One of the things I appreciate about Vicki is her ability to cook and bake. She just has a knack for making really good meals and goodies, and she’s always trying something new. And since I highly dislike cooking or baking, even more I appreciate that she has been willing to cook for me day after day after day for nearly 39 years now.

That being said, there are those days, when I get a text late in the afternoon saying, hey it’s been a really busy day for me, do you mind if we just go out for supper tonight. I would guess many wives and moms know what I’m talking about; there are those times when you just don’t have the time or energy to cook something up and so you go out and let someone else do the cooking for you.

Well, in some ways I can identify. Not necessarily when it comes to cooking food, but when it comes to writing this archive article. Most often writing these articles is fun and they come fairly easy. Most articles begin when something happens during my week that interacts with the gospel. However this week I had so many exciting and challenging events happen that when I sat down to write about them I felt paralyzed. I actually sat at my computer for an hour and half this morning (Friday) trying to put my thoughts on paper. I felt mentally and emotionally tired. And because I gave some of my challenges to much space in my head, I sensed the flow from the Holy Spirit had dried up

I finally gave up and sent an e-mail to Erin saying, I’m not going to have an article for this week. Basically I was throwing up the white flag, I wanted to cook up a great article for all of you to feast on, but    in the end I just didn’t have the mental or emotional capacity to write anything. So I’m asking you as you read this, would it be ok if we just go out for dinner tonight? Would it be okay if I just let Jesus feed you in this article?

Well, I’m guessing, like I always am when Vicki asks if we can go out, you are more than happy to let Jesus prepare the spiritual meal for this article. So here it is; this is what I’m going to feast on and hope you enjoy it too.

From Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

And for desert, for those who are reading this on your electronic devices, please click on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGFDplYGG-U

May in not be so with you and me that we become burned out with the rhythms of our current reality, but rather may it be so with you and me that we learn from the unforced rhythms of grace. Thanks so much for giving me permission to take a “real rest.”

May God bless you and keep, may his face shine on you and be gracious to you, and may the Lord turn his face toward you and grant you shalom.

Mike Altena

One of the ongoing debates within the Covid pandemic is whether or not a person should wear a mask. With the recent spike in Covid cases, it appears that there are many more businesses, cities, or states mandating mask wearing. In preparing for the opening of school this fall, I believe one of the questions administrators are wrestling with is, do we make the children wear masks.

On one level the debate is about health. Does wearing a mask actually keep a person from receiving or transmitting the disease? Or does wearing a mask only serve as a reminder not to touch your face? And then are there any negative health effects from connecting the intake manifold to the exhaust system, if you know what I mean. Some people would claim wearing a mask is like sitting in the garage with the car running. Many people have difficulty breathing when wearing a mask.

On another level, the debate seems to be about personal freedom. Many people have the sense that no one has the right to tell them whether or not they have to wear a mask. Many people fear that mandating the wearing of masks is only a way for the government to see how easily the public submits to their rule. But then there are those who argue, it’s really not a matter of freedom, if you really cared about me, you would wear your mask. I’m still not sure if I should be wearing a mask because I love me, or should I wear a mask because I love you.

And then a final reason we resist the idea of wearing a mask is because of the impact it might have on our appearance. I wonder if in fact by wearing masks the spread of the covid virus was completely stopped, would some people still refuse to wear a mask because of how it makes them look. Such vanity.  🙂

As I reflect on my process of discerning whether wearing a mask is “right for me,” I realize I often use the same arguments when it comes to obeying God’s instructions. For example, in Luke 14:26-27 Jesus gave these instructions, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

In this passage Jesus basically is informing me as I count the cost of following him, that if I’m not willing to elevate my relationship with Jesus and engaging his mission as the highest priority in my life, then I cannot be his disciple.

And yet when reading those shocking expectations, just like when deciding if I’m going to wear a mask, I begin to question whether or not this is a command or suggestion from Jesus. Like, is picking up my cross of rejection and suffering really necessary? Can I get to heaven without making Jesus my top priority? What would my family and friends think of me if I became a “Jesus freak?”  Is Jesus establishing those guidelines and qualifications for my good, or is he just seeing how far he can push me to submit? And can I actually love Jesus without giving so much of myself?

Should I wear a mask? Certainly in those places where it’s required, otherwise, still optional for me.

Should I make Jesus and his mission the highest priority in my life; even if it leads to persecution and suffering? May it not be so with me that I would ever question, resist, or consider this mandate from Jesus as optional.

And my prayer is the same will be true for you.

Grace and peace to you, Mike Altena

In seeking to discern the truth of our current situation in regards to the Black Lives Matter in America, I have been hesitant to jump on the band wagon like many of my Reformed Church in America colleagues. Not because I don’t  believe that black lives matter, because I do believe that black lives matter. However I’ve been cautious to fully support the movement because I just don’t know enough of the vision behind the movement.

After spending a little time researching the movement last week, I ran across a response to the movement from Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. who serves as the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It’s a 2400 word document that I would encoauge all of you to read, especially if you feel led to support the movement. It’s not a movement fully guided by Biblical principles, but rather by Marxist ideology.  (I have copies if you would like one).

In my research, I also ran across an article by Michael Foust who wrote a much shorter summary of the document written by Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. https://cnmnewz.com/2020/06/19/affirm-black-lives-matter-but-reject-the-organization-mohler-urges-christians/  I have included it below.

And just so you know, I agree, Christians should affirm the phrase “black lives matter,” but we must reject the organization that penned the slogan.

“Christians should affirm the phrase “black lives matter” but reject the organization that penned the slogan,” seminary president Albert Mohler Jr. says in a news column.

The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says the three words that have been embraced by Americans of every race and religion are “profoundly true” because “God made every human being in his image, which means every life on the planet, at every stage, matters.”

“[T]here are very real and urgent moral concerns about the lives and well-being of black Americans,” Mohler writes at ThePublicDiscourse.com.

But Black Lives Matter – the movement that was founded in 2013 and is behind BlackLivesMatter.com – takes stances that oppose biblical sexuality, Mohler writes.

The seminary president quotes the position statements on the movement’s website. “We are guided,” the BlackLivesMatter.com website says, “by the fact that all black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.”

On transgenderism, the website says, “We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.”

Further, it says, “We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).”

The Black Lives Matter organization, Mohler writes, “adopts and promotes the entire worldview of the sexual revolution.”

The organization’s website also “seeks to remove any vestige of the traditional nuclear family,” Mohler says. He quotes the organization’s stance on the family: “We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered. . . . We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘double shifts’ so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work. We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another.”

Mohler also examines the beliefs of the Movement for Black Lives, a partner organization founded in 2014. The Movement for Black Lives published a booklet that calls for “a right to restored land, clean air, clean water and housing and an end to the exploitative privatization of natural resources – including land and water. Democratic control over how resources are preserved, used and distributed and do so while honoring and respecting the rights of our Indigenous family.”

“These are radical claims, which imply the abolition of private property,” Mohler writes. “In this scenario, who would determine what land and water use constitute exploitation? And who would have the authority to seize property from owners who are deemed exploitative? Although this aspect of its message is emphasized less than its anti-racism, the group’s literature demonstrates that the Movement for Black Lives seeks an end to capitalism and free markets.”

Mohler asserts: “When you look at this language, it becomes clear that Black Lives Matter and the Movement for Black Lives share little in common with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.”

Although Mohler says he affirms the phrase “black lives matter” without “hesitation and with full enthusiasm” he “cannot use” it “because it will be heard, nearly universally, as a movement, not as a sentence. The sentence is no longer a sentence – it is a movement, a platform, an agenda of revolution at odds with the gospel, contrary to and destructive of God’s creational order.

“At the same time, Christians must be those who realize the hurt and fear of our African American brothers and sisters, indeed, of our African American neighbors and coworkers. We must be attentive to what they are saying – we must hear them, listen, and act in a way that demonstrates an urgent level of compassion and Christian love,” he writes. “We will need the spirit of Christ to do this, because mere words clearly will not do.”

Seeking the Truth that will set me free,

Mike Altena

From the efforts to impeach President Trump, the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, the protests against police brutality and racism, the riots, the canceling of culture, the questionable charges of murder against a police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks, to the recent supreme court rulings, it seems impossible for me to make sense of what is going on in our country over the past six months. What is my responsibility and how should I respond to all that is happening?

It appears that Solomon wondered the same thing in his day as we find his wisdom expressed in Ecclesiastes 8. I have copied the chapter below from The Message. In this chapter, I find at least five nuggets of wisdom for how you and I should respond to our current situation. Can you find them?

¹ There’s nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes, and gives gentleness to words and manners.

^2-7 Do what your king commands; you gave a sacred oath of obedience. Don’t worryingly second-guess your orders or try to back out when the task is unpleasant. You’re serving his pleasure, not yours. The king has the last word. Who dares say to him, “What are you doing?” Carrying out orders won’t hurt you a bit; the wise person obeys promptly and accurately. Yes, there’s a right time and way for everything, even though, unfortunately, we miss it for the most part. It’s true that no one knows what’s going to happen, or when. Who’s around to tell us?

⁸ No one can control the wind or lock it in a box. No one has any say-so regarding the day of death. No one can stop a battle in its tracks. No one who does evil can be saved by evil.

⁹ All this I observed as I tried my best to understand all that’s going on in this world. As long as men and women have the power to hurt each other, this is the way it is.

¹⁰ One time I saw wicked men given a solemn burial in holy ground. When the people returned to the city, they delivered flowery eulogies—and in the very place where wicked acts were done by those very men! More smoke. Indeed.

¹¹ Because the sentence against evil deeds is so long in coming, people in general think they can get by with murder.

^12-13 Even though a person sins and gets by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I’m still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God, who lives reverently in his presence, and that the evil person will not experience a “good” life. No matter how many days he lives, they’ll all be as flat and colorless as a shadow—because he doesn’t fear God.

¹⁴ Here’s something that happens all the time and makes no sense at all: Good people get what’s coming to the wicked, and bad people get what’s coming to the good. I tell you, this makes no sense. It’s smoke.

¹⁵ So, I’m all for just going ahead and having a good time—the best possible. The only earthly good men and women can look forward to is to eat and drink well and have a good time—compensation for the struggle for survival these few years God gives us on earth.

^16-17 When I determined to load up on wisdom and examine everything taking place on earth, I realized that if you keep your eyes open day and night without even blinking, you’ll still never figure out the meaning of what God is doing on this earth. Search as hard as you like, you’re not going to make sense of it. No matter how smart you are, you won’t get to the bottom of it.

Ok, did you find them? Here’s my take away. Even if you and I had access to all the world’s wisdom, the wisest man would know very little. No one can fully comprehend what God is doing. There will always be more questions than answers. We mustn’t allow the unknown to cast a shadow over our joy, faith, or work since we can be confident in the providence and sovereignty of a God who loves us. Don’t let the fear of an uncertain tomorrow rob you of the abundant life Jesus wants you to enjoy today.

Clinging to faith like a child, Mike Altena

As I sit behind my keyboard on this Thursday morning, I feel compelled to offer some kingdom insights that might help us process the horrific murder of George Floyd and the response of the angry protestors who have ravaged a portion of Minneapolis.

And yet, like I’m sure is true for many of you, I am speechless. After staring at my blank page for twenty minutes now I am unable to scrounge up a few words that would adequately describe the behavior of the four policemen, the protestors turned rioters, and the venomous responses offered by the arm chair protestors on social media.

My fingers feel paralyzed to write anything as I try to imagine how a person would become so full of contempt that they could actually slowly squeeze the life out of person while his three partners emotionlessly ignored the desperate cries for help from Mr. Floyd and that the process of apprehension was grossly inhumane.

Likewise, I’m also trying to imagine how a group of people could be deceived into thinking that destroying and looting your neighborhood would relieve the pain of their broken hearts.

There are no words. Hurt people hurt people. Injustice often breeds injustice. What we see happening is the ultimate effect of people whose consciences have been seared—people who are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts making an attempt to make sure justice is served while doing the very thing they are protesting.

As anxiety and anger begin to fill my soul, I also feel a need to release it, I begin to think about who is to blame. But then I began to wonder, when it comes to addressing injustice, who in the George Floyd story am I most like.  Do I become like the cop who blindly carries out his own justice? Am I like the other three  policemen who quietly stand by and say nothing even though people are alerting me to the fact that something is not right?

I also wonder in what way am I like the watching crowd who were taking videos of the arrest but didn’t have the courage to make a greater attempt to stop the policeman. Or I wondered, has there ever been a time when my quiet protest over an injustice didn’t bring about the immediate results my soul was hoping for? And so instead I gave into the little voice in my head which reassured me of my right to release my pent up anger from the times I had been hurt, regardless of whether or not I would hurt someone else. And how easily do I find myself being motivated by the synergy of the looters and rioters who have also taken up my cause, even though I know what we are doing is wrong?

As I reflect on the current events happening in Minneapolis, I realize more and more how broken this world is. I realize how intense the battle is becoming. I realize how important it is for me to be aware of how I respond to injustice. And I realize more and more how the world would be different if we embraced Romans 12:9-10;14-21.

^9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

^14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

^17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

^20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Oh God, grant us the grace that would protect us from destroying ourselves,  Amen.

Mike Altena

One of our greatest challenges the past ten weeks of living in the midst of the pandemic is discerning whether or not we can trust those who are leading us. For example, after months of trying to avoid touching any unnecessary surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control is now suggesting that it’s not very likely that a person could catch the COVID-19 virus from touching surfaces. (I’m guessing the makers of Clorox wipes are not very fond of that report). I’ll do my best to withhold my judgment since I’m certain the CDC is still learning many things about the nature of the virus and how it spreads.

On a different issue, I am noticing in myself and in others an increase in anxiety in response to how Governor Walz is reopening our state. There appears to be some significant disparities in his timeline of who gets to be open, when they get to be open, and to what degree they get to be open. Like most notably, why did the famous yellow candy store near Minneapolis get to be open before the local main street stores get to be open? And then why does the Liquor Store, Bomgaars, Menards, and Costco… you know the narrative. All of those inconsistencies have a way of causing us to lose trust in those who lead our state.

And then even more frustrating to you and me is the fact that reopening churches appears to be the last activity we will finally be given permission to engage in. Add all of those things up, and many more, and now a person or people group move beyond losing trust and respond by saying, we don’t care what our leaders say, we’re no longer going to submit to the authority.

So how does a Christian respond when they disagree with authority? The Apostle Paul writes this in Romans 13:1-5, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.”

Wow! Looks like we best continue to submit to our Governor. But then what do you do if your Governor is acting beyond the bounds of his authority (the Constitution of our nation which says we have the right to gather for worship)? Or are there reasons and occasions when we are no longer required to submit?

In Acts chapter 5:29, having been instructed by the religious authorities that they could no longer proclaim the gospel in Jesus’ name, Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

I think we would all agree that we are called to humbly submit to those who are in authority over us, unless they require us to do something God tells us not to do, or unless they insist that we refrain from doing what God has told us to do.

So when it comes to the directives, or the lack of them, from our Governor, do we continue to submit? Or having discerned that the Governor is infringing on our Constitutional rights, do we begin gathering for worship?

Knowing when to submit to authority and when not to has been a very challenging conversation for our Consistory over the past few weeks. And it would be a great discussion to have with your children to help them understand why our Consistory has decided to reopen for worship even though the Governor has asked us not to.

Under His mercy, Mike Altena

Some of the most amazing stories of God’s supernatural provision and providence are found in II Kings 2-8. The story recorded in chapters six and seven is about a drought in the land that was so severe that the people began eating their own children.

In chapter seven we read the story about four lepers who are forced with a decision that could’ve led to their death either way; either starve to death or approach the camp of the enemy Arameans in hopes they would have some food knowing they risked being killed. Here’s the story.

³ Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

⁵ At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, ⁶ for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” ⁷ So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

⁸ The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

⁹ Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.

After reading this story, at least two things come to mind that could encourage us on our journey through this pandemic. First, regardless of how badly the food chain gets disrupted and or how widespread the foot shortage may become, you and I can be at complete peace knowing God can do the unimaginable and impossible to sustain us. I love how God frightened the enemy by making them hear the sound of an army when there really wasn’t one—so frightened that they ran for their lives leaving everything behind for the lepers to feast on.

And secondly, regardless of our current circumstances, this pandemic presents us with a great opportunity to testify to the amazing grace of God. My favorite verse in this story is found in verse 9. Again, “⁹ Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves”.

Friends, to receive the grace of God that grants us the gift of being at peace with God and not telling our lost friends is not right. And to have the peace of God that passes all understanding and not share that with those who are filled with anxiety is also, not right.

May it not be so with you and me that we hoard God’s grace from anyone, but be ready in any and every situation to share about the supernatural ways God has delivered you in desperate times. This is a day of good news!!!

I love to tell the story, Mike Altena

One of the things I appreciate about the Psalms is that they are a compilation of the writer’s authentic and transparent feelings about how they experience God in the midst of a broken world.

There are several types of Psalms; four that are most common, the Psalm of praise, the Psalm of thanksgiving, the Psalm of lament and the Psalm of trust. Some, like Psalm 18 can include all four of those characteristics. And as many of you know the Psalms were put to music and have been used in worship thousands of years.

In Psalm 96:1 David suggests we must “Sing to the Lord a new song…” Now please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I am not building a case of why we should sing more new songs. Like most of you, I love many of the old hymns! And yet there have been several “new songs” (songs written in the past few years) that have enhanced my worship during this covid pandemic.

For example, I was recently listening to the radio when the song entitled “Even If” by Mercy Me came on. It begins like this, “They say sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some and right now, right now I’m losing bad.” Sadly, my first thought was that this could become the theme song for many farmers and business owners. The writer of the song goes on to tell how it feels like he’s going through a fiery trial, but in the end he trusts in God for his salvation. The song closes with these lyrics, “You’ve been faithful, You’ve been good. All of my days, Jesus, I will cling to you come what may. ‘Cause I know You’re able, I know you can…It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Another song that I was introduced to a couple of years ago is entitled and also known as the “Kyrie Eleison”. The Latin and Greek translation of Kyrie Eleison is “Lord have mercy on us.” Possibly inspired by Psalm 51:1-6, the lyrics of the song are simple. “For the things we’ve done and left undone. For the ways we’ve wandered from your heart, forgive us we pray, forgive us we pray. For the idol’s we put on Your throne, for the loves we choose before Your own. Forgive us we pray. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy on us. For the lies that we clutch to our chests. For the fear that wants to steal our breath. Forgive us, we pray. And give us your grace. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy on us.” Oh do we need God’s mercy at this time!!

I have also been blessed by Lincoln Brewster’s song, “While I Wait.” Like many of the Psalms, Lincoln writes about a time in his life when he and his wife are waiting for God to do a miracle. Beginning with his confidence in God, the song begins, “Deep within my heart, I know You’ve won, I know You’ve overcome. And even in the dark, when I’m undone I still believe it. I live by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Sometime miracles take time. When I fall apart, You are my strength, help me not forget. Seeing every scar, you make me whole you are my healer. While I wait I will worship. Lord I’ll worship Your name. While I wait, I will trust you. Lord I will trust You all the same.”

Back to thinking about how shutting the economy down because of the covid virus has especially impacted our farmers, even in the midst of “right now we’re losing bad,” I see them trusting God for a miracle. In some ways it would make no sense to plant the corn or soybeans. Because of the uncertainly of the impact of the covid virus, they really have no idea if there will be a market for their grain this fall, and yet they walk by faith and not by sight…sometime miracles take time. We wait.

I thank God for the gift of music and how it can give expression to our thoughts and feelings in the midst of our broken world so loved by God. I thank God for all the songs that have enabled you and me to express our praise, our thanksgiving, our lament and our trust. I would love to hear from you about a song, old or new, that God has given to encourage you during this pandemic. Call or text me at 320-226-2646. Or email me at mike@arcluverne.org.

To God be the glory, great things he has done…Mike Altena

Over the past few weeks I’ve read articles, listened to podcasts and had conversations with people who are wondering if, or how, the covid pandemic might be a sign that Jesus’ second coming is getting very close.

Prophetic voices have spoken about super powers making their move towards the one world government and the one world currency.  Whether it’s because we have better technology and increased access to report all that is happening around the globe, or that there clearly is evidence of an increase in evil, pain, suffering and persecution for following Jesus, a person might rightfully ask, will Jesus be coming soon. Maybe you are wondering the same thing.

Apparently the church in Thessalonica was wondering the same thing nearly 2000 years ago; do we know what day Jesus will come back to take us home?

The Apostle Paul addresses their concern with this response as found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10. As you read Paul’s response, take note of attitudes and actions that we shouldn’t be taking versus those we should   be taking.

¹ Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. ² For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. ³ When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

⁴ But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. ⁶ So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. ⁷ Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. ⁸ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

⁹ For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. ¹⁰ Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. ¹¹ So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Do you see it? What are at least three attitudes and actions we should avoid at this time?

1.

2,

3.

And what are at least five attitudes and actions that should mark our lives at this time?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

And then of course, the greatest good news regardless of when Jesus returns, take some time to mediate on verse 9-10. Why did God choose to save you? And then spend some time thanking God for his plan to redeem this lost and broken world, and that he gave you the faith and the grace to believe he wants to live with you forever!!

May it not be so with you and me that we would worry about when Jesus will come back, but rather may you be filled with peace knowing that it’s God’s presence in our lives that distinguishes us from all the other people on the earth.

Soli deo Gloria (Glory to God alone), Mike Altena

When I think about our current health crises, it rightfully creates concern on many levels. In regards to the economy and jobs, it feels like the dark, discouraging times of the farm crisis in the mid 1980’s. This crisis however has two other significant hardships that we didn’t have to deal with in the farm crisis; the potential for catching the Covid 19 virus and therefore the relational distancing being imposed by our government.

I’ll be honest, when getting present to my thoughts and feelings about the reality of extending my personal comfort space from three feet to six feet; I have a hard time coming up with words to describe it. Words like, unbelievable, eerie, crazy, and wonderful come to mind when I think of the need for separating. If our level of avoidance when meeting people in public wasn’t already a serious social concern, it’s almost comical to watch people in their efforts to keep their distance. J

The good news in all of this, and the promises we cling to, is that NOTHING will separate us from the love of God. I’m guessing many of you have been standing firmly on Romans 8. However, if you’re not, well then here you go, allow the Holy Spirit to pull you up out of your quicksand so that you can stand in this truth!

²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In order for the article to fit on this page, I had to leave part of it off.  I would also encourage you to read Romans 8:18-27. When I read through this text I find at least eight profound truths. Here are the first three, you find the rest:

• v. 28-29 If we allow him to, God will work this out so that we will become more like Jesus—that gives me hope!
• v. 34 Jesus is praying for you and me right now –that gives me peace!
• v. 39 There will never be a reason that God will impose “relational distancing” from him—that makes me feel loved!

May it not be so with you and me that we would ever worry about being separated from God’s love!

Grace to you and peace until we meet again,

Mike Altena