Home » 2013 » February

Monthly Archives: February 2013

My Experience of God’s Goodness

Posted on by | 1 Comment

In the fall of 1974, the most amazing thing happened to me.  After years of rejecting Christianity and ridiculing Christians, I became one. On a cool October evening, I embarked on a lifelong journey of discovery – learning the truth about myself and the reality of having a personal relationship with God.

Contemporary thought teaches us that man is essentially good, but that has not been my experience.  For it was not through nobleness of character or purity of heart that I came to Christ that night.  Rather, it was a last-ditch effort to escape the cold, dark dungeon of self.

I was raised in a small denominational church by a loving mother and father who wanted the best for me.  I believe it was there that the foundation was laid for my future decision.  But, like many teenage males of my generation, I rebelled against my parents and their religion, turning instead to what I thought was the exciting world of  rock music, alcohol, drugs, and sex.

Thus began the downward spiral of my life.

After several years of groveling at the bottom, I began to look for a way out.  I tried everything I knew to rid myself of an inward plague I later learned was sin, but to no avail.  Not being helped by any of these, I finally came to the conclusion that only God could help me.  But it would not, I had concluded, be through Christianity.

I subsequently read the major scriptures of the world’s foremost religions trying to find God.  I even placed myself under the strict discipline of an eastern guru for two years, only to have my inward state grow worse.

Fortunately for me, there were individuals who cared more about others than themselves.  They prayed for me.  They visited me and shared their faith with me.  One wrote letters to me. Their words and prayers had a significant impact on me, because in time there developed  in me a heartfelt conviction that I had to try Jesus Christ.

After a short walk and brief prayer that evening, during which I received Christ, I was different. Somehow I knew the search was over; I was home.  Somehow a lost and hopeless man now had hope.  Somehow the very thing I had resisted I now embraced.

This is the wonder of what is called the grace of God.  It is the divine influence upon the heart that shapes and molds a person’s life into one of love and obedience to God and service to others.  That was – and continues to be, my experience.

I am grateful to be a recipient.

Lansing’s Future in the Hands of the Church

Posted on by | Leave a comment

As goes the church, so goes the culture.  For this reason, it is essential that we who constitute the church understand who we are and what we are supposed to do. To the degree we do this, our city and nation will flourish; to the degree we don’t, our society will continue to languish.

One myth that must be dispelled is that the church is a building or a place.  This is not a biblical idea.  The church is not a building or a place.  She is not even an institution, an organization or a religion.  She is not a pastor, denomination, or a para-church group.  The Bible presents the church as a people, the very people of God.  That is why you can’t go to church; you are the church!  The church is people, not buildings.

But that is only the beginning.  The Scriptures go far beyond this in their description of the church.  There we see the church as the “body of Christ,” the “bride of Christ,” and a “holy nation.”  It speaks of her as being “radiant” and “without fault or blemish.”  Jesus calls the church “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world,” signifying it’s preserving and enlightening characteristics.

Not only is the church’s identity disclosed in the Bible, but the nature of its work as well.

Referred to as the “foundation of the truth,” the church holds the primary responsibility for disseminating God’s word to the public.  In short, it is the harbinger of truth.  Its constituents are to teach people everywhere to observe all that Christ commanded.

To be honest, we fall way short of the biblical ideal.  Yet, in the words of Paul Billheimer, author of Destined for the Throne, “In spite of all her lamentable weaknesses, appalling failures, and indefensible shortcomings, the church is the mightiest force for civilization in the world today.”

Through her faith and prayers she “holds in this present throbbing moment the balance of power in world affairs.”

Though we are not all we should be, the truth is that without the positive influence of the church upon history, life as we know it today would not exist.  Virtually all of the social institutions and services we value most – marriage and family, health care and hospice, education and the arts – have been inspired or at least significantly influenced by the church. Truly, western civilization itself is largely the result of the outgrowth and impact of the Christian church.

Not only has the past been positively influenced, but the future resides with the church as well.  Upon her shoulders rests the well-being of every man, woman, and child in America and abroad.  Scriptures indicate that governments will rise and fall depending on their support of or opposition to this sacred body. Businesses will prosper when they apply its teaching. Families will thrive in the context of the life and encouragement of its members.

Indeed, the destiny of Lansing – and America – is in the hands of the church.  In a post-modern age where tolerance rules the day and material pursuits subjugate the spiritual, it is time we who are the church recapture our identity and the reason we are here.  We must return to our roots as the people of God, a vibrant, beautiful, and powerful entity called by God to represent Him on earth and show the way to those seeking a better and more meaningful life.

Apart from this, there is no ground for our continued existence.

Stay Locked into Your Marriage

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Some years ago the USA Weekend magazine ran a cover story entitled, “Should You Be Locked Into Marriage?”  Citing 250,000 marriage to occur that month with half of them destined to end in divorce, I’d say the answer is a resounding “Yes!”  If you enter matrimony, you need to plan on staying there — permanently.

Marriage is a solemn, lifelong agreement not to be entered into or taken lightly.  Its roots date back to the Bible book of Genesis, where God, after presenting Eve to Adam, said “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

What God has joined together, let no man separate.

My friend Bob, a long-time mid-Michigan resident, proudly told me of his upcoming 36th wedding anniversary.  He and his wife Jan are Catholic, and believe so strongly in marriage they taught Premarital Instruction for over 10 years at their church.  He explained to me what they’ve taught young couples planning to wed.  He said, “Marriage is like a job; you need to work at it.”

I later asked Bob and Jan what were some of the things couples need to work at for a successful marriage.

First and foremost, they told me, was communication.  Husbands and wives, no matter how long they have been married, need to take time to talk every day.  They must be willing to listen and be considerate of their partner.  They should try to make each other feel important and treat each other with respect.

Second, Jan says, is if there is a fight, fight fair.  In other words, don’t attack your spouse because of a disagreement, but try  to discuss the matter in a rational way.  Seek to focus on the good points.  Be willing to be wrong, or wronged, for the sake of the relationship.  Most importantly, forgive each other.  Don’t become bitter or carry grudges.

The third thing Bob and Jan told me was don’t take your spouse for granted.  When a man and a woman first meet and fall in love, they are enamored with each other. Don’t let that feeling die.  Don’t allow friends or other things to take the place of your marriage partner.  Keep that special place in your heart for him or her.

I am grateful to God for people like Bob and Jan.  You can tell they are practicing what they preach.  I am also thankful for my parents, who have been married over 62 years.  And for my wife Barb, who has stayed with me, despite my flaws, for 41 years.

Marriage is God’s idea.  He hates divorce.  My prayer is that in a day when broken relationships are normal. and where children are scarred because of divorce, the sacred institution of marriage will once again be recognized and upheld, both in practice and by law. It will again be seen as a lifelong commitment of love, “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, as long as both shall live.”

Should you be locked in to marriage? By all means.

Vision for Lansing Begins with Me

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Any good business owner with a vision knows that without a strategy a vision will likely go unrealized.  The same is true for a city or nation. Without a plan of action, a vision is mere fantasy.

So what’s the plan for Lansing’s future?

Since the building block of society is the family, and families are consisted of individuals, the plan begins with me.

First, I must get right with God.

Being right with God means there is nothing between me and Him.  No person, place or thing.  No habit, practice or pleasure.  No career, bank account or past-time.  No other ‘gods’ but Him.

How can I be right with God?  Many religions describe various ways to find God and live right.  But only one makes claims which, if true, exclude all others.  Those claims are made by Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way.”  By believing in His life, death, and resurrection, I can be forgiven and accepted by God.

Second, I must get right with others.

There is no prison more secure and no cancer more vicious than the prison of resentment and the cancer of unforgiveness.  Unresolved conflicts separate and destroy relationships between people.  They are the antithesis of love and harmony.  There may be no greater evil.

For my family and community to be all that I want them to be, I must face those I have wronged me and forgive them.

In addition, I should be the first to admit a wrong and to say, “I’m sorry.”  This act of humility will go a long way to solve family and societal ills and pave the way for a better city.

Third, I must clean up my act.  Put another way, “Sin no more.”  If I drink too much, I must practice moderation.  If I am cheating on my spouse – in thought or deed – I need to stop and admit it.  If I am stealing from work, I must quit and restore what I have stolen.

Although these days there is a concerted effort to redefine right and wrong, deep down I know what is right.  It is called conscience, and I need to heed its voice.  God knows the damage I do when I choose to do what is wrong and fail to consider its impact upon others.  None of us lives to him or herself.

Finally, I must get my priorities straight.  On one occasion, a friend of mine who was fighting cancer told me that when he received the news and was faced with the ultimate – the fact that he might die  – he realized what is important in life:  family and faith.

The truth is all of us will face death someday, and I am sure we won’t be thinking of our work or possessions.  Instead, we’ll be wishing we could go back and do some things over; that we would have spent more time with our family and those close to us.  But then it will be too late.

I must put God first, my family second, and my career third – in that order.  Any other order and life will be full of regrets.

The vision for Lansing – one which satisfies our spiritual, moral, cultural, political, and economic aspirations – begins with me.

For those who want something better, it starts with you, too.

A Spiritual Vision for Lansing

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Lansing is on the up and up.  There is economic growth, population growth, unemployment is less than the state and national averages, and studies reveal it is becoming a more attractive to live and work here.  Former Mayor David Hollister’s vision of a world-class city is truly unfolding.

There is, however, a vision that transcends all this, a spiritual one.   Here is what I see for Lansing: a city renowned for its quality of life, leadership, and family friendly atmosphere.  A place to which people flock for the caliber of its schools and integrity of its institutions.  A city where people feel safe to walk the streets and children are not afraid to go to school.  A place where church and state work together for the good of the community and care for the underprivileged.  A city where people of all ethnic backgrounds and creeds are not only welcomed, but respected.

I picture a region with an economic climate second to none, one that attracts major corporations from all over the world.  Where businesses stay because of low taxes, quality of workers, and harmonious labor relations.  Where research, development, and innovation flourish because government fosters it and all people are free to exercise their God-given gifts of creativity and enterprise.

Not a humanist utopia, and not a purely capitalist state.  No, the place I imagine could never be realized by mere human philosophy, wisdom or effort.

The city I dream of requires a major change in the hearts and minds of its residents.  It calls for an awakening to the reality of not just the existence of God, but His right to rule in the lives of people.  It demands a rejection of the relative and an embrace of the absolute.  A city built on less will be plagued with problems that never get better, but only grow worse.

In a spiritually awakened Lansing, ethical and moral virtue prevails.  That which is right is honored and upheld; that which is wrong scorned and rejected.  Good is called good; evil is called evil.

Pornography is not a problem because no one looks at it any more.  Substance abuse is nonexistent because people have a purpose in life.  Prostitutes can’t find work because men in this city are faithful to their spouses.  Bars are scarce because few patronize them.  Violence, strife, and abuse are next to nothing because people love one another.  Churches and synagogues are exploding with growth because so many people want to worship God and hear His word.

A pipe dream?  No, it is just what Jesus taught us to pray for when He said, “Your kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  It is what He commanded us to work for when He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

The city I see is what God intended for all cities.  Perhaps it’s a dream now, but it most certainly can become a reality.

To be sure, there is no way we can have a city that is perfect or that lasts forever; that is yet to come.  We can, however, have one where the Spirit of God has found a home in the hearts of  its people, and where Jesus is Lord and His word the foundation for living.

I have seen it happen in individuals.  I have seen it happen in families.  There is no reason why it can’t happen in the City of Lansing.

Lasting Marriage: Proof that God is Real

Posted on by | Leave a comment

For a guy who didn’t believe in marriage, it has been a  great 41 years.

As a product of the 60’s I was anti-establishment, anti-war, and anti-marriage.  After all, it was just a piece of paper. Who needed it when you could have all the benefits without going through the hoops of blood tests, ministers, and commitment?

Nevertheless, I accepted.  That’s right, Barb proposed to me.

Funny thing about our generation at the time; while we were ‘anti’ on the surface, we were far more traditional on the inside.  I wanted that commitment I didn’t believe in, and Barb, well, she was foot-loose and fancy-free.  Not the committed type I concluded.  I needed to move on.

The very night I intended to tell her to forget it, she was prepared to propose.  She says she had a dream about marrying me, and took it so seriously that she made the decision before I got there.  The rest is history.

Still, we shunned real commitment.  We wrote our own wedding vows-minus the vows.  We agreed that if it didn’t work, it didn’t work.

Well, it didn’t work.

The first year, as it is for many, was turbulent.  I realized I didn’t have anything to give Barb.  Unfortunately, she realized it too.  I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say that if it hadn’t been for a professor friend of hers who counseled her to stick it out, Barb and I would have been a statistic.  But when presented with a choice to leave or stay, Barb chose to stay.

Then it got worse.

You see, I was a flower child.  Not only had I rejected all semblance of normalcy, I also spurned the religion of my parent’s generation.  I was an existentialist, a young man without God.  Not a good thing to be when your life is in the hole and the only way out is up and the only way up is by God’s gracious hand.

But I wouldn’t have any of it. I had to do it my way.

To make a long story shorter, Barb hung with me through two years of rigid eastern religious discipline which deprived her of her marital rights while I frantically tried getting out of the pit I had dug for myself.

As a last resort, I yielded to this person named Jesus Christ.  Suddenly, life took  on new meaning and, well, I ‘discovered’ my wife.

One of the first things we did that year was take the real vows of marriage.  You know, “to have and to hold . . . ’till death do us part.”

That was over four decades, five children and ten grandchildren ago.

On our twenty-fifth anniversary we took the vows again.  In front of our dearest friends and in the presence of our pastor and God himself, we tied the knot a little tighter.

The writer of Ecclesiastes teaches, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (4:12).  In other words, it takes God to make a marriage work, to lend it strength, to hold it together.  After all, he instituted it.

If there is a proof that God is real – and proofs abound – it is, at least for Barb and me, that he blesses the relationship between a man and a woman who not only make a promise, but rely on him to keep it.

Marriage: One of Life’s Greatest Blessings

Posted on by | Leave a comment

My life was radically changed when I became a Christian.  My marriage was transformed as well.  My wife and I began what has become the most meaningful relationship of our lives.

It didn’t begin that way, however.  Our first year was the worst.  Filled with false hopes about what we could expect from each other, the marriage hit the rocks.  If Barb hadn’t decided to stick it out, we would never have reached our first anniversary.

The next few years were not much better.  I was into my own thing and had little regard for Barb’s interests – an attitude unsuitable for a healthy marriage.  Then came the change, and it was big.

One of the first things we did was restate our wedding vows.  When we were married in 1971 we never made a commitment to each other.  We  simply made up our own non-vows, leaving the door open in case it didn’t work.  This time, however, we promised: “To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to cherish and to obey, till death do us part . . .”

Now, 41 years later, our experience is quite different.

We worship together.  Frankly, I cannot understand how other couples make it without a relationship with God.  Many don’t.  Praying, reading the Bible and attending church together have literally made our marriage.  Without these we would be lost.

We’re best friends.  We enjoy being together. We share our joys and sorrows, our deepest thoughts and fears.  As we unite to face our problems (and we do have problems) we grow closer.

We’re complete.  God told Adam that it’s not good for man to be alone.  He was right.  I get lonely when I am away from Barb.  Events are not as much fun.  Life is not the same without her.  We were intended to be together.  Something is missing when we’re not.

We’re secure.  We trust each other.  We don’t worry about one of us running off with another man or woman. We know who will pick us up when we fall down.  There’s great assurance in that.

We’re strong.  Though one of us may be overpowered at times, two of us can stand the most difficult of circumstances.  Together we are much stronger than by ourselves.

We’re satisfied.  One night lying in bed, Barb told me that if she were to die that night she would be fulfilled.  I feel the same way; I couldn’t ask for more in a wife.  We try very hard to make sure the other person is happy.  That’s what marriage is all about.

We’re in love.  Not love in the Hollywood sense of the word, but in the biblical sense.  Unconditional.  Unselfish.  Love that is action-oriented, focused on the other person, expressed in giving.

Barb and I marvel at what God has done.  He took two completely different people, brought them together, invaded their hearts and began to build a relationship representative of Jesus and his church.  Totally awesome.

God is faithful to the covenant of marriage and to those who seek to keep it.

If you are married and believe in heaven, you need not die to experience it.  You simply need to make the commitment to love your spouse God’s way.  You will discover the divine institution of marriage to be among the greatest blessings of the human experience, “as the days of heaven upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 11:21).

We all could use some of those.

Another Day to Love Your Wife

Posted on by | 1 Comment

I am not a special days type of guy.  My take on most of them is that they’re creations of marketing people at the nation’s greeting card and floral retailers.  Unless they fall on a weekend or holiday, I still have to get up and go to work.  Every day is just the same.

That’s why it bothers me that on February 14 I’m expected to go out and buy a card and bring home flowers or heart-shaped boxes of candy.  And in my case, I’m not only married, but I’ve three daughters and three granddaughters.  In two different states.

As if bringing these things home made some sort of statement – like, “I love you” or something.

Sure, my girls think its cool to get a card and a box of chocolates.  They’ll smile and thank me and, if they’re present, give me a hug and a kiss.  And I’ll think that, ‘Well, I did what I was supposed to do today.’

The thing that bugs me about special days though, is that what we are expected to do on those days is really what we ought to be doing every day.  No, I don’t mean buying cards and candy and flowers.  What I mean is – in my relationship with Barb for instance, I’m supposed to be loving her every day anyway.  And I am supposed to be demonstrating it in real and tangible ways.

Like washing dishes for her.

What if,  on Valentine’s Day, instead of a card or flowers, guys all over the U. S. came home and said, “Honey, tonight I’m doing the dishes for you.”  Imagine how that would go over.  Or, “This afternoon. we’re going shopping together!”  Or, “How about dinner tonight-just the two of us?”

Better yet, getting up every day after February 14 and treating her with dignity and understanding, considering her wants, needs, likes and dislikes.  Isn’t this what God had in mind when He instituted marriage?

The truth is, everyday is a day to love your wife.  To relegate it to some special day is cute and maybe a little unique (cards and candy and flowers would get old after a while), but it won’t go very far for a meaningful marriage.

To me, that only happens when a man’s relationship with his wife is patterned after the Bible, which tells husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her “ (Ephesians 5:25). And, “Husbands . . . be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect” (I Peter 3:7).

To my knowledge, nowhere is Scripture is loving your wife confined to a single day.  That tells me I get to do this on a daily basis, 365 days a year.

To my Barb’s credit, she knows all this.  Though I might surprise her, she is much less inclined to be looking for those flowers on February 14 than on, say, March 3, or May 14, or November 11.  Because she knows that I know that to be true to God and her, these kinds of visible expressions of love and care ought to be happening on regular, run-of-the-mill days.

That’s why to me, Valentine’s Day is just another day I get to love my wife.