One More For JC

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27) So apparently the world can completely change overnight - I just wish it wasn’t because of fears over a virus.  As stadiums clear and shelves go bare, anxieties and tensions build by the day.  But as the world around me seems to be collapsing, I have peace.  It’s not because of my strength, but because of my faith.  Even in the darkest times, I carry the promise of Jesus: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).  Thankfully He didn’t finish His parting words to us with something like “I am with you always, except during crises like Covid-19.”  No, I can be confident He is bigger than this, and so my feet stand secure: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it ...

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) After serving me well for over a decade, my home PC decided in September that the time had come to finally pack it in.  I tried everything in my human power to get it back in business.  I did one disk check after another - just when it looked like it would work its way successfully to completion (after an inordinate amount of time), the process would die and start over again at 0%.  To make matters worse, the normally diligent one hadn’t done a backup in over two years, so the pressure was really on.  Countless Google searches got me down the path of building a boot disk.  However, just when it looked like a boot disk had put me on a path to restoration – whatever task I was doing would fail as well.  After reaching a point of acceptance that I was never going to fix the PC, I finally figured out a backdoor method to ...

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the LORD Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.  (Acts 20:24) As I looked out my kitchen window this week, I couldn’t help but enjoy the beauty of a single tree a neighbor had planted about a decade ago, smack-dab in the middle between her home and ours.  Fall is in full effect in the Minnesota and the autumn colors on that tree have reached its glorious peak.  Over the years, I’ve looked at that tree countless times and never thought much of it – but this year, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears when I did.  Just last month, Dee and I learned our former neighbor had passed away in March - she moved away a few years back, and sadly we lost touch.  In the weeks since, I’ve been hard on myself – wishing I’d done a better job of maintaining contact and not missing her funeral.  But believe it or not, that...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) After 21 years, I started a new job last Wednesday.  For about the past year, I’ve been praying for an opportunity to work with Dee again – and when one opened up in early March, I went for it.  The weeks following my resignation day were even more busy and emotional than expected.  Having 21 years of emails to comb through is a lot, but it’s amazing how quickly you can delete thousands of emails regarding a product that you will never work with again.  Personal emails, on the other hand, took the full month of March to get through.  I read each one word for word – from all the wedding announcements, to birth announcements, to the supportive emails over the death of a loved one, to all the farewell emails on a colleague’s (friend’s) last day.  The “FZ, I’m alive!” email from Septe...

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Over the years, I’ve been known to stop in frequently for a Venti cup of coffee at Starbucks.  I’ve stopped in so often, I typically get on a first name basis with the baristas.  One lady has worked there so long, we’ve moved beyond chats about coffee or the frigid MN weather to various things (good or bad – from health issues or the birth of her grandchildren).      A couple days ago, in an extreme rarity, I stopped in with Dee.  It pleasantly caught this barista off guard, and I said “Today, I decided to bring my better half with me!!!”  The three of us got to talking for a few minutes and it led to me asking how many years she had worked at Starbucks.  I expected just a number (16), but she went on to share with both of us that she had only planned to work there for a short time, but needed to stay on for so long because her h...

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad. (Proverbs 12:25) 17 years later and the sadness of 9/11 is still fresh.  I wake up with a sorrow in my heart, and brace for the tears that will undoubtedly flow at some point during the day.  As the TV replays the images and horrors of that day, it’s like seeing it all again for the first time.  As the sadness grows, at some point I always venture over to my work’s email ‘Search’ box and type the word ‘alive’.  I quickly look for the one with the subject line ‘WTC’ and dated 9/12/2001.  I double click the message and smile as I see the words from my friend saying, “FZ, I’m alive!”  I usually let the message just sit there on my screen for awhile, and let that image overpower all the bad ones.  At some point I finally decide to close it, but before I do, I lift up a prayer of thanks for a friend that I thought I had lost, and for these two words from him that will always t...

Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise -   so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.  (Ephesians 6:2-3) It’s been 12 years since I last celebrated my Dad’s birthday.  As my family nestled into a hospice room to sing happy birthday to him that June 8 th , I knew time was short.  I remember all the fears I had of leaving things unsaid, especially those of a spiritual importance.  In one of our conversations that day, my Dad talked about how quickly life goes and urged Dee and I not to waste any of that time, but to fill it with love.  Later that weekend to my surprise, he asked me to bring the bible.  I went home to get it, rushed back, and prayed for the Lord’s guidance to help me find the most meaningful scriptures to share with my Dad.  After a while, I finally worked up the nerve to ask him if he knew where he was going. As he pointed to the sky, I assured him ...