. But once in a while, special events come along and remind us that our friends and loved ones are back in America and we are not. Funerals of close friends serve as one of those reminders.

Today as our friends gather at Getwell Church in Southaven, MS, we will be fortunate if we are able to watch the proceedings as they are streamed. But watching something doesn’t make up for being there and hugging people, sharing stories of the loved one, and yes-crying a bit with the family. While those attending the funeral will be treated to a gallery of photos and a video depicting Billy’s long life of 84 years and those whom he blessed during that time, all we will have is memories.

Jesus’ disciple Simon Peter was one of those guys who was forever asking the tough questions. I guess having spent years hauling fish out of the Sea of Galilee and battling those sudden storms left Peter with no patience for temporizing. When Peter had a question, he simply spat it out. And this particular day, Peter was worried.

Matthew tells the story in Matthew 19:16-29A rich young ruler approaches Jesus, asking what he has to do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to follow the Ten Commandments. When the man claims that he’s already doing that, Jesus advises him, “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” The young man gulps hard and leaves dejected because he is very rich and very attached to his belongings. (But wait-there are some traditions that claim this young ruler was Mark, who later wrote one of the Gospels and who traveled with Paul and Barnabas.)

Peter and the other disciples have left their homes and their jobs to follow Jesus. Peter, his brother Andrew, and his friends James and John have walked away from thriving and businesses at Capernaum. All four have left their boats and their relatives to follow Jesus and are faithfully continuing to do so.

Matthew 19:27 Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”

28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Now Peter is asking Jesus what he and the others will get out of the deal. Has this sacrifice all been for nothing? Not only have the disciples given up being with their families but they have also sacrificed sharing special celebrations-birthdays, feast days, weddings, and funerals. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus has crisscrossed the land, leaving the disciples wondering where they will go next. Jesus assures Peter that his followers will receive houses and lands and families, both in this life and in the next. But in the meantime, the disciples find themselves isolated from their families by the call on their lives.

We met Billy Proctor shortly after arriving in Memphis, TN, in late June 1983. I was the new pediatric surgery resident at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Billy and his wife Carla were members at Faith United Methodist Church, a charismatic congregation just over the line in Southaven, MS. Eventually, we joined Faith and became fast friends with Billy and Carla. If you look at photos of Billy during that time, you see a middle-aged guy with a grin that just won’t quit, a grin that draws you in to whatever he has going on. Billy had that grin for his entire life, and I’m sure that the day Billy graduated into heaven, when Jesus reached out his hand to Billy to pull him out of a failing body, Billy grinned more widely than he ever had before.

It’s impossible for me to enumerate all the different ways Billy and Carla have helped us over the years. The Proctors have sheltered us, advised us, encouraged us, and handled our stateside mail for us. Billy has handled our finances, helping invest our Social Security and whatever other monies have come in that have not been used for ministry expenses. Billy has also shared travel tips with us, tips on local restaurants, and some of his other passions.

We have watched the Proctors’ children reach adulthood, marry, and become parents and develop careers of their own. We have rejoiced over births and grieved over untimely deaths. We have cheered for all kinds of successes and admired photos. Our lives and those of the Proctor family have become interwoven.

I am completing this about an hour before the funeral will begin. We can only pray that our internet connection will remain stable, allowing us to watch, even if it’s at a distance of several thousand miles.

The next time you ask a missionary based overseas for their challenges, remember there are many things about which we might be hesitant to share. We don’t want to come off as whiners. But we can only rejoice that some day we will all be in heaven together. As the old Gospel song says, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!”

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MAY 26, 2025 FOLLOWING JESUS IN A POST-ASCENSION WORLD #32 WHEN GOD SENDS YOU, DON’T CONFUSE THE MESSENGER WITH THE MESSAGE!

May 26, 2025

Acts 14:1-7 At Iconium

“Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore, they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel there.

When you are acting for the Kingdom of God, there will always be opposition. And the more effective your ministry, the stronger the opposition. Here, Paul and Barnabas have been preaching and teaching and many people, both Jews and Greeks, have been streaming into the Kingdom of God. But traditional leaders whose commitment to their own power is greater than their commitment to God’s truth are doing everything they can to fight these men. Finally, Paul and Barnabas find themselves on the road again, fleeing to Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region, preaching the gospel as they go.

While Paul and Barnabas are probably thinking only of escaping opposition, God has far bigger plans. For as these preachers are fleeing from one place to another, they are teaching people about Jesus wherever they go, lighting fires of hope in people’s hearts. Psalm 37;23 tells us that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” While Paul and Barnabas might feel they are wandering aimlessly across the countryside, meanwhile, God is moving them into strategically important connections with spiritually hungry people ready to hear the gospel and accept it.

Acts 14:8-18 Idolatry at Lystra

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.”

The people of Lystra have been worshiping fake Grecian gods, even though the myths describe these beings as far from having any purity or holiness. When Paul and Barnabas speak to a man crippled from birth, he leaps up healed and whole. Local people are so thrilled that they can only conclude that their gods have descended and are favoring them. But now Paul and Barnabas have a new set of problems: the temptation to allow themselves to be worshiped as gods. Quite sensibly, Paul and Barnabas refuse, doing everything they can to convince these people that the God of heaven and earth has done this miracle and that they are only His agents.

The temptation to take glory reserved only for God continues to this day. Here in Ghana, it is quite common for those conducting crusades to spread posters portraying the evangelist and the dates of the crusade as widely as possible, advertising healing and deliverance. But without God, these people are nothing, powerless beings who can only mouth platitudes. The question is this: who is doing the healing and who should receive the glory? While God may work through men and women, He alone deserves the praise and the glory. People do get healed in these crusades; however, the healing comes through their faith in God and not because the evangelist has the power to heal. All power must come from the One True Living God. Paul and Barnabas know that God has healed this man in Lystra and they are doing everything they can to avoid being confused with traditional Greek gods. (Study Greek mythology, and you rapidly realize that the Greek gods are far from holy or pure!)

As God’s ambassadors, we must not take credit when all the glory belongs to God. There is a fictitious story about the donkey that carried Jesus on Palm Sunday feeling proud that all the adulation was for him; meanwhile, the donkey was only a means to an end. Like that donkey, we must allow God to use us but remember that He is the only One worthy of praise.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continually point people to You, for You are the Source of light and life while we are only messengers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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APRIL 27, 2025 FOLLOWING JESUS IN A POST-ASCENSION WORLD #4 RESPONDING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

April 27, 2025

Acts 2:5-13 The Crowd’s Response

“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

All this time, the followers of Jesus have been praying together but otherwise trying to maintain a low profile. The last thing these folks want is to be arrested by either the religious authorities or the Romans. But God has other ideas. There are devout men from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem, and now these men are rushing into the street as they hear those recently baptized with the Holy Spirit glorifying God in their heart languages. Nobody has ever heard anything like this.

But while these men are ecstatic over these manifestations, there are always nay-sayers ready to criticize. These guys are sure that these people must be drunk! Somebody needs to do something, and Peter steps up and preaches.

We’ll continue the story tomorrow, but look at Peter for a minute. Until now, Peter has always been a man of action, not a preacher or a teacher. There are other disciples with better educations and vocabularies, and Peter has a strong Galilean accent that marks him wherever he goes. Peter is not most people’s first choice for public speaking. And that is what is going to make Peter’s next move so remarkable, for Peter will be the one to preach.

One of the amazing things about the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit empowers those willing to welcome Him. God does not play favorites, and He is interested in our availability, not in our ability. Remember that lesson as we continue to study the events of that thrilling day of Pentecost.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to be available and to trust that You will give us the strength and the courage to do Your perfect Will. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen. 

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APRIL 26, 2025 FOLLOWING JESUS IN A POST-ASCENSION WORLD #3 WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOWS UP, EVERYTHING CHANGES!

April 26, 2025

Acts 2:1-4 Coming of the Holy Spirit

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Who is the “they” being referred to here? In Acts 1 we learn that there are 120 people gathered together and praying. When Jesus was teaching his disciples on that final night, he promised that his Heavenly Father would send the Holy Spirit. But the disciples really weren’t sure what Jesus was talking about. Now they were remembering some of the things Jesus had told them.

John 14:15-21 Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit (John 16:5–16)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate f to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. 

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

John 15:26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.”

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come…”  One of the wonderful and frustrating things about God is His timing. From the creation of the world, God has already planned the place when the Holy Spirit will descend and the timing of that descent down to the last second.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Although this account contains the first description of the coming of the Holy Spirit, there have been countless other incidences. In one of the Transformations series of videos produced by the Sentinel Organization, there is an actual video of the Holy Spirit descending on members of a church in a remote Alaskan village during a baptism. Those operating the sound system originally think their equipment is malfunctioning; however, the roaring of the Holy Spirit wind actually increases after they turned off all the sound equipment. Some of the church members are flat on their faces while others are leaping in praise of God.

“Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  John the Baptist promises those whom he is baptizing. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11) Today is the day for that baptism of fire. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit also empowers those who receive it with the ability to speak in “new tongues.”

Why has God chosen these people, this time, and this place? Pentecost marks one of the major feasts, one for which people from all over the known world flock to Jerusalem.

Christianity.com tells us this: “Pentecost is a Jewish feast that has been celebrated since the Old Testament, being called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks in Jewish tradition. It is mentioned in five places in the first five books — in Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16. ‘Pentecost‘, the Greek name of this event, is also used to refer to the events in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit intervened following Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

What is the Origin of Pentecost?

Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early weeks of harvest. In Palestine, there were two harvests each year. The early harvest came during the months of May and June; the final harvest came in the Fall. Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early wheat harvest, which meant that Pentecost always fell sometime during the middle of the month of May or sometimes in early June.

There were several festivals, celebrations, or observances that took place before Pentecost. There was Passover, there was Unleavened Bread, and there was the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Firstfruits was the celebration of the beginning of the barley harvest. Here’s the way you figured out the date of Pentecost. 

According to the Old Testament, you would go to the day of the celebration of Firstfruits, and beginning with that day, you would count off 50 days. The fiftieth day would be the Day of Pentecost. So Firstfruits is the beginning of the barley harvest and Pentecost is the celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest.”

God is a master showman and He sends the Holy Spirit when the maximum number of people are going to witness the results. Tomorrow we’ll examine what happens next, but consider something. How many times have you begged God to do something in your life, only to have to wait on His timing? And when you have waited, haven’t you been thankful that you were patient? As we study the Pentecost story, pay attention to the small details, for they will bless you.

PRAYER:  Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to wait on Your timing, knowing that You arrange things perfectly. Help us to trust where we cannot see. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ALTONA, JUNE 1955

April 6, 2025

“Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; re-clothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence praise.”

It’s June 1955, and I am sitting with my family in our usual spot, 6 rows from the front on the north side of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altona, Illinois. It has been a tough spring for me. After years of fighting horrible bouts of tonsillitis compounded by ear infections and vertigo, I finally weathered a tonsillectomy two months ago. Now my throat has finally healed enough for me to swallow rough food without wincing, and I feel healthy for the first time in years.

Outside, birds are singing in the maple trees that surround our lovely church. Inside, I gaze on the triptych above the altar, one figure of Jesus the good shepherd on the left, Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the right, and Jesus ascending into heaven in the biggest picture of all in the middle. I have no idea how many times I will gaze on those pictures through the years or how much they will come to mean to me. Even now in the stillness of the night, I meditate on those pictures and marvel at the goodness of my Lord. As I sit with my parents, I can hear my mother’s clear soprano reinforced by my dad’s tenor as we enter the second verse.

“In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word rise up and follow thee.”

As I listen to these words, I have no inkling that God will call me into the mission field at age eleven, that I will commit my life to Christ at the age of fifteen, that I will train as a general and pediatric surgeon, or that I will come to northern Ghana, where I will spend the rest of my life. Have I ever regretted saying “Yes” to Jesus? NO! NO! A MILLION TIMES NO! Even if I knew all the suffering I would endure, I would never refuse. Jesus has blessed me beyond measure, and nothing is too much to give up for my Lord.

“O Sabbath rest by Galilee! O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity, interpreted by love!”

My brothers and I feel loved and protected. Today, we will finish church and Sunday School and return home to a scrumptious home-made dinner. We have our own animals butchered and grow most of our own vegetables. My grandparents may join us, in which case, Grandma will bring her delicious butterhorn rolls, fit for the angels. The early strawberries are ready, and we are having strawberry pie for dessert. In the afternoon, my parents will visit and rest while we kids play ball in our large yard. We do not do farm work on Sundays, apart from caring for our animals.  

“Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.”

Our lives are ordered and quiet. Most of our trading is done in small towns no more than seven miles away; otherwise, we only go to town for church and school. We still have the same ancient phone system that was brought in fifty years ago, with the switchboard in Oscar Johnson’s house in Altona. I attend school in the same building from which my dad graduated from high school. Everybody in town knows everybody else, and while this might seem intrusive, we care about one another. A general line ring of four long rings will bring out help for any emergency. Social media is unknown and even movies are an infrequent treat. We spend much of our free time playing games or reading, and we keep a local library busy with our patronage.

“Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still small voice of calm.’”

As we are singing this last verse, my family has no idea that in three short weeks our world will be turned upside down. My father will be severely injured in a near-fatal head-on collision at the Walnut Creek bridge just west of town. Dad’s injuries will be so severe that he will actually have a near-death experience in which he will see his grandparents and great-grandparents in heaven before being called back into his body by my mother’s fervent prayers. Dad will be bed-bound for several weeks and then remain on crutches for several months thereafter. We will get our first TV so Dad has something with which to entertain himself while he’s stuck in bed. The disruption of our lives will eventually convince my parents that my mother should return to school and complete her Bachelor’s degree so that she can teach and help stabilize the family income. We will also abandon our milking operation, retaining only one or two cows to provide milk for my grandparents and us.

I am remembering that Sunday as I return from rounds on the Children’s Ward and the NICU at the Hospital in Saboba. It’s far hotter here than it ever gets in Illinois, even in the depths of August. Rounds have kept me too long for me to make one of the local church services, so I sit here remembering and contemplating those magnificent words penned by the Quaker writer, John Greenleaf Whittier, so long ago. And once more I hear voices of all those church members in Altona, those in the choir and those beloved Sunday School teachers who humbly gave their Sundays to teach wiggly little kids and blaze teen-agers.

Nothing done in love for a child is ever wasted. I’m sure many of my Sunday School teachers went home from church wondering if they had made any impact on the kids they were teaching. The same thing might be said for those teaching vacation Bible school. While I can’t speak for anyone else, I will gladly stand before God and testify that I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by these teachers. Whether or not they realized it, they did find purer lives in the services they rendered. Whether or not these people realized it, they were agents of peace and servants of God. And I stand to bless every one of them. Now in my 77th year, I continue to pray the prayers embodied in these verses, and I say with Mr. Whittier, “Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still small voice of calm.’”

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BEFORE THE BOX STORES RUINED CHRISTMAS

December 14, 2024

Back before the box stores came, small towns were full of small mom-and-pop businesses, the kind of places where you walked in and they already knew what you were likely to need. Those manning these stores were your friends, your neighbors, your fellow church members. You probably were in 4-H or Scouts or some other organization with their kids. Perhaps you rode the same school buses together or perhaps you sang together in the high school chorus or played in band together. Your parents were friends with the proprietors of these stores, having grown up together and graduated from high school together.

Christmastime in these small-town shops was something special. The local grocery stores-all members of the IGA-Independent Grocers Association-would display baking ingredients, nuts, candied fruit, and baking pans and utensils for making what we called “Spritz” cookies. (These are sometimes referred to as Danish butter cookies.) There would be hams studded with cloves at the meat counter. One local grocer in my home town made wonderful Swedish potatiskorv, potato baloney, an important part of our Christmas celebration. That same grocer also carried dried fruit, stick cinnamon, and pearl tapioca for making Swedish fruktsoppa-fruit soup, as well as rennet tablets for setting the curd for ost kaka (Swedish cheesecake.) We milked cows, so Mom always mixed the rennet tablets with milk to make the curd and then drain the liquid off the curd by tying the curd up in cheesecloth and hanging it over the kitchen sink. Of course, we also bought flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, and all the other ingredients for our special Christmas treats.

Next were the five-and-dime stores, where things really did cost 5 and 10 cents. The brightly lit windows of these stores were wondrous. Those were the places where children could shop for small gifts for parents and parents would shop for stocking stuffers for children. For bigger presents, there were the dry goods stores selling clothing for men, women, and children. While many mothers ordered things from Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward, some families bought Christmas clothing locally. In those days when men still wore hats, one men’s clothing store would sell you a small model hat in a small round hatbox. The recipient would then come to the store after Christmas to select his hat. While most of us simply wore our best shoes to church at Christmas, there were those wealthy enough to buy new shoes at the local shoe store, a place of wonder, heavily scented with the intoxicating smell of leather. We were also entranced by the modern convenience of x-raying our feet to see what shoe size we required. Only decades later would we realize that radiation exposure might lead to thyroid cancer.  

Every place of business had some kind of colored lights, even if it was only a single string. The days of elaborate Christmas displays with accompanying music were yet to arrive, but for those of us coming in from the country, the lights were enchanting. The local park would also have lights, and the town fathers would make sure there was some kind of Christmas banner or display hanging from every lamp post in town.

“Hmph!” you exclaim, “so far you haven’t described anything very impressive.” No. I haven’t, and for a good reason. We were much more easily impressed in those days. Television was in its infancy and many families still were without a TV. Our expectations were far more modest, so we were far more easily bedazzled. Our Christmas trees were lovely and divinely scented, whether we cut them ourselves or bought them from the local Jaycees or Scouts or whoever was selling trees that year. And many of those trees might sport hand-made ornaments that we had created at school and lovingly brought home on the bus. Our stashes of presents were smaller, and if we got oranges in our stockings and some chocolates, we were content. But what was important at Christmastime was the love and fellowship we felt wherever we went in town. Years ago, I wrote a Christas song that still applies.

Jesus, I’ve Searched For You Everywhere

Jesus, I’ve searched for You everywhere, and still not a trace do I see.

I’ve been through all the shops buying presents, all the things that I see on T.V.

But Christmas is only a few days away; I’m not ready for it to come now.

There must be a way I can find you, but Jesus, I don’t know how.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

I went to some great Christmas programs, thinking maybe that I’d find You there.
But all the songs were about winter, and there wasn’t so much as a single prayer.

So I listened to carols on radio. It helped; it at least was a start.

But Jesus, I have a big problem: I’ve a God-sized hole in my heart.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

I mingled with Christmas shoppers, thinking maybe I’d find You with them.

All the people were angry and frightened – was it like this at Bethlehem?

They seemed to be fearful their families wouldn’t love them if there weren’t enough

Presents on Christmas morning, so they bought lots of meaningless stuff.

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

Jesus, why did you come to us? Were You born just so that You could die?

You say all of our efforts aren’t good enough to make heaven no matter how hard we try?

Jesus, is this then the reason, that you came to free us from sin?

From our hardness of heart and our bitterness, so that we might enter in?

Chorus: It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.  

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart. (Repeat chorus)

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

(This Song Copywrited by Jean Young)

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DECEMBER 14, 2024 PLODDING TOWARD BETHLEHEM-FINDING JESUS IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH #5 JESUS THE MESSIAH, THE PERFECT SHEPHERD

December 14, 2024

Isaiah 40:9-11 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.”

John 10:7-18 Jesus the Good Shepherd

“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

When we read Jesus’ description of himself as the good shepherd, we might not realize how much that entails. Shepherds were responsible for every aspect of the care of their flocks. Shepherds had to lead the flocks to good safe pasture and to still clean water. If there were lambs who were hurt, the shepherd would carry them in his cloak next to his heart. When wild animals attacked, the shepherds had to kill them or drive them off, risking their own lives. Hireling shepherds would simply run away, leaving the sheep to their fate. David was willing to face Goliath with his slingshot because he had already killed many wild animals attacking his father’s sheep. (Slingshots were the ancient equivalent of long-range rifles, and most armies had soldiers who were deadly with slingshots in either hand.) Many ancient sheepfolds had high stone walls with a single door opening, and a doorkeeper who would only admit legitimate shepherds with their flocks.

At night, several flocks might be kept in a single sheepfold. At daybreak, the shepherd would call his sheep and they would follow him because they knew his voice. The sheep trusted the shepherd because he had already been kind to them.

When Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd, he is fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah. What does this mean for us? Face it, folks, many of us are battered and bruised, while some of us are facing health challenges, financial challenges, and worries of all kinds. We need a shepherd, someone who will care for us, help us, make sure that we have what we need and that we are protected.

As we are preparing for Christmas, let’s remember that we are not simply preparing for a baby in a manger, but for Heaven’s King, the Messiah, the One who has conquered sin, death, and hell. We can trust Jesus to be our Shepherd because He has proven Himself worthy of all honor and praise and glory.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we desperately need you to be our Good Shepherd and to deliver us from ourselves. Please enter our trembling hearts and make Your home there. It’s in Your mighty and precious Name that we pray, King Jesus. Amen.

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