Peace Within Reach - helpful journals, podcast prayers, inspirational music videos, faith talk

Pray with Fred -- July 27, 2010

2010-07-28T11:33:00Z

"I cut my finger, and yeah, it bled"

2010-07-28T11:09:00Z

    As a pastor, like any of us, I need to keep my human nature in check. Yes, God’s grace, His forgiveness, and His guiding presence of the Holy Spirit are all definitely real, and felt, but my human nature is also real. This is part of keeping in perspective who I am as a human, in light of who God is. The last time I cut my finger, yeah, it bled. The last time I looked in the mirror, yeah, the gray hairs were still showing up. And yeah, I get depressed, sad, angry, etc.
    Again, in my role as a pastor, it is very important for me to keep my human nature in check. People typically look to pastors with a higher expectation or standard in mind.
    Lately I’ve been noticing that I need to watch my tongue closely. James 3:3-5 of the Bible reads, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal around . . . Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts . . . With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” No, I don’t have much of a personal problem with uncontrollable cursing or profanity as I'm angry or in conflict. But I do need to watch my tone and my use of words more carefully.
    A few weeks ago, Vivian came to our Care Center to visit and to receive a small gas voucher for her vehicle. Vivian was doing good at a lot of things --- parenting as best she could, working full-time at the same job she’s had for over a year, being in a strong relationship with God. But she was making some poor financial decisions in the purchase of a vehicle that was even making it hard for her to buy food for her family and to pay her apartment rent. While I brought out that truth, I didn’t “sandwich” it with affirmation for the many good things she’s doing. She corrected me; I apologized; she left discouraged; I felt bad. Fortunately I was able to see Vivian two days later so I could offer apology again, some more affirmation, and appreciation for her willingness to be bold in correcting me. (They say it takes 10 statements of encouragement to override 1 statement of discouragement.) It wasn’t that I lacked compassion, but I expressed it in a condescending way.
    I need to watch myself in my role as a father, too. One morning I told my oldest daughter to clean out her dog’s pen after school. Later in the day, my wife called to say my daughter was almost in tears because she couldn’t quite get it all cleaned out as “it” was frozen to the ground (December in South Dakota), and she thought Dad would be mad. I felt bad that my tone of voice in the morning must have given her that impression.
    Ah, my humanity, not something to just excuse --- “well, I’m human too” --- but, for my own peace, for the peace and hope of others, and to God’s glory, to keep in check.

"Something Beautiful" by Newsboys

2010-07-28T10:00:00Z

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJVrkRxIJQ
Heads up: By the amazing grace of God, there is beauty within each of us. Maybe it's deep inside, seeming to be far from the surface. But by His grace, it's there. You are made in the image and likeness of God. LET IT OUT!

Pray with Fred -- July 27, 2010

2010-07-27T11:42:00Z

"Rodney sold himself for $10"

2010-07-27T10:29:00Z

    I write this feeling frustrated and confused by what we human beings will do to ourselves to escape reality, or to fill a void in our life. Drinking too much alcohol can do this; it can take a person out of reality for a while. Sadly, the consequences are often painful --- the least of which is probably a hangover. Noah, who was usually an exemplary man of God early in the Bible (Genesis 5-9), once used alcohol to escape life for a while. It worked, but with the result  of a lot of “pain” for his family. In his drunkenness he lay naked and exposed. His youngest son Ham saw his father laying there but he didn’t cover up his father’s embarrassment. Rather, Ham told his brother’s Shem and Japheth about it, and they appropriately covered up Noah. When Noah sobered up, he blessed his sons Shem and Japheth, but he cursed Ham, saying, “Cursed be Canaan (Ham). The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” For many years following that, Ham and his descendants were slaves. I’ve often wondered, Noah was the elder, the father in the family, the one who should know better. He went out and got drunk and then exposed his nakedness. Shouldn’t he be cursed?
    This subject is fresh on my mind because of two recent incidents. Just the other night a 23 yr. old man named Dustin, drunk and driving too fast, lost his life as he drove his car into a tree. How sad.
    Not too long ago, my “street friend” Rodney (age 40), tightly-gripped in an addiction to alcohol, stumbled toward me and fell into my arms full of sadness and very drunk. Crying, he slurred out how he sold himself for sex with another man in order to have $10 to buy some more booze. He shared how he felt dirty, used, worthless, and wanting to die as I drove him to a place to sleep it off.
    Drunkenness, drug highs and lows, sexual highs and lows, and other experiences are sometimes used to escape reality for a little while. How sad, in light of the fact that we as people, as mere human beings each have the natural capacity and ability to be in a personal relationship with God, the Creator and Maintainer of the world, and to be filled by Him. But also, how great, how hopeful, for each person!
    Let Him fill the voids in our lives with peace and purpose. Let’s escape to Him so He can help us through real life troubles and hurts, in contrast to foreign, rogue agents like alcohol, drugs, illicit sex, etc., which usually ultimately take away more than they give.   --- www.peacewithinreach.com by Fred Wilgenburg

Do you want peace that will not go away? Check this out.

2010-07-26T21:49:00Z

Just click the following: Steps to Peace

"There Will be a Day" by Jeremy Camp

2010-07-26T09:50:00Z

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gkDiTvloc
Heads up: Yeah, he's talking about heaven, when we die, if we've given our lives to Him. As uncertain as life can be, isn't that kind of an anchor, of hope.

"What do you f____'n white guys have to say to me about God?!"

2010-07-25T11:08:00Z

    Willy came recently to a men’s Bible study that I was attending and he left early, angry and distraught. I soon followed to find out what was wrong. Willy, a bit intoxicated, started to share how he just couldn’t take it in there anymore --- this Jesus-talk from white men, “another thing you are trying to push on us Native Americans.” It’s not that the Bible study was being led disrespectfully; the leader is a gentle, soft-spoken 70 year old white man. The problem was, this talk of Jesus’ love and sacrifice, and encouragement to get to know Him is often done by white man-church that had persecuted Native Americans and severely disrespected their beautiful culture, certainly in the 19^th century, if not up through today.
    Willy and I talked about this. Though my ancestors are white, but immigrants within the last 60 years from Europe, I apologized to Willy on behalf of white man-Americans who severely abused his people then, and who continue to discriminate. As a pastor, I apologized on behalf of the Church. I don’t know if Willy and other embittered Native Americans will ever be able to fully forgive God’s church for the abuse, and for the disrespect, but I told Weldon that I hope he can be reconciled to God, to His Creator, who is, no matter who says it, all about grace, but also about justice. (It’s spoken about often in God’s Word, the Bible, including in Psalms 9:16-18, 11:7, 36:6.) I pray that Willy can distinguish between the God of the universe who doesn’t fail, and His Church of human beings who do fail. A good point is made by Pastor Rick Warren --- “Every church could put out a sign, ‘No perfect people need apply. This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow.’”
    Sincere believers --- those who have personally received the grace of God, especially as shared through Jesus --- should not act like they sometimes do, but we need to remember, they are still humans who sin and are saved by God’s grace. They are on a life-journey with God the Holy Spirit, but they certainly haven’t reached the destination of perfection yet.
    Still, no excuses, God has given us so much --- forgiveness, promise of heaven, purpose and peace, daily guidance and counsel --- that we shouldn’t act like we do sometimes.
    Willy, I worship the one Great Spirit, Tunkashila, as well. Please don’t let the poor actions of your fellow man to throw you off from a personal relationship with that Life Giver, God, Tunkashila, who will not fail you.         --- by Fred Wilgenburg, www.peacewithinreach.com

"By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North

2010-07-24T21:20:00Z

Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iueQU3sC2m8

Danny didn't get it; in memory of his life, others should

2010-07-24T07:28:00Z

I conducted a memorial service for a man who died of a severe knife wound to his hand.
He was fighting with a female friend and both of them were intoxicated. As she pulled out a
sharp knife, he grabbed the blade of the knife and she pulled the knife back. Too drunk to get help, my friend Danny bled to death. What a tragic end to Danny’s life, at the age of 39.

    Much of Danny’s previous 20 years were tragic. Danny was an absent father of
eight children. Danny was an alcoholic most of this time, living on the streets. He collected
aluminum cans to support his daily drinking habit.

I remember a few weeks when Danny remained sober from alcohol. We visited
together on his porch, talking and praying together. At that time, half of his head was shaved
as he had 30 staples closing up a head wound. A few nights before, he had been beaten
across the head with a stick.
    At the memorial service, I did not dwell on the tragedies of Danny’s life. I shared about his loyalty as a brother, and about his friendly personality, and about God’s love and care for
Danny. But I did not “preach” Danny into heaven because I did not know where Danny
stood with God. That is for God to decide. Danny's life, to the time of his death, may have
not shown evidence of a personal relationship to God, but only God knows that.
I offered a time for other people to share their memories and that is when the people
started to try to send Danny into heaven. A few people shared how Danny often shared his
alcohol with them, or gave them a little money to buy their own. After that, a number of
people stood up and said that Danny is now in a better place --- Heaven.
    I am concerned about how confusing that is to many people. Many people believe that if
a person is simply nice, or if they had a good funeral, they will go to Heaven. God writes in
his Word, the Bible, that there is Heaven, but there is also Hell. It does not matter what we
say after someone dies, God makes that decision, and he writes in the Bible that a person
only goes to Heaven if they receive his grace and love as shared by Jesus.
Do you understand? I cared about my friend Danny. I hope he is in Heaven. But, I want
others and myself also to go to Heaven for eternity. I do not want to say things just so
they feel good in this life on earth, which is only a short time compared to eternity. We need
the truth!        --- www.peacewithinreach.com by Fred Wilgenburg